Fatebound

Chapter Fifteen ~ dead ends

"Oh my gawddd you should totally meet the fam while your here!" Emily excitedly exclaimed as Brea laughed at her passion.

"Ok so let me tell you all about them." She continued.

"So We've got Joe who is enormously hot and super into photography. Personally I think her art would be even better if she was in them herself. Than we've got Juliet, an artist who sculpts whatever she's inspired to make at the time, and Annie who's love struck for Juliet but neither of them have the guts to admit it yet. Oh and Annie's creative passion is writing music."

Brea had tried to take everything Emily had said in at the time, but she had said it all so excitedly that Brea had had to re-arrange it in her mind in order to put the pieces together.

Brea had to admit that Emily's friend group sounded amazing. She might even take her up on her offer to meet them before she left, but she had the lingering feeling that it would all be for naught. Considering she would have to leave Skye at some point, there just wasn't much use in trying to make lasting friendships in the place. Besides she had already stayed well passed the time she had at first intended too, and although her inheritance was helping her to do so, she didn't want to use it all at once.

Her mother would have probably wanted her to use it on something important, like a house or something. Not a gigantic frivolous holiday....

Ok maybe she wouldn't have minded so much. She was, after all rather frivolous in her own youth, and in her letter she did tell Brea to go and find adventures, but Brea just didn't want to ever disappoint her.

When Brea and her new friend had finished their conversation with promises to see each other again while Brea was still in Skye, she had begun to make her way to the tavern Brea had gotten lunch in the other day to meet Miranda.

Brea was surprised when she had walked into the establishment and saw two men sitting with her at the bar, drinking and laughing as they spoke.

Both men looked much older than Brea and Miranda's short years, and as she walked up to them, Miranda got up, and smiled.

"Hey." She said, a little breathlessly, from all the laughter no doubt.

"Hey yourself." Brea answered, equally breathless, but from something else entirely. Namely the way she was looking at her.

Instead of the usual jeans and jacket, which Brea had always found to be rather cute on her, Miranda was wearing tighter jeans that hugged every curve she had perfectly. On top she was wearing a thin rib-knit turtle neck, and brown leather boots. Most of the paint splotches where gone this time, but Brea, to her amusement and delight, was still able to catch one laying just on the tip of her ear.

Brea couldn't help it, she leant in and touched it. Making Miranda catch her breath.

When Brea had pulled back she smiled as she showed the woman the tip of her finger.

"You had a bit of paint on there." She said, noting the hint of pink that coloured the other woman's cheeks. She took pride in that.

"Right well.. ah.. thank you." She managed.

Brea grinned and Miranda couldn't help but to shyly smile back as she pulled out a chair for Brea to sit in.

"Brea, meet Pat and Dan. Their the tour guides I promised I'd introduce you to the other day."

Brea's face went suddenly pale as she realised all at once what 'promise' exactly Miranda had meant to keep. She tried to compose herself as she turned to greet the men, but she quickly realised how not ready she felt to face the music of this moment.

Would one of them be her father?

Or would her hopes of meeting him be crushed right than and there?

If she where being honest, not even Brea knew which one of those outcomes she truly hoped to achieve.

"Hi Brea, it's nice ter meet yer. Miranda's been telling us all about yer." Pat began.

Brea shot Miranda a worried look.

"Not all bad I hope?" She nervously asked.

"Nah, not at all. Though she did say there was a reason yer wanted to meet us, that there might be something we can do to help yer. Any friend of Miranda's is a friend er ours so if there's anything we can do., you can let us know." Dan continued.

Brea looked down at her hands as she played with them in her lap.

This was it. The moment of truth.

"Well, you see, I came to Skye looking for someone and it's very important to me that I find him so that I can ask him something important."

"Well.. we know pretty much most folk from around here. So ask away!" Pat chimes in.

"I'm looking for my father." Brea bravely said as she looked up at the two men. Both of them looking surprised.

Eventually it was Dan that broke the silence.

"Ok. So what do you have to go on so far than?" He asked, making Brea breathe a sigh of relief that they hadn't minded her asking.

As she told them everything about her father that she knew of, the two men listened intently.

"Unfortunately I'm not him, and from what I know about Pat, don't think his the guy yer looking for either."

Brea nodded solemnly.

"Yeah... and with the amount of tour guides that come around e're for a working vacation it's a bit hard ter narrow down the pickings." Pat added, and Brea was beginning to feel that her task might just be hopeless, when Miranda piped in.

"Well, what about the town records at the library? Surely they'd have some kind of log where they keep tabs of the people who've lived in Skye, perhaps we could try their next?"

Brea appreciated all that Miranda had done to try to help her in her mission, but with the way she was feeling now, she just wasn't in the mood to keep searching.

"Thanks Miranda, perhaps another time." She said as she hopped off of the bar stool and collected her bag.

"Pat, Dan, It was so nice to meet you and I just want to thank you so much for your kindness in seeing me today and trying to help."

Dan grew misty eyed as he saw the sadness in the young woman's own.

"Anytime Brea, and hey. Take it from a dad of two young daughters, don't give up yer search. I'm sure he'd love to meet yer."

Brea nodded, not bearing to look up at the look of pity Miranda was surely giving her as she thanked her as well and walked, almost ran, out of the pub.