Perhaps it was Cam’s anxious imagination, but the chatter over the tables seemed to muffle, as though the entire café was trying to be surreptitious about listening in to some potential drama. The group in camo gear were blatantly paying them particular attention.
Lachlan chose that point to interject.
‘Cam helps me out, when he’s in the area.’ Lachlan flashed one of his usual bright, welcoming smiles, but Cam was stunned to notice an edge to it. Like the smile ended at his mouth, not reaching up to his eyes. What’s more, Lachlan didn’t extend his hand when he continued. ‘I’m Lachlan. I own the café. It’s lovely to meet one of Cam’s… friends?’
‘This is Bryce,’ Cam said quickly. ‘He’s more of a… an old family friend.’
‘Damn right!’ Bryce slapped the counter hard, making Cam jump. Lachlan stayed still as a rock, smile fixed benignly in place. ‘Y’might say I helped Cam get on his feet! Gave him a place to stay, didn’t I, lad?’
Lachlan’s eyes slid to Cam. ‘Close friends?’
For just a moment, Cam’s panic on seeing Bryce dropped completely. Was Lachlan…worriedhe’d had a thing with him? It might explain why he’d gone cold—a probably imperceptible shift in his mood to any other observer.
A reciprocal possessiveness bloomed in Cam’s chest at the idea of Lachlan being even the slightest bit jealous.
‘Bryce is like an uncle to me,’ he said firmly, to assuage any fears Lachlan might have. ‘He was friends with my parents, so I’ve known him since I was a kid. And when I left home he gave me a sofa to sleep on and help with finding my first job.’
He held Lachlan’s gaze for a moment and saw his shoulders relax. The fixed smile briefly became a real one for Cam’s benefit, reflecting an answering spark of trust in Lachlan’s eyes.
‘That’s right,’ Bryce drawled, then lowered his voice to a quiet but deep rumble. ‘I’m sorry about your parents, lad. Awful way to go. Early, too. Must be rough for you, following in their footsteps.’
Cam opened his mouth to ask how Bryce could possibly know he was ‘following in their footsteps’, but then traced Bryce’s pointed stare to his blackened right arm. Damn, he should’ve thought about hiding it. Bryce knewexactlywhat the Scorch mark meant.
‘Just doing my best to keep the family business going,’ Cam said cagily. He bit back the retort that really wanted to fire from his mouth.Where the fuck have you been?Because it wasn’t Bryce who’d helped him pick up any of the pieces after his parents died. ThatI’m sorry for your losssentiment felt awfully hollow coming so late.
But that was Bryce all over. There for the action and the danger. Conspicuously absent for anything emotional.
Bryce smirked. ‘And is that apron part of the family business now, too?’ He sniggered as Cam failed to grasp for a cutting response. ‘What I really mean, lad, is are you all the way out here for business…’ His eyes flicked to Lachlan. ‘… or pleasure?’
‘For work,’ Lachlan said smartly, slapping a dishcloth at Cam’s chest. ‘By all means, keep talking, but be useful while you’re at it. I need to go and stir the hotpot.’
Lachlan disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Cam alone—well, not exactly alone, considering the entire café full of people still nonchalantly Not Eavesdropping on their conversation over breakfast—with Bryce. He felt suddenly exposed without Lachlan at his side.
Cam started wiping down the counter, ignoring the amused twist to Bryce’s expression. He could think whatever he liked.
‘So, what about you, Bryce?’ Cam said, to both change the subject and take control of the conversation. ‘What brings you to a tiny teashop in Loch Ness?’
Bryce huffed a laugh. ‘I heard they do good breakfasts here.’ He leaned on the counter, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial tone. ‘And I’m on a job.’
Cam focused carefully on polishing one of the glass cake domes. ‘What are you hunting?’
‘Not sure, yet. Big, hairy beastie. Might be a werewolf.’
Cam tried not to let the flood of relief show on his face. Bryce wasn’t here for Lachlan.
‘You’re in the right place, then,’ he murmured. ‘I saw a creature like that yesterday, in the woods on that hill over there.’
‘Did you now?’ Bryce’s hands flexed. ‘Did it do anything?’
‘No. Disappeared before I could get a better look.’
‘Do y’self a favour and keep a good distance if it appears again. Very dangerous, whatever it is. Rip you to shreds if you get too close.’
Cam tensed up, disturbed by the prospect of a vicious monster lurking near the café. ‘Do you need help tracking it down?’
Bryce flashed a humourless, predatory grin. ‘Nah, lad. I know what I’m doing. And I’ve got a crack team with me.’ He nodded at the camo group, who were still watching them not-so-surreptitiously from the far corner. Bryce bowed his head in further. ‘Though, between you and me, they’re not the brightest. Got ideas about keeping an eye out for the Loch Ness Monster while they’re here, would you believe.’
‘Crazy,’ Cam deadpanned. A part of him was sore at Bryce for brushing off his help—but at the same time, he wanted to keep Bryce as far away from Lachlan as possible.
