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"No."
"Do you have any children?"
"No." He gently grasps my elbow to turn me down another corridor. "You have two children, but you haven't mentioned a husband."
"We divorced six years ago, once our kids were out of the house and on their way to starting their own lives." I want to ask an impertinent question, but I don't want to offend him. Thane doesn't seem like the kind of man who would get easily insulted. What the heck, might as well ask. "Why haven't you ever been married?"
"My previous career made it difficult to maintain a relationship."
"That's an intriguing statement. What was your previous career?"
He halts at a set of big metal doors, then swings one wide open. He nods for me to exit first. I let him get away with not answering my question---for now. As it turns out, though, I don't need to press him for a response. As we amble down a dirt path, in the opposite direction from the infamous location of our hot encounter earlier, Thane volunteers the information.
"After university, I was recruited by the Ministry of Defence. For years, I worked as a geospatial analyst." He lifts one brow. "What about you? Have you always been a marketing expert?"
"No, not always. I didn't go to college, so I learned everything I know about marketing from a mentor, Donna Wallace." I pause for a moment, just to watch a lovely little bird that flies by in front of us. Then I continue my story. "Donna gave me a job at her firm when I had zero qualifications, not even a degree. She did that because she believed I had the right skills and talent. She shared all her knowledge and experience from three decades in marketing and advertising."
"Was your mentor the one who sacked you?"
I stop walking, and Thane stops too. "No, Donna didn't fire me. She retired before that happened. It was her successor who gave me the heave-ho. She always hated me because I'd worked my way up."
Thane nods. "I can relate to your situation. When I was brought into the MOD, entry-level employees disliked me because I was given a higher-up job. But I had earned that right by working in a relevant industry while going to university."
I try not to gawk, but it's hard to restrain my surprise. The more I learn about Thane, the more I like him and respect him. We have quite a few things in common too. I wouldn't have expected that. Despite those commonalities, I'm sure we're still miles apart on many things. We come from different worlds, after all.
How long will it take for me to get used to living in Scotland?
That same lovely little bird, or one of its buddies, flies past us again. I halt to watch it swoop down, then soar up into the trees. "What kind of bird was that? I saw one like it earlier, but I have no idea what it was."
"A blue tit."
The critter's bright-yellow belly and bright blue-and-white accents are gorgeous. But when I glance at Thane, I realize one thing is more gorgeous than any bird---Thane Buchanan. His blue eyes and blond hair, combined with his muscles, ensure he owns the title of most beautiful creature on earth.
But I should not get involved with him. Workplace romance is a recipe for disaster.
Thane resumes walking but glances over his shoulder to make sure I'm not lagging too far behind. I catch up to him, and we continue down the path. Soon, I can hear the rushing of water that grows louder gradually as we draw closer to what I assume is the source of the river. Not sure why I believe that. I know nothing about this area or its landscape. Maybe what I'm hearing is a waterfall or a water wheel. Whatever the mystery source of the rushing water is, I still can't see it.
"You seem curious about something," Thane says. "If you tell me about it, I might be able to solve the mystery for you."
Can he read my mind? I sure hope not, otherwise he'll already know I've been fantasizing about him all day while I should be focused on work. "I was just wondering if that sound of water I can barely hear is a waterfall or a water wheel."
Thane's lips tighten into a closed-mouth smile. His eyes glint in a ray of sunlight that seems to spear down through the trees just to light his face.
Oh, jeez, I'm turning into a bad poet. I'm too old to be infatuated.
"You are very clever, Rebecca. Aye, we do have a water wheel here at the distillery. It's a vital part of crafting our whisky. It might be old-fashioned, but we believe tradition and technology both have a role to play."
"That's a great strategy. But have you leveraged that into a marketing strategy?"
"No. Isn't that why we hired you?"
"Yes, of course. But you've been crafting whisky for several years, right? And I would bet nobody realizes how much tradition and technology goes into what you do." I take a half step toward him. "We need to highlight everything that's unique or special about your distillery."
"Aye, go on and do that. Dinnae mind. It's your job, after all."
"But I need your cooperation. You are the face of the distillery, or you should be."
He winces. "You want me to put my face on the bottle."
