Shifted

Chapter 21: The Cotswolds

The two-day trip to England with Dillon was idyllic. Even though I was barely functioning with my ankle in bits, I still managed to enjoy each second with him. We watched the sunset as we sat together on the coast, threw bread to seagulls off the ferry as we crossed the channel, and talked in the car until we nearly lost our voices.

As much as I wanted to continue traveling with Dillon, I was so relieved when we finally pulled up to a picturesque cottage. It was essentially in the middle of nowhere. We passed through a small village just a few miles away before driving down the long, wooded driveway. The home was surrounded by fields, forests, wildlife, and even little streams that wove in and out of the trees nearby.

"This looks like a freaking Disney movie," I said as squirrels skittered across the stony drive. "I wouldn't be surprised if Snow White was holed up in that house," I joked, nodding at Kit's cottage. Dillon laughed out loud, a rare occurrence, and I just stared at him. "Okay, it wasn't that funny."

"Oh, you'll see, lass," he chuckled.

As we got closer to the cottage, we saw a man already standing at the door. His hair was cut in a modern style with the top long and the sides shaved. It was salt and pepper, with flecks of jet black still running through the grey. He was wearing what I could only describe as a pure Londoner outfit, nicely tailored brown herringbone pants and a matching vest with a fitted dress shirt underneath. He had his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. As soon as we parked, Dillon stepped out and Kit pulled him into a hug, patting him hard on the back.

"Good to see ya, mate," Kit said to him as I stepped out of my seat.

"Where's Margo off to?" Dillon asked.

"Ah, she's just at work, she'll be back any minute," Kit answered and turned his attention to me. "You must be Briony, can't tell ya' how happy I am that this bloke has finally found a kind woman," Kit excitedly shook my hand and pulled me in to kiss my cheeks. His eyes wrinkled with wisdom and gentleness.

"Nice to meet you too, Kit," I smiled back. Now that we were face-to-face, I could see that he looked young. He couldn't quite have been my father's age, I guessed he was maybe in his mid-thirties.

"Please come in, I'll put some tea on. Dillon, you know your way around, make yourselves at home," Kit disappeared into the house.

I was immediately taken by the beautiful wooden floors and stone walls that matched the stone exterior of the home. The hallways and living room had soft rugs that my feet sank into as we walked through to settle on the sofa. Dillon's phone rang just as we sat down, so he meandered out of the room to speak with whoever was on the other line.

I continued taking in all of the details of Kit and Margo's cozy cottage on my own. There was a stone fireplace near the sofa with a large painted portrait of a black lab poised in the center. There were tons of smaller framed pictures on the mantle that invited me over to explore. I wandered to them and began at the first picture, trying to place Kit's face in a sea of others. Several pictures looked to be Kit's family with grandparents, and children, maybe some nieces and nephews.

Then I came across a picture of a group of six boisterous teenagers that caught my eye. I recognized Kit and Declan right away, they were holding up Emery on her side and they were all laughing. I almost didn't recognize Emery because her hair was a much lighter brown than now and as curly as mine, but her eyes held the same familiarity and gentleness. I wondered idly why Emery looked so different now when she was so beautiful before as well. Beside them, I recognized Grey McTavish with another man and woman I didn't recognize. They were holding up the girl the same way that Kit and Declan were. The girl they were holding had long blonde hair that spilled over her shoulders, and also in contrast to Emery, she had a mischievous look about her.