by Lynn Galli
“I was going to leave you a key. You can lock up when you’re ready.”
She eyed me. “I was serious this morn.”
“About what?”
“It’s not smart to leave me here unsupervised.” She flashed that mischievous grin again.
“Considering you had every chance in the world to ruin my things when we shared an apartment and you didn’t, I’m guessing you wouldn’t pull anything now. Especially since we have to keep talking at least until this awful wedding is over.”
Her head tilted and the smile dimmed. “Still not keen to marry?”
“You remember that?” I’d made that comment once to the roommates when they were discussing the possibility of Gwen getting engaged to her boyfriend at the time.
“I thought it was the oddest thing I’d ever heard.”
“I am odd.”
“That you are.”
“I have a hard time believing people can stay together for forty years these days. It’s not our grandparents’ era anymore.” Harsh but true.
“Wow, you must really charm the skirts off every woman.” Her expression while she paused made my pulse start to race. She was up to something. “Or do you still date men like you did in college?”
“I was in grad school. You keep forgetting that.” I glared at her. “I don’t remember introducing you to a date.”
Her eyebrows hiked up. “That tall blond guy. Good looking. With dark hair he could have been Cary Grant.”
I searched my memory for a tall blond guy. “Mike? No, he wouldn’t.”
“He was good looking.”
“He was, and gay.”
Her expression turned suspicious. “Are you having me on?”
“No. He wasn’t out to his parents so I played the girlfriend when necessary.”
“Still,” she said, incapable of relenting. “You were so in the closet it drove me mad.”
“I was so nothing.” I felt my blood start to boil. “You shouldn’t have had an opinion about it anyway. Is that why you can’t stand me?”
She flinched at my accusation and her tone softened. “It was one of the things I didn’t care for. In this country where everyone is so proud of everything they do and so loud about it, I couldn’t understand why you felt like you had to hide who you were.”
“Proud and loud?” I couldn’t remember ever being either.
“Perhaps not you.” She finally agreed with something. “You’re quiet enough to fit in back home.”
“So I’ve been told.”
Her eyes widened. “When? By my mum?”
“When I visited Scotland. My accent gave me away, but otherwise the locals thought I was one of them.”
“You came to Scotland? When?” She dropped back against the kitchen counter, shock evident on her face.
“I had a few months off after New York before my job started, so I traveled to the U.K.”
“Where?”
“London first then up to Scotland. I took a weekend in Ireland and France, but mostly I traveled Scotland.”
“Where?” Her eyes searched mine.
“Where do you think?” I grinned.
“Your namesake? Really? Did you find family there?”
“I did. My grandmother and her sister. A few second cousins.”
“Not your dad?” she asked softly.
I shook my head. “He’s apparently a bit of a wanderer. He hadn’t seen his mother in years when I met her. She wasn’t even sure where he was living. After she found out about me, I don’t think she was too eager to speak with him again.”
She pushed upright and took a step toward me. “Why?”
“He’d been lying to her about me and my mom since I was born. That I hadn’t been born, actually. She was pretty angry to learn she had a granddaughter she didn’t even know existed and furious that my grandfather passed away before he had the chance to meet me.” I let out a breath before my mind started going through the injustice of his actions. Over the years I’d come to understand that some people just weren’t meant to be parents. If I met him now, I’d probably thank him for not putting us through an uncomfortable life together when he wouldn’t have wanted to be there.
“I’d like to hear that whole story some time.” She sensed that now was not the time to get into it. “Did you make it to Glasgow?”
“I did.”
“And you didn’t look me up?” She seemed astounded by that.
I was equally astounded. “Last I remember, you weren’t my biggest fan.”
“Wait a minute.” Her eyes flicked up in thought. “Mum said she had a visitor from the States that she wished would return.”
I smiled sheepishly. “I called her when I knew I’d be in town. I wanted to take her to lunch, but she insisted I stay for a few nights and showed me all around Glasgow. Best trip ever.”
“That’s, well, that’s just…” She shook her head, confused.
“I thought she’d tell you, but she must have remembered we didn’t get on famously.”
“That little sneak. Where was I?”
“At Cambridge trying to find housing for the fall.”
Her eyes widened. “Her cappuccino maker? I asked her about that machine. You brought that as a gift for her, didn’t you? Spoilt her with the coffee shops in New York on your little excursions. Got her hooked on the cappuccino. You know she offers me that first now instead of tea?”
“Cosmopolitan of her,” I teased.
“And you fixed the back gate for her. The one the neighbor’s goats could always get through because he was too cheap to fix it. My parents had a long standing tiff over that with him. Neither would bend to fix it. Did you bring state of the art hinges along with the cappuccino maker?”
I laughed at the memory. “They were telling me all about the Drovers Run-Killarny feud they had going with the neighbors. A new latch and a couple of hinges would do the trick, so I ducked into a store in Glasgow and snuck out early one morning to fix it.”
“Do you know they’re the best of friends now?” She looked at me in wonder and stepped closer. In the next instant, her arms came around my neck. “You worked a miracle.”
I was so startled by the move, I didn’t return the hug. I didn’t let myself think about how soft and supple her body felt against mine either. If I did, I might forget to let her go.
She jerked back as soon as she realized what she’d done. Her eyes darted away and she turned to flee upstairs. “I can be dressed in five minutes.”
I didn’t bother to argue with her. After a hug like that, I was willing to give her my key not just let her borrow it to lock up. That wasn’t a good feeling to have with someone like Ainsley.
Twenty-Three
After a morning of assuring everyone in the office that Dallas was back safe in the hotel and the world hadn’t ended because I’d shown up two hours late to work, I was doing a good impression of someone pretending to work. I’d been looking forward to my vacation, which was now postponed a week. If Dallas’s story went down the way it was supposed to, the postponement would be worth it. My mental state may be permanently damaged at having to suffer another work week and all this damn wedding planning and having that woman back in my life, but I’d welcome the break when it finally came.
Ainsley had hugged me and thanked me and had almost an entire conversation with me without taking a dig, other than the living in denial thing. I never considered it denial. It wasn’t like I’d met a woman that I longed for and pushed aside those feelings. I’d been too busy working and going to school to think about dating. Too busy taking extra classes each term so I could finish school early. No woman held my interest longer than any man had.
Neither could a budget meeting that was about to enter its third hour of coma inducing excitement. Business school never prepared me for the boredom of endless corporate meetings. If we spent as much time doing as meeting, we’d be far more productive.
“Are they going to get this story, Skye?”
“Yes.” Short definitive responses, otherwise we’d be in the room all day. These guys had nothing better to do than meet all day. I actually did things all day. Meeting about the things that I did was pointless in my opinion.
“When do they get back? This trip is costing the network a bundle.” The COO always had something to say about budgets.
“The potential income far outweighs the outlay. Ad sponsors will eat this story up.”
“Why aren’t we running promos yet?” he asked.
“Because they’re getting the general on camera today. We don’t want to tip him off before the story airs. We want him to think this piece flatters him.”
“How are we going to get new people to watch if we don’t promo it?”
Really? This guy helps run a network and he can’t figure out how to get people to watch his shows without specific promos? “We cannot leak anything about the true nature of this story until it airs. We’re getting the evidence and witness statements to the DEA as soon as the interview is in the can. The story could result in an arrest.”
“They don’t have jurisdiction, do they?”
“He murdered two undercover DEA agents.”
Everyone leaned forward, but it was the president who spoke. “You mean he ordered them murdered?”
“He did it himself according to the two witnesses we now have on tape.”
“Shit,” the COO dragged out.
“Which is why we’re going for the social media effect after the story has aired. It’s not the number of people who will watch it live; it’s the trending numbers afterward that will command a higher dollar from our sponsors.” That was Television in the New Media Age 101. If this was news to them, the network had a lot of work to do to catch up.
“Yet you still think not playing up the impending nuptials in our promos is a good idea?”
I hid the distaste I felt at his suggestion. “The cohosts are not the story. They have a right to keep their wedding from becoming a media circus.”
“But it’s the best kind of publicity and free.”
“It’s not free.”
“When you don’t pay for something, it’s free,” the COO condescended as he was prone to do.
“Or stealing,” I shot back without thinking. Jeez, this mouth of mine. “I meant that they’ve currently got some anonymity, which is a blessing to both of them. If you take that away, it’s at a cost to them.”
“They’re on-air talent. They don’t have the same right to privacy as the rest of us.”
“But shouldn’t their employer at least respect that right?”
They all exchanged glances. Glances I didn’t like the looks of. “It’s free publicity.”
I ground my teeth. “Are you paying for their wedding?” That garnered laughter from everyone in the room. “Then you have no right to do anything other than put up a congratulations message at the end of the broadcast. If you plan to do anything more, you should offer to pay for the wedding.”
The COO scoffed. “What would that cost?”
“A lot more than this story.”
“I don’t think we need to pay for anything in order to promote their intent to be married.” He looked to the president for a decision.
I sucked in a loud breath. Was he just being contrary? I felt like I’d had my limit of contrary since Ainsley came to town, since I’d met Ainsley. But unlike with Ainsley, he was just being a dick because he could be a dick.
“Shall we plan for a promo starting tomorrow then?”
“I agree,” the president spoke up.
Because I was fed up and my mouth had already taken leave of my brain, I talked back to the president for the first time. “Have you given them the courtesy of a heads-up that you’re going to turn their wedding into a circus? You don’t worry that people will think they’re doing this for publicity? You’re chancing them losing credibility before the biggest story of their lives, of this network.”
That he took note of. He slapped the table and stood. “She has a point.” Again, talking as if I weren’t in the room. “Let’s revisit. We might hold their promo until after the show has aired.”
He left the room before I could protest. Adding this to my list of worries right now seemed like too heavy a load. I’d have to pass this on to Dallas and Colin as soon as they got back. They would have more pull.
Outside my office, Tori gave me a rundown of everything I missed while I was in a pointless budget review meeting that turned into a let’s-screw-over-our-top-talent meeting. My office phone rang as soon as I sat down. I groaned and scooped it up.
“Hello.” Traffic noise and voices garbled Ainsley’s greeting.
The exasperation I’d been feeling drained at the sound of her voice. “Did Elspeth make it in okay?” With the Dallas scare last night, I’d forgotten that her mother was arriving today. It took a text from Ainsley asking about best routes to the airport to remind me.
“She did and she’d love to see you. I told her you were working, but she’s really hoping she can say hello today before I have to leave for the lecture.”
That’s right. She had the University of Maryland tonight, too. The scare with Dallas had really done a number on my memory. “Is she going with you?”
“She hasn’t decided. I think she’s got jetlag, but she’s not admitting it.”
A bus horn sounded. “Where are you?”
“The FDR memorial. We can wander over to your office now or have a late lunch if you need more time.”
I mentally went through everything else I needed to do today. I’d already worked through the lunch hour and hadn’t planned to stop so I could have a full evening off before Dallas returned. If I took a lunch break, I’d have to work late. “I haven’t had lunch either and a break is just what I need,” I told her.
“Lovely. I’ll tell Mum. We’re happy to come to you.”
“I’ll meet you at the steps to the National Gallery. They have a nice café there, and I feel like getting out of here.” I signed off and picked up my bag, rooting through to find my flats. I was wearing heels for the meeting with the old male club because they expected women to wear heels, but I’d need flats for the walk to the Smithsonian.
“Where are you going?” Tori didn’t bother to hide her astonishment.
“Lunch. A long one.”
“Are you coming back?”
“I might be doing some research for a story.”
She smiled widely. “You deserve it. I’ll hold down the fort.”
“Thanks.”
Twenty minutes later I hurried up to the steps of the National Gallery. My eyes searched the people milling about. They landed on Ainsley almost immediately. She was wearing a sleeveless top and knee length shorts that looked the same as what others wore but so much better on her. Her mother appeared behind a cluster of tourists. Fourteen years had turned the yellow blond hair she shared with her daughter pale with white streaks. A few added lines to her face, but otherwise she was as pretty as the forty-eight year old woman I’d met in New York. I hadn’t realized till that moment how much I’d missed her. We hadn’t spent a lot of time together, but it was memorable and enjoyable.
“There she is.” Ainsley pointed to me. I waved at both and jogged to catch up with them.
“Skye, darling,” her mum said, pulling me in for a tight hug. “So good to see you.”
“I’m happy you’re here, Elspeth.” I soaked up the affection as much as I had when I’d been in grad school. With limited resources, I hadn’t seen my own mother for two years by the time Elspeth arrived. She was a wonderful and willing substitute.
When she pulled back, her eyes glistened with emotion. “My word, you’ve grown into
such a beauty. Isn’t she a beauty, Ainsley?”
Ainsley looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here. She managed to smile and look away, but her mum wasn’t having it. She repeated the question and Ainsley was forced to reply, “Aye.”
My stomach fluttered at the compliment. I thought I’d seen an approving glance every now and then from her. To hear it confirmed from her made me feel less like a heel for being attracted to her. “Let’s get something to eat and you can tell me all about your travels and what you plan while you’re here. I hope you’re not leaving right after the wedding?”
“Nay, lass. Colin’s going to let us use his place while he’s on the honeymoon.”
“That is truly the best news I’ve heard all week.”
Her hand came up to pinch my cheek. “Still a sweetie. Isn’t she a sweetie, Ainsley?”
Ainsley swallowed what probably would have been a sarcastic retort and repeated, “Aye.”
“I’m happy to see you haven’t covered up these lovely freckles.” I could feel the blush hit under her still resting hand. “You Americans seem to have products for everything these days. I was afraid they’d be gone.”
“I don’t think they’ve invented anything like that yet, Elspeth.”
“A good job, that. You and my Ainsley have these beauty marks for a reason. Don’t go messing with them.”
My gaze darted to Ainsley’s face and down to her arms, scrutinizing her freckle pattern. Like me, I knew she’d have them on every surface. Other than redheads I’d only met a few blondes with the amount of freckles I had. Ainsley was one of them. A brunette in our office had a sprinkling on her cheeks, nose, and forehead, but her arms, neck, and sternum were completely mark free. She hated her freckles. I didn’t mind mine so much and I really liked Ainsley’s.
“I’ve missed you, Elspeth.”
“And ya should have, love.” Elspeth winked and looped her arm through mine and Ainsley’s before starting us up the stairs. The stress of my day instantly vanished with her playful words.
Twenty-Four
Baggage claim swarmed with people. I should have let them get on the chartered shuttles, but it had been three weeks and I wanted to see my friend. Van was the first one to appear at the bottom of the escalator. He looked like he’d aged ten years and barely seemed to be standing upright. He shuffled more than walked to the carousel and didn’t even notice me when I stepped up to him.