Page 169 of My Fake Dating with the Grumpiest Highlander
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. You were marvelous.”
I stare at the McGregor matriarch for a moment and suddenly feel like a complete outsider here.
Unbothered by the direction of my thoughts, Maggie raises her voice and announces:
“A welcome dinner will be served shortly for all clans!”
Cheerful applause and excited voices erupt nearby.
Maggie smiles before turning back to me.
“We’ll see you later, Doctor.”
I don’t even have the presence of mind to tell her I don’t want to go.
I just stand there with Ragnar as my only company and one question circling endlessly through my head:
Who exactly is Jamie MacNeil to Mary?
CHAPTER 24
MARY
The Scottish Night
(Or How to Lose Someone Without Even Realizing It)
If someone had told me this morning that I’d end the day exhausted, covered in dust, with bits of hay in my hair and smelling like horses, I would’ve believed them instantly.
That’s just life as a veterinarian during the Highland Games.
I arrive at the huge welcome dinner a solid fifteen minutes late, my legs heavy and my neck aching. The castle lawn has been transformed into a massive banquet. Long wooden tables stretch endlessly across the grass, covered with tablecloths in McGregor clan colors. Lanterns hanging from the trees cast golden light over glasses and silverware. Men in kilts wander between the tables laughing loudly, clinking drinks together, slapping each other on the back.
The sun is sinking over the Highlands, painting the sky in shades of pink and orange.
It’s beautiful.
And for one brief moment, I feel like I belong here.
Like I’m home.
A feeling I haven’t had in a very long time.
I scan the crowd while crossing the lawn, searching for Finn.
I look over faces, silhouettes, groups of people.
Nothing.
A small stab of disappointment twists in my stomach, and I immediately shove it away.
He’s a doctor. He had emergencies all day too. We’ll run into each other during dinner. Obviously.
I spot my cousins seated at one of the central tables—because of course Maggie placed us exactly where everyone can see us—and slide onto the bench between Keira and Cameron.
“Finally!” Keira exclaims. “We thought you’d fallen asleep in a stable somewhere.”
“I almost did,” I admit. “What a day.”
