Secrets at the Loch (Loch Lannick #5) - Hannah Ellis Page 0,57

a moment, he nudged her feet away to make space for him on the couch.

“I had a really great day,” she said, sitting up a little and shifting to get comfy.

“Did you?”

“Yes. It was more challenging than I expected. Getting lost in the cloud wasn’t fun, but it feels as though I achieved something. Thanks for getting me to the top.”

“No worries. I enjoyed it too.”

A smile spread slowly over her face. “I’m not sure I believe that. You were furious when we got stuck at the top.”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“You were so angry!” she said lightly.

He shook his head. “I wasn’t angry at all. When I turned around and you weren’t behind me, I panicked. I imagined you were hurt or that you’d wandered off in the wrong direction and I wouldn’t be able to find you. If I was angry it was at myself, not you.”

Lexie sat up further and swung her feet down to the floor. “You never asked me why I was angry with you this morning,” she blurted out. If he could sit there and casually tell her how he felt, she could try to do the same.

“I think it was fairly obvious,” he said with a hint of a smirk. “You kissed me last night and I pushed you away. I’ll hazard a guess and say you’re not used to being rejected?”

Staring at him, she was desperate to put him straight. It wasn’t being rejected that upset her – it was the fact he assumed he knew how she felt when in reality he had no idea at all. He’d rejected her because he was certain his feelings were one-sided and she was just looking for another night of passion. But that wasn’t true.

“Well,” he said. “Was I right?”

She nodded slowly, wishing she was brave enough to tell him the truth. “Aye.”

“I spoke to Logan, by the way,” Nick said, changing the subject. “He did fit the kitchen. He’s acting like it’s not a big deal, but I can’t believe he did that.”

Lexie felt suddenly panicky. “Did you mention it was me who’d told you about it?”

“No.” He looked at her searchingly. “No one knows where you are, do they? I spoke to Elspeth and she mentioned you were visiting your grandad.”

“My parents know where I am.” Her eyes darted around the room before coming to rest on the Tupperware box on the coffee table. “I didn’t mention it to anyone else.”

“Do you intend to visit your grandad at all?”

She sighed. “Not really. Though I probably should. I haven’t seen him for a while.”

“Why not?”

She shrugged. “I used to stay with him sometimes in the school holidays when I was a kid. But he and Angus fell out and it seemed to get more and more uncomfortable every time I visited. Grandad got grumpier the older he got and he was always complaining about Angus. I got a bit bored of it all.”

“What did they fall out about?”

“Grandad said Angus stole money from him. But that’s all I know. Angus won’t talk to me about it. Which makes me think it has something to do with me.” Leaning back on the couch, she let out a long breath. She’d never shared that suspicion with anyone.

“Why would it be anything to do with you?”

“I lived with my gran and grandad until I was four. Then Gran got sick. Grandad couldn’t cope with me so he asked Angus and Mary to take me.”

She hesitated, trying to get things straight in her own head. All she had were fragments of conversations and snippets of childhood memories which she wasn’t sure were even true.

“I guess Grandad was giving them money to start with. For food and clothes for me or whatever. I’m not sure. Maybe he thought they wanted too much. I really don’t know.”

“That doesn’t sound like Angus and Mary.”

“To start with, I was only supposed to be with them as a temporary arrangement. Mary told me that much.” Lexie smiled tightly. “Then she says they fell in love with me and refused to let me go.” She caught a tear at the corner of her eye and wiped it away. “Which I think is a nice way of saying that Grandad didn’t want me back and they got stuck with me.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Nick said gently.

“I can’t complain. Mary and Angus are brilliant parents. I wouldn’t want anyone else. But sometimes I wonder what would have happened to me if they’d have been able to