Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
She glanced over her shoulder. “Annie.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Annie.”
“Do you need me to call the police?”
“I’m on the phone with my husband. He’ll call if I need him to.”
Annie opened a door that led out onto an alley. She gestured to the left where the alley turned into a lane behind the stores. “Stick to the lane until it comes to an end. It’ll bring you by Berry’s B&B. And from there, you’re just a straight shot down to the carpark.”
Trembling now, I thanked Annie again and then hurried into the alley.
“I’m out,” I told Jared as I jog-walked onto the cobbled lane.
“Run, Allegra.”
“What if I’m being paranoid?”
“Then running is just a bit of exercise, but it would make me feel better if you fucking ran!”
“Okay, no need to bite my head off. I’m already freaked out enough.”
“Sorry, baby. I just hate being here while you’re there.”
I murmured my understanding as I regretfully dumped my latte and croissant in the trash. Thankful for the flat pumps I wore, though I felt every little stone under my feet, I ran until I was off the lane and out onto the street surrounded by people and vehicles. If anyone thought I was a crazy lady, I didn’t care. I just kept running until my bright yellow Jeep came into view. As soon as traffic cleared, I raced across the street and into the parking lot. Fumbling with my keys and phone, glancing around to make sure the man was nowhere in sight, it took me a tension-building amount of time to get in the car.
I could hear Jared shouting my name from the phone I’d dropped on the passenger seat. But I was in a hurry to switch on the engine and get out of there. I’d never been more annoyed with myself for buying a bright yellow freaking car.
The phone connected to the vehicle as I swung out of the parking lot. “I’m here, I’m here!” I cried in response to Jared’s panicked shouts.
“Fuck!” He bit out. “I’m coming to meet you.”
“Don’t. I’m in my car and I’m on my way.”
“If you see anyone following you, call the police.”
“You got it.”
“In fact, just stay on the phone with me.”
“For an hour? Don’t you have tractoring to do?” I attempted to tease him to ease the unbearable tension. My gaze kept flicking to my rearview mirror, searching for any signs that I was being followed.
“Not while this is going on. I’ll lose my mind with worry if you don’t stay on the phone.”
Tenderness suffused me. “Okay. I can tell you all about Michelle’s shitty response to my painting while we pass the time.”
“What?” He sounded annoyed.
“She told me it was similar to stuff one of her other artists is doing and that I should, and I quote, ‘Stay in my lane.’ Speaking of …” I glared at a driver who swung last minute into my lane. I had to hit the brakes. “Asshole. Learn to drive! I’m a fucking American and I know how to drive here better than you, pal!”
I heard Jared’s huff of laughter. “I can’t believe you’re yelling at bad drivers after what just happened.”
Fear shivered through me. “I don’t want to think about that until I’m home.”
He blew out a breath that sounded shaky. Voice gruff, he replied, “Okay. So what does ‘stay in your lane’ mean?”
“I don’t know but … it made me sad. I love this painting and when I look at it, it makes me … feel.”
“Then open your own gallery. You said that was the plan, right?”
My heart raced for an entirely different reason now. That was the plan. I’d given myself eighteen months to get it up and running. Now I only had fifteen. Honestly, with everything else going on, I hadn’t put as much effort into it as I should have. “Yeah, it’s supposed to be the plan.”
“Then do it. Allegra, Ardnoch brings in more tourists than any other town in the Highlands. We have no art gallery, which seems like a bit of a failure on Ardnoch’s part. You live in the perfect place to open a gallery that showcases anything and everything your imagination can come up with. And the beauty of that is, no one else will control what you sell. No one can tell you to stay in your lane. Especially when they’re wrong. Because Michelle is wrong. Her opinion is biased because she’s making money on your glasswork. That’s what she cares about. I care about you. And you know deep down Michelle is wrong.”
Love. So much love filled me. “Thank you,” I whispered hoarsely.
“You don’t need to thank me, baby. You just need to get your arse back here so I know you’re safe.”
“On my way home,” I promised.
“I’ll be there when you get here.”
Tears filled my eyes. It had been a day! And I was emotionally overwhelmed. But in that moment, the tears were happy tears.