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“Word of advice,” Lachlan says, lowering his voice. “Maybe move on from Blair, aye? You’re barking up the wrong tree. Wrong forest, really.”

“You’re kidding,” Brodie says with genuine surprise on his face.

Lachlan shoots him a sympathetic look. “Afraid not.”

“Figures,” Brodie snorts. “That’s about how my luck runs.”

“My da used to say s’better to have loved and lost than to have not loved at all,” Lachlan says.

Brodie frowns. “I think Tennyson said that, mate.”

“You’re kidding.” Lachlan’s mouth parts. “That auld stoater had me thinking he was a bloody poet!”

Brodie throws his head back and laughs. “Trust me, if that’s all you have to be disappointed in your father for, you’re doing all right.”

“Och.” Lachlan shakes his head. “I heard your da is a bit of an arse.” He winces when he realizes what he’s said. “Sorry.”

Brodie seems to remember then that he doesn’t actuallylikeLachlan; his smile fades as he shifts in his chair, averting his gaze with a shrug. “Aye, well. That’s just the way of it sometimes. I reckon it’s my fault for not turning out the way he wanted me to.”

“What way is that?” Lachlan asks.

Brodie’s eyes are colder when he answers, “To hear him tell it, more like you, I’d wager.”

“Me?” Lachlan makes a face. “I help out with the farm. Surely he’s prouder to have a smart one like you, aye? With your fancy job back in Inverness.”

Brodie bristles even further if possible, and for the life of me, I can’t pinpoint where this conversation went off the rails. They had been doing so well.

“Aye, well.” Brodie sniffs. “Best be seeing about that fish and chips before I starve, yeah?”

“Thank you for your help,” I say, having to hold myself back from asking what just happened.

He nods stiffly. “Good luck with your search.”

“You too,” I call back. I wait until he’s out of earshot before leaning over the table to ask, “What the hell just happened?”

Lachlan shrugs. “Beats me. The guy just doesn’t like me, Key. I reckon there’s not much I can do about it.”

I frown at that, but I guess I don’t have time to dwell on it. That’s a problem for another day. We have more important things to worry about right now.

“The story. Do you think…?”

“Aye. Definitely,” he finishes before I can get the question out.

“What do we do now?”

Lachlan frowns, turning his face toward the window. “Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s enough time left before dark to do anything today.”

“Oh.” I wither at the idea of saying goodbye to him for another night; I think because each time I do it, there’s a small part of me that worries he won’t come back. “Right.”

I can see those same fears etched into his features as he studies my forlorn expression, finally reaching across the table to cover my hand with his. “You want to come with me?”

“What?” I rear back. “I don’t think it works like that.”

He rolls his eyes. “Not like that. I just meant the shore. Just for a while.” He looks toward the window again. “There’s time yet…and I want to show you something.”

Given that I’m increasingly desperate these days to spend moretime with him, I don’t need much persuasion. “Sure,” I tell him. “I can go.”

“Look at me.”