Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Orla

O f course Finlay had to be at the pub when I arrived. Not only had I embarrassed myself earlier by awkwardly punching him on the shoulder after the unicorn sighting, but I was still rattled by the experience at the Auld Mill. Frankly, it had taken all my energy to force myself to change into a pair of faded trousers and a loose gray jumper. I redid my braids, chatting to Goldie the whole time, and had given her a few extra flakes for dinner before forcing myself back out the door. The adrenaline spikes from a wild day had left me feeling drained and I wanted nothing more than to drop onto my bed and sleep for ten hours.

But I was curious about Miss Elva, and Rafe had saved my life, so at the very least I could buy her dinner.

Two things I noticed immediately after registering Finlay's presence: The first? Agnes was looking positively joyful from where she sat at the bar. And the second? Graham looked decidedly grumpy, and I wondered what had set him off today. I followed his gaze to see Miss Elva holding court at a table by the fire, her entourage having donned T-shirts that fit like second skins in deference to the rules of being clothed at a pub.

They might as well have been naked for the thin cotton T-shirts showcased every last devastating inch of their muscular physiques and more than one woman was discreetly checking them out across the pub.

Much to Agnes's delight, I could see, as I stopped by her chair.

"Have you seen the eye candy?" Agnes hissed, gripping my arm. I jerked lightly, but didn't remove her hand, as her eyes were trained on the men across the room.

"Not only do I see them, but I also saw them with their shirts off earlier."

Agnes gasped, turning to me.

"You saw them naked?"

At that, both Finlay and Graham turned, zeroing in on me, and my cheeks flushed. Finlay had changed from work, wearing dark denim trousers and a blue chambray shirt, the cuffs rolled up to reveal his strong forearms. His gold watch winked at his wrist, and his eyes were alight with curiosity and something else that I couldn't quite put a name to.

Maybe I didn't want to put a name to it.

"Orla, honey! Yoo-hoooo!" Miss Elva called, waving from where she sat, as if the entire pub wasn't already watching her. The Tipsy Thistle was a hodgepodge place, as old buildings in the UK often were, with rooms added on here and there through the years. The room we were in now housed a large circular bar, various cozy seating nooks, and was peppered with random bits and bobs decorating the stone walls. Even so, it wasn't large enough that Miss Elva had to shout, but I was beginning to think that was her normal speaking volume. The woman seemed to live out loud.

One of her entourage stood, a strapping lad with dark hair and lively blue eyes, and crossed the now silent pub to stand by me. I looked up, and kept looking up, until I met his eyes.

"Four more pints, please. And whatever this beautiful lass wants." The lad grinned at me, and my insides did funny things as I remembered the lot of them with their shirts off. Not to mention the full frontal thanks to their kilts and tendency to squat.

"Um, a Coke is fine, Graham." Best not to drink around these men before I did something silly like ask if they could bench-press my body weight.

"That's fine, mate. I'll bring them over," Graham assured the man, and I bit back a grin, suspecting he wanted the beefcake to stay away from Agnes.

"Helllooooo," Agnes said, her smile widening at the man. "Welcome to Loren Brae."

"Thank you." The man's grin deepened. "We're certainly enjoying ourselves. You're welcome to join our table if you'd like."

"I—"

"I'll bring the drinks over, mate," Graham said, louder this time, and the man nodded, returning to where Miss Elva held court.

"That was rude," Agnes huffed.

It had been a bit rude, and deciding to ruffle Graham's feathers a bit, I leaned in.

"You'll have to come join us, Agnes. Miss Elva is a treat."

"Oh, I'd love nothing more."

"Why did you see them naked?" Finlay asked, leaning closer, and I straightened, surprised he'd ask me that question. He was technically my boss, and who I saw naked was really none of his business.

Not that I'd mind seeing him naked.

As soon as the thought hit my brain, my entire body heated, and I shut that idea down quickly. No, I most certainly did not remember his strong arms wrapped around my body, lifting me easily in the air, while twirling me like I was some heroine in a romance novel. Nope, I didn't recall every second of that moment in the slightest. Not at all.

"Are you asking that in a professional capacity then, Mr. Thompson?" I asked lightly, knowing I was baiting him.

Annoyance flashed, and Graham grumbled behind the bar. Agnes let out a soft coo of delight, clearly happy with the way things were going this evening.

"Mere curiosity, Ms. Clarke, since you announced it to the whole pub."

"Hardly the whole pub. Just a side comment to my friend Agnes. Were you eavesdropping on a private matter then?"

"Och, it's a private matter you had with them now?" Finlay's face turned stormy, and I hid my amusement. I wasn't one for games, never really knowing how to navigate flirtations, but I could see why Agnes enjoyed poking Graham so much. Both Graham and Finlay were strong, handsome, smart men in their own right. Knowing you could affect them did feel a touch powerful, I had to admit. Not that I should even be thinking of flirtation. Finlay was a work relationship and needed to stay as such.

"Shall we take those drinks over for you, Graham?" Agnes asked sweetly and he glowered as he slapped a tray on the bar.

"I'm guessing that's a no," I hissed in Agnes's ear, and she chuckled.

"Let's go before their heads explode."

We crossed the room to where Miss Elva sat, reveling the men with a story about a Tiki bar in the Keys, and they pulled up two more chairs for us.

"Miss Elva, this is Agnes, a friend of mine."

"Ohh, child, aren't you a powerful one then?" Miss Elva slapped her knee and smiled up at Agnes who tilted her head in question as she sat.

"Am I?"

"If you don't know it yet, you'll find out soon enough." Miss Elva beamed at Graham as he approached with drinks, his face set in stone. "And look at this gorgeous one. Care to come on my travels with me, handsome? I'll make it worth your while." Miss Elva winked, and Graham almost dropped his tray of drinks. Setting them down hastily, he gave Miss Elva a quick nod.

"Appreciate the offer, but it looks like you have your hands full already."

"There's always room for more." Miss Elva pursed her lips .

Rafe appeared over Miss Elva's shoulders and hissed at Graham.

"Imbecile. Ungrateful beast."

My eyebrows winged up as I tried to pretend that I didn't see a pirate ghost throwing a hissy fit behind Miss Elva's back.

"You hear that, Graham? The more the merrier." Agnes slapped Graham on the back, and he turned a forced smile at her.

"Surely there is. Yet I'm busy running this pub, and what's that, Finlay? Another pint you say?" Graham hurried back behind the bar while Agnes's shoulders shook with laughter.

"That one has his eye on you." Miss Elva nodded to Agnes.

"Me and every other woman that crosses his path," Agnes said, rolling her eyes.

"Nah, honey. It's you. But you're not ready to see that, are you?" Miss Elva's gaze sharpened on Agnes, and I watched with interest, wondering how Agnes would respond.

"It's complicated," Agnes said after a beat of silence.

"Aren't they all, honey? It's why I never tie myself to one man. Aside from my sweet Rafe, that is." Rafe winked back into sight over her shoulder, an adoring light in his eyes.

"That's right, my lovemountain. I'll always be devoted to you even if you share your body with others."

"And why shouldn't I share? There's more than enough for me to go around. I can't help that I attract men wherever I go." Miss Elva boomed her rolling laugh and Agnes looked over at me, a question in her eyes.

"Um, there's a ghost here. A pirate to be exact," I whispered in her ear.

"Rafe?" Agnes guessed.

"That's the one."

"Interesting. A ghost lover. Very progressive."

"That's me, child, I'm open to it all." Miss Elva winked at one of the men across from her who reached out and trailed a hand down her arm.

"Can I be you when I grow up?" Agnes wondered out loud.

"Or at the very least, bottle your confidence?" I asked, and then took a hasty sip of my Coke. Usually I wasn't so bold in what I said to strangers, but exhaustion had dropped my guards.

"What's going on in this town? There's a lot of power here." Miss Elva leaned forward, bracelets jangling as she braced her elbows on the table.

"It's…" Agnes glanced to the three men.

"Gentlemen, would you mind taking your dinner at another table? Looks like it's going to be us girlies for a bit."

"Anything you want." The men rose as one and we all, along with every other woman at the pub, watched them cross the room and take another table.

"Where did you find them? They're, like, perfectly matched," Agnes asked, turning back to the table.

"Aren't they just? Child, they just flock to me. I don't blame them either. They know a good thing when they see it." Miss Elva preened and I laughed. She was impossible in the best way, and I loved how confident she was with herself.

Graham arrived at our table, carrying a large tray of food, and my stomach grumbled.

"I ordered a bit of everything, does that suit?" Miss Elva looked at me.

"No problem at all. But I'd like to pay for it. You saved my life today."

"What happened?" Graham and Agnes asked in unison, and I bit my lip, annoyed with myself for saying anything. Small towns and all that.

"Just a small accident that I happened upon and was able to help our girl out of a bind. Hey, cutie, mind feeding my boys too? They eat a lot."

Graham looked down at the expanse of food on the table and then over to the table where the beefcakes had moved to.

"This is … just for you three?"

"Do you think it's enough? I can always order more unless the kitchen closes soon?" Miss Elva fluttered her eyelashes and Graham quickly recovered.

"I reckon this is enough for you three. I'll get more on for the lads shortly."

"You're the best." Miss Elva beamed and then turned to us with a smile. "I love me some good girl time. I have the best friends in the world back in Tequila Key. Althea and Luna—both of whom are powerful too. Just like you ladies. Friendship is everything, particularly when you're dealing with nasty stuff like that beastie over at the mill."

Cutting a burger in half, I bit in, my stomach all but singing with happiness now that it knew food was coming .

"Orla, what happened?" Agnes whispered, shooting a glance over her shoulder to make sure Graham was gone.

"I went out to the Auld Mill to check why people said it was haunted. Apparently, a nuckelavee was keeping house in there."

Agnes sucked in a breath.

"Mm-hmm." Miss Elva nodded. "Nasty beastie."

"Tossed me right in the water. And, well, I can't swim, so that wasn't an ideal situation."

"Orla! How scary." Agnes wrapped an arm around my shoulder in a quick hug and I allowed it, realizing that it was nice to have someone actually care if I lived or died.

"Miss Elva got rid of it though."

" We got rid of it," Miss Elva corrected, biting into her haggis. She stopped, peering closer at her plate. "Do I want to know what I'm eating here?"

"Nope," Agnes and I said in unison.

"I'll take your word for it. Delicious, though."

"We've warded the Auld Mill. The building should be clear now. And get this—a gold vine showed up in my hammer."

"You passed a challenge," Agnes gasped, her hand at her throat.

"What's that now?" Miss Elva looked up from her food.

Agnes surprised me by answering her question. Normally, she would deftly swerve any queries from visitors about the Kelpies or other strange goings-on in Loren Brae.

"Orla's just accepted a role in the Order of Caledonia. It's an ancient Order of sorts, meant for protection of a particular thing that shall not be named. She has to prove herself before she's fully in. "

"Ohhhh." Miss Elva fanned her face. "I do love an ancient Order. There's just something so sexy about rituals and traditions, isn't there? That explains the strong magick. I know what Orla's is. What's yours, girl?"

"Mine?" Agnes laughed and shook her head. "I don't have any. I'm a worker bee. A researcher. That's it."

"Mmm, if you say so." Miss Elva said it in a way that suggested she absolutely didn't believe Agnes but knew better than to ask questions of people who didn't feel like being asked.

"Orla, may I speak with you for a moment?" Finlay's voice at my back caused me to jump. I looked longingly down at my burger.

I suspected I knew what Finlay wanted to ask me—he was the type who wanted to run to the rescue of women, and I could just imagine Graham had relayed to him what I had said about the threat on my life earlier today.

Hunger won out.

"I'm sorry, but I'm starving. I can speak with you after dinner, if that suits?" Finlay's jaw clenched at my words, but he nodded once before turning on his heel and returning to the bar.

"And that one has his eye on you ," Miss Elva declared, moving onto a sausage roll.

"What? Me? No, it's not like that. We work together."

"He paid one thousand pounds for a date with her," Agnes offered, and Miss Elva paused, looking up at me, her eyebrows raised to her turban.

"Is that right, child?"

"I mean, technically, but not in the way she's saying it."

"In what way does a man pay for a date then?" Miss Elva leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. I wasn't going to be able to hide from this conversation.

"He asked me, in a professional capacity, to be a date to a gala that his company, my client, is sponsoring. To make it worth my while, he's paying me so I can donate the money to the animal rescue."

"Seems to me you would have gone for free if it's your client."

"That's what I said." Agnes nodded at Miss Elva.

"I'm not a gala kind of girl. Plus, once he offered, I couldn't help but think of how that money would help the shelter."

"And he's paying for a custom-made dress for her," Agnes added.

"How do you know all this?" I turned to Agnes.

"Are you kidding me? We're Scottish. We love talking about how much everything costs. Did you honestly think he was going to pay one thousand pounds and order a custom-made gown and somehow manage to keep it quiet in this town?"

"Men don't do that unless they're interested," Miss Elva said.

"He's not. I promise you, it's not like that. He just made the whole thing awkward and ended up cornering himself. It was really just an accident."

"No Scotsman accidentally pays one thousand pounds for a date."

"No man does," Miss Elva corrected.

I really wished they weren't putting these thoughts in my head. Not that they hadn't already kind of been there, but so far, I'd been successful in silencing my inner monologue that questioned why Finlay wanted to take me with him to the gala. But now that other people were voicing the same thing I was questioning, heat bloomed on my face. How was I supposed to work around Finlay if I thought he fancied me?

Or if I might, just a teeny-tiny bit, actually fancy him?

Och, this was becoming complicated, and I didn't want complications. I wanted a simple, stable life.

"I have no idea what to say here," I admitted, looking up. "I just want an uncomplicated life."

"Well, now, child, why in the world would anyone want that?" Miss Elva threw her head back and laughed, slapping her knee. "Particularly when you have magick. Don't you know a complicated life is so much more fun?"

"Is it? It's hard to tell."

"You can still steal your moments of Zen in a complicated life. Trust me, Orla. Go to the gala. Wear the dress. Flirt with every man under the sun. Or woman, if that's your thing. Eat it up, enjoy it, and let Finlay fawn all over you. There's nothing finer than a man falling all over a woman. Trust me, I live my life by it."

As one, we all turned to look at the three gorgeous men in kilts who were waiting for Miss Elva to call upon them.

"I'd take her word for it, Orla. She seems to have it figured out."

"Don't I just, honey. Don't I just?"