“Laid off?”
Julian shifted his weight from one leg to the other. His arms crossed, showing off the sexiest of all anchor tattoos on his forearm.
“Is there a problem with the quality of my work?”
My eyes drifted down the castle’s curtain wall, which he’d personally rebuilt with his own two hands. Julian had taken the barrier from a crumbling, shattered ruin back to its strong, well-defined origins. His work was exemplary. Total magic.
“Never,” I said. “Not once.”
“Then I’ll continue,” he said, dusting himself off. “I’ve never been laid off before either, and I’ve never abandoned a job before it was—”
“Are you listening to me?” I jumped in. It sounded harsh, but I had to stay strong. “I have no money left. I can’t pay you.”
“So?”
“So?” I repeated, with a sardonic laugh. “So I can’t let you work for free!”
The big man grunted dismissively. “Who said anything about working for free?”
Julian turned and picked up one of the stones he’d set down. With a heave that sent every muscle along his great body rippling, he hoisted it onto one big shoulder.
“I’ll come see you later tonight,” he said, “when I’m done for the day. We’ll talk then.”
I was caught between not knowing what to do… and staring endlessly at his hulk-like physique. The stone on his shoulder had to weigh close to a hundred pounds. His muscles were tight, his pectorals flexed… but he didn’t even look uncomfortable.
“O—Okay,” was all I said.
Julian nodded firmly and turned away, heading in the direction of one of his makeshift ramps. It left me standing there alone. Totally confused as to what just happened.
I wandered my way across the grounds, thinking again about last night. Wondering who might’ve been standing at the edge of the field, and what they could have possibly wanted. It might’ve been my imagination, sure. I was very tired. My eyes could’ve easily been playing tricks on me.
Then again…
So what happens next?
I’d spent the morning going over my limited options. The first included skipping out entirely. Calling the whole thing a wash, packing my stuff, and heading back to California. As far as choices go, it wasn’t a bad one. It took everything off my shoulders at once, and freed me up to move forward without looking back.
On the other hand, it also came with a heavy price: guilt. A sense of having failed my uncle as well as myself, and the haunting specter of two years’ worth of work done for absolutely nothing.
I’d sacrificed everything after my uncle’s death. My time, my money, my entire personal life. I’d come to Scotland with visions of travel and fun, and the idea of maybe meeting a cute Scottish guy or two. There would be European charm. Dark beards and sexy accents. Everything I’d seen on television and movies.
Instead, I hadn’t been out on a single, solitary date.
I continued crossing the field, which looked so much less sinister during the day. When I arrived at roughly the spot where I’d seen the intruder, I turned around.
For all its size, at this distance Westgate Castle was small and insignificant. From right here, it seemed a thousand miles away.
I scanned the arched stone openings, tracing my way up to the top floor. I could barely make out my bedroom window. I couldn’t even see the curtains on either side, much less a person if they happened to be standing there.
Whoever it was, they certainly weren’t looking at me. That fact alone should’ve given me some relief.
Then why do you still feel like this?
I walked around, still uneasy. Still shaken from lack of sleep, still feeling badly about having to fire Julian.
No, not fire. More like lay off.
Whatever.