A Summer of New Beginnings by Lisa Hobman

Author:Lisa Hobman [Hobman, Lisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Published: 2018-01-09T05:00:00+00:00

22

After dinner Lachy and Zara sat in the lounge watching the flames dancing in the fireplace and Bess spread herself out as close as she could to the grate without burning her nose. There was something very relaxing and familiar-feeling about the whole scenario and Zara had to remind herself that her bike would be arriving after two more sleeps and she would then be back on the road and heading home.

Much of what Lachy had said was true. She did love her job, but it left little in the way of time for her to do the one thing she had always wanted to pursue. Maybe she wasn’t good enough to be a novelist, but how would she know if she never tried? Making a huge change was terrifying and she wasn’t sure she was as brave as Lachy had been when he’d left the city to return to the family croft.

She guessed it was the romance of the location that was playing with her mind and her heart. She hoped that when she left Scourie in a couple of days she would forget about the feeling of belonging she had begun to experience. After all, Lachy wasn’t looking for a lodger.

The soporific effect of the wine was becoming difficult to fight and Zara was considering taking herself off to bed when Lachy spoke.

‘Do you think you’ll ever return?’

‘To Scotland? Or… or to here specifically?’ she asked.

He turned to look at her. ‘To here.’ There was a strange intensity to his gaze that she couldn’t decipher. Was he inviting her to visit?

She shrugged. ‘Maybe. Who knows what Noah will have me doing next? Trekking in bloody Antarctica or something. I wouldn’t put it past him.’

‘I don’t mean for work necessarily. What I mean is… It’s just…’ His inability to put into words what he wanted to say was endearing. She was seeing a softer side to the brusque man she had first encountered. ‘Well, you’d be welcome. Here, I mean. If you wanted to come back.’

She smiled and her heart fluttered. ‘Thank you. That’s really nice of you. I thought you’d maybe have had enough of me.’

He shrugged and glanced down at his wine glass. ‘It’s been kind of nice having some company.’

A twinge of sadness knotted her stomach again. Getting back to her normal, fast-paced life would be strange. But good… wouldn’t it?

She stood from the sofa. ‘Well, I’m bushed. Time for bed, I think. Thank you for a lovely evening.’

Like a true gent Lachy stood too and he was only inches away from her. ‘Thank you. It’s been good to just sit and eat a proper meal and to talk to another person. It’s been a while. I spent a lot of time at my dad’s bedside when he was ill and then, since he died, I’ve spent too much time here alone. You’re right about people needing people. I think I’d forgotten that until… well, until these last few days.’

Zara had the urge to hug him but then her eyes drifted to his lips as they parted slightly and the urge changed.

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