“So ye think this has potential? Ye and me?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. It only matters what is. We just need to put whatever this is in check and make it until Penelope’s wedding. Then things can go back to normal for both of us.”
“It does matter.”
“No, it doesnae.” As she went to move, Rory locked his fingers around her wrist. “What if I said I’d move to Florida?”
“No, you have family here. You have the farm. You can’t up and leave. You don’t want to leave. I know you well enough to know that.”
“But what if I could? What if I did?”
She shook her head vehemently. “No. I won’t even go there.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Are ye sure it’s about movin’, then? Or is this about bein’ afraid?”
“Afraid of what? I’ve moved on from Tyler.”
“Have ye? It’s easy to say ye’ve done somethin’ without backin’ it up with action.” He knew all too well the truth in that. How many times had he said he’d moved on? They’d been lies, mostly to himself.
Paige wrenched her wrist free. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Alana may nae have left me in the way Tyler left ye, but she still left. I’ve been afraid. I’m willin’ to admit that. Gettin’ close to someone again. Fallin’ in love again, only to have them taken from me. Tyler left ye. Can ye honestly say ye arenae afraid of lovin’ someone and havin’ them leave ye again?”
Her bottom lip trembled, and her eyes filled with tears. “I’m not afraid. I’m not. I just know this won’t work. It will never work. I don’t see the point in pursuing a man that I can’t have.”
“Cannae or willnae?”
Her eyes held his. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because I want to know,” he said softly.
For a heartbeat, she just stared at him. “What does it matter?”
“Because ye matter to me.”
Paige clamored off the couch and stood. “It doesn’t matter why or how or anything. The only thing that matters is that I can’t. This was a mistake. A total mistake, and I knew it when I said yes to the first date.”
He stood and faced off against her. “That’s a lie, and ye know it. Yer usin’ excuses to run.”
“This is over, Rory. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Rory grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close. “We havenae even got out of the gate yet, and yer willin’ to just give up?”
She braced her hands against his chest and pushed away. “I’m not giving up. I’m admitting to the truth. This was over before it started. I was just too stupid to admit it.”
“Tell me ye dinnae feel the spark between us, and I’ll leave it be.”
The pause was a millisecond, but it was there before she answered, “I don’t.” She took off for the stairs, and her feet pounded on the hard steps all the way up.
Rory dropped back onto the couch with a grunt. She’d lied, and he knew it. There was no way she didn’t feel it. The first woman he’d had any interest in at all since Alana, and she was running faster than a mountain hare.
The next nine weeks were going to be torture. He knew how she felt in his arms, what it was like to kiss her. But if she didn’t want to even try, then he’d have to respect that. Maybe that was it. She liked him, felt the connection, but it wasn’t the same for her.
They’d only gone on two dates. He combed his hand through his hair. Why did women have to be so confounded confusing?
Chapter 25
When Penelope suggested they take a break from sightseeing to look at dresses, Paige couldn’t agree fast enough. Touring around Edinburgh with Rory the previous day had been awful. Too many times he’d looked at her and her knees had nearly buckled.
It wasn’t until they were at the fourth store that she’d had somewhat of a change of heart. Seriously, how many wedding dresses did her sister have to try on? At least the chairs in the store were comfortable.
“Coming out,” Penelope said as she opened the door and walked to the stage. This shop had four floor-to-ceiling mirrors in a semicircle with lighting that Paige was sure made every bride look good in every dress.
Sarah gasped. “Oh, that has to be the one. It’s…gorgeous on you.”
Paige’s jaw dropped. Her sister looked angelic in the dress. It was a mixture of white bridal satin and lace. The cap sleeves draped over her shoulders, and the satin bodice was pinned where it met the sleeves. The satin hung loose like a cowl, and lace peeked from behind it. The skirt was made of the same type of gauzy lace, and it flowed like a waterfall down her hips and made every curve standout—in a good way. The bodice and skirt were connected with a silver jeweled band that curved up in the front and sloped down as it wrapped around her waist.
“That has to be the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen.” Paige slowly stood and walked to Penelope. “What do you think?”
Penelope looked at Sarah and Paige using the mirror. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped. Her eyes held tears, and a smile spread on her face. “I love it. It’s the one. You think Angus will love it?”
“I think he will be speechless. I think you’ll make him cry.” Paige blinked back tears.
The sales clerk, a woman named Glenna, walked up next to Paige. “It’s like it was made for ye, sweetheart.” The woman had been incredibly kind and patient, going so far as to lock up the shop but let her sister continue to try on dresses.
Penelope turned to face the group. “This is the one. I feel good in it. It’s comfortable. I like the feel of it against my skin. It’s just perfect.”
Paige stared at her. Her sister was glowing with joy. When was the last time that happened? And how could Paige stand in the way of her happiness?
Sarah joined them. “Yeah, it is. It’s so perfect.”
“My sister is getting married,” Paige whispered. She wasn’t sure who she was speaking to, herself or Penelope. But saying it…it changed something in her. The realization hit her that to love her sister was to respect her choices. To support her and stand beside her.
There was no way Paige could stop her sister from being so happy. Penelope was glowing with pure joy. The dress was perfect. Her sister was deliriously excited to be in love with…a man who no doubt loved her just as much as she loved him.
“Does that mean you’re happy for me?” Penelope asked.
Paige nodded and ran back to the chair to snatch a few tissues from the table next to it. She pushed one into Sarah’s and Penelope’s hand. “I am. I really am. I’ve haven’t seen you this happy in a long time. And I want you to be happy. If marrying Angus and moving here is what you want…if that will make you happy, then…you have my one-hundred-percent support.”
Sarah and Penelope looked at Paige like she’d grown a second head.
“What?” Paige asked.
“I think you’ve been body-snatched,” Sarah said.
Paige lightly slapped her arm and chuckled. “Shut up.”
Without warning, Penelope hugged Paige. “You don’t know what that means to me. You don’t know how much I wanted to hear that from you. I don’t have Mom to talk to or Dad to walk me down the aisle. I can’t get either of their approval, and I so badly wanted yours.”
“You have it. You have all of it.” Paige squeezed her and let her go. “I’m going to cry on your dress if I keep hugging you.” She laughed.
Glenna fussed with the waist. “How about ye come back tomorrow when our seamstress is here. I think the waist could use a wee bit of alterin’ to make it fit just right. I’ll leave her a note for the mornin’ to be expectin’ ye. I’ll be here too, but sometimes the other sales clerks can give her things to work on, and I want to make sure she sees ye tomorrow.”
Penelope nodded. “Okay.”
“I think we should celebrate. Let’s find somewhere to eat, have a celebratory drink, and then we can head back to the house. Well, Paige and I can drink. You, not so much,” Sarah s
aid as she looked at Penelope.
“That sounds good.” Paige returned to her chair and sat down as Penelope returned to the dressing room.
Sarah turned and looked at Paige. “I’m so proud of you. What you did just now meant the world to her. You’ve changed, and it’s nice to see the old Paige again.”
“Whatever.” She waved Sarah off. Her mushy limit had been reached.
“I’m serious. You’ve had this hard-edged chip on your shoulder since high school, and it’s finally gone. Did you see Penelope’s face? She was so happy to get your approval, I thought she’d scream.”
Paige nodded. “She deserves to be happy. She deserves good things.”
Sarah sat in the chair on the other side of the table. “So do you.”
“No, I don’t. Not with the way I treated her. I deserve every bad thing that could happen to a person. Tyler? I deserved that.” Was that why she was running from Rory? He was something good and she didn’t think she deserved him?
“That’s not true. We all make mistakes. We all do things we regret.”
Penelope exited the dressing room, and Paige and Sarah stood. “Are we ready to go?”
“I am.” Paige smiled.
Sarah hooked her arm in Paige’s. “Me too.”
Glenna unlocked the shop to let them out. They walked a few blocks until they found a place they could all agree on. A place known for its local cuisine. Once they were inside, Paige excused herself to the restroom. She took the reporter’s card out, checked the bathroom stalls before stepping inside the last one, and dialed the number.
“Hello?” the woman on the other end said.
“Hi, I spoke to you about a week ago at Cawdor Castle.”
“Penelope Cooper? Got any more juicy details?”
The bathroom door opened, and she heard someone step inside a stall.
“Hold on. Someone just walked in.” Paige held the phone away from her ear and waited for the person to leave. She put the phone back and hoped the reporter would listen.
“Okay, back. I need you to not run that story. You weren’t speaking to Penelope. You were speaking to me, Paige, her twin sister. I was angry with her, and I wanted to hurt her. Please don’t run that story. It will break my sister’s heart, and it could very well destroy my relationship with her.”
“So you’re Paige Cooper, then? Are you telling me the show wasn’t to fix his image and that this marriage isn’t a continuance of that farce?”
“That’s what I’m telling you. I made it up. Angus loves her with all of his heart, and she loves him just as much. I found out she was moving here to be with him, and I was being selfish and mean. I’m begging you not to run that story.”
“Hmmm…what do I get for not running it?”
Paige recoiled, and the blood drained from her face. “I’ll do anything you want.”
“An invitation to the wedding.”
“An invitation to the wedding? Okay, deal.” She could figure out a way to slip the woman an invitation if that meant not hurting her sister.
“That was a little too easy. Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to get an invitation?”
“You’ll get an invitation if I have to give you mine and stay home.”
The reporter was silent a little longer than Paige liked. Then she said, “All right. Deal. But if I don’t have that invitation, made up story or not, it’s getting published. You better hope your sister is the forgiving type, because the stuff you fed me were pretty awful lies.”
“I know. I regret doing it. This is the only way I know how to fix it. I love her, and this would crush her.”
“Keep regretting it until I get that invitation.” The reporter ended the call, and Paige left the restroom, walking directly to the table where Penelope and Sarah were sitting.
Paige sat in the booth across from Penelope. “Did you ever find invitations you liked? Now that you have the dress, I’m guessing it’s time people know where the wedding is happening.”
“I found them in Rosegail Bridge. They should be waiting on me when I get back. It’s going to be a small wedding. With Angus’s family and friends, plus you two, it’s about a hundred people in total. The venue is going to be at that church we passed when we were dress shopping there.”
Paige relaxed. The invitations would be there when they got back. She’d snag one and send it to that reporter. Surely with a hundred people in attendance, they wouldn’t notice her. For now, she’d set that problem on the back burner until they returned to Rosegail Bridge.
“Oh yeah, it was pretty.” Paige smiled.
“So, about you and Rory and that cold shoulder you’ve been giving him. Want to fill us in on that?” Sarah angled toward Paige.
Before Paige could tell her where to stick it, the waitress came to the table. “I’d like some water.”
The perky waitress smiled and scribbled on her pad. “And ye two?”
“I’m in Scotland and I’ll probably never get another chance to have real, Scottish stuff, so I’m having a drink. A scotch, and I think I’ll try it on the rocks this time,” said Penelope.
Sarah looked up at the waitress. “What do you recommend in the drink category?”
“Want me to surprise ye?”
“Sure,” Sarah said, smiling.
“Do ye like sweet or nae so sweet?” The waitress looked at Sarah expectantly.
For a second, Sarah seemed to waffle. “Definitely sweet.”
“I’ll be back in a few moments.” The woman turned and left.
Sarah grinned and nodded. “A surprise. I like that.”
“Maybe I’ll ask her to surprise me if I have another,” Paige said.
Penelope snorted. “Well, just make sure you’re careful. Three drinks, and I was talking to someone I had no desire to talk to.”
“I don’t think I’ll have that problem.”
Sarah glanced at Paige. “Yeah, back to that problem. We noticed things were a little cool with you and Rory.”
“I told him it wasn’t going to work. That we needed to stop. I’m keeping my distance to make sure it’s over.”
“If you’re having to keep your distance to make sure it’s over, doesn’t that mean it’s not really over?” Penelope asked.
Paige looked up from her menu. “It’s over. At least, for me it is.”
Sarah cocked an eyebrow. “Methinks thou doth protest too much.”
“You can think whatever it is you want. We’re done,” Paige grumbled.
“Wow, you really like him.” Penelope reached across the table and covered Paige’s hand with hers. “It’s okay to admit you like him.”
The soft touch from her sister hit Paige hard, especially after what she’d done to her. “What does it matter if I like him if nothing can come of it?”
“You’re the only one that’s stopping it.”
The waitress returned with their drinks, and the moment Paige’s hit the table, she tossed it back in one swallow. The drink was cool on her tongue and warmed slowly as it raced down her throat before settling in her stomach. From there, the warmth bloomed through her core. “I’ll take another of those, please. And you can surprise me as well.”
Penelope’s eyes widened.
The waitress nodded. “Sure. I’ll bring it right out.”
Sarah sipped her drink. “Oh, that’s good. It’s sweet and has a peachy flavor.”
“Talk to us, okay? I want you to be happy too,” Penelope said.
Paige ignored her and returned her attention to the menu.
“Paige.”
“What?” The sharpness in her tone made Penelope sit back.
The waitress returned and put Paige’s drinks down.
“Go ahead and bring another drink when you see this one empty, okay?” Paige smiled.
The waitress smiled back. “Sure thing.”
Sarah angled in the booth to look at Paige. “Why won’t you talk to us about it? We’ve always talked about things.”
P
aige threw the second drink back. Combined with the previous drink, she could feel the clouds rolling in over her mind. Less thinking would be nice for a change. “Because there is nothing to talk about.”
“Obviously, there is. You’re biting our heads off and drinking like a fish.”
“I’m tired of talking and thinking and feeling. I want to sit here, enjoy the atmosphere, and have a meal. Then I want to go back to the house and sleep soundly tonight. I’m tired. I’m confused. I’m…I’m…I don’t know what I am, but I do know I don’t want to talk.” And she was on the verge of tears in a restaurant. The last thing she wanted to do was break down in front of a bunch of people she didn’t know.
Sarah and Penelope exchanged a look, and a silent understanding passed between them.
“What?” asked Paige.
Penelope shook her head. “Nothing. I think this is something you’ll need to work out on your own, but we’re here if and when you decide to talk about it.”
Paige relaxed. “That is the best news I’ve heard in a long time.”
Despite the fact that she didn’t want to think or feel, that seemed to be all she could do. The drinks had dulled the feeling a little, but the thinking was raging like a river in a downpour. She squeezed her eyes shut and pushed the thoughts away. She needed to be numb for a while.
Chapter 26
Another restless night had Rory trudging out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. The early morning wake-ups were getting to him. This time, he’d gotten some water and gone back to bed. It still didn’t make up for the string of sleepless nights.
As he walked into the living room, he spied Paige curled on her side, sleeping on the couch. A sheet of folded paper sat on the end table. He picked it up and read it.
Hey, Rory,
Sarah and I thought maybe you’d like a break from the touring, so we’ve rented a car, and we’re going to Pitlochry. We tried to wake Paige, but we couldn’t, and since it’s mostly hiking and outdoorsy-type stuff, she wouldn’t want to go anyway. We’ll be back tomorrow afternoon. See ya then!
Hugs!
Penelope and Sarah
Mending The Billionaire Scotsman (MacLachlan Brothers Romance Book 2) Page 12