One Day (A Valentine Short Story) (4 page)

His eyes danced with humor.

“Sorry.”

“My own fault. I should have listened to you.”

I smiled sheepishly and pointed to myself. “Bad at boating.”

My heart lurched as he grabbed the sides of the canoe boat, and for one second I thought he was going to topple me into the water in revenge. Instead he gently dragged the boat to the banks of the river and helped me onto land.

“You need to get out of those wet clothes,” I said.

“Ah,” he threw me a smirk, “So this was a master plan was it?”

I made a face. “I assure you, I don’t need to resort to almost drowning a man to get him naked.”

“I bet you don’t,” he murmured sexily.

Trying not to flush and failing, I distracted us by gesturing to the boat. “What do we do with this?”

He spun around, looking up through the trees. “I get my stuff from the van, while you tell the boat hire guys where to get the boat. And then we find some place where I can take a shower.”

“No. You come with me to the boat hire guys. If they see the state you’re in, they might not be mad that they have to go out to find their damn boat.”

That’s exactly what we did.

And I was right.

The guys were too busy giving me a lecture about not going out in a boat when I wasn’t confident in one, and putting my companion in danger, to care about having to rescue their boat.

I took the admonishment, all the while wanting to kill Liam who was trying his hardest not to laugh all the way through the lecture.

“Amused, are we?” I grumbled as we climbed the hill to where my camper van was parked.

“Just a little.”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “Fucking Valentine’s Day.”

“You know you curse a lot.”

I did swear a lot. Will, the scientist who had dumped me last week, had told me it was the one thing about me he didn’t find attractive. Unfortunately, it was a bad habit to break. I’d grown up with three big brothers and an aggressive older sister. There was a lot of swearing in our household. You swore that much, you became attached to the words. Like “fuck” for instance. It was the only word that could be put in front of any other word and still make sense. There was beauty in that!

“I’m not criticizing you,” he said softly at my silence.

“Oh?”

“It was just an observation.”

“Three big brothers,” I said as way of explanation. “It’s a bad habit I can’t break.”

“I don’t mind it,” he assured me. “You make “fuck” sound cute.”

Laughing, I shook my head. “I’m sure.”

“It’s true.” He threw me a grin before he opened the camper van doors and started rifling through his rucksack for dry clothes.

While he did that I grabbed a coat hanger out of one of my carrier bags, shoved my sleeping bag and duvet aside and pulled down a hook near the roof of the van. “Give me your jacket.”

“It’ll drip all over the place,” he said, realizing what I meant to do.

“We’ll wring it out a bit.”

After he shrugged the jacket off, we each took an end and did just that. When we got as much of the water out of it as we could without ruining the damn thing, I hung it up for him in the van.

He gave me a grateful smile.

“Now what?”

“We passed a guest house,” he said, pointing in the direction of where we’d come from on our trek back from the boat. “When we were on the water I saw it.”

“And what are you planning on doing?”

“Charming my way into the owner’s shower.”

Laughing, I followed him, carrying his dry clothes for him so they wouldn’t get wet from the clothes he was currently wearing. I had no doubt he could charm his way into a convent.

The guest house as it turned out was a moderately-sized home with the most stunning views over the River Spey. I had my doubts that the owner would let a strange man use their shower, and my doubts were founded when an elderly woman opened the door and stared at Liam like he’d just come out of the swamp. She was perhaps in her seventies, and she was wearing walking trousers and a thick cable-knit jumper. Her white hair was thick and full, and twisted up in place by a large barrette. Her skin was weather worn, and there was a no-nonsense air about her.

As he explained what had happened her eyes shot to me and she tsked, “Never go out on a boat if you can’t even handle a paddle.”

I winced. “Yeah, I get that now.”

“I’d be grateful if you’d let me use your shower,” Liam said. “I’ll even pay.”

The elderly woman studied him carefully. “I’m not in the habit of letting non-paying guests use my facilities. What if this is a scam to steal from me?” her eyes swung to me suspiciously and my lips parted in indignation.

Why was I the more likely culprit than Liam?

“I promise,” he grinned but it turned to a chitter, “We’re no thieves.”

“Och, look at you,” she heaved a heavy, taking in his dripping clothing. She stepped aside, “Come in before you catch a chill. “

“Thank you. You’re so kind,” he gave her that boyish smile and to my surprise she preened under it.

“That one is certainly a charmer,” she said to me as she let me inside her home.

“I’m aware,” I replied dryly. “I’m Hazel, by the way.”

“Belinda. Everyone around here calls me Belle.”

“Liam,” he said as we stopped inside her hallway. “I’d offer you my hand, Belle, but it’s currently covered in river grime.”

Belle chuckled, shaking her head. “Falling in the Spey on a February morning. Were you trying to kill him?” She teased me.

“Yes, were you trying to kill me?” Liam cocked his head, his eyes bright with mirth and flirt.

I smirked. “Not today.”

The old woman laughed, and then gestured toward a room on the right. “Have a seat in there, Hazel, while I show your boyfriend to a shower.”

I opened my mouth to correct her but Liam spoke first. “You have a beautiful home, Belle,” he said as she began leading him upstairs.

Rolling my eyes, I wandered into the sitting room and took a seat on a pink velvet chair. “Could charm his way into a convent,” I muttered.

Not too long later Belle reappeared in the sitting room. “That’s him all settled. Would you like a cup of tea while you wait?”

“Oh I don’t want to put you out.”

“Not at all. I only have a few guests staying at this time of year and they’re all out and about wandering. It’s quite nice to have the company.”

“Well, if you’re sure.”

She gave me a nod and then paused, looking thoughtful. “Towels. I haven’t gotten around to changing them over for the evening. He has no towels.” Before I could say anything she was gone, and I could hear the stairs creaking as she climbed them.

It only felt like a few minutes later when she reappeared in the sitting room, this time wearing an amused smile.

“Is everything alright?”

The stairs creaked, and footsteps sounded down the hall toward us before she could speak. Suddenly Liam was in the doorway.

I was momentarily frozen at the sight of him in jeans, one boot, a sock and well… nothing else.

He was ripped.

Like… seriously… his abs!

My fantasy of him had nothing on reality.

He shoved on his other boot and then strode over to me with his laces undone. Before I could speak he bent toward me, handing me his wet clothes. “We need to go now,” he muttered under his breath. “Ogle me later.”

Confused, I tore my eyes from his torso to his face.

He looked supremely uncomfortable and if I wasn’t mistaken there was a flush on the crest of his cheeks. I stood up as he shrugged on his jumper, and my eyes flew to Belle in question.

She looked like she was on the verge of bursting into laughter. “Some tea then?”

“Oh, thank you, but no,” Liam said without meeting her gaze. “We’re in a rush. But thank you again.”

In answer to my frown his eyes widened. He was trying to send me a message, but I had no clue what that message was.

“We need to be going,” he took his wet clothes back from me, “Don’t we, sweetheart.”

I raised an eyebrow at the endearment but decided to go with it. “Yes,” I turned to Belle. “My accidentally dunking him the river threw us off our schedule for the day.”

Belle’s lips twitched. “Oh well then. I’ll see you out.”

“Thank you again,” I hurried to say since Liam was refusing to look at her anymore.

“You’re welcome.” She held the door open for us, and Liam quickly stepped outside. She grinned at him and then gave me a wink. “And lucky you.”

I had no time to ask her what she meant because Liam was practically running from the house. Chasing after him, I finally cut up with him once we were out of sight of the guest house.

“What on earth happened?” I said, trying to match his long strides.

He threw me a look over his shoulder and I realized it was a look of pure mortification.

Suspicion dawned on me, and laughter trembled in my voice when I said, “She didn’t…”

“Walk in on me while I was naked in the shower?” he said, clearly horrified by the experience.

“What?”

Do not laugh, do not laugh!

“I was in the damn shower and she walked in with a bunch of clean towels for me. While I was naked. In the shower.”

“She was just being helpful,” I said, losing my battle with amusement.

Hearing the laughter in my words, he cut me a dirty look. “She stared at my…” he gestured to his dick.

“As in… was she coming on to you?” Yuck!

“No.” He shook his head, the color still high on his cheeks. “She was very matter of fact actually.” He stopped and scowled at me. “She congratulated me on my penis.”

I felt the laughter coming, and as much as I tried to stop it, it was too much. I threw my head back and burst into stomach-hurting hilarity at the image of big Liam Brody standing in a shower while Belle congratulated him on his dick.

Now I understood her words at the door, “And lucky you.”

“Ha!” I laughed harder.

By the time I got myself under control again, Liam was wearing a reluctant grin, and staring at me with warmth in his eyes that made me flush.

“I can’t believe that happened to you.” I said, a little out of breath. We began walking again. “Actually I can. Fuc—”

“—king Valentine’s Day,” he finished for me, smiling widely now.

And then something occurred to me, my eyes zeroing in on his crotch before I could stop myself. “Just how big are you?” I blurted out.

There was no blush on his cheeks for me. Instead he cut me a hot look that made me tingle all over. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Actually I would, that’s why I asked.

Instead of saying that, I shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m not really interested in a penis that probably hundreds of women have seen.”

“Not hundreds,” he said, eyeing me thoughtfully.

I wasn’t sure I believed that. “Oh really.”

“Really,” he said, suddenly sounding quite serious. “I guess I’m one of those old fashioned types that has to actually like a woman before I’ll sleep with her. The sex is better.”

Liking that answer more than I should, I tried to shift my wayward thoughts, imagining Belle congratulating him all over again. What a character! Part of me wished we’d had the chance to stay and get to know her a little better.

Just like that I was off again, laughing more at Liam’s mortification than anything else. This time his deep laughter joined my uncontrollable giggling.

***

“This is more like it,” I mused, letting the distant sun warm my face.

We’d grabbed some sandwiches and snacks from the store at Laggan and then we’d found a layby on the A86 at Loch Laggan in Ardverikie. We’d taken our small picnic down on to the beach by the loch, where I’d placed a couple of towels for us to sit on.

There was no one else around and the loch glistened in the winter sun.

It’s hard to explain what a highland view does to me. How just sitting by the water of a placid loch, surrounded by the rugged beauty of the Cairngorms, instilled a peace in me that I couldn’t find anywhere else. I’d discovered this peace in the last few days and found I was becoming slightly addicted to it.

“There’s nothing like it, is there?” Liam said.

I glanced at him. “Like what?”

“The peace you find in places like this.”

I stared at him, slightly awed. “I was just thinking that exact same thing.”

He studied me a moment as I studied him, and my chest began to constrict with the kind of emotion I was not prepared to feel toward a man I’d met less than twenty-four hours ago.

“Tell me about your family. Those three older brothers of yours,” he said, taking a bite of his sandwich.

Strangely, unnervingly, I found I wanted to tell him anything he wanted to know. “I have three big brothers and an older sister. My mum died after she gave birth to me.”

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

I gave him a sad smile. “Hence all the swearing. My brothers pretty much brought me up because Dad kind of gave up all responsibility to us after mum died. My oldest brother, Grant, is more like my dad. He’s a lawyer.” I smiled fondly. “He’s kind of got a stick up his bum. I tease him all the time, drives him nuts.”

Liam smiled at me. “I bet he adores you.”

I shrugged because I knew Grant loved me. It was just that Scottish men weren’t very comfortable expressing those kinds of emotions. Or at least, my brothers weren’t. With the exception of Johnny. “And then there’s Douglas. He was a professional football player. Never has to work again. Invested his money, made the right choices, is forever lecturing me about my lack of direction and passion. I know it’s because he worries but one of these days I’m going to knee that man in the goolies just to shut him up.”

He winced. “For his sake, don’t.”

“And then there’s Johnny. A total hippy. Believes in auras and spirituality and destiny and all that rubbish. Invested money into a software program when he was twenty, and now lives off the rather bounteous fruits of that non-labor, travelling all over the world, taking beautiful photographs he sells to magazines.”

“Your siblings are successful.”

“Just a bit.” I shrugged, that lead weight in my stomach returning any time I thought about it. I felt like an utter failure in comparison.