“You were pretty mean to him.”
“First day of my period,” I explained.
“Okay, that might account for your impatience, but there’s something else going on with you and this guy. The air between you practically crackled. Did you sleep with him?”
“No!” I objected loudly. “With that man-child? Puhlease. He’s just like every other so-called charismatic, charming actor we’ve ever met. It’s all lies and bullshit and you never know what they’re really thinking because they’re so good at pretending.”
Allegra huffed. “Uh, North was none of those things to you.”
“He was at first. Believe me. He tried to be all smoldering and sexy the first time we met, and he was dating Cara Rochdale. She probably didn’t even dump him because of the scandal. I bet she found out he’d cheated on her a million times.”
“Hmm.”
“What?” I threw her a dark look as I pulled my SUV into the parking lot outside the Gloaming.
“I just think you’re making a lot of assumptions about the guy based on … what? Your experience with Preston? Your horrible experience with Lucas? North Hunter isn’t Lucas.”
Heat scored up my neck at the mere mention of his name. “Don’t talk about him.” Before she could respond, I practically jumped out of the car.
Allegra hurried to follow me, and I locked the car as I strutted down the street toward the cobbled lane that housed the florist. Usually, I’d buy wine from William’s Wine Cellar, but Allegra was sober.
“I’m sorry for pushing.” My sister fell into step beside me. “I just worry about you. I don’t want you to be lonely.”
Softening, I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and ducked my head to hers as I pulled her into my side. “You don’t need to worry about me ever. I’m—oof.” I stumbled with my sister as my other shoulder bumped into something.
A female voice cried out, and we turned to see an older woman clutching her forehead as bags of groceries spilled onto the ground. She was a tiny woman, and I realized I’d walked into her head with my shoulder because I wasn’t looking where I was going.
“I’m so sorry.” I kneeled in my jeans and began gathering her groceries into her bags. Allegra scrambled to help me.
“Och, it’s awright.” The woman assured me. “It happens.”
Once we’d gotten her shopping back in the bags, I offered to help her to her car.
“Ahm stayin’ in a wee flat ’roond the core-ner.” She brushed me off. I wasn’t familiar with all the villagers yet because I spent so much time on the estate, but I didn’t recognize her roughened face. She had the kind of skin that spoke of a hard life. And she didn’t sound like she was from around here. In fact, her accent made me think of North and his strong brogue when he was drunk. When I googled him, I discovered he’d grown up in a town I’d never heard of set between Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Ugh.
Why did everything make me think of that damn man?
Assured the woman was okay, Allegra and I continued on toward the florist.
“You’re distracted,” Allegra said in a singsong voice. “I wonder by what or whom.”
“Don’t push me on this, dear sister.”
“I think the lady doth protest too much.”
“I think the lady doth better shut up before she gets my foot in her ass.”
Allegra burst into delighted laughter, and I couldn’t stay annoyed with her. If anyone wanted to know what my weak spot was, they could look no further than my baby sister. I was worried about telling my parents of her desire to drop out of college, but I was even more worried about forcing her to stay on a path she didn’t want. Problem was, as much as I loved her, my sister could be a little spoiled and impulsive. Was dropping out just another spur-of-the-moment idea, or was she serious about how unhappy she was there?
The last time Allegra was miserable, we almost lost her. She was on the honor roll, had offers to attend some of the finest art schools in the country, and yet she was a chaotic ball of teenage emotions and anger. It was a testament to her intelligence, talent, and multitasking ability that the crap she’d gotten into at sixteen hadn’t derailed her education.
At first, she partied with an older Malibu crowd, and that was worrying enough. But then she started partying with a rougher crowd, which led her to drinking and experimenting with drugs. When it all came to a head the night she met Sloane, we tried to get her to explain what had sent her down this path. She wouldn’t tell us. However, that night with Sloane terrified her back onto a better road. Allegra had started seeing Sloane’s ex-boyfriend, who just happened to be a high-ranking “soldier” in a criminal gang that traded in drugs and chopped cars.
The night Sloane went to a house party looking to talk to her ex （he was the father of her child）， she found Allegra in a room with him. An argument ensued. He tried to assault my sister, and Sloane helped fight him off. Allegra grabbed his gun and accidentally shot Sloane, and he started beating Allegra to death for it. If Sloane hadn’t gotten a hold of the gun, shot him, and then rushed my sister to safety （all with a bullet hole in her arm）， I don’t know what might have happened. I did know that same psychopath was rotting in jail, awaiting trial for kidnapping his own daughter, kidnapping Sloane, and attempting to murder her.
My family will be forever grateful to Sloane for saving Allegra. That’s how she got the job as a housekeeper at Ardnoch, and my father arranged a skilled worker’s visa for her so she could stay in the Highlands for at least five years. Now that she was madly in love with Walker, I couldn’t see her and Callie ever leaving Scotland.
As for Allegra, she still hadn’t told me what set off the wild partying and uncharacteristic anger. I worried every day that it was something traumatic, but I didn’t want to push her. Instead, I was grateful that the scare with Sloane and her ex got her into rehab, where she talked with a therapist every day. She still had a therapist now. And she seemed better. Wearier, a little more worldly wise than I’d like, but happier. Nowhere near as angry.
Ten minutes later, as Sloane and Walker let us into Walker’s bungalow, I noted Sloane’s relief to see Allegra looking so well and happy.
“Oh my God, you’re getting so big!” Allegra exclaimed when she saw Callie.
“I’ll be eleven this year,” Callie announced proudly. “Next year I start high school.”
Allegra’s eyes rounded. “Are you some kind of genius?”
Sloane chuckled as she tucked Callie against her front. “They start high school earlier here.”
“But I’m still kind of a genius, right?” Callie grinned cheekily up at her mother.
We chuckled as Sloane agreed she was.
“Look at this place.” Allegra surveyed Walker’s bungalow. The living room flowed into a beautiful, modern kitchen. “Nice. Kind of masculine, but nice. You need to put your stamp on it, girl.”
“Allegra,” I chastised with a snort of laughter.
“What?” She winked at Walker. “Walker knows what I’m talking about.”
Amusement gleamed in Walker’s eyes, but he didn’t smile.