Free Sparks in Scotland by A. Destiny and Rhonda Helms

Edinburgh, Stirling, Glasgow . . . I can’t wait for what’s next.” And yet, the next phase of our vacation, starting tomorrow, took me away from Graham for the remainder of my trip. My throat tightened with unexpected emotion.
    Graham’s brow knitted as he studied my face. “Hmm, ya don’t seem so thrilled, though.”
    How honest should I be right now? Should I tell him the truth—that I couldn’t get him off my mind? He’d probably thinkI was insane. After all, I was a vacationing tourist. He was a gorgeous local boy. There wasn’t anywhere we could go from here.
    And yet . . . I wanted it to, because he made me feel a way I’d never felt before. This wasn’t just a shallow crush. Graham had depths I wanted to explore, and he made me think, made me laugh. Maybe he’d write to me when I got home, and we could start from there. Even just as friends. Relationships started with friendship all the time. And with the Internet, the world was smaller than ever.
    I swallowed past the tightness in my throat and admitted, “I am thrilled for the most part. But I’ve had a lot of fun with you, and we’re leaving on our bus tour tomorrow. So . . .” My face burned hot, and it was hard to keep looking into those intense eyes. I cleared my throat. “Um, I don’t know, I was hoping maybe we could keep talking somehow, because I’ve really enjoyed our conversations.”
    The tension in his body relaxed in an instant, and the smile he shot me was so charming the air locked in my lungs. Graham gave a soft, warm laugh, and that dimple popped out again. His teeth flashed in the setting sun. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem, Ava.”
    I blinked in surprise. “Okay . . . ?”
    â€œMy da’s running yer bus tour,” he explained, and his grin grew wider. “I’ll be accompanyin’ ya through the Highlands, ya see.”
    â€œOh,” I breathed, and a warm flush settled over my skin.
    â€œWe’ll be seeing a lot more of each other.” His eyes danced in amusement. “I hope that’s okay.”
    Okay? It was more than okay. It was the best thing I could have hoped for. On the inside, I was jumping up and down. But I kept my cool for the most part, even though I couldn’t fight the grin on my face. “It’ll be fun.”
    Another week with Graham? It felt like a birthday present. The chance to delve into Scotland’s most epic locales with the guy I was crushing on. Not to mention the look in his eyes, the way he was leaning toward me, giving me heavy hints this crush wasn’t one-sided. It was real, and with more time to develop, who knew what could happen?
    Kylie and Jamison returned, and our group conversation went back to its normal light filler as we walked to our pickup spot. But there was a buoyancy in my chest now, and I knew I was grinning like an idiot. Luckily, no one commented on it.
    â€œOkay, everyone,” I proclaimed a few minutes before Steaphan was supposed to get us. “The three of you gather together so I can get another couple of shots.”
    With my phone, I took a full-body pic, then zoomed in on all their faces and snapped another shot. After that, I got the siblings’ contact information and saved it so we could keep in touch.
    Steaphan arrived and waved at us.
    Kylie and I hugged. “Thanks for touring around with me,” I told her.
    â€œIt was a blast,” she said, and her smile was genuine. She opened the side door and hopped in.
    Jamison leaned in to give me a hug. “He likes ya,” he whispered in my ear.
    I stiffened in shock; my heart thudded painfully in my chest. It was one thing to feel it—quite another to hear someone else say it. Could this be what they were discussing earlier?
    â€œJust thought ya should know. Don’t tell him I told. He’d kill me.” He pulled away from our embrace and