Secrets at the Loch (Loch Lannick #5) - Hannah Ellis Page 0,9
had the conversation before about him only getting the job because he was the sole applicant.
Leaning slightly, he bumped his shoulder against hers. “I think we both know they were desperate. But the job worked out well. When they offered it to me I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to take it. I didn’t know if I’d be any good at teaching, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to live on Skye. Ideally, I wanted to live in Fort William, but the job opportunities aren’t great.”
“But you enjoy the teaching?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“And you obviously got used to living on Skye?”
“I love it,” he said seriously. “I can’t imagine living anywhere else now. Still can’t quite believe I bought a house.”
Lexie checked the time. “We’re supposed to be cleaning. I thought your boring story would only take five minutes!” Over an hour had gone by and she’d barely noticed.
“Sorry,” he said as he stood. “You kept asking questions.”
“Because it’s not actually a boring story. You lied!”
“I think most people would find it boring.”
“Maybe,” she said with a cheeky grin.
“Get back in the kitchen,” he said playfully.
Grinning, she gave him a gentle shove, then scanned the room to see what she needed to do next.
When the place was spotless and they got back into the car, the whole afternoon had gone by. Lexie was due at the pub for a shift, but she’d have time for a quick shower first.
They were halfway home when Nick slowed at the entrance to Seumas’ Bar. Lexie hadn’t been in the place for ages, but it had a reputation for serving good food.
“Can I buy you dinner to say thanks for your help?” Nick asked.
“Erm …” Lexie’s mind whirred. She was pretty hungry, but having dinner with Nick felt dangerously like a date. And Lexie didn’t date. Plus, she’d be late for work if they stopped to eat.
Nick had slowed almost to a stop. He glanced in his rear-view mirror. “Decide quick,” he said. “Yes or no?”
“Yes,” she said on impulse.
Chapter Five
Lexie inwardly cursed. Even if she told herself it was just an innocent dinner, Nick would probably see it as a date, and she didn’t want to give him the wrong idea.
“I’m starving,” he said as he parked the car.
Lexie contemplated telling him she’d changed her mind, but she didn’t have the heart. It wasn’t a big deal; they were just a couple of friends grabbing dinner together. And they couldn’t linger anyway – she could be a bit late for work, but not too much.
“I guess since you’re buying I should probably order steak,” Lexie said as they wandered inside.
“I just bought a house that needs completely renovating. You can have a side salad. That’s all I can afford.”
“I’m not a side salad sort of girl,” she said.
“I figured that.”
They sat at a table at the back which looked out to the garden where a couple of kids played on a small playground. Lexie paused from perusing the menu to watch them running around. When she turned back, she caught Nick looking at her intently.
“What?” she asked.
“I’m not sure if I ever told you, but when I first started working at the college I had a student who dropped out after a week.”
Lexie’s eyes widened before she erupted with laughter. She clamped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry,” she said as she tried to keep a straight face. It was almost three years since Lexie had signed up for the IT course, and she’d forgotten all about it. The conversation had come up before – when Nick had first started dating Isla – but hadn’t been mentioned since.
“What happened?” Nick asked. “Did you hate my classes so much?”
“No.” She tilted her head, feeling a delayed rush of guilt. “It wasn’t anything to do with your teaching. I just have these ideas sometimes …”
She paused and smiled at the approaching waitress. They both ordered burgers and cokes then handed over the menus. Lexie put her elbows on the table as she continued. “I had this idea about learning about computers and business so I could do more at the activity centre and the pub. I had great plans to do more with the business side of things. Tim at the activity centre has no system for anything. There are scraps of paper all over the place. I was going to get his office in order.”
“But?” Nick asked.
“But the reality of sitting in a classroom and learning about all that boring stuff