23. Chapter 23 - Kaitlyn

Most of us were in the living room that night, some of the kids were already asleep. James and Sophie were in their room. Quentin and Beaty were in their own apartment. We had been fed, we were up talking. Magnus had an arm around me, his other hand petting the back of Haggis's head.

I asked Fraoch, "So what do you think Lochie is up to, has he won her back?"

"I daena ken, but m'guess would be he is ruinin' everything by running his mouth."

"He does have a way of doing that."

Magnus, Fraoch, Zach and I raised our glasses.

Emma said, "I don't know, five dollars says he's smooth, he's won her over with his combination of immature vulnerability and uncanny capabilities."

Zach said, "How would you know anything about that?"

She waved her hand around him. "Oh I don't know, what would I know of being with someone who is immature and also capable?"

Zach raised his drink to his lips. "Oh right, yeah, you're kind of an expert."

I said, "I feel like we sent him off on a fool's errand, he doesn't know anything about modern women. Fraoch, did you tell him not to talk endlessly about Grand Theft Auto?"

Zach shrugged. "She might like that."

Fraoch said, "I told him not tae emit flatulence, nae braggin', I doubt he will listen on that one, and I told him not tae ask her tae marry him."

I said, "I told him to ask her questions, to let her talk."

Emma said, "And I did my best to explain that he shouldn't mention that he just learned how to read — that wasn't easy, he's very proud."

Magnus said, "Och nae, he will be fine, ye are all too worried. He will brag and he will crow and be uncivilized, and behave like men hae behaved through history, and she will be the same as all women hae always been — she winna hear a thing he says because she will be so smitten by the uniform as we talked of the other night, the cut of his jaw and the glimpse of his knee below his kilt. Ye will confuse him with all yer warnings and directions."

I scoffed. "You think women are so shallow?"

"I ken they are, ye hae told me so yerself, and ye dinna heed a word I said about danger afore we married. Ye married me anyway, twas because of… ?"

I chuckled. "Um… your knee, your jawline, your eyes when you smile… yeah, yeah, yet again, point taken."

Fraoch said, "Hayley was the same, she said, ‘Fraoch, I love ye, here's a bar of soap tae stop yer stench, and I will marry ye.'"

Hayley joked, "Almost verbatim."

Magnus's phone rang. He looked down at the screen. "The lad is callin'."

Fraoch said, "Tell him Hayley and I will come get him." He pulled his shoes from the side and began putting them on.

Magnus answered his phone and asked, "Ye hae had a good night, Lochinvar?"

We all stilled trying to listen, though we could only hear Magnus's side. "Good, Fraoch is on his—" He listened and chuckled. "I am not that auld..." Then he said, "...tis a long walk, ye ken? Tis raining." He nodded, then said, "We meant tae go at dawn." He listened more."Good, aye, we will go when ye return." Then, "Goodnight."

He turned off the phone and grinned. "I was right, Og Lochie daena need a ride home, he said twill be much later and we ought not wait up, he will walk if he needs tae."

My jaw dropped. "Seriously? Wow."

Hayley said, "What did he say, exactly?"

Magnus said, "He took her tae dinner and now he is stayin' late." His eyes twinkled, "He meant that he dinna hae tae do barely anything but show her his knee and she has invited him over. Tis exactly as I said."

I dropped my head back on the couch. "Now I have all new worries, I hope she doesn't break his heart."

Hayley said, "What of her heart?"

Fraoch said, "He winna break her heart, ye saw him. He is like a tuna on the baited end of the longline."

Hayley said, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"As good as caught." Fraoch took his shoes off again.