Auld Lang Syne

by Rebel Carter

  “I don’t know,” I responded. “It hasn’t come up yet with my boss, but I might...I might stay for a while.”

  The thought hadn’t been fully formed until the moment I’d spoken it aloud, and I was shocked at how right it felt.

  My father hummed. “So long as you’re happy.”

  “You have to promise to at least have veggies on the pizza and burgers I know y’all are eating,” I ordered, making my father sigh.

  “Fine, fine, but I want it known that while you’re gone you give up rights to enforce healthy lifestyle choices.”

  I blew out a sigh, but a string of questions cut off my crusade for healthy eating. It was comforting to get lost in the particulars of my new life, and before I knew it two hours had slipped past.

  “Goodbye, mija. Call me this weekend.”

  “I will, I promise. I love you.”

  “Love you too. Have fun and be safe.”

  The phone clicked and he was gone. To my surprise, I felt happy. The call with my father had filled a hole I hadn’t known existed. My father’s words, especially his admission that what had been going on had been unfair, bolstered me.

  It was one thing to travel halfway around the world on an impulse in search of adventure. It was another thing to be told the decision had been warranted. Validation was all I’d ever sought from my family, and my father had delivered it in spades.

  And now I was free to explore Scotland and everything my time here offered me without the worry of home looming over my head. I was free to become someone new: the type of woman who did things for herself, who knew she deserved the best from life.

  This woman was someone I didn't know, but was excited to meet.

  I crossed the room to the window and looked out at the quaint skyline of Sithean.

  It wasn’t home, but I was happy to think that it might one day be.

  “Have you given much thought to what ye’ll do after the New Year?” Agnes asked as we placed the last of the pick-up orders on the counter. It was New Year’s Eve and we were closing early in preparation of the night’s festivities.

  The bakeshop had been a flurry of activity over the past two days. I’d wondered out loud about the fey folk when we were both barely functional at five in the morning and portioning out ingredients. “They only come when I need them. They know I have you now,” Agnes had replied.

  It had been exhausting, but so worth it now that we were done. I smiled and stretched my arms overhead, admiring our handiwork. “I’m not sure. At least not yet,” I said, turning to face Agnes and letting my voice trail off. I’d meant to bring up the possibility of me staying on with her into the next year, but it hadn’t come up. I was shy at the prospect of asking to stay. “Unless you need more help?” I hedged.

  Agnes leaned a hip against the counter. “Would you want to stay on with me? I can give you a raise, and more responsibilities.” From the smile she gave me it appeared as if she had counted on me staying put. I returned her smile and gave her hand a squeeze.

  “Of course I’ll stay on.”

  “Ye dinna ken how happy that makes me!” Agnes reached out, catching me in a hug that warmed me through and through. “And Callum will be happy too,” she said, giving me a knowing wink.

  I flushed at the smirk on Agnes’s face and ducked my head. It was no secret that Callum and I had continued what we’d started on our winter walk days before. I spent the majority of my hours with Agnes in the shop, but in the stolen moments between orders and customers Callum filled my time with laughter and conversation. Oh, and kisses. Lots and lots of kisses, to be exact, and my apartment’s proximity to his workplace had proved to be too great a temptation. I’d never known a printing press or ream of paper could be as romantic a setting as any when the man in front of you was everything you’d ever wanted.

  Callum was the most unexpected consequence of my leaving home, and I had to pinch myself to make sure it had happened. That I was really here, that the Scotsman waiting for me after work to walk me home was mine. I loved how easily our conversation flowed, how warm and gentle his hand was as he held mine. There wasn’t a moment he made me feel unheard.

  It was a heady experience, and I knew I looked like a lovesick fool, which was more than fine with me because Callum was, in a word, attentive.

  It had set the town abuzz. There was no shortage of gossip following us on our evening walks through town. Callum had never been seen as he was now, soft-eyed and smiling, which sent the gossip circuit into overtime.

  If tonight was replete with all the romantic trimmings Callum had boasted, then our attendance would give them plenty more to talk about. Chief among the gossipers was Agnes, and I shook my head at her wagging eyebrows. The woman was entertained by herself, if her giggles were anything to go by, and I laughed along with her.

  “I’m sure he will be,” I said, tying one last bow on a package of shortbread.

  “Oh, I ken he will. What do you think of six months?” she asked, throwing her arms around me again, pinning my arms to my side. “A month is so fast, but six months would give you time to settle in.”

  It was hard not to laugh or smile with Agnes when she was this excited. I managed to get an arm free to hug her close. “Six months would be perfect!”

  She beamed up at me. “The best New Year’s decision ye’ll make.”

  Agnes’s good mood was infectious, and by the time Callum arrived to walk me home I was in high spirits. Though, when I looked behind us at the pile of cookies and breads that had yet to be picked up, I hesitated.

  “What about those?” I asked with a concerned look. I didn’t want Agnes staying here all night on her own while she waited on stragglers. She was supposed to meet us at the celebration in an hour’s time, which would be a miracle judging by the pile of baked goods still left in the shop.

  She waved a hand. “Dinna fash, lass.”

  “But you’re coming to the dance, aren’t you?”

  She hummed and gave me a smile as she took off her apron. “Leaving right after the two of ye.”

  I frowned and pointed at the customer orders on the counter. “But what about those? I thought you said they were for today?”

  “Oh, they are, but I’m not delivering them.”

  “How—” I began, but Callum’s hand on my wrist stopped me. He had a pinched look on his face, and he blew out an exasperated sigh.

  “Auntie, if you need, I’ll drive the orders out.”

  “No need, dear. The fey folk have it.”

  Callum frowned. It was slight and brief, just the barest turn of his lips before it was gone, and he looked away from Agnes, who didn’t seem the slightest bit bothered.

  “Callum,” I tried, putting a hand on his arm and pulling him toward me. “Just this once.”

  “Just this once what?” he asked. I looked behind us where Agnes was busy locking up and singing Auld Lang Syne to herself as she worked.

  “Just believe her.”

  The look that passed over Callum’s face was downright stormy, so I raised up a hand to stop him when he opened his mouth to speak. “It means a lot to her. If she says the fey will do it then...maybe they will.”

  “Del…”

  His voice was low and husky, just the way I liked it, but this wasn’t from one of our stolen moments together. It was from barely contained annoyance. “No one has to know,” I said. “It will make her happy.”

  Callum’s eyes fluttered shut at that and he took in a deep breath. “Fine,” he grumbled, blowing out the breath in a long sigh. When he took in another breath and repeated the gesture I gave him a poke.

  “Are you yoga breathing?” I asked in disbelief. Callum cut a fine image in his heavy coat and work boots. When I’d last seen him he’d been unloading heavy reams of paper and in the middle of repairing the oldest of all the presses. From the oil and ink smeared on his hands he’d been busy right up until he’d come by the bakeshop.

  He nodded, sucking in another deep breath. “I am.
The both of ye are going to drive me out of my mind, or give me a stroke.”

  “You’re so dramatic,” I told him, but he ignored me and continued on as Agnes bustled around us, a broom in one hand and a bunch of juniper branches in the other.

  “Go on, the two of ye. I have to burn the juniper branches before the celebration and I’d like to be done before the bonfire is lit.”

  “There’s a bonfire?” I asked, perking up at the news.

  Agnes nodded. “Aye. All part of the Hogmanay traditions. Ye’ll see for yerself. Remember to dress warmly.” She kissed Callum’s cheek and gave me a puzzled look. “Is he short of breath?” She turned and gave him a poke with the juniper branches. “Are yer sinuses acting up again, lad?”

  Callum’s brow furrowed and blew out another long breath. “I’m fine.”

  “Ye dinna look fine. You sound like yer suffocating,” Agnes told him. I covered my mouth to hide my giggle when Callum opened his eyes and gave her an exasperated look.

  “What?” Agnes asked.

  “I love ye,” Callum replied, sweeping her up into a hug and kissing her forehead, “and I believe ye.”

  “About?”

  His eyes met mine over the top of Agnes’s head. “Everything.”

  “Including the fey?”

  “Yes, even them.”

  Agnes pulled back with an excited look in her eyes. “Then I want to talk about the lock. It—”

  Callum shook his head. “It stays, Auntie. Granda wanted it to stay. End of story. I’ll not have hellion sprites running through my business.”

  Agnes sighed and waved her juniper branches. “It was worth a try.”

  Callum caught my hand and pulled me toward the door. “We’ll see ye at the bonfire?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Now shoo! I’ve got a bakeshop to air out, and I don’t need to be dancing around the pair of you lovebirds to do it.”

  We waved our goodbyes, and it wasn't until we were on the street that either one of us spoke.

  “Thank you.” I hugged Callum close and slipped an arm around his waist.

  He gave a grunt and leaned into my touch, but said nothing as we walked toward the print shop. All around us townsfolk were laughing, singing, and imbibing their Hogmanay cheer, making me laugh when I saw their too-bright eyes and rosy cheeks.

  “I just wanted her to know I love her,” Callum said when we arrived at the print shop. “But that doesn’t mean I’m letting her take this from the door. If I do I’ll come to work to find her having a right fey tea party in my office.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I think that could brighten the place up a bit. Don’t you think?” I grinned at his look of consternation and slipped my arms around his waist. “Plenty of room over there in your office for her to entertain.”

  “Enough fey talk,” Callum said, turning to face me. He surprised me when he lowered his head and kissed me. My back bumped against the cold surface of a printing press, and I tilted my head up and opened my mouth, eager to deepen the kiss. The warm pressure of Callum’s hand on my waist set a fire ablaze in my belly. My fingers slid through his hair, nails scraping at his scalp and making him groan in pleasure.

  “Lass,” he murmured, breaking our kiss for a second to pull back and look at me.

  I frowned at him, hands reaching for his jacket lapels. “Don’t stop.”

  “Have t’ stop.” He chuckled and nudged me back when I tried to follow him. “The bonfire.”

  I sighed and leaned back against the printing press. “Right, right,” I mumbled, but when Callum moved to step away from me I caught his arm and said, “But I’m sure that no one ever gets to a party right when it starts, and when does the celebration kick off? Eight… Nine?”

  “Six,” Callum supplied with a shake of his head when I tried to steal another kiss.

  “It’s just past four. There’s plenty of time to get there,” I reasoned.

  “Agnes and the whole town are expecting to see you there.”

  “See us,” I corrected, raising myself up on my tiptoes to kiss him. It was a chaste kiss, but it still set my heart to racing.

  “See us,” he agreed. “Just wait until we have more time. I intend to take my time with ye, Del.” His words made me blush, and I bit my lip when his calloused fingers trailed over my cheek, making me shiver.

  I shook my head, hoping to clear away the lust clouding my thoughts, and took a step away. “I’d like that,” I whispered.

  He gave me a gentle push toward the stairs, and I forced myself not to stop until I was inside my apartment. I sagged against the door, knees weak.

  “Get it together,” I whispered, massaging my temples and sucking in a deep breath. “Get dressed, get ready, and get downstairs.”

  It wouldn’t do to waste time dreaming about Callum and my bedroom, especially when the quicker I got to the Hogmanay celebration the sooner I’d put myself in a position to find out exactly what having him take his time entailed.

  Pushing away from the door, I headed toward my bedroom. I knew exactly what to wear to the celebration, and with just over an hour to get ready there wasn't a moment to lose.

  Callum stared at me.

  Well and properly stared at me, mouth open and all.

  I blushed and fiddled with the red skirt of my dress. “What?” I asked, patting my hair. Or maybe it was my makeup...

  He cleared his throat and took a step closer. “Yer beautiful. Stunning.”

  I blushed with pleasure and gave him a broad smile. “Thank you.” I clasped my hands in front of me and took a step toward him, eating up the space between us as I looked him over.

  “You aren’t too bad yourself,” I said after I had taken in the thick grey wool sweater and dark jeans he’d paired with leather boots.

  I bit my lip and then gestured at the red dress I wore. “Am I overdressed?”

  I had a somewhere to wear the beautiful garment, but now I wasn’t sure if my dress, as lovely as it was, would fit the occasion.

  “Ye can never be too overdressed or educated,” he replied.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Since when do you quote Coco Chanel?”

  He shrugged. “She was a smart woman. And ye look beautiful. Dinna think about being out of place.”

  I glanced out the shop window to see a group of merry-goers run past in coats and jeans. I blew out a deep breath and pushed away from the window.

  “You’re right. Let’s go,” I said, but I stopped short when I realized I was speaking to an empty room. Save for the printing presses, I was alone. I blinked and headed toward Callum’s office.

  “Callum?” I called. My mind flew to plausible reasons my new boyfriend had vanished into thin air. Fey, most likely, as Agnes would tell me, and I found myself not quite ruling it out when Callum didn’t answer me.

  I raised my hand to push open the door of his office. “Hello?”

  “Right here, lass,” Callum said, throwing open the door and making me jump.

  “Where did you go?!” I shrieked, my hands going to my heart. “And don’t do that!”

  He rolled his eyes and held out a bundle of cloth to me. “I had to get something.”

  “What’s this?” I asked, taking the wool material from him and eyeing it. It looked like a blanket made up of red and green bands of color that criss-crossed in a pattern almost like plaid, except there was something more thoughtful, intentional, in the blocks of color in front of me, and I looked up at Callum in question.

  “It’s the MacDougall tartan,” he answered with an unmistakable note of pride.

  “That’s your clan,” I said, unfolding the material to get a better look. “It’s lovely.”

  “I want ye to wear it.”

  “Me?” I asked in surprise.

  He nodded and took the tartan from me. “Ye won’t feel out of place if yer wearing MacDougall colors, now will ye?”

  “No,” I breathed.

  Callum smiled down at me and draped the tartan around my shoulders. “Good
. I want everyone who sees to ken that yer with me tonight.”

  A warmth blossomed in my chest, and I reached up to cup his cheek. “You are amazing,” I whispered.

  He kissed my cheek, fingers moving the tartan into position before he held up a brooch made of wrought iron with what looked like a rough-cut ruby at its center. “I know it’s tough tae be away from home,” he said while fastening the pin to the tartan so that it held the material in place at my shoulder, “but Agnes and I are happy to be yer people now. Ye have a home here. With us.”

  I blinked against the tears that pricked at my eyes as my hand went to touch the brooch. “Thank you,” I whispered.

  “And—and I want ye here,” Callum continued, making me look up at him.

  There was something he was about to say, something very big. I could feel it in my bones.

  “I am here,” I said, dabbing at my tears with the heels of my palms, careful of my eyeliner.

  “To stay,” Callum clarified. He ran his hands over my shoulders before he raised them up to cup my cheeks. “I want ye here to stay with us. Dinna go after the New Year.”

  My heart felt like it was overflowing. “You want me to stay?”

  He nodded, ginger hair falling over his eyes. “Stay with me.”

  “Yes,” I laughed despite the tears, “I’ll stay. I had already decided to stay when I spoke to Agnes this afternoon. I’m staying put for the next six months, maybe more.”

  Callum nodded, a mixture of emotions flitting across his face.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, not understanding the warring expressions. I had thought he would be happy at my news, especially after asking me to stay, but the now almost horrified look on his face had me confused.

  He swallowed hard and gestured at my tears. “Lass, if you keep crying I dinna ken what to do.”

  Another laugh burst out of me. “These are happy tears.”

  He swallowed hard and gestured at my teary eyes. “And I’d rather fight Agnes’s fey than see one more fall. Tell me what to do.”

  “Nothing, you big baby,” I muttered, blinking back the last of them. “Let’s be on our way.”