Rory scrunched up his face and scratched the back of his neck. “Aye. I’m sorry.”
Paige waved him off. “It’s okay. A few weeks ago, I would’ve been.”
They stood there a few moments, the silence drawing out uncomfortably. Paige kept her eyes on the mantlepiece. An inscription was scrolled across it in a language she didn’t understand. “So, did you know that the Dog Latin on that mantle hasn’t been translated yet?” she asked. “There are guesses as to what it means, but no true understanding of it.”
“Aye.”
Silence fell over them again, and she couldn’t stand it, her thoughts lingering on what Penelope must have told him. “Go ahead and ask.” The words fell out, and she had no idea why she was willing to spill her guts.
“Ask what?”
Paige rolled her eyes. “What’s changed.”
“Okay, so, what’s changed?”
She did tell him to ask. She glanced at Rory sideways and chewed her bottom lip. Something had changed, but she hadn’t talked to anyone about it. Maybe saying it out loud would make the change feel real. Maybe it would help push her to really showing that she’d had a revelation about herself.
“During the show, we got to visit our family. Penelope and I talked, and she told me about a relationship I had no clue about. She’d never told me.”
“Never. Why?”
She flicked a glance at him. “A different story for a different day.”
He smiled in understanding. “Okay, so keep goin’.”
“At first, I thought she was so gullible. So stupid for trusting someone and then hiding from the world, but when I got home, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I thought I was superior because I’d continued dating after Tyler. I had a checklist or whatever you want to call it, but I used it as an out from making any real connections with people. I’d stopped living and started surviving. It wasn’t any different than what Penelope had done. She’d just chosen a different method.”
“Tyler?”
Paige shrugged and took a deep breath. It was out there now. “My first boyfriend. Well, first real boyfriend. Or so I thought. When my parents died, they left Penelope and me a sizeable sum of money.”
She turned and faced him. “And before you get any ideas, my dad was hard-working. So was my mom. They lived comfortable lives, but they were savers. We didn’t get a hundred presents at Christmas. We got trips to the mountain to camp, or we got hang-gliding lessons. Or we went surfing. We got memories instead of things, but they were frugal. We didn’t get designer clothing or fancy purses and shoes.”
Rory held his hands up. “I’ve no comment on yer money.”
“Well, that’s good, because what I have now, I got from Penelope after Tyler left me at the altar on our wedding day and emptied my bank account.”
“He emptied yer bank account?” he asked just above a whisper.
Paige looked at the floor. “Tyler wasn’t Tyler. His name was Davis Montgomery from a little Alabama town, and he was a complete con artist. Once I realized what he’d done, I filed a police report. They never caught him, but I found out I wasn’t his first target. He’d had a history of finding wealthy women, assuming an identity, and doing whatever it took to gain their confidence. I was just another paycheck to him.”
He caught her gaze, sympathy rolling off of him in waves. “That must’ve been hard.”
“Yeah, it was. Penelope was there for me, though. I was so hurt. I stayed in bed for weeks. It wasn’t until she went out and bought china that I started getting my life back together.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “And how did china help that?”
Paige tilted her head. “You have no idea how therapeutic throwing china at a picture of your con artist fiancé can be for your mental health.”
Rory threw his head back and laughed. Sheesh, she loved his laughter. She couldn’t get enough of it.
“And ye’ve dated since then?” asked Rory.
“I have, but no one I’ve really had any future with.” Paige pursed her lips. “I say that, but I wasn’t even really giving them a chance. Perhaps had I, maybe there would have been.”
“Maybe ye were nae ready.”
“I’m chalking up the last few years as a learning experience and moving on. I’ve been a spoiled brat, and I’m tired of being that person.”
“What do Penelope and Sarah think of yer newfound persona?”
“If they’ve noticed anything, they haven’t said it to me. It’s kinda hard to be a new person when people are still seeing you as the old person. It’s like being put in a box and no one is willing to take off the lid.”
“Ye know, ye could’ve told me to sod off. That none of that was my business. I probably woulda had it been me.”
“I’m tired of hiding behind it. For the longest time, I used Tyler like a shield. It was a way of protecting myself. I’m tired of being afraid of everyone and everything. So there it is. My messed-up past on a platter.”
Rory stuffed his hands in his jean pockets. “Everyone has a past. No one is safe from the rain.”
“Did Penelope tell you I signed her up for that show by pretending to be her?”
“Aye. That was a dirty trick, but it worked out in her favor.”
Paige nodded. “I hope so. I want to believe she’s found love and happiness. I want to believe that nothing but good things are in her future. I’m just having trouble believing Angus is the real deal.”
Rory took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yer not alone. Only, we were worried about Penelope. Angus’s last relationship was a doozy. Clara was not a woman; she was a witch. She tangled Angus up and twisted him. It was like I’d lost a brother there for a while. When he said he was bringin’ another woman home, we all kind of held our breath. Even with Mum, Annis, and Duff givin’ their approval, it was a ‘see it to believe it’ kind of thing.”
“And what changed your mind about Penelope?”
“She is without a doubt the gentlest, sweetest woman I have ever met. Aside from one other.”
Paige crossed her arms over her chest, wondering who the other one could be. It wasn’t hard to see a woman falling for him. She pushed the thoughts away. This was about Penelope. “The difference is, Penelope isn’t an actor. A well-paid famous actor. She’s just a girl from Destin.”
“And Angus is just a boy from Rosegail Bridge. His profession’s nae him, and he’s nae his profession. It’s what he’s good at. It’s a job. That’s all.”
Paige faced the fireplace again. “Are you worried about not seeing Angus after he gets married?”
“Naw, he’s movin’ home for a while.”
“What?” she asked. Surely, she’d heard wrong. Yeah, Penelope was marrying him, and Paige knew they’d obviously live together, but she pictured California. Not a different country.
“He and Penelope are movin’ to Scotland until he starts filmin’ his next movie.”
No. The color drained from Paige’s face, and her lungs screamed for air. “Moving here?” Penelope couldn’t move here.
“Penelope didnae tell ye?”
The initial shock of Penelope’s impending move turned from betrayal to anger in seconds. How could Penelope just drop her life in Florida? What about her business? What…what about Paige? “That’s not happening. My sister has a life in Destin. Her home. Her business. Me. She’s not moving here.”
“Ye might want to fill her in, then. She seemed mighty set on it before ye got here. She said she was sellin’ her business and rentin’ out her house.”
Paige pointed a finger at Rory. “This is your brother’s fault. He might have everyone else convinced he loves her, but not me. I will nae let this happen.” She spun on her heels, darted out of the dining room, and continued walking until she was outside.
Hot tears poured down her cheeks, and she sat down hard on the grass. How could Penelope leave her? How could she even think about moving without talking to her? How could she leave her out? Paige shook her
head and wiped her eyes. With the way she treated her, why wouldn’t she? The thought hit her heavily. It was all Paige’s fault.
It didn’t change the fact that she didn’t trust Angus. Now that Paige knew he was trying to take her sister away, she was going to do anything and everything to make sure that didn’t happen. Her relationship with Penelope needed to be fixed, and that couldn’t happen in Scotland.
Angus had her sister fooled, but not Paige. After Tyler, Paige was an expert on con men. Angus was just a better actor than Tyler. Penelope just had to see it.
“Um, excuse me, but are you Penelope Cooper?” an American voice pulled her from her thoughts.
Paige looked up and found a petite woman standing a foot from her. Without even thinking, she responded, “Yes.”
“I’m a reporter. Is there any chance I could get an interview? I promise I won’t be too invasive, and I’ll stop if you get uncomfortable.”
It was as though she’d been given the green light to stop her sister from moving. “Sure. I’ve got an exclusive that will make your toes curl.”
The reporter went from demure to salivating in a blink. “I do love curly toes.”
“Angus and I are supposed to be getting married the second weekend in February. Promise to hold the story until the end of January, and I’ll give you all the juicy details.”
The woman narrowed her eyes. “Why?”
“Take it or leave it.”
“I’ll take it. I won’t even let my editor know I’ve spoken to you until then.”
“If you print it before then, I’ll deny everything you print, and I’ll get Angus to sue the paper for slander.”
“The paper won’t care.”
“Yeah, but I bet you and your reputation will.”
The reporter blanched. “You have my word. I’ll say nothing, and I’ll make sure it doesn’t see the light of day until the end of January. I promise.”
Paige eyed her and then stuck out her hand. “Shake on it?”
The woman shook her hand, and Paige led her to a quiet place to talk. The guilt came like a tidal wave, but she gripped the little bench they found and pushed it away. She was doing this for Penelope, whether Penelope thought she needed rescuing or not.
CHAPTER 12
Rory gawked after Paige. She’d gone from sweet to Tasmanian devil in seconds. He had no idea Penelope hadn’t told her sister she was selling her business and moving to Scotland. He’d just assumed that, as sisters, they would have discussed it.
He strode out of the castle to the gardens in hopes of finding Penelope and Sarah. The least he could do was give her a heads-up about his slip.
Forty minutes later, he finally spotted Sarah and Penelope pointing out over a bed of multicolored flowers. When they saw him, they smiled and waved him over.
“These gardens are so fantastic. Everything is so beautiful,” said Sarah.
“I’m glad yer havin’ a good time.” His tone was clipped.
Penelope tilted her head, and her eyebrows pinched together. “Is everything okay? Did my sister give you grief?”
“Not the kind yer thinkin’. I dinnae know ye had nae told her ye were movin’ here.”
Sarah touched Penelope’s arm. “Moving here?”
“I’m selling the dog grooming business, renting out the house, and moving here. Angus hasn’t been around his family in years. He’s missed them. It’s not like Paige and I are bosom buddies or anything. I live an hour away. I maybe see her three or four times a year. Most of the time, she doesn’t even act like I exist. What does it matter where I live?”
“I know. It probably came as a shock to her, though,” Sarah said.
Rory nodded. “Oh, it came as a surprise. She went from cool to hot in a second.” He paused. The last thing he wanted to do was cause problems between them. The internal debate raged. He should tell Penelope that her sister wanted to keep her from moving. That he got the distinct impression she meant to put an end to the relationship. No, he’d keep that to himself. From the way Penelope had spoken of Paige, they didn’t have the greatest relationship in the first place. Finding out her sister wanted to break up her relationship could be the nail in the coffin, so to speak.
Penelope shrugged. “I didn’t expect her to be shocked.”
“That may be, but I can tell ye, she was. More than shocked. I think she was hurt. There were tears in her eyes before she stormed off,” Rory said. No, he was positive he saw tears, and even if he didn’t, letting Penelope think that may not be a bad thing.
“Tears? Doubtful. Paige loves Paige, especially where I’m concerned.”
Sarah scoffed. “Penelope, that’s not true.”
“Really? When has she ever cared about me? Ever since high school, she’s done nothing but work to make me miserable.”
Rory felt like he was in the middle of a private discussion. “Uh, I think I should leave and let ye two talk.”
Penelope shook her head. “No, I’ve got nothing to hide. My relationship with my sister is contentious at best. I wanted her here because she’s all the family I have left. And because she’s my sister. I hoped, if nothing else, I could get her to be happy for me. That’s the only reason I wanted her here.”
Rory understood. Angus and Taran had been in a feud for years now. It made Taran’s relationship with the whole family strained and difficult. Paige had said she’d changed but hadn’t divulged it to anyone. Telling Penelope his theory would only drive a bigger wedge between them. Maybe Paige just needed a chance to show them she’d changed in order to mend her fractured relationship with her sister, and maybe she needed a few weeks to see that Penelope was happy. “Maybe there’s a chance she’s changed.”
“I would have to see it to believe it.” Penelope touched his arm. “Rory, I appreciate you trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, but she’s been like this since we were in high school. Something happened, and she decided she hated me. I’ve begged her to tell me, and she won’t. So I don’t even know what to apologize for.”
One corner of his lips quirked up. “Well, we’re here for a few more days. Maybe sharin’ a room together will give ye the opportunity to ask her again.”
“Maybe, but I’m not getting my hopes up, and neither should you.”
“I want yer relationship fixed just like I want Angus and Taran’s relationship fixed. They just need to remember why they loved each other.”
Penelope nodded. “I want that for me and Paige, and I want that for Angus too. He really misses Taran. He talks about him all the time and about how things used to be.”
“Well, why do ye think I have them workin’ the farm together? With any luck, Murphy will come a callin’, and Taran will have to rely on Angus.”
Sarah chuckled. “Murphy?”
“What can go wrong, will go wrong. That’s especially true on a farm full of animals.”
Penelope and Sarah looked at each other and began laughing. Penelope gave him a one-armed hug. “Rory, I think I’m going to love having you as a brother-in-law.”
“Ye know, I’ve been thinkin’ the same thing. Only, substitute sister in there.” He winked.
She took a deep breath and shook her head. “All right, let’s go find Paige and continue checking out this castle and its grounds. Maybe you’re right. Maybe she can change and I just have to be willing to see it.”
“That’s the spirit. We’ll both hold out hope.”
“Don’t forget me,” Sarah said. “I’ll hope too.”
Rory held out his arm. “Three against one. I like those odds.”
CHAPTER 13
T he group spent the day touring the castle and walking around Inverness. Then they’d driven back to Rory’s house. Paige walked into the room she was sharing with Penelope and flopped down on the bed. Sarah had called shotgun on the shower, and now Paige wished she’d fought a little harder for the right to go first.
She’d just closed her eyes when Penelope walked into the room. “I hope she leaves s
ome hot water for the rest of us,” Paige said.
Penelope sat down on the edge of the bed, facing Paige. “I hope so too.”
Uncomfortable silence dragged out, but Paige didn’t want to discuss her reaction to Penelope’s impending move.
“Paige, I’m moving to Scotland.”
“I know. And I’m sure Rory told you I didn’t react well.”
“He did. I don’t understand why, though.”
Paige bolted up. “Why? You’re selling your business. Renting out our parents’ house and moving to a foreign country with a man you’ve known less than four months. I’d say that deserves a shocked response.”
Penelope smiled. “I’ve wanted to live in Scotland since we were kids. You know that. I’m getting to live out a dream with the man I love. We’re only going to be living here when he’s not filming. He wants me to travel with him, and I’m going to.”
A bus hitting her would have been less painful. “But leaving Destin? Selling your business? What if this doesn’t work out? What if he’s not who you think he is? You’ll have nothing to fall back on at all.”
“It will work out.” There was such conviction in her sister’s voice. How could she be so sure?
Scoffing, Paige said, “You don’t know that. You don’t know him.”
Penelope squared her shoulders. “I do know him. I lived with him for three months. All we’ve been doing is talking. I know him better than I know you.”
What? Paige blinked like she’d been slapped. “How can you say that?”
“How?” Penelope asked, her tone clipped. “Other than after Tyler, we’ve barely talked about anything since high school. Remember? A little after ninth grade started, and next thing I know, I’m on Paige’s hit list. I live an hour from you, and I might see you three, maybe four, times a year. And that’s only because the house is right on the beach. If not, I doubt I’d see you at all.”
Paige felt gutted. “I know, and I need to change that. I haven’t been the kind of sister you deserve. I haven’t treated you like I should, but I’ll never be able to make it up to you if you’re living here. I’ll never get to see you.”
Mending the Billionaire Scotsman: A Clean Scottish Romance Book Two Page 6
