Page 73 of Delicious Surrender
Finally, Brynne should spend at least four months a year on Skye for the next two years.
*Suitable: Intelligent. Kind. Successful (this doesn’t mean money). Honest. Preferably Scottish. Preferably Dominant.
Brynne blew out the breath she was holding and sank back into the pillows. So, this is what it came down to? Conditions! Stipulations! Clauses?! Josie knew her better than anyone and knew damn well she didn’t like to be controlled. Yet she was trying to manipulate her from the grave? Not cool!
I love you Auntie, but this little plan of yours will not work!
Brynne would not go along with any of these bloody directives. She had two jobs, providing a steady income with a bit of extra cash to spare. God knows she had her hands full obeying a tall, annoying bastard back in London.
Brynne punched the pillow, turned out the light, and tried to get some sleep.
18
Storm Clouds in Skye, Lightning in London
The hot fresh scones with jam only slightly improved Brynne’s mood. Declan met her at eleven on the dot, and they headed to his truck. He broke the silence as they pulled out of the parking lot. “Did you not sleep well, Brynne?”
“No, actually, I didn’t. I read my dear auntie’s will last night. Seems she is having a laugh at my expense. She put some pretty ridiculous conditions in it, which I will not be following.”
“Ooch.”
Before he could reply, she plowed on. “For starters, she expects me to find asuitableman and hold on to him for at least a year!” Her temper was gaining momentum. “Oh, and she did me the favor of listing somesuitablecharacteristics!” Each time she said the word suitable, her upper lip curled in contempt. “Suitable!” she repeated and laughed harshly.
Declan was silent. When she turned to look at him, his shoulders were shaking as he tried to stifle his laughter.
“It’s not funny, Declan.Suitablemen are fucking impossible to find. And she’s one to talk! She could have opened her heart and gotten together with you, instead of keeping you at a distance all these years.”
Oh, shite. I probably shouldn’t have said that.
His face turned solemn. “It’s more likely she didn’t want you to make the same mistakes that she made. She couldn’t take risks with her own heart, and I have a feeling she regretted that.”
“Pfft. That doesn’t mean it’s okay to manipulate me like this.” Brynne turned to stare out the window, glad to see the sun trying hard to escape the clouds’ embrace. They turned into her aunt’s road and Brynne immediately noticed a change.
“When did they pave the road?”
“That would be your new neighbor. The name is MacCallum. He didn’t like the dust and gravel on his fancy cars, so he had the whole lane done.”
“So strange not to hear the pebbles popping under the car.” It annoyed her that this guy had altered the landscape of her childhood.
“Aye, wait until you see the massive house he built. They finished it last month. I’m sure you’ll meet him at some point.”
As the house came into view, Brynne gaped at the two-story stone-and-timber mansion.
“Jesus, are you sure it isn’t a hotel? There are three chimneys!”
“Nope, it’s definitely a single-family home, and he doesn’t strike me as the type to let it, so don’t worry about it becoming a bed and breakfast.”
“Thank god. He certainly found himself a million-dollar view. You can see the outer islands from this spot.” She snorted and looked at the front of the mansion as they passed. It was equally impressive, with a large balcony off the second floor and a ton of windows.
They drove down the winding lane and pulled in behind the modest cottage that her aunt had lived in for the past twenty-two years. Brynne looked up the hill, relieved that she could only see the roofline and a small row of windows from the center dormer of the huge house. She didn’t like the idea of a stranger looking down on her little slice of heaven.
Taking a deep breath, she took in the stunning water view. The large flagstone deck ran the full width of the white stone house. Her favorite memories were of them snuggled up there in front of the fire pit.