Free Sparks in Scotland by A. Destiny and Rhonda Helms Page A

winked, then sauntered off into the back row.
    Graham, unaware of what had just passed between me and Jamison, hopped inside, and I followed him. The whole ride back to Edinburgh, we bounced along the way, our knees and thighs brushing. And all I could hear was Jamison’s voice, telling me ­Graham liked me.
    He liked me.

ChapterEight
    I had to admit, I was kind of sad to pack up my belongings and leave this hotel room. It had been my Edinburgh home for the last few days. But we were on to the next portion of our trip—our weeklong travel through the Highlands. I could hardly wait.
    I folded my clothes and tucked them back into my two suitcases. When that was done, I put my camera bag and sketching materials in my backpack, so I could have them handy for our photo-op stops. Then I sat on the edge of the bed and watched as Mom and Dad finished gathering their stuff. Steaphan had told Dad he’d pick us up in half an hour. Naturally, my stomach had been one big knot of excitement since I’d gotten up this morning.
    â€œI’m going to miss Edinburgh,” Mom said with a sigh as shewalked over and peered out the hotel window. “I can’t believe how this place has grown on me, even in a short period of time.”
    â€œI was just thinking that too,” I said.
    â€œStill, I’m sure sightseeing in the Highlands will be unbelievable,” Mom said as she turned around and leaned back against the windowpane. Her brow quirked. “Not to mention the ‘local attractions.’ ”
    I squinted at her. Subtlety wasn’t one of her stronger traits. “Very funny.” She was right, though. It had taken me forever to fall asleep last night, since I was eager to spend more time with Graham. This thing between us was a heady rush I didn’t want to shake off. Plus, I couldn’t stop thinking about Jamison’s words to me.
    A bus tour with him through one of the most romantic places ever would be a memory of a lifetime.
    Dad went to unplug his computer, and I jumped up. “Wait!” I said as I plopped into the desk chair. “Can I please send Corinne a message?”
    It was only a little after three a.m. back in Cleveland, since they were five hours behind us, so she wouldn’t get it for a while, but I wanted to at least say hi. I hadn’t written to her much after my first day or so around Scotland, and I wasn’t sure what cell phone or Internet reception would be like where we were going. Somehow I didn’t imagine the Highlands were covered with an extensive network of cell phone towers.
    He nodded. “Okay, but make it quick, princess. We need to be in the lobby in fifteen minutes.”
    I gave him a grateful smile, then logged on to the chat ­messenger.
    AvaBee: Hey! I know you’re snoozing right now. Are U having sweet dreams about a certain hunky guy we both know? ;-)
    Before I’d left for Scotland, Corinne had expressed more than a little frustration at her current situation. She’d been chosen by her art teacher to represent her classroom in a prestigious nationwide art competition. Only catch was she had to do a joint project with Matthew, a guy she thought was just a jock. But to paraphrase Shakespeare, Corinne was protesting a bit too much. I could tell that Matthew was really getting under her skin. She’d never been this rattled by someone before.
    My fingers hovered over the computer keys, and a flash of guilt hit my chest. I hadn’t talked to her about Graham yet. I mean, what could I really say? This was just a crazy vacation crush, after all, something she and I would giggle about at our next sleepover as we studied pictures of his face. Even as I thought that, something in my heart throbbed. My past crushes hadn’t been this intense this fast. They didn’t compare.
    Well, I just needed time to figure things out before I talkedabout it. He and I were still so shy around each other in some ways, and