Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 102731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
I wasn’t mad at Fyfe. I hadn’t even known he was back in Ardnoch, let alone expect him to update me on Lewis’s comings and goings.
But I was mad at Lewis for not giving me any warning.
Why was he back?
Disturbing my peace and blissful denial!
And now he was here … again.
Fyfe gave me an apologetic smile as he led Lewis into the open-plan living room. “Take a seat, Lew. I’ll plate you up some breakfast.”
“Thanks, smells great.” Lewis zoomed in on me. “Morning, Callie.”
“Lewis!” Carianne jumped from her chair and crossed the room to throw her arms around him. Her head barely reached his shoulders.
Lewis grinned and returned her embrace. “Hi, Carianne.”
“Oh my God.” Carianne pulled back to stare up at him. “Look at you all MC hot.”
“What?” He chuckled.
“Motorcycle Club. I heard you’re riding around the village on a Harley looking like a proper biker with all these tattoos.” She slapped his biceps where said tattoos were. “I gotta tell you, you’re looking good, Adair.”
I tried not to scowl at the flirtatious note in her voice and decided she was merely being funny with an old friend.
Lewis’s attention turned to me. “How are you?”
Carianne stepped away from him, her expression falling. I tried not to overanalyze that as I shrugged at my ex. “I was fine.”
His lips pinched together at the implication I was no longer fine. “Do you mind if I join you?”
“Of course she doesn’t.” Carianne gently shoved him toward a seat. “It’s been seven years and she’s shagged half of Paris. I think she’s over it.”
What the actual hell? “Carianne!”
She blanched at my expression. “Oh, Callie, it was a joke. Everyone knows that was a joke, right?”
Lewis folded his large body into the chair but didn’t look at anyone while Fyfe brought over plates for his friend and himself.
“Aren’t jokes supposed to be funny?” Fyfe gently chided Carianne as he took his seat.
“You’re right.” Carianne gave me an apologetic, pleading look. “I’m sorry, Callie.”
“It’s fine.” Embarrassed and now wondering if that’s what everyone was saying behind my back (that I was sleeping my way around France!), I felt my appetite dissipate. If I did want to shag half of Paris, that was my prerogative, but I hated the idea of people gossiping about me, shaming me.
I loved Ardnoch, but the small-town life had kind of worn on my nerves this week.
“Anyway …” Carianne glanced between Fyfe and Lewis for help. “How are things? Lewis, when do you start working at your dad’s firm?”
“Tomorrow.” He gave her a toothless smile. “I heard you’re a hairdresser now. How’s that going?”
“It’s good, it’s good. I keep busy. I just started doing hair extensions too.”
“Good.”
“Are you staying at your parents’?”
“The annex, aye. Until I find somewhere.”
“The flat next to mine is up for rent. It was a holiday let, but they’ve decided they want a permanent tenant.” Carianne practically fluttered her freaking lashes at him. “It would be nice to be neighbors. I could bring you sugar anytime you ran out.”
Feeling Fyfe’s gaze, I shot him a disbelieving look.
He grimaced in sympathy.
So I wasn’t losing my mind.
Carianne was flirting with Lewis!
Breakfast turned sour for me. Out of politeness, I ate what I could of Fyfe’s delicious cooking and tried to catch up with my friend while trying to ignore the fact that my other friend was flirting with my ex. To Lewis’s credit, he valiantly attempted to deflect the flirting and kept shooting me worried looks.
Carianne was oblivious.
And as hurt and irritated by her as I was, I had to remind myself that I’d never told her I still harbored feelings toward Lewis or that I’d had sex with him a mere two weeks ago. As far as she was aware, we broke up when we were kids like she and Fyfe broke up, and so Lewis was fair game.
But it wasn’t the same.
She and Fyfe dated for a year and were never that serious.
Lewis and I dated for three years and made everyone sick with how in love we were.
You just … you just didn’t come on to your friend’s ex-boyfriend and certainly not in front of said friend!
Finally, unable to take much more, I pushed away from the table. “Sorry to love and leave you, but I have some prep to do this afternoon for opening tomorrow.”
Fyfe frowned. “Your mum gave you a lift here, right? I’ll take you home.”
Lewis shot to his feet, his chair scraping back so hard it almost toppled. “No, I’ll do it.”
I gave Fyfe a pleading look, but it went ignored as he cleared his throat. “Aye, that’s a better idea.”
“I can give you a lift,” Carianne offered instead.
I was about to pounce on that when Lewis glowered at her. “No, you can’t.”
Carianne’s lips smacked shut in shock at his tone.
He winced. “Sorry. Sorry.” He turned to me, emotion swarming in his eyes. “Let me take you home. Please. I’d like to talk.”