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He raised an arm to acknowledge my words, but he didn’t turn around.
As much as I hated to admit it, this wasn’t my worst encounter with a stranger. To be honest, this didn’t even make the top ten. All my life, I’d excelled at two things. Being socially awkward and attracting drama.
My cell rang, drawing my gaze to the screen. A much-needed smile bloomed when I spotted the ID. Mom. Her superpower was knowing exactly when to reach out.
I eased to the side of the hotel, avoiding the crowd, and answered. “Hey, Momma.”
“Hey, baby. Are you ready to say goodbye to Scotland?”
Despite what had just happened? “No. And yes. But mostly no.” The thought of returning to a predictable life in an ordinary small town struck me as sad. “I wish I could spend another week exploring.” Maybe a month. Perhaps a year.
“I choose to believe you mean yes and only yes. You know I hate being more than five minutes away from my grandchildren. Besides, Scotland isn’t England.”
And there went my smile.Here we go again.“You don’t have any grandchildren. Since I’m an only child, that circumstance isn’t likely to change any time soon.” Freezing wind kicked up, stealing much needed oxygen. Ugh. Maybe I shouldn’t have packed my coat, but keeping track of bulky wool on a trans-Atlantic flight was a pain. Using a pillar as a shield, I dragged my bag closer to the hotel’s entrance.
“Darling, situations can change in a blink.” The delight in her tone caused my stomach to curdle. A truckload of trouble headed my way, no doubt about it. “Oh! I shouldprobably mention your welcome party. The festivities begin as soon as you get home. Are you excited? You’re excited, aren’t you? Because you know how hard I worked to make this special for you.”
A groan escaped. Here was my suspicion in manifestation. “I’ll be in airports and airplanes for the next twenty hours. I’ll be exhausted. There’s no way I’ll make a good impression on whoever it is you’re hoping I’ll meet and marry.”
She continued to set me up with eligible men between the ages of twenty and fifty-five. Men she encountered at the grocery store or doctor’s office. At twenty-seven, I preferred a number somewhere in between, thank you.
“Nonsense. You’ll sleep in the air and be completely refreshed. James will adore you, and you’ll adore James. He’s the perfect man for a woman of your...unique charms. He might even be your one true love. You two will make pretty babies.”
I was already shaking my head. “No more setups. I mean it. We’ve talked about this.” Often.
The newest crack of thunder drowned out her response. Then the sky opened and deluged the streets with icy rain. An awning saved me from a thorough soaking, but not from the cold. Screw it. If I didn’t put on my coat, I’d provide every passerby with a solo wet T-shirt contest.
Anchoring my phone between my cheek and my shoulder, I knelt beside my bag and unzipped—eek! The wind snatched my favorite cardigan. I reached out to catch it, missed, and dropped my phone on the pavement, cracking the screen.
My eyes slid closed.
“—say to that, darling?” my mother was asking as I snapped to and pressed the broken device to my ear. “Theconnection might be fading. Are you going through a tunnel? I’m looking forward to your party, and I know you are, too. Wear something flattering for your figure. Bye!”Click.
Argh! I’d rather be reading romantic cozy mysteries than dropping queso on my shirt while a good-time-guy explained all the reasons I should invite him back to my place and not expect a call afterward.
But enough about the travesty of modern dating and my mother’s obvious manipulation. Books were a much safer subject. Now would be a good time to lose myself in a story, but I’d finished my newest read last night. A delightful tale about a sunny, cursed-in-love heroine who owned a landlocked cemetery and solved a murder while fighting her attraction to a grumpy, cinnamon roll of a special agent.
As carefully as possible, I searched the carryon for my coat, to no avail. Had I left the garment at the bed-and-breakfast?My shoulders rolled in. There went my exploration of the city. Better to hole up and get warm.
After securing my bag, I headed inside the fancy hotel and aimed for the bar for hydration and a snack . A small round table called my name. I sat, scanned the menu, then ordered a cranberry juice and a smoked haddock with toast points drizzled in sweet onion cream sauce. The benefit of traveling alone: No one cared about my breath.
While enjoying the treats, I marveled at my opulent surroundings. A massive crystal chandelier cast spears of light over glass tables topped by fresh lavender centerpieces. Plush, colorful chairs acted as the perfect compliment. Inlays of cobalt and gold glistened throughout an ivory floor. Across the room, a bay of windows displayed a covered deck teemingwith potted flowers.
“Is this seat taken?” a woman asked.
Startled, I glanced up to find an elegant, green-eyed, freckled redhead standing next to the empty chair across from me. A lovely white dress molded to her long, slender frame. Two burly men in tailored suits flanked her sides. One had a buzz cut; the other sported a ponytail.
Were they bodyguards? Both glared at me as if I’d forced the woman to approach at gunpoint.
“Well?” Red asked, glancing at the remains of my appetizer and wrinkling her nose.
Right. She expected a response. “No,” I piped up. “The chair isn’t taken. Please feel free to?—”
“Excellent.” She plopped a designer purse between us and eased down, a glass of what looked to be whiskey in hand. Two lime wedges balanced on the rim.
Oh. I’d thought— Well, it didn’t really matter now, did it?
“I’m Isobel Campbell.” She arched a thick red brow at me. “An’ you are?”
