Page 8 of Midnight Mooring

Mr. McEwan was a classic car lover who lived on the other side of the island and had fuck knows how many cars in a massive barn. He’d found a 1988 Ferrari in Aberdeen that didn’t run and was paying me a fortune to go collect it and bring it back to the island to restore it.

Caoimhe giggled, touching my arm lightly. “Thought you’d forgotten.”

I gave her a tight-lipped smile and stepped back. “Well, I’m off to lunch. If there’s an emergency, give me a ring.”

“Meeting anyone special?” Her big brown eyes were wide with a hint of panic.

It had not gone unnoticed that my young employee had a crush on me, but since it was really bloody inconvenient, I was ignoring it.

“Aye,” I answered truthfully and strode out of the garage so I wouldn’t have to deal with her undisguised disappointment. The sooner Caoimhe realized it was never going to happen, the better.

I wasn’t that man anymore. The one who slept around. What had Cameron called me? The “local bus.” Fuck.

Aye, I definitely wasn’t that anymore.

I just wish people believed me.

My mood was already a wee bit black when I walked into our local, the Fisherman’s Lantern. The boys (Quinn, Murray, Laird and Ramsay) and I were in a pipe band together, and we often played at the Lantern. Laird was Quinn’s brother-in-law.

The pub was owned by local businessman Aodhan MacDuff, and it was always packed to the rafters during high season. Tourist season was only starting, so my friends were able to reserve a table for lunch in the restaurant beyond the barroom.

However, my black mood turned inky at the sight of Torin Montrose sitting at our table. Next to Cameron.

Don’t get me wrong, I liked the bloke. Ever since Quinn and Ramsay did work for him at his big fancy resort on the Isle of Scaris, he’d started visiting Leth Sholas more. Trying to network, make connections across the islands, but also because he and Quinn got along. He and I got along too. Both covered in tattoos, and we shared a similar taste in rock music.

Despite his and his brother’s wealth, I knew from articles that had been written about his youngest brother, Daire Montrose, a top Formula 1 driver, that their beginnings had been low. Torin was the oldest, and he and the middle brother, Cailean, had been left to look after Daire at a young age. Torin had shared he’d been a professional poker player, and he was the one who funded Daire’s racing dream.

Now the three of them had bought the land on Scaris to turn it into a resort with a hotel, spa, and lodges. They offered adventure activities that included a woodland assault course with climbing, zip lines, and farther out on their land, bungee jumping. They’d even built their own whisky distillery.

The buying of the land had not gone down well on Scaris, so they’d been splashing their cash on donations throughout the western isles. I was grateful to them because Daire had donated a top-of-the-line anti-capsizing lifeboat to our lifeboat service, which had directly saved my life several times. More than that, I recognized something in Torin that I saw in myself and wondered if maybe our initial backgrounds weren’t totally unsimilar.

So, I was pissed off I might have to hate the bastard if he made a move on Cameron.

The sight of Cameron smiling at him and pushing at his shoulder in flirtation made my stomach sick.

It was not an unfamiliar feeling.

I’d experienced it many times over the years. The problem was I’d finally let my jealousy get the better of me and that was what had soured our friendship.

I was determined to fix that and stop acting like a possessive prick.

My therapist had made me realize how many mixed signals I’d sent Cameron over the years. Was it any wonder why she’d finally had enough of me?

But there was time to change things between us.

I had to believe that.

Therefore, I approached the table determined not to be an utter dick, even though part of me wanted to kick Montrose’s chair out from under him like an immature fifteen-year-old.

5. Cameron

Ifelt him before he neared the table. The hair on the back of my neck rose and a prickling sensation cascaded down my arms. I’d never told anyone, but my body had reacted to Forde like this since I was fifteen. I’d crushed on him longer than that, but he’d definitely brought on my sexual awakening and, unfortunately for me, there wasn’t anyone else on the planet that I was this hyperaware of. So much so it was like a sixth sense.

When he rounded the table seconds later, I wasn’t surprised. His dark eyes locked with mine. “Cameron,” he greeted as he slid into the chair across from me, nodding hello to everyone. Everyone else called me Cam or Cammie. Not Forde. I’d always been Cameron to him for whatever reason.

Now he pointedly examined how close Torin Montrose sat next to me. I braced.

Forde jerked his chin at Torin. “Doing all right, mate?”