Page 6 of Highlands Summer Wedding

Angus grinned at her. “Second nature. Just like riding a bike.”

The road curved, and suddenly we were tracing the edge of what looked like an endless ribbon of black water stretching into the distance.

“This isn’t—” I began, but Caitlin’s blue eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Itis! Loch Ness! Straight out of those cheesy shows we used to watch as kids. Let’s hop out and grab a photo!”

Angus eased the car onto the gravel shoulder, and Caitlin dragged me out to the water’s edge where we pretended to spot something in the water, laughing as the wind whipped our hair into our mouths.

“We’ll take a tour later, but I thought we should go straight to the inn to show you where we’re planning on having the ceremony and the like,” said Angus.

We hopped back into the car for a short drive, and soon Angus pulled into a driveway for a large, stately inn.

The inn looked like a Nancy Meyers movie set in Scotland. Stone walls, weathered just enough to suggest history without decay. Through a break in the hedges, a white gazebo nestled among rhododendrons, practically begging for vows to be exchanged beneath its roof.

But I could also see that the parking lot was packed. Cars. Buses. Trailers. More trailers. My stomach lurched with recognition, then a flutter of excitement I immediately hated myself for feeling. Those gleaming white boxes with their blue trim and stairs—production trailers. The kind I’d spent five years of my life trudging in and out of before I’d sworn off the film industry forever. Part of me wanted to run. Part of me couldn’t turn away.

Angus led us to the front door and held it open. Caitlin gasped as she saw how crowded the lobby was. Construction workers and electricians carried ladders, saws, and extension cords. I looked at Caitlin and I could see the math mathing. A wedding wasn’t likely to happen here any time soon.

A young man with a walkie-talkie pressed to his ear nodded vigorously. “Copy that, Tony.”

Nearby, a woman juggling a clipboard and wearing a headset barked, “Tony, go to 2. We need to find Harper, ASAP!”

My stomach knotted. Trailers and construction crew meant three things: Big budget. Long schedule. Trouble.

Beside me, Caitlin’s eyes widened with delight while Angus leaned forward, intrigued. My sister actually looked thrilled by this disaster.

Angus shouldered his way to the concierge desk, his jaw set.

“I need to see Drew MacAlister,” he announced, voice clipped. “Tell him Angus is here.”

The young man in the headset barely glanced up. “He’s out.”

“When will he be back?” Angus’s voice was warm but had some bite to it.

“Look, mate, this is a closed set.” The headset guy’s voice dripped with condescension.

Give a twenty-year-old two years of film school and a headset, and he thinks he’s king of the world.

“MacAlister’s leased everything to us for the next two months and?—”

“TWO MONTHS?!” Caitlin’s shriek cut through the lobby chatter. “It’s not even high season!”

“Precisely why we’re here.” The guy smirked. “Major film production. Closed set. Unless you’ve got a call sheet with your name on it, you need to clear out. Now.”

Angus’s accent thickened as his face flushed. “We’re no’ leaving until?—”

“The inn is CLOSED.” The guy enunciated each word like we were children. “Find somewhere else to drink your whisky.”

“This was supposed to be ourwedding!” Caitlin’s voice cracked, tears threatening.

“Are you filming inside or outside?” Angus demanded, glaring at the construction chaos.

“Everywhere. Every inch.”

“Seven days straight?” I challenged, stepping forward. “Because I know for a fact union rules?—”

“Closed. Set.” The guy’s eyes narrowed. “Twenty-four seven. Location’s ours.”