Page 11 of Wild Scottish Love
I wanted to throat punch him.
“Honestly, he’s not wrong about the accent,” Lia said, flipping her hair back. “I hate when people call me ‘doll’ or ‘darling’ but I’m telling you, with a Scottish accent? It makes me want to purr.”
Graham almost dropped the bottle he was holding in his haste to get back to Lia.
“Tell me more,” Graham said, leaning on the bar and deepening his accent. A bell sounded from the back, indicating her food was done, and Graham straightened. “Hold that thought.”
“Do not encourage that man,” Agnes lectured Lia. “He’s insufferable as it is. You’ll do much better with a fine lad like Munroe here. Not only is he an upstanding man, but he runs a good business. He’s too busy to be looking at every lass that crosses his threshold, aren’t you, Munroe?”
Like I would ever want to look at another woman other than Lia again.
“It’s not top priority on my agenda, no.” There. Finally, words came out.
“That’s a sad thing, isn’t it? The good ones are always too busy to date, the difficult ones make dating their only priority,” Agnes said.
“Och, come now, love should be everyone’s highest priority,” Graham said as he placed a bowl of soup and a sandwich in front of Lia. She danced in her seat like he’d just presented her with flowers.
“Is it actually love, Graham? Or is it lust disguised as love?” Agnes asked.
“Well, you’ll find out won’t you, now that you’ve agreed to marry me when we’re older.” Graham blew her a kiss and switched out her glass for a fresh cider.
“Did I? I don’t remember that. It must have been in a moment of desperation,” Agnes decided, tapping a finger against her lips.
“Even better. I can’t wait for you to be desperate for me.” Graham gave Agnes a heavy-lidded look, and Agnes sighed.
“I can’t believe this works on women.” Agnes rolled her eyes.
“Are they always like this?” Lia asked me, and I blinked at her, forcing my thoughts away from doing something stupid like asking her to marry me.
“Yes, for as long as I can remember. Don’t be deceived. They actuallyarefriends. I think it’s just boredom causing them to pick at each other,” I said, relieved when my brain kicked into gear.
“I’ve grown up with Graham,” Agnes explained to Lia. “And practically this one, too.”
“But I was just here during the summer,” I explained. “My grandparents live up the way.”
“How are they getting on?” Agnes asked, worry crossing her face. “I haven’t seen them in a while.”
“Och, they’re grand. They’re touring Greece right now, and after that, Spain. It’s a shame I’ll miss them this round, but I’m happy enough that they’re able to still travel. They have a whole group they go with. It’s all boat and bus tours. The tour makes all these stops, and they get to stay a few days in each destination so they can rest and relax as needed.” I nodded my thanks to Graham when he served me another perfectly poured pint.
“I hate tours that are so tightly packed that you never get a moment to chill,” Agnes said. “What’s the point of going to a pretty holiday destination if you can’t sit in the garden and read there?”
“Most people go on holiday to see the sights, not to bury their noses in a book,” Graham pointed out.
“False. Not everyone plans their vacations around picking up women. Some of us prefer a chance to read books unbothered by others. It’s a way to relax and unwind.”
“Some would also argue that making love is a delightful way to relax and unwind.”
“It’s not love if you’ve just met her.” Agnes slapped her hand on the bar, and Graham grinned, clearly pleased he was rankling Agnes.
“Looks like you could use a bit of…relaxing.”
“She’s going to kill you one of these days, Graham. I might just help her,” I put in before Agnes could explode.
“Och, it’s just a bit o’ banter, love.” Graham leaned over and smacked a noisy kiss on her cheek, and Agnes swatted him away.
“Yeah, yeah.” She turned to Lia who was devouring her food with a single-mindedness I admired. “How’s the food?”
“Delicious. Exactly what I needed after a long travel day.”