And I was such a perv.
Focus, focus, focus. I grinned at Eilidh as she chattered about how Mac said there were mermaids in the water and would I take her down to see them.
“Uncle Mac was talking about the loch at Ardnoch, darling,” Thane told her. “This is the firth that leads into the North Sea.”
“No mermaids?” she asked, big-eyed.
He shook his head.
“Can we still go in?”
“Regan isn’t dressed for the water, but how about I take you in and then when we come back, we’ll have lunch?”
Eilidh agreed, and Thane stood and swung her with ease onto his shoulders. Her giggles pealed across the beach, drawing stares.
And some stares remained on the daddy eye candy. Smirking, I reached for the hamper. “Why don’t you check on Lewis, see if he wants to go down to the water with you?”
“Will do. Say bye-bye to Regan.” Thane waved Eilidh’s hands for her, making her giggle harder.
“Bye, Ree-Ree!” she squealed, and I laughed as they wandered down the beach in Lewis’s direction. When I reluctantly drew my eyes from them, my gaze landed on Michelle, thirsty mom number one, and I didn’t need to see behind her sunglasses to know she was glowering. Her pursed lips gave her away.
Damn these Ardnoch moms and their territorialism.
* * *
A little later, after lunch was eaten and food had settled in our guts, when the beach had cleared some and wasn’t nearly so busy, the four of us took Lewis’s ball down near the shore and played soccer. I hated to say it, because I was all about girl power, but Eilidh and I were useless. She and I spent most of the time giggling hysterically at our terrible skills.
“It’s not soccer, Ree-Ree!” Lewis yelled for the hundredth time. He’d taken to calling me his sister’s pet name a few weeks ago. “We call it football here!”
“Right, right!” I held up my hands defensively. “I forgot.”
“You can’t be Scottish if you keep calling it soccer.”
The implication being that he wanted me to be Scottish?
Before I could stew over that, Eilidh ran at the ball, grabbed it in her little hands, and threw that thing with impressive might down the beach. “There!” she yelled, like she’d finally accomplished the goal of the game.
Laughing, I took off after the ball. “I’ll get it!”
I watched as it bounced down the sand toward a guy running on the beach. He saw it and stopped to retrieve it before it went into the water to be lost for good.
“Thanks!” I called and then slowed as I neared.
I then became extremely aware that he was young, shirtless, and built. And not in the way Thane was naturally built. This guy had a freaking eight-pack.
My inner flirt came out before I could stop it. “Good thing you were Baywatching it down the beach.” I took the ball from him. He had the most stunning green eyes I’d ever seen.
He grinned at me. “Aye, good thing. Just visiting?”
“The accent? No.” I turned and gestured to where Thane and the kids were waiting. “I live here. I’m a nanny.”
The green-eyed hottie nodded and then held out a hand. “Jared. McCulloch.”
Having been told the tale of how the Adairs had an antagonistic relationship with Collum McCulloch, the local farmer of Thane’s father’s generation, I grimaced. Robyn said Collum held a grudge against the Adairs because of land the Adair ancestors allegedly stole from his family. “No relation to Collum?”
“Granddad, I’m afraid.” He squinted past me. “Since that looks like an Adair you’re with, I’m guessing you’ve heard that bloody ridiculous story.”
“Yeah, I have. I’m Regan. Robyn Penhaligon’s sister. I also heard that your grandfather helped save my sister’s life, so I’m thankful to him.” It was true. Lucy and Fergus had kidnapped Lachlan and lured Robyn onto McCulloch land. She’d actually thought Collum was behind the attacks on Lachlan, but nope. Collum had helped rescue them that day.
“You would think something like that might mend fences.” Jared sighed.
“You would think. I know Robyn would prefer it.”
“Aye, my granddad’s quite fond of your sister, though the stubborn bugger will never admit it.”
That was nice to hear. I smiled. “Maybe things will get better over time.” Seeing a trickle of sweat run down his neck, I was aware of his half-dressed body again and stepped to the side. “I’m sorry, I interrupted your jog.”
Definite flirtation twinkled in those gorgeous eyes. “I’m quite happy for you to interrupt me anytime.”
“Regan!”
Thane’s bark startled me, and I turned to see him giving me the universal sign of “hurry the fuck up.”
Frowning at his uncharacteristic impatience, I smiled at Jared. “I better go.”
“Yeah, I’m going to head back.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I hope I see you around, though.”
He was clearly a less complicated option than Thane. But despite his beautiful eyes, nothing seemed to penetrate my almighty crush on my boss.