Highland Fling (9 page)

Lizzie dashed into the utility room and put the sweater in the sink keeping her back to him so that her eyes wouldn’t betray her emotions. Jack followed her and stood in the doorway. With his height and broad shoulders he dominated the space and Lizzie felt her temperature rising and the colour rushing to her cheeks.

‘Well? Did you?’

‘Jack,’ Lizzie half turned to face him, ‘I really don’t think ... no! Stay there Jack!’

Jack was closing the gap between them.

‘Jack. Don’t!’ Lizzie hadn’t meant to snap but she couldn’t handle him kissing her again, not this morning, even though, somewhere inside her, she desperately wanted him to.

Jack stopped just inches from her. ‘So you did mind?’ His features formed granite angles and the longing cleared from his eyes. ‘Well. Please accept my sincere apology. It won’t happen again and I’m sorry if I’ve caused you any offence.’ He turned on his heels and left before Lizzie had time to gather her wits.

She leant back against the wall and let out a huge sigh. This just stumbles from one little drama to another, she thought.

‘We’re off,’ Phil said, sticking his head round the kitchen door a few minutes later.

Lizzie stayed in the kitchen; she couldn’t face Jack again just yet. ‘Okay, don’t forget the ceilidh tonight. Fraser’s picking us up at seven. Are you eating out or do you want something here?’

‘I think the plan is to have lunch at the pub. Jane said there’ll be food at the ceilidh tonight, so she suggested we come back and have afternoon tea here about four-ish. Is that okay?’

Lizzie glanced up from the cake mixture she was stirring. ‘Yeah. That’s perfect.’

‘See you later then.’

Lizzie went to the window and waited. One by one the guys went out of the front door and strolled towards the snowmen they’d built yesterday; now showing signs of slowly melting in the March sunshine, despite the cold in the air.

She heard a cough from the direction of the kitchen door and spun round to see Jack standing there. He had put on a pale blue sweater over his T-shirt and had his jacket thrown over one arm. Her heart skipped a beat. The pale blue only emphasised his incredibly blue eyes.

‘Tried not to make you jump this time,’ he said sheepishly.

‘Thanks.’ Lizzie tried to control the emotion in her voice. She pretended she had been plumping up the cushions on the window-seat, not staring out for a sight of Jack.

‘Look. I don’t want to go out without clearing something up.’ He took a step forward.

‘Jack really there’s –’ Lizzie took a step back.

‘Lizzie please. Just let me say this okay?’

She swallowed the lump forming in her throat and fiddled with a cushion, staring at it as if in a trance.

Jack hesitated. He knew what he wanted to say but didn’t know how to say it. He’d been thinking – he seemed to be doing a lot of that lately – when he went to get another sweater and something had occurred to him.

‘I’m not very good at this stuff so I’m just going to say it and if it comes out wrong then I’m sorry. I was drunk yesterday but not so drunk that I didn’t know what I was doing. The thing is, what I was doing was totally out of character for me and I wanted you to know that.’ He sighed loudly as if he had got something off his chest.

‘O ... kay,’ Lizzie said hesitantly, cushion still in hand.

‘I haven’t finished. When I kissed you last night it was because I wanted to, not because I was drunk ... although I was very confused and I didn’t really know why I wanted to kiss you...’ He dragged a hand through his hair.

‘Thanks!’

‘Oh ... I didn’t mean it like that. I meant, I’m engaged and I wouldn’t usually go around kissing other women –’

‘That’s good to know.’

‘Please let me finish. This is difficult.’

‘Sorry. I thought you had.’

Another deep sigh. ‘I’m trying to get it out right but I’m not sure I am. Look, the thing is, yes I was drunk, yes I’m engaged but I kissed you because I really wanted to, even if I didn’t know why, I knew I wanted to. And it was partly because ... I was having doubts about getting married.’

‘Oh ... And now?’ Lizzie found a loose thread and nervously twisted it around her finger.

Jack looked relieved and a huge smile spread across his full, firm mouth. ‘Now I don’t.’

Lizzie felt as if she’d been slapped across the face. ‘Glad to have been of use. I’m happy for you.’ She tossed the cushion on to the window seat.

‘You don’t look happy.’

‘Well I am. I’m sure you’ll both have a wonderful future together.’ She strode to the kitchen table and picked up the flour jar. She needed to bake.

‘Jack! You coming mate?’ Ross yelled from outside.

Jack’s brows furrowed. ‘Yeah,’ he yelled back. ‘You don’t understand.’ His eyes were firmly fixed on Lizzie’s downturned face. He took a few steps towards her. ‘We’re not going to have a future together. I’m going to call it off.’

Lizzie could feel her mouth fall open and knew she must look as dumbstruck as she felt. She raised startled blue eyes to his. ‘W ... Why?’ The large kitchen table was between them.

‘Because, if I’m not sure of anything else, I am sure of one thing. I just don’t love her enough to spend the rest of my life with her. If I did, I wouldn’t have kissed you last night even if I was drunk and I certainly wouldn’t have tried again today – when I was sober.’

‘Oh.’ Lizzie couldn’t think of anything else to say but she could feel a smile forming on her lips.

Jack’s eyes held hers. ‘Now that’s cleared up, there’s something I’d like to know. I don’t know what’s going on between you and your husband and I don’t suppose it’s any of my business but last night ... you kissed me back and I know I didn’t imagine it. You definitely did! Did you regret it this morning?’

Lizzie stared into his eyes. She wasn’t really sure what was going on but her whole spirit felt lighter. ‘No.’

‘Jack.’ Ross’s voice grew closer.

Jack smiled briefly at Lizzie then turned to go. He stopped and looked back, his expression serious, his hand holding the kitchen door open. ‘Why did you stop me kissing you this morning then?’

Lizzie sucked in her breath and shook her head. ‘I’m just so confused. You’re engaged, I’m still married and we only met twenty-four hours ago. I don’t know what’s happening; and it’s all happening so fast.’

Jack nodded. ‘That’s what I thought. Perhaps we should talk about it some more, or something. Can we? Later?’

Lizzie simply nodded.

Again he turned then looked back, the devilish grin brightening his entire face, making him look even more handsome. ‘If I tried to kiss you when we come back, would you let me?’

His sapphire eyes twinkled and Lizzie had to stop herself from running to him and throwing herself in his arms. She returned his grin. ‘I would say there’s a very good chance I might.’

Jack’s grin broadened into a huge smile and his dark eyes smouldered. ‘I’ll hold you to that.’ 

He hadn’t seen that Ross had come to get him and had been listening for the last few minutes.

‘Jack,’ Ross said, pretending he had just come in.

‘Yeah, coming.’ Jack winked at Lizzie. ‘See you later,’ he said to her. Then he was gone.

Lizzie dropped on to a kitchen chair. Had Jack really just said he was calling off the wedding? She was replaying the conversation in her head when Jane came in, loaded with plates from breakfast.

‘Day dreaming?’

Lizzie looked up, a bewildered expression on her face.

‘What’s the matter now?’ Jane asked, depositing the pile of plates on the worktop.

Lizzie shook her head. ‘This weekend is getting more like a French farce by the minute.’

Jane pulled out a kitchen chair and sat down. ‘Tell me.’

Lizzie told her how Jack had followed her and tried to kiss her and how he’d stormed off when she’d stopped him, then about what he’d just said.

‘Bloody Hell! Well. I suppose he must have wondered why you’d been more than happy to kiss him last night when he was drunk but wouldn’t this morning when he was sober. That’s reasonable I guess. Then maybe he thought it was because you might have been a little tipsy last night too and sober this morning and not prepared to kiss an engaged guy.’

‘Maybe.’

‘God! This is giving me a headache just thinking about it. I need coffee.’

‘Me too.’

Jane put coffee and water in the machine and switched it on. ‘Well, then he must have thought it through and as he said, he realised he wouldn’t be kissing you if he really loved his fiancée. God! The man’s nothing short of a saint.’

Lizzie frowned. ‘That’s the really weird bit. Why did he tell me that?’

‘Lizzie, from where I’m standing, it’s all bloody weird.’ Jane began loading the dishwasher.

‘Do ... do you think he’s lying?’ Lizzie got up and grabbed two mugs.

‘Lying! Why?’

‘Well ... he wanted to kiss me and I stopped him. Maybe he thinks if he tells me he’s going to call off the engagement I’ll fall into his arms and he can have his cake and eat it. Then when it’s time to go back he can say he’d made a mistake and he does still love her etc. etc.’

‘My God! Where did that come from?’ Jane pushed the start button and the machine whirred into action. ‘Your trouble is you’ve spent too much time with Max. Not everyone tells lies to get someone into bed.’

Lizzie looked hurt. She put the mugs on the table and grabbed the coffee pot from the machine.

‘Sorry Lizzie,’ Jane said, getting a jug of milk from the fridge. ‘But c’mon. There are some decent men in this world you know.’

‘Not in the City there aren’t.’ She poured the coffee.

‘Oh that’s a bit cynical. They don’t all sell their souls the minute they get inside the City boundaries. Give the guy a break. Perhaps he’s a thoroughly decent man who’s realised he’s with the wrong woman. It happens and it’s a good thing it’s happened now and not after he’s said “I do”.’ Jane poured milk in both mugs then put the jug back in the fridge.

‘Yeah. I guess so.’

‘Actually, I think this smacks of the pot calling the kettle black.’ Jane said, putting her mug of coffee to her lips.

‘What does that mean?’

She nodded towards Lizzie’s left hand. ‘You’re the married one in this little charade madam.’

Lizzie’s eyebrows shot up and her eyes darted to her hand. ‘He knows I’m separated.’

‘Right. And nothing says separated quite like a wedding and engagement ring on the third finger of a woman’s left hand does it?’

Lizzie put her mug down on the table and studied the rings. She twisted them between the thumb and forefinger of her right hand.  ‘Are you suggesting I should take them off?’ She sounded as if she’d been asked to cut off her arm.

‘That’s entirely up to you. All I’m saying is, if the roles were reversed, would you trust a man who tells you he’s separated and still wears his wedding ring. I know I wouldn’t. But hey. That’s just me.’

‘I’m not sure I’m ready for that.’

‘Then I would say that’s something you need to think about. You’ve told Max it’s over. If you really mean it this time, then at least moving the rings to your right hand would be a start. And whilst Jack didn’t say he’s calling off the engagement because of you, it sounds to me like he’s saying he’d like something to happen between you two and whether that’s just a fling or something more isn’t just up to him you know. It takes two to tango and if you’re going to dance, you’d better decide which partner you want to dance with. Wow! That was almost profound. I need more coffee.’

‘I need chocolate. Throw me a brownie from the red cake tin would you?’

Jane got up and got the red cake tin from a stack of differently coloured cake tins, took a brownie out for each of them and put them on plates. She put the cake tin back on the shelf she’d got it from.

‘Oh! Let me show you what I’m wearing tonight,’ she said enthusiastically and put the plates on the table. She dashed over to her bag where she’d dropped it earlier and pulled out a short, pale blue, tight fitting crepe dress with a very low neckline. ‘Must leave something to the imagination – but not too much,’ she winked. ‘I’m wearing my over the knee sexy boots; shoes just don’t do this dress justice.’

Lizzie shook her head. ‘Jane, there’s still about four inches of snow out there and we’re not going to a disco you know.’

‘I know. That’s another reason why I’m going to wear my boots. Anyway, you remember the last one of these Iain had for Valentine’s night. We wore trousers and boring blouses and all the other women had made an effort and dressed up. I felt really under dressed.’

‘That’s how you ended up! I still have nightmares about seeing you and Iain in the barn that night.’ Lizzie shivered mockingly.

‘So I had a fling with Iain Hamilton. So what?’ Jane stuffed the dress back into her bag.

Lizzie was surprised by Jane’s tone. She thought it had just been a drunken fling and she and Jane had even laughed about it after, but she’d noticed Jane’s attitude changed whenever Iain’s name was mentioned, and now she was starting to wonder if her friend had real feelings for him.

‘D ... d’you really like him?’ Lizzie took a bite of the brownie.

‘Don’t look so surprised. He’s nice.’

‘I know he is but ... ’

‘But what?’ Jane stomped back to the table and dropped on to the chair she’d been sitting on earlier.

‘Well ... he’s quite a lot older than you and ...’ Lizzie trailed off. Her friend was looking a little annoyed.

‘And what?  He’s only thirteen years older and forty-five isn’t old.’

‘No ... but –’

‘Oh for heaven’s sake Lizzie. Just say it.’

‘Well, I just think that, if you really like him, having sex with him may not have been your wisest move.’

Jane’s brows shot up? ‘What’s that supposed to mean? And when did you become such an expert?’ She began pulling her chocolate brownie into little pieces.

‘I’m not. This weekend is proving that. All I’m saying is ... just don’t throw yourself at him tonight. Make him chase you.’

 ‘Meow! What’s brought this on?’ She threw a piece of brownie into her mouth.

Lizzie reached out towards Jane and squeezed her hand. ‘I just ... I don’t want you to get hurt, that’s all. Why didn’t you tell me how much he meant to you? I ... I thought it was just a drunken fling.’