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“Funny you should ask. As it happens, I do.”

I sit up a little straighter. “Well, go on, then.”

“You and I, Cat, are going to go on a spa day.”

I blink at him. “A . . . spa day?”

“Yep, at the resort. And while we’re there, we’re going to do a bit of . . . investigating.”

The penny drops, and a grin tugs at my mouth. The look on Robbie’s face, though, suggests he thinks we’ve both lost the plot.

“No offence, but neither of you is exactly MI5 material. If you get caught poking around for my sake⁠—”

“None taken,” David cuts in breezily. “And Robbie, sometimes in life you have to take risks for people who matter. Right, Cat?”

“Right,” I say firmly.

Robbie glances between us, and for just a second, I see it—the surprise that we’d bother sticking our necks out for him. And that’s what gets me most, the fact Robbie MacDonald doesn’t even realise he’s worth fighting for.

Well. We’ll just have to show him he is.

CHAPTER TWENTY

CAT

The Glen Garve Resort swimming pool is everything you’d expect from a luxury establishment: crystal-clear water, elegant blue tiles, and not a hint of the heavy chlorine smell I remember from the public pools down in Glasgow. Sunlight streams through floor-to-ceiling windows, casting dancing patterns across the water’s surface as David and I wade in.

“This is the life,” he sighs, sinking up to his shoulders. He’s rocking pink swimming shorts that are as loud and cheerful as he is. “Considering Johnny works at the resort, it’s criminal he and I don’t relax here more often. Mind you, if we did, we’d probably just end up in the bubble pool, making out like teenagers.”

I splash water at him. “Too much information, thank you very much.”

“Oh, please.” David rolls his eyes. “As if you’re some innocent wee lamb.”

I laugh then turn and tip backwards so I’m floating on my back. The ceiling above is painted with clouds that seem to drift lazily across an azure sky. It’s peaceful here, the kind of place where you can forget all your troubles and just . . . exist.

But today isn’t about relaxation. We’re here on a mission.

I straighten and plant my feet on the tiles beneath me. “I know we’ve been through this,” I say, keeping my voice low, even though there’s only one other couple in the pool and they’re way too busy chilling to pay us any attention. “But . . . Operation Undercover Spy kicks off at one, right?”

David nods then ducks under the water. When he resurfaces, droplets cascade down his face. “Yep. That’s when Samantha takes her lunch break, and Johnny said she’ll be out of her office for at least twenty minutes, probably more. More than enough time for us to have a snoop around her things and see if we can’t find anything incriminating.”

I glance at the ornate clock mounted on the wall. Half past eleven. No rush.

“I still can’t believe we’re actually doing this,” I say, half-excited, half-terrified. “If we get caught . . .”

“We won’t.” David’s tone is breezy, though I can’t tell if he’s genuinely confident or just putting on a brave face. “Anyway, let’s talk about something else, like . . . oh, I don’t know, you and Robbie. I couldn’t help but notice some interesting tension between you two yesterday.”

“Oh?” I aim for nonchalance but miss by a mile.

“C’mon, Cat, your underwear was on his floor. Care to explain how it got there?”

I open my mouth then shut it again, and suddenly I’m fascinated by the ripples in the water. But who am I kidding? There’s no way I’m keeping this to myself. So, a smile creeping onto my lips, I meet David’s gaze again. “Let’s just say I got acquainted with his below-the-belt piercing in a rather intimate way. In the middle of the woods, no less. But he didn’t even return the favour! Just asked for my knickers then walked off with them like they were some kind of trophy.”

David lets out a low whistle. “Okay, I need more details. Wait—no, I don’t. That’s my boyfriend’s brother! I shouldn’t want to know about Robbie’s . . . hardware. I may have teased him yesterday about it to his face, but I really shouldn’t gossip behind his back.” David taps his chin. “And yet . . .”

I snort. “How about I leave it at this: it wasn’t exactly a romantic stroll in the moonlight. It was . . . intense.”

David grins wickedly. “Oh, I bet it was.”