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“You could, if you like, help out elsewhere around the hotel?” I suggest hopefully. “Or even just go outside and get some fresh air. Maybe take Bruce for a walk?”

He doesn’t even acknowledge me. His eyes remain glued to his screen, as though completely oblivious to everything around him.

Standing, I walk over to see what he’s doing. Ah, once again, he’s on that Highland Legacy game.

“I would ask if you don’t have anything better to do with your life, but I know the answer.”

He briefly raises one hand from the keyboard and shows me his middle finger. Okay, so at least he’s aware I’m here.

“I’m being sociable,” he claims, still not taking his eyes off his game. “I’m chatting with someone while we quest together.”

I notice a chain of messages in the bottom-left of the screen. “Who’s SassyLassie? Is she someone you know in real life or some random you’ve never met?”

“The second one.”

“Do you even know her real name?”

“Nah, but that’s part of the fun. We’ve gone on all these incredible adventures together, and she is so funny. But . . . I also know nothing about her. I mean, I’m sure she’s Scottish, but otherwise she could be anyone. It’s kind of exciting, really.”

“Ah. You’re definitely being catfished by some old granny who’s into lanky lads.”

“Piss off! I bet she’s an absolute babe. And anyway, I may not have an odd obsession with the gym like you, but I am not lanky.”

“Hmm . . . you kind of are.”

Sighing, Jamie tears his gaze away from the screen to give me his full attention. “You know, you’re the one who’s standing about doing nothing. It’s a Monday—it’s quiet. The restaurant isn’t open today, and although some folk may pop in for a drink, it’s not going to get busy. I’m quite happy sitting here playing my game and pulling a pint for any local who drops by. Why don’t you take Bruce for a walk?”

And so I do. The first signs of spring are starting to appear: I spot snowdrops and crocuses. What’s more, the days, once short, are getting longer again. By the time I get back to the hotel, it’s almost six, and yet the sun has only just set—a welcome change to what things are like in the depths of winter.

I head up to my room, where the light is on in the bathroom. I call hello, and Iona replies that she’s just drying off after a post-work shower and will be out in a moment.

Going over to the window, I’m about to draw the curtains when I spot Emily across the way, in Iona’s old room. I raise a hand in greeting, and she grins then bends out of sight, reappearing a moment later with Ru. She points me out for him, then they both wave at me, Ru especially eagerly. That boy could do this all day—he never tires of waving at his uncle from across the street. It’s kind of cute, and it also reminds me of the way Iona and I would wave at each other when we were younger.

The bathroom door opens, and Iona emerges in a white dressing gown. Beaming at me, she comes over and wraps her arms around me.

Ah. It was nice growing up opposite her, but it’s so much better having her here in my room with me.

It’s been a little over three months since I presented Iona with a key to the hotel—five since our first date at the Glen Garve Resort—but in a way those numbers are irrelevant. It feels like Iona and I have always been soulmates, ever since we were wee.

“Oh, isn’t Ru adorable?” Iona says, spotting him and waving too. “It’s hard to believe he and Callie will be one next month. They’re both getting so big!”

“Aye, they are. It’s funny, even though it’s been a couple of weeks since Ally, Emily, and Ru moved into your maw’s old place, I still sometimes get a surprise when I see someone other than you in that room.”

Shortly after I transferred the last of Iona’s things over here, Elspeth started talking about wanting to downsize. She felt she had no need for such a big house anymore, given her two children are now happily settled in their own homes. It took a bit of time to get everything arranged, but she’s in a smaller place now, while Ally, Emily, and Ru have moved across the way. It’s a solution that’s working really well for everyone.

Emily—perhaps growing tired of the waving game—puts Ru down and then, with a final wave to me and Iona, draws his curtains.

Iona finds my hand and squeezes it. “It’s nice, isn’t it, that the house has stayed in the family? Well, maybe ‘family’ isn’t the right word, but you know what I mean. Maw, Aidan, and I may be Stewarts, and the rest of you McIntyres, but we’re so close we’re basically all family.”

“Basically, but not quite, and that’s an important distinction. Otherwise, the things you and I get up to would be very wrong.”

Shaking her head, she gives me a playful shove. “Did you have to say that, Lewis? Seriously?”

I smirk. “Anyway, after the wedding, your family will legally be mine, and mine yours.”

“Wedding? You’re getting ahead of yourself there. You’ve not even proposed yet.”

“Shit, haven’t I? Are you sure?”