Page 5 of Highlands Homecoming

“You can, and you will. I wanna put that Scotland house on the market. Me and my girlfriend wanna sell the place and get a condo in Vegas,” said Dave.

“I understand,” said Colin through gritted teeth. “Well, these things can take time. And we’d need a buyer. Not a lot of people want a broken-down old place in the middle of nowhere.”

“Her friends made it sound like a palace,” said Dave.

“I can assure you, the closest thing to a palace is Inverness Castle, and it’s nothing like that,” said Colin.

Dave blinked. “You’ve seen it?”

Damn.“I’m from the area,” Colin said.

“Well, maybe you can buy it, then. Fix it up,” said Dave. “In the meantime, I’m gonna go check out some condos online.”

Chapter3

Melissa loved walking past the line of old brick two- and three-story brownstones in the Back Bay, and as luck would have it, Colin’s office turned out to be in a particularly quaint brownstone right across from the Charles. She wondered when and how her ex, Dave, had found Colin. This part of Boston wasn’t Dave’s cup of tea, but Colin’s law firm probably was well known and well-advertised.

She climbed up the snowy steps and opened the heavy wooden door. What must have been an entryway for the original home was now a small lobby with signs for the various offices and where to find them. She readColin MacGregor - Attorney at Law, Suite 303. She eyed the tiny elevator warily and decided to take the stairs instead.

Melissa hefted herself up the two flights of stairs and finally reached the office. She decided to do the “old school” trick—calling him from a few feet away and then popping in while they were chatting. In fact, it was kind of how they first met.

She dug into her purse, found her phone, and dialed.

As the phone rang, her heart pounded in anticipation. Finally, he answered.

“Uh, hi …”

“Hi, Colin! How are you doing? I’ve been really missing you. Don’t you just wish we could get together for coffee or something in person? Long distance relationships are so hard.”

“Uh, yeah … that sounds good. Listen, I have a client here.”

“I sure would love to see your office. I bet you have a great view of the Charles,” Melissa said.

Melissa was still standing outside Colin’s office when she heard a commotion from within. Her stomach twisted into knots as she recognized her ex-husband’s voice.

“Enough with the personal phone calls. I’m a paying customer,” said Dave in his flat, always-annoyed voice.

“Thank you for that, but I’m with a client now. I’ll, uh, talk soon,” said Colin.

“Oh my God. I’m here, too,” whispered Melissa. Her face flushed as she turned and raced toward the stairs, her heart pounding.

“Fine. You’re on the phone? I’m leaving!” snapped Dave.

Dave brushed past Meghana and opened the door to find Melissa standing at the top of the stairs.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I, um …” Melissa’s thoughts raced as she tried to come up with a plausible explanation.How could this possibly be happening?

“Are you spying on me or something?”

Melissa glanced around the signs and spotted a dentist opposite Colin’s office.

“Why would I spy on you? I was just, um … looking for my dentist,” she said lamely, walking toward the door.

Dave blocked her path.

Meghana stepped into the hall. “My mistake,” said Meghana. “This woman came in looking to use the restroom, and I wasn’t very clear with my instructions. She must have taken a wrong turn while I was on the phone. Ma’am, the restroom is just down the main hall. We don’t have public restrooms in the offices.”