“Relax. Whatever you want, doll. I’ll take you home.” He paused. “You wanna share a joint before we go?”
She wrinkled her nose and folded her arms across her chest. “Did you seriously just offer me weed?”
“Try it. It’ll relax you.”
“Oh this just gets better and better. Look, I don’t do marijuana and if I ever did my dad would kill me.”
“Ah. Got it. You’re a daddy’s girl, huh?”
Her head was going to explode into a million little bits because she was resisting the urge to hit him.
“Hey, here’s an idea. You need to just stop talking.”
He laughed and started the car. After she told him where to go, they spent the rest of the ride in silence.
When they pulled up in front of her house she scrambled to get out.
“Hey,” he called out, before she could make her escape. “You’ve got a sweet, lush mouth, doll. I wouldn’t mind exploring a little more if you change your mind. Let me know.”
Not holding back in the least now, she gave him the finger and ran into her house, vowing to kill Kenzie the first chance she got.
If only she’d had the sense to stick to her initial impression of him and stayed away.
Sarah blinked the memory from her mind and turned from the window to glance around the house.
She closed her eyes and drew in a slow breath. The air still held the faint scent of cumin and other spices.
Leaving India in her twenties hadn’t diluted Gran’s love for cooking dishes from her country. Kaali Daal, a black lentil dish, had always been Sarah’s favorite.
She could almost taste the decadent food on her tongue. It was too easy to envision Gran chatting with her as she stood over the stove.
Tears pricked at her closed eyes and she opened them, drawing in an unsteady breath.
“I’m so sorry, Gran,” she whispered to an empty room. “I should have come back sooner.”
Of course there was no answer, but the air felt a little thicker and warmer, and she could almost feel her gran’s presence reassuring her.
Regret made the tears Sarah had been fighting spill free. This time she made no attempt to stop them.
Chapter Three
“Give me a Glennfidich 18. Neat.” Ian kept his hands folded and his gaze on the bar counter, but he could still feel the surprise in his eldest brother’s stare.
The pub was near empty—apparently Old Man Cooper had gone home already as well.
“You do realize it’s just about lunch time.” Aleck made his way down the bar until he was positioned right in front of him. “And you’ve gone and ordered one of the most expensive spirits we have?”
“You think I’m daft, big brother? Shut your mouth and just pour it already.” Scowling, Ian lifted his head to make sure his brother hadn’t taken offense.
Aleck, the eldest of all the McLaughlin kids, was now sole owner of the pub. He didn’t seem the slightest bit offended by his brother’s comments. He was used to Ian’s quick temper. Instead, his green eyes crinkled around the edges with laughter and his mouth was twisted into a slight smirk.
“Aye, I’ll give ya your drink. So long as you fill me in on why the fook you’re in such a foul mood.” Aleck’s accent had always been the thickest and slowest to fade.
“As if you don’t know.” Ian accepted the shot and glared at his brother. “Go bring Kenzie a tire, you say. As if you don’t know just who exactly you were throwing in my path.”
“No. I haven’t a clue.”
The genuine bewilderment on Aleck’s face convinced him that maybe his brother wasn’t lying.
“Look, Kenzie called and said she was in a bit of a mess and needed me to come out and bring her a tire. She didn’t say she was with anyone.” Aleck placed the bottle of scotch back up on the shelf with the other bottles of spirits. “Fill me in already. Who was with her?”
“Sarah,” Ian finally growled.
“Sorry, who? Tera?”
Ian tipped back the scotch and slammed the glass on the bar. “Sarah.”
“Sarah?” Aleck went still and tilted his head. “As in your Sarah? The good girl you shagged around with in your youth?”
“Aye. That’d be her.” He stared into his empty shot glass, not seeing the drop of amber liquid, but instead the image of Sarah half-naked in the back of his Camaro. “And I wouldn’t necessarily call her a good girl.”
“Wasn’t she now? One step from the nunnery from the impression I got.” Aleck grinned. “Though I’m sure any corruption she acquired back then came from your doing.”
“Hmm. Maybe.” The single malt scotch had warmed his insides and taken the sharp edges off the memory of his encounter with Sarah.