Page 50 of The Scottish Island Inn

‘No problem.’

The woman looked delighted. She went back to the kitchen.

Tam began his cooked breakfast.

‘A quote?’ Sorrel asked.

‘Aye. I’m going to stay here and give Carol a quote. Could be a nice little project for me.’ He avoided her eyes, cut a fat sausage in half and chewed it slowly.

‘Oh. But I need to get back to the Inn as soon as possible.’ Sorrel felt wrongfooted. ‘Simon’s on his way. I don’t want him to arrive and I’m not there. He’s never met any of my family.’

‘Sure. I get it. You can take the truck. Just leave it at the Inn and I’ll get it when I get back.’ He met her eyes coolly. ‘Here. Take the keys.’ He handed her a key on a fob and returned to his breakfast.

‘But… how are you going to get back?’ Sorrel felt a horrible sinking feeling in her stomach. She and Tam had been so close, so intimate, the night before, and now he was so cold. She was so confused. What was happening?

‘There’s a bus that runs to the castle from here. I’ll catch that.’ He continued with his breakfast. ‘I know you need to hurry, so I won’t keep you.’ There was an edge in his voice, and it pushed what felt like a shard of ice deeper into Sorrel’s heart.

‘Um… right. Okay, then.’ She took the keys. ‘I guess I’ll see you back at the Inn.’

‘Sure.’ He nodded, not meeting her eyes.

‘Tam… I…’ Sorrel wanted to pierce the sudden cold that had appeared between them like an ice wall, but she didn’t know how. ‘Last night was very special to me,’ she said, quietly, so that the guests at the other tables couldn’t hear.

‘Was it?’ Tam looked up at her, his expression neutral.

‘How can you ask me that?’ she whispered, appalled that he could even say such a thing.

‘Go and see Simon. That’s what you want to do,’ he replied, breaking eye contact and looking back down at his breakfast. ‘We shouldn’t have spent the night together. It was a mistake.’

A mistake.

The ice pushed deeper into her heart.

‘Right.’ She walked out of the breakfast room. How could Tam sleep with her and then discard her so cruelly the next day? She didn’t understand. But she couldn’t stand there and take any more of his cold, emotionless words. It was too much.

Sorrel’s heart, already so wounded, felt as though Tam had taken an axe to it and separated one half from the other.

She had been completely vulnerable with him the night before. She had given him all of her. And after that, being hurt by Tam Blackwood, who had always felt like home, was agony.

TWENTY-SEVEN

Parking in the drive at the Balhennie Inn, Sorrel saw Simon waiting in his car at the end of it.

She’d cried pretty much all of the drive home. Being in Tam’s truck, without him, was horrible. Knowing that he had refused to drive her home, refused to spend any more time with her, after they’d been so close, so loving, the night before, was torture.

She knew Tam was annoyed about her seeing Simon. But she hadn’t had an opportunity to explain that Simon had given her no choice. She’d had to run home to do damage control about him meeting her parents and her sisters, and pour cold water on whatever crazy plan he had about them getting back together.

Over my dead body, she thought, as she got out of the truck. Reconciliation with Simon was not on her bingo card.

‘Sorrel. You look lovely. You’ve lost weight.’ Simon got out of his car and walked towards her with his arms open.

That was Simon all over. He couldn’t give you a compliment without it having some kind of sneaky insult wrapped up in it.

‘I haven’t,’ she said, refusing the hug. ‘Simon, I didn’t ask you to come here. This is my family home. You’re not welcome here.’ She put her hands on her hips.

‘Don’t be like that, Sorry.’ Simon made a dismissive gesture with his hand. ‘Give me a hand. I brought gifts for your family.’

‘My name is Sorrel. I hate being called Sorry.’