Page 3 of Stone Cold Alien

Please contact us at your earliest convenience to set a date*.

Kind regards, Pam

* pun intended

I read the letter three times. A weekend trip. I’d not been away in ages. Work had been busy, I’d done extra shifts almost every week, and besides, I didn’t like going on holiday by myself. My friends were all in relationships and my own relationships... well, they never reached the going-on-holiday-together stage, at least not since Trev and we’d split up almost five years ago.

A weekend away sounded heavenly. Even – or maybe especially – if nothing would come of the date. I wasn’t all that sure now that it was becoming more real. Meeting someone I knew nothing about? I was a nurse; I knew about DNA. I highly doubted their genetic matching actually worked. Probably just a way to distinguish themselves from other agencies. But even if it was quackery, going on a five-star trip was not something I could afford myself.

I checked my watch. 8.55am. The agency might be open already. I dialled their number while staring at the kilted cupid.

Everything had moved so much faster than I’d expected. It was less than two weeks since Keira had forced me to sign up to the dating agency. She’d been back to ICU yesterday and had been delighted to find out that I had actually got a match. Her date had been rescheduled again, so I’d promised to keep her updated on my progress. One day, she’d find a person who would love and support her despite her frail health. She deserved to find that someone.

Now I was in the back of a black jeep as it made its way through winding single-track roads, with a friendly but shy driver in the front and a whole lot of questions in my head. His name was Joseph and he worked for the agency, but that was all I knew about him. He’d put my suitcase in the boot and had asked if it was okay if he listened to some music while we drove. I’d asked him where we were going and he’d said it was a surprise. That had been the extent of our conversation. I was starting to think that this had all been a big mistake. What if this was a scam?

Maybe I should have gone on a date with another nurse or doctor after all.

I checked my phone. No signal. That wasn’t good. Joseph looked friendly enough, but I’d worked in healthcare for long enough to know the dark side of humanity. Looks could be deceiving.

I cleared my throat. “Is it going to be much further?”

“Ten minutes. We’re doing a lunch stop at an inn. Pam will meet you there.”

I’d had a phone call with the owner of the dating agency, but I hadn’t met her in person yet.

“And will my date be with her?”

“I don’t know that, sorry.”

I let him focus on the road again. Tall, green hills towered over us on either side, with patches of purple heather here and there. I always loved driving through the Highlands. I’d grown up in the city, but my parents had taken us hiking out in nature whenever they could. Nowadays, I rarely had the time or energy. Looking at this scenery, I made the decision that I would go for day trips more often again. I felt calmer here already.

We’d driven past Loch Lomond with its mirror-like water and a ridiculous amount of tourists on the road. He’d let me use the toilets at Crianlarich and then we’d driven through Tyndrum, one of the stops of the West Highland Way – but after that, the place names had become less familiar and the roads ever more narrow and empty of other drivers.

The past week had been ridiculously busy, with two extra shifts that had helped my bank balance but not my stress levels. Keira had been in ICU yet again, but I’d been assigned to another patient who needed more intensive monitoring and care. During my lunch break I’d told her about my upcoming date and her excitement had almost made me worry about her heart again. I’d promised to take pictures of my mysterious match.

If I ever met him. If this wasn’t all a scam. If...

I took a deep breath and pressed into the leather seat. It was going to be fine. My neighbour was looking after my hamsters, Frodo and Sam, and I’d told my sister about the whole thing, just in case. She’d found it hilarious.

A small, dirty sign caught my eye on the side of the road. Dalmally. I’d heard of that village, even though I couldn’t quite place it on the map.

Did my date live there? Or was there a fancy hotel? I’d been promised a luxury stay in the Highlands. So far, the car was kind of posh, but the location left something to be desired.

A few minutes later, the road opened onto another view of Loch Awe – helpfully labelled as such by a weathered sign. The water was dark beneath the clouds, surrounded by mountains that seemed to rise directly from its shores. It was utterly beautiful. I was tempted to ask to stop for a photo, but I was too curious to find out what would happen next.

Joseph turned into the car park of the Ben Cruachan Inn. There were enough cars outside to ease some of my worries. Whatever Pam had planned, at least I was meeting her in public.

“I’ll stay here,” he announced. “Pam is inside. I’ll drive you to the next location after you’ve had a bite to eat.”

“Want me to get you something? A coffee to go?”

He looked at me with surprise, as if people generally didn’t consider his needs.

“That’s very kind of you. But I have a thermos and a sandwich my wife made me. You enjoy yourself, lass.”

He gave me a genuine smile and pushed his seat back, making himself more comfortable.

I grabbed my handbag and headed inside. The restaurant was warm and busy, with most of the tables beside the windows already occupied. A woman near the back stood and waved me to come closer. She was tiny, five feet at most, with gorgeous auburn hair that was going grey in places, and boobs to die for. I would have put her somewhere in her early fifties, but I was notoriously bad at judging people’s age.