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“Hey, you! I’m desperate to know, where did you find a mustelid dress?”

She glances down at her outfit then beams. “Mustelid? I’m impressed! You know your mammal families.”

I wink at her then step further into the Bannock Hotel’s restaurant, which is where we’ll be doing the birthday lunch. It’s the usual setting for joint McIntyre and Stewart family celebrations, and since it’s closed to patrons on Mondays, we’ve got the place to ourselves. Several tables have been pushed together to form a single long one we can all get around.

Pleasant smells waft through from the kitchen, where Maw and Lewis are no doubt hard at work. In the restaurant itself, the only others here so far are Ally, Emily, and Cat.

“Good to see you, Cat.” I sling an arm around her and give her a squeeze.

Catriona is the youngest of the four McIntyre siblings and the only girl. Strands of auburn hair frame her delicate, almost elfin face, which is adorned with a nose stud. Confident and with a reputation as a bit of a party animal, she has her three older brothers wrapped around her little finger—Ally, especially. She’s in teacher training down in Glasgow and shares a flat with my sister.

“Hey, Aidan! Getting old. How does it feel to be thirty?”

“Great! But Emily’s shooting daggers at you, so maybe check who’s in the room before describing thirty as old.” In a stage whisper, I add, “She’s a bit sensitive about having a toy boy. Ally is still in his twenties, after all, even though he’s trying to hijack my big day and make it a joint party.”

Maw’s face appears at the kitchen door. “Ally’s birthday is in six days! This lunch is just as much for him as it is for you. It’s only because of the way the days fell this year we’re doing it today.”

And with that, she’s gone again, back to preparing the lunch, which she’s told me will be pumpkin soup followed by steak pie, with a veggie option for Emily and Johnny.

I grin at Ally then give him a hug and a back slap. “Good to see you, mate. And you, Emily.”

“Oh, yeah? I’m a year older than Ally, Aidan. A year! That doesn’t make him a toy boy or me a cougar.”

Ah. Note to self: don’t tease a pregnant woman. It’s just asking for trouble.

Thankfully, I’m saved by Jamie, who wanders in carrying a large picture frame covered with a drape, immediately attracting everyone’s attention.

“Oh, hi, Aidan. Happy birthday.” He nods to a painting of a loch hanging on the wall. “Would you mind taking that down for me?”

“Er, okay,” I say, puzzled. “What have you got there?”

“All will be revealed in due course.” He wiggles his eyebrows mysteriously.

“What are you up to?” Ally demands.

He has good reason to be suspicious. Jamie is the joker of their family.

“Can’t a guy do a nice thing for his big brother and his big brother’s best friend?” Jamie hangs the mystery picture using the hooks I make available then adopts an angelic expression.

“When do you ever do nice things?” Ally mutters.

“Hello, everyone!” David Adefope strides into the restaurant, his lively demeanour cutting through any tension.

He’s followed by Johnny and Grace, and damn, Grace looks good, which is no surprise, since she always looks good. Her shoulder-length spiral curls bounce around her high cheekbones as she walks. She’s in a loose-fitting cream woollen jumper—a sensible choice for autumn, and yet, on her, it’s somehow sexy.

Wow. Normally, once I’ve slept with someone, my desire is sated, and my attention drifts elsewhere. I like that—it’s safe. Every so often, though, I crave more, and that’s how it is with Grace. It’s for occasions like this I have a simple but strict rule: never have sex with a woman more than once. No exceptions.

Helpfully, when I carried Grace from Bannock Woods, she made it clear she had no wish to revisit our engagement-party shenanigans. Unfortunately, despite her lack of interest, and despite my sexual policy, my body hasn’t got the message. Warmth is already spreading through me as a result of her presence.

“What’s this?” Jamie nods at Johnny. “A MacDonald at a McIntyre and Stewart party?”

Ally clips his brother over the back of the head. “Welcome, Johnny! Please ignore Jamie—we all do.”

Johnny’s older brother, Robbie MacDonald, is the same age as me and Ally, and he was the town troublemaker when we were growing up. I never got on with him, but Ally and Robbie had a bitter rivalry that at times became pretty unpleasant. That’s all in the past now, though. The MacDonalds work at the Glen Garve Resort, and Ally agreed to put old grievances to bed when he and I began our professional relationship with them.

Besides, Johnny couldn’t be any less like his brother anyway.

Johnny brushes off Jamie’s comment, and he and David start the hugs and greetings, while Emily skips over to Grace, takes her hand, and squeals her hello.