Secrets at the Loch (Loch Lannick #5) - Hannah Ellis Page 0,45
the loch at the halfway point is stunning.”
“I think I’m going home tomorrow,” Lexie said.
“You think? That sounds like you’re not sure. You’re tempted to go up the mountain, aren’t you?”
“Maybe.” She gulped at her coffee and set the mug down. “Thank you for a lovely afternoon.”
“You’re very welcome,” Jonathan said as he walked her to the door and opened it for her. “Enjoy the rest of your time in Fort William.”
She thanked him again and left feeling surprisingly positive. On the way back to the apartment she stopped at the supermarket and bought a frozen pizza, some microwave popcorn and a bar of chocolate. She’d watch TV and eat junk food for the evening and try not to dwell on the fact that Nick may never speak to her again.
Her phone rang as she was walking out of the shop and she struggled to pull it from her pocket.
“Where are you?” her mum asked.
“Still in Fort William.”
“Have you seen Nick?”
“Briefly. Now I’m just hanging around. Don’t tell anyone where I am, please. Leana thinks I’m at Grandad’s.”
“I don’t understand what’s going on with you,” Mary huffed. “I wish you’d just come home. I’m worried about you.”
“I’ll be home soon.” Lexie walked slowly down the road, but paused to look at her surroundings. Ben Nevis loomed over her, the summit hidden from view by the haze of grey clouds. She took a deep breath. “I think I’m going to do a bit of mountain climbing,” she said with a smile. “Then I’ll come home.”
“Well now I’m really worried,” Mary replied.
Chapter Twenty-One
Lexie had just turned the oven on when her phone vibrated on the coffee table in the living room. Nick was about the last person she expected to hear from and she opened the message nervously.
Did you make it to your grandad’s house okay?
Wow. Even when he was furious with her he still couldn’t help being concerned.
Yes, she typed. Thanks.
She’d expected that to be the end of the exchange. Apologising again felt futile, so there wasn’t much else to say. She wasn’t going to presume he wanted to be friends just because he sent her one message. Her phone buzzed again and she read the message with a frown.
Did you forget your car? It appears to still be in Fort William.
Swearing under her breath, she moved to the window. Nick stood by the garden wall with his phone in his hand. She gave him a sheepish smile and he walked towards the front door.
Neither of them said anything until they were standing in the living room.
He cast his eyes over her in a way that made her self-conscious. Then he snapped his gaze to her face. “Can you be honest with me for a minute?” he asked.
Lexie nodded in reply.
“Where does your grandad live?”
She winced. “Just outside of Inverness.”
“So you took a wrong turn somewhere? Because Fort William definitely isn’t on the way to Inverness.”
“I was worried about you. I wanted to see how you were.”
“Why didn’t you just say that?”
“Because I thought I was probably the last person you’d want to hear from.”
He went to the couch and sat down with a sigh. “And yet you came anyway.”
“Aye,” she said forcefully. “Because I’m selfish. You were right – I wanted you to tell me you weren’t upset with me so I’d feel better about how I treated you.”
“I shouldn’t have said all that yesterday.” He pushed his hands through his hair. “I’d had a bad day and took it out on you. I definitely shouldn’t have brought Elspeth into it. She’s your friend and––”
“Don’t worry,” Lexie said, interrupting him. “It’s not exactly shocking news that Elspeth slags me off behind my back.”
“She doesn’t, though. Not really. The only issue she has with you is in relation to me.”
Hesitantly, Lexie perched on the arm of the couch. “I know. Plus, I’m sure it’s nothing she wouldn’t say to my face. And it’s probably all true.”
“It’s not true. You’re definitely not a bad person.”
“I treated you terribly. You don’t have to try and make me feel better about it.”
He gave her a crooked smile. “If you were really a bad person, you wouldn’t care how you’d treated me. You definitely wouldn’t have come to see me.”
She licked her lips and stared out of the window at the darkening sky over the loch. She’d come because she’d missed him. She’d missed him so much and had felt a need to be near him that she’d never really felt for anyone before. It