Bound by Dreams (Cauld Ane Series) Read online

“Great, thank you.”

  “After you talk to your brother.”

  Niall frowned. “I can’t, Grace. Not yet.”

  “He’s beyond sorry, Nye. You must know that. Please don’t keep punishing him. He loves you.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut. “If you’re no’ willing to give me Charlotte’s number, Grace, I’ll have to figure something else out.”

  “Please don’t do this, Nye,” Grace begged. “Can we have dinner? I have an appointment with the consulate in two days to sort out my immigration status, and Kade offered up the apartment. I could cook or we could take you out. How does tomorrow look for you?”

  Niall rubbed his forehead. “I adore you, Grace, you know that, but I’m not ready to act the loving brother yet. Now, if you’ll no’ give me Charlotte’s information, I’ll find her some other way. I can always call your sister.”

  An audible sigh broke through the receiver. “No, don’t bug Maggie. I’ll e-mail it to you. I’m assuming you’d like me to organize the plane?”

  “Aren’t you using it to fly here tomorrow?”

  Pause.

  “Grace? You still there?”

  “Yes, I’m here. We’re already in Edinburgh,” she admitted. “We flew in this morning.”

  “Is that why Max has been calling every ten minutes?” Niall frowned. “And why Payton came over?”

  “Yes and I don’t know. But if I know Payton, she’d want you to forgive Max.”

  “You don’t know Payton, then.”

  “No, perhaps I don’t,” Grace conceded.

  Niall sighed. “If you would book the plane, I’d appreciate it…unless you feel it will be a conflict of interest. I can always have Kenna do it.”

  “She’s supposed to be taking a break. I’ll do it. It’s my job, anyway.”

  “So Max hasn’t convinced you to quit yet, eh?” he challenged.

  “Now you want to talk about Max?” she retorted.

  “No, not particularly.

  “All or nothing, Niall. Do you want my help or not?”

  He sighed. “Yes, please.”

  “Okay, then. Where would you like to stay?”

  “As close to her as possible.”

  “I figured. I’ll book you in at the hotel by her mom’s house.”

  “Thank you. I’d like to go tonight, if possible.”

  “How unexpected,” Grace quipped. “Go easy with her, Nye.”

  “I’d never hurt my mate, Grace.”

  Grace chuckled. “I’m not worried about her, bud.”

  “If she’s anything like you, I’m prepared to work for her, if that’s what you mean.”

  Grace snorted. “Oh, I’m far nicer than her. At least that’s what she tells everyone. The thing about Charlotte is that she doesn’t use a filter and she doesn’t suffer fools lightly, as they say. She is a bona-fide, card carrying ’Merican.”

  “Is that a real thing?” he asked.

  “Absolutely.” Grace giggled. “All I’m saying is that you’ll know what she thinks and feels, not because you can read her mind, but because she will tell you. She has never kept her opinion to herself about anything. It’s her best quality. You always know where you stand with her. And she hates pretty boys.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Oh, you know exactly what that means. She’s going to fight you to the death. Just not sure whose death will come first.” She giggled again. “She’s not a bad drummer, either. You guys are actually perfect for each other. Even if you weren’t destined, I’d probably want to set you up with her.”

  “I appreciate that, Grace.”

  “I just need you to remember she’s sensitive. Tough outer shell, squishy middle.”

  “You make her sound like some kind of chocolate bar,” Niall observed.

  “She can be just as sweet, unless you cross her,” Grace said. “Back to Max now.”

  “Grace,” he said with a frustrated sigh.

  “I get that you’re mad at him and I understand why. I really do. But please don’t let it consume you, okay? Look what the whole thing with your sister did to him. He knows he messed up and he’s sorry. Try to forgive him.”

  “I’ll think about it, lass.” Niall rubbed his forehead. “Okay?”

  “Ah, sure,” she said, and then chuckled.

  “What?” he asked, suddenly a little bit worried.

  “Oh, I was just thinking about Charlotte and what she’s going to do to you.”

  “Are you thinking in specifics?” he asked.

  “Most definitely. But you’re going to have to figure that part out on your own.”

  “You have an evil streak, don’t you?”

  “Oh, brother of mine, you have no idea. Anyhoo, I’ll e-mail you everything you need to know and order a car.”

  “Thank you,” Niall said.

  “’Bye.”

  Niall hung up and grabbed a suitcase from his closet. Unlike his brother, Niall didn’t have a live-in housekeeper, cook, or driver. He had a woman who came twice a week to clean, but she came and went generally when he wasn’t home. He was a natural homebody and valued his privacy above most things. He didn’t want anyone else in his business, especially in the “business” he was in. If it meant he had to call for a car service or occasionally order food in, it was worth it to him to achieve as much anonymity as possible.

  Two hours later, his doorbell pealed and he opened the door to find Max’s driver, Bruce. “Bruce? What are you doing here?”

  “Good evening, Mr. MacMillan.” He smiled. “Mrs. MacMillan thought I could be of assistance since I know the area where Miss Whitmore lives.”

  “And how does my brother feel about that?”

  “He approved it, sir.” Bruce smiled and handed him a phone. “This is from Mrs. MacMillan. It’s programmed with your number so your contacts will still be able to reach you. I also have some things she’d like for you to take to her family. Shall I take your bags? The plane is waiting.”

  Niall nodded, still a little unsure about his brother’s motives, and handed his luggage to the driver.

  CHAPTER SIX

  THE NIGHT OF her scheduled blind date, Charlotte walked into one of Vancouver’s most popular martini bars and stalled. She’d almost canceled, but since Alec still hadn’t called her as he’d promised and her dreams continued to plague her, she needed a distraction...and admittedly, a little revenge.

  The real problem was that the dream a few nights ago of Niall MacMillan had been so vivid, it felt real. Which was stupid. The man was simply a figment of her imagination. Niall MacMillan wasn’t going to find her and whisk her away on his white horse.

  She bit her lip as she surveyed the scene in front of her. What was she thinking? Drinks, then dinner? That was a big time commitment. She shook off her trepidation. She liked Aaron…what she knew of him, anyway. He seemed nice. A little geeky, but still nice, and they were meeting at a place that had backup. She shook off her guilt of using him, justifying her actions with the fact that at the very least, she’d have a new friend.

  She saw Kris Armstrong, a friend from church, and Tarah, sitting by the window, ready to offer an escape if needed. The ladies gave her a smile but didn’t make their friendship conspicuous. It was comforting to know that Charlotte could stay and hang out with them if the date went to hell.

  “Charlotte!”

  She followed the sound of her name and forced a smile. Aaron stood by a small table, waving his hand and grinning like a lunatic. He was short by Charlotte’s standards, five-foot-six, which meant she was his height, unless she was in heels. Then she’d tower over him. He was good looking, she supposed, in an American jock kind of way. Not as good looking as his profile picture, which was disappointing, although not surprising. Dirty blond hair, green eyes, with an athletic build. Tonight he wore jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt…green. But not a current green…something that looked a good ten years old.

  She silently berated herself. If she started p
icking apart everything she didn’t like about the guy, she’d hate him before the entrée arrived. He smiled again and his veneers caught the light.

  Oh, right. Horse teeth. How could I forget?

  “Hi, Aaron,” she said as she reached the table, forcing herself to look for something positive about him. “You found it.”

  Aaron nodded and gave her an awkward kiss on the cheek. “I did. I ordered you a drink. I hope that’s okay.”

  “Um, okay. Thank you.” Charlotte smiled and took her seat.

  He has a nice nose. There, something positive.

  I thought you were canceling.

  Charlotte bit her lip in order not to squeak out loud. I never said that.

  Was it Niall who was speaking to her, or had she just crossed over into something she should have looked into by a professional? She tried not to panic.

  “Charlotte?” Aaron reached over and squeezed her arm.

  She glanced up and pulled her arm away. “Sorry. What were you saying?”

  “I was asking if you’d like an appetizer.”

  “Oh. Uh, no, thank you.”

  Aaron smiled up at the server and ordered, handing the menu to him and then waiting for Charlotte to do the same. She suddenly didn’t feel hungry, but ordered a burger anyway and handed her menu to the waiter.

  “Charlie! You’re back.”

  Charlotte turned toward the voice and saw her friend Davis Clayton weaving through the crowd toward her.

  “Hi, Davy,” she said as she stood and gave him a hug. “It’s so good to see you.”

  “You too, stranger,” Davis said.

  Davis was the worship pastor for her church and played at other venues occasionally on the weekends.

  Charlotte smiled. “Davis Clayton, this is Aaron Miller.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too.” Aaron shook Davis’s hand, eyeing him with suspicion.

  “How long have you been back in town?” Davis asked Charlotte.

  “Not long,” she said.

  “Does that mean you’ll come back on the team? Everyone keeps asking about you.”

  Charlotte grinned. “Give me a couple of weeks and we can talk about it.”

  “Excellent,” Davis said, and checked his watch. “Good to see you, Charlotte. I’ll shoot you an e-mail about the rotation. I’m on in five.”

  “Don’t suck.”

  Davis laughed. “No promises.”

  Charlotte took her seat again and sipped her lemon drop martini. Good lord, she hated lemon. She downed it in an effort to be rid of it.

  “Another?” the server asked as he delivered their food.

  Charlotte hadn’t noticed him approach.

  “Um, actually, could I get the chocolate one, please?” she requested.

  “Sure thing.” He turned to Aaron. “And you?”

  “I’ll have the same.”

  The server left and Charlotte picked up a fry.

  “How do you know Davis?” Aaron asked.

  “Church.”

  “You go to church?”

  Charlotte nodded and then shrugged. “Not nearly as often as I probably should.”

  “Did you two date?”

  Charlotte nearly choked on her food. “Um, no. Outside of the fact he’s my dad’s age, he’s very, very married. Not really my type.”

  Aaron smiled and squeezed her arm. “So, what is your type?”

  Tall, dark, Scottish, she thought without hesitation.

  I’m flattered, love.

  “I don’t really think I have one,” she lied. She didn’t mention Alec’s attributes at this point, although perhaps she should have.

  “Excellent. So I’m in the running.”

  Charlotte took a bite of her burger so she didn’t have to answer.

  “What does rotation mean?” Aaron asked.

  “I was on the worship team when I lived here before. Davis wants me to be back on rotation as one of the singers.”

  “Oh, wow,” he said. “I didn’t know you sang.”

  Charlotte smiled. “I don’t really advertise it.”

  The sound of Mark’s electric guitar filled her with relief. Davis’s guitarist was a little over the top, but she knew the noise would make it impossible to carry on a conversation, so she expected another respite as his band started the first song.

  She was a horrible person…that fact stared her in the face and she bit back more guilt. She should have canceled.

  Yes, you should have.

  Stop it!

  By the time the band finished their first set, Charlotte thought her head might explode. Not just from the martinis and the loud music, but because she’d been forced to try to carry on a conversation with Aaron over the music. Bar etiquette was obviously something he didn’t subscribe to.

  Her guilt began to dissipate a little.

  “Well, they’re not too bad,” he said.

  Charlotte nodded, her head cloudy. “Nope. Mark’s pretty talented, and Davis can sing the paint off the walls.” She sipped her water. “Wow, those martinis must have been really strong. I feel weird.”

  “Must have been.” Aaron stood “Are you ready to go?”

  “Actually, I think I’ll hang out for a bit and wait for the martinis to wear off.”

  “Come on, I’ll take you back to my place and look after you,” he offered.

  She tried not to look horrified. “No, I’m not sure that would be the best idea. I’ll just stick around here.”

  He frowned. “I can’t really stick around and wait with you. I have an early morning appointment.”

  “You don’t need to. I’ll be fine.”

  “Let me take care of you.”

  Charlotte shook her head. “No, really. I’d feel more comfortable here, I think.”

  “I’d drive you home, but like I said, I have an early appointment.” He pulled his wallet from his back pocket. “I don’t think it would be a good idea to drive you all the way home, and then have to drive back to Portland.”

  God forbid.

  “No, that’s fine.” Charlotte forced a smile. “I wouldn’t have a chance to pick up my car tomorrow, anyway, so I’ll just hang out with the band for a while.”

  “If you’re sure?”

  “I’m sure,” she said.

  Aaron left some cash inside the leather check folder then leaned forward and kissed Charlotte awkwardly on the mouth. She was so unprepared for the kiss, she gasped. He must have seen it as an invitation, because he deepened the kiss, this time adding his tongue.

  “Stop.” Charlotte shoved him away with a groan, her guilt now replaced with disgust.

  “I hope to see you again, Charlotte,” he said.

  When hell freezes over, she thought. Gross.

  Feeling as though she’d just been violated a little as bad memories flooded her mind, Charlotte couldn’t keep herself from wiping her mouth as Aaron sauntered from the bar.

  The server arrived at the table and took the payment, but returned a few minutes later. “Sorry, but you’re a little short.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. How much do I owe you?”

  He handed Charlotte the bill. “Forty-two dollars and seventeen cents.”

  “But I only had two drinks and a burger.”

  “Four, ma’am.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You had four drinks,” the waiter clarified.

  “What? I did?”

  “You didn’t notice your date ordering them for you?”

  “No,” she mumbled.

  “Sorry.”

  Charlotte managed not to let out a litany of curses…barely. Aaron had left a twenty and skipped out on the rest. She handed the very sympathetic waiter her debit card and shook her head. That would put a dent in her dwindling checking account. If she didn’t find a job soon, she’d never get back out from under her mother’s roof.

  The desire to throw up forced Charlotte out of her seat and to the restrooms. The room was spinning a little more
than she would have liked. She was usually much smarter than this, only drinking on occasion, and never getting drunk…but apparently, tonight was not her finest hour.

  How much have you had to drink, lass?

  “Shut up! Just shut up!”

  “Hey, what the hell’s your problem?” a rather anorexic girl snapped.

  “Sorry,” Charlotte said quickly. “Not you.”

  “Freak.”

  “You have no idea,” Charlotte retorted, and let herself into a stall. She was going to die. She’d felt marginally okay while sitting down, but all this moving around made her feel like she was going to hurl, then die, then hurl some more.

  After ridding her stomach of pretty much everything, she stumbled out of the stall and washed her face and hands. She grimaced when she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were bright red, but the black under her eyes remained. She looked like hell.

  Her phone buzzed in her pocket and instead of checking the caller-ID, she answered. “Hello?”

  “Charlotte? Hey, it’s Alec.”

  Damn it.

  “What?” he snapped.

  “Oh, crap.” Charlotte groaned. “Did I say that out loud?”

  “You did,” he said, his voice less than warm.

  “Alec, I’m sorry, I’m not in the best shape at the moment.”

  “You sound weird. Are you drunk?”

  Charlotte rested her forehead against one of the stall doors. “Not on purpose, but, yes.”

  “What did you drink?”

  “Apparently four martinis.”

  “So, you’re a lightweight, then.”

  “One of my many virtues.”

  He sighed. “I’ll come and get you. Where are you?”

  “I’m fine, Alec. I’m with friends.”

  “Seriously, Charlotte. Tell me where and I’ll come and pick you up.”

  “Charlotte?” Tarah pushed her way into the bathroom.

  “Can I call you back?” Charlotte asked, hanging up before Alec could answer.

  “Charlie, what have you done?” Tarah asked as she joined Charlotte at the sink.

  Charlotte groaned. “Well, I’ll tell you what I haven’t done. Paced myself.”

  “How many did you have?”

  “The waiter said four. But I didn’t order four…at least, I don’t think I did.”

  “So the bastard plied you with drink?”