Page 6 of Scotlander

Willa snapped to attention.

Gabriel Martinez?

Oh, now this was unexpected.

And also take-your-breath-away amazing. Whether or not he was who Willa thought he was, this Gabriel chap was the most exquisitely sculpted human being she’d ever seen. If ever there was a call for pirate/businessman chic, this Latino mass of muscles and style mavenry was calling for it. Midnight blue-black hair. Eyes as mesmerising as tiger’s. And as watchful. And a face . . . ohhh, mercy . . . a face that looked as if it had been hewn from an exquisite slab of precious stone chink by exacting chink.

Elijah introduced Gabriel to Willa, then bustled back behind his desk.

It was true. She was sitting next to Valentina’s long-lost brother.

Shell-shocked, Willa stared at Gabriel.

Gabriel, in turn, barely acknowledged her presence.

Valentina had rarely spoken about her estranged brother. Like, pretty much never. He was the ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ of the Martinez family. Once, in a chemotherapy haze, Val had muttered something about hoping with all of her soul that he was living his best life.

Taking gross advantage of the drugs Val was on, Willa learnt Gabriel was her second-to-oldest brother. He’d left home in the middle of Val’s quinceañera before abuela’s flan had been served (an unforgivable sin, apparently). He’d never returned. And, according to family legend, was never mentioned again. But Val missed him. Desperately. For her twenty-third birthday, Diego had hired a private detective and discovered Gabriel lived in Palm Springs, where he’d transformed from an angry teen to the ironically private, super-successful branding and social media strategist behind Transparency – the go-to social media machine for celebs who needed an image makeover. Despite being sent invitations, he’d not come to Valentina’s wedding, funeral or the Life After Death party (she’d refused to have a plain old wake. Too creepy, mamacita!). Willa had tried a bit of cyber-stalking a while back, but it had turned up nothing. No photos. No Insta feed. No heartfelt testimonials on Yelp. But he was here now.

How?

Was there a 1-800-LOST-BRO?

‘Hi,’ she said, her voice still sounding embarrassingly snuffly. ‘I’m Willa.’

She waited to see if there was any hit of recognition. But no. He did the guy chin lift thing, then turned his tiger-eyed intensity back on Elijah. Lordy. He even moved like a jungle cat.

‘Right!’ Elijah held up two pieces of paper, then slid them in a synchronised move across the desk towards each of them. ‘Wills. One each.’

‘I don’t want anything,’ Gabriel said while Willa flinched back from the piece of paper as if it might bite her.

‘Not to worry,’ Elijah said first to Gabriel then to Willa. ‘There’s nothing here for either of you.’ He tapped a third piece of paper, clearly a copy, then put it to the side only to bring another set of papers to the centre of his desk. ‘These, however, are for you.’ He put an envelope under each set of fingers, then paused. ‘To read later,’ he addended, then pushed the letters across.

Gabriel reached forward for his and slipped it into the dark leather manbag he’d propped against his chair.

Willa went to do the same but then, remembering that she’d also just stuffed a flatbread oozing with Middle Eastern delights into her bag, placed the envelope on top of the will.

‘Now then,’ Elijah said, his smile brightening further. ‘I suppose you’re both wondering why I’ve called you here today.’

Chapter Four

The waitress – Brandi, according to her name tag – aimed her pen in Willa’s direction. ‘So, that’s two orders of Hooter’s special wings, two fish tacos, two Slippery Nipples, one lite beer aaaaand’ – she swivelled her pen so that it was aimed at Gabriel – ‘a water. Want me to hold the ice?’ She held her serious expression for a beat and then laughed to show him she was joking. Obvs.

Gabriel arched an eyebrow. ‘Ice is fine,’ he said. And then, to Willa’s surprise added, ‘In fact, hit me hard with it.’

Brandi laughed and pushed his (immovable rock of a) shoulder in a you-funny-josher kind of way, even though it was pretty clear neither she nor Willa knew if he was being serious. When he offered nothing by way of a response, she skipped away.

Willa watched until she got to the bar to put in their orders, then turned around to find Gabriel’s opalescent tiger eyes boring into hers.

‘So,’ he said, pulling a paper napkin out of the dispenser with ninja-like precision. ‘What do you think?’

Well, now. Wasn’t that a loaded question?

What did she think about him appearing out of nowhere at a will reading for his estranged sister when he hadn’t bothered coming to her funeral? Or perhaps, what did she think of Valentina’s Wishes Letter? Or was it, what did she think of the fact that the two of them were sitting in a Hooters in West Covina at 11 a.m. on a Monday morning, one of them on a water fast and the other about to get jacked?

‘I’m down with it.’

He snorted, using his fingernail to craft a meticulous crease into the napkin. Willa shivered as if he’d run it down her spine.