Love Between the Lines ✔️ DRAFT 1 COMPLETE

Chapter 16

We returned briefly to Wigtown the next day to pack up for our trip to Cromarty. It was after hours and the shop was now closed. Darkness trickled over the town, the streets illuminated just by the lamp posts that dotted the sidewalks.

I shuffled down the stairs of the bookstore with my suitcase trailing behind me, pausing at the bottom when I caught sight of Fionn sitting behind the desk. He was staring at the computer screen frowning and biting his lip.

"Fionn? What's wrong?"

"When were you going to tell me you're leaving?" Fionn's words cut through me like a knife and my heart twisted.

"Um." Right. Of course, he must've overheard my conversation with his mom yesterday and now he found my flight information. I thought for sure that I had clicked out of my email on the main computer.

I took a deep breath and opened my mouth to answer.

He turned the computer screen toward me. "There's someone new coming to stay above the shop?"

"I've been here almost a month, Fionn," I tried to reason. "Most people don't stay more than a week."

"Yeah, but," he reached over to brush my hair from my face, his fingers lingering under my chin "you're not most people."

I grinned. "You really know how to sweet talk a girl, don't you? Listen, I was going to tell you about going back to the states. You know that I'm going to be the maid of honor in my best friend's wedding soon. I need to go back to help with the last preparations. But I...I still want to be with you, Fionn. I want us to still be together even if I stay in the US."

Even as I said it, I wondered if I would be able to stay in Baltimore or if I would come back to Scotland. The acceptance notification burned a hole in my pocket as it sat unanswered in the emails on my phone.

Fionn tilted my chin up and dipped his mouth against mine. It was amazing how quickly we'd developed a rhythm together. Any time his lips came close to me, I was like a magnet, immediately drawn in.

He broke away a few seconds later. "I want to be with you too, Em. And we'll figure something out if you stay in the states. I know you have your friends there and your jobs."

"Plus we've only been dating a few days," I added, wincing as the words came out of my mouth. "That didn't come out right. I just mean—"

"Em." He covered my hand. "I understand, okay? I get it. I've been thinking about us too because I knew you would probably go back at some point and I want to make it work, whatever it takes. We're nowhere closer to finding out who sent you the ticket in the first place and it's been a blessing to have you here."

"But the shop is also losing money by not having another customer rent out the flat," I said.

Fionn scratched the back of his head and nodded slowly. "I don't want you to feel like you have to go back just so the shop can start earning more from guests staying there though. If you want to stay in Scotland, we'll figure something out."

I did want to stay in Scotland. I had every reason to stay. This would be the perfect opportunity to tell him about my writing program.

I opened my mouth to tell him, but the words wouldn't come out. Not the right ones, anyway. "I have money saved up. I can always stay in a hotel when I come back."

"I guess so." Fionn didn't sound convinced. The way he was looking at me, I could tell he was inwardly arguing with himself about what else to say.

I leaned forward to kiss him again. "Don't worry. I'm not going back until after the holidays, I promise. See? They're not booked until January thirteenth. And you get me until January fifth. Do you think we can figure out something to do until then?"