It wasn't sexy today.

"I'm terribly sorry, that was rude, but I could think of no other way." The man gave her a small shrug and smiled apologetically.

"No other way to do what?" Juno asked, her hands on her hips and her cheeks flushing with tension and anger.

"To get you out of their clutches." The man said, leaning forward and whispering dramatically.

"What?" Juno asked, taking a step back and looking from the man to the door of the café. She half expected the men she'd been speaking to burst through the door with Nazi regalia on, or a boiling cauldron of eyes of newt.

"Those old blokes will talk and talk and talk, and no matter how hard you might try, they won't just let you go. I've seen it happen before - these poor polite people who can't seem to tell these old boys to go away so that they can get on. I thought I'd spare you the humiliation of excusing yourself by saving you, since you'd been there a while and seemed to be near tears." The man paused and looked at her closely. "I'm a rescuer, really. Like a firefighter or Will Smith in all those bloody action movies of his that you Americans love so much." The man explained calmly.

Juno looked at him for a long moment, trying to process the last three minutes of her life. "Rescuer."

The man nodded encouragingly.

"Saving me."

"Yes, absolutely." He smiled.

Juno cocked her head to one side and thought for a long moment. "Are you a lunatic?"

"Been out on parole for a good couple of weeks now." The man grinned, his voice teasing. Juno fought a smile, grateful for even a moment to be thinking about this insane man instead of her being stranded with no money….

"Oh my god!" Juno barked, whirling on her heel and heading back for the café.

"Wait!" The man called out, following her towards the front door. "What's wrong?"

"I forgot my wallet, and it's the only thing I have left…" Juno trailed off as she stepped back inside. All the men had cleared off, but her wallet was no longer on the table.

She turned to the woman behind the counter. "Did they leave?"

The woman nodded. "Aye, luv. They left as you did."

"Did you happen to see a wallet, or a purse lying here?" Juno asked, her voice pleading and her eyes as big as saucers.

The woman shook her head. "Sorry, luv."

Juno numbly thanked the woman, and then stepped back outside into the fresh air, taking deep breaths and wishing she hadn't had that scone after all. She didn't even notice that the man was still standing beside her until he spoke again, making her jump.

"Honestly, I didn't mean to upset you. I'm so sorry." He said, sounding genuinely contrite.

"It's not that." Juno said, fighting back tears. "My...my wallet was on the table, and now it's gone, and I don't have any money or anywhere to go, and I'm lost and alone and scared to death." She paused and took a breath. "And apparently I now also have a stalker." She sniffled and looked up at the man, who looked both confused and concerned.

He took a deep breath and watched as a single tear finally slid down her cheek. "I don't...I'm so...let's start afresh, shall we?" He put out his hand for her to shake. "I'm Jamie Fulham. I'm not a stalker, and I'm suddenly most concerned about you. Can I help?"

Juno wiped her cheek and stuck out her other hand for him. "I'm Juno Jennings. And I'm very, very lost." She said, her voice tiny and scared.

"Well." Jamie said, trying to sound upbeat. "I know where I am, so I'm sure I can find where you need to go. It's part of being a rescuer - we're also very good at directions."

Despite herself, Juno smiled a little. "Very comforting."

Jamie smiled in return. "You're an American...tell me how you ended up in our little corner of the world, turned around and trapped by lecherous old men."

"They were lecherous?" Juno asked seriously.

"For a girl as pretty as you, absolutely." Jamie said, taking her arm and gently steering her towards a bench while she mentally processed what she'd just heard.

Pretty? Her?

"Now then, tell it all to me." Jamie insisted when they sat down. "Every scrap."

Ten minutes later, Jamie leaned back against the bench and let out a slow whistle. "So the Love Boat just up and left you. I can't believe that."

"It's not the Love Boat." Juno argued. "Charo wasn't on board, and there was definitely no one worth hooking up with."

Jamie laughed that sexy-but-not-today laugh, his head thrown back and his eyes closed. "I apologize. I forgot that Charo was a deciding factor in every Love Boat episode."

They were quiet for a moment, then Juno looked over at Jamie as though he truly were a rescuer. "Any suggestions? I don't know what to do, I really don't."

Jamie nodded, looking over at her. "No need to be scared anymore. I won't let anything happen to you." Juno looked at him, taken aback at his gruff and serious voice, but then he continued, his voice lighter. "Now then, let's figure out where the non-Love Boat is going. Do you remember anything about the next stop?"

Juno closed her eyes and tried to picture the brochure in her mind, but knew it was futile. She simply hadn't read that far ahead. But she vaguely remembered...

"It sounds like a breed of dog." She blurted out stupidly, making herself immediately blush red and Jamie to laugh.

"A breed of dog?" He repeated, trying to sound serious, which made Juno giggle again.

"I swear. It's like a breed of dog. Some sort of terrier..." She trailed off, and they were both silent as they wracked their brains for dog breeds that double as towns.

Juno hesitated, then broke the silence. "Cairn terrier, maybe?"

Jamie clapped his hands together and laughed at her. "Nairn! You're going to Nairn!"

"Yes, that's it!" Juno shrieked, throwing her arms around him in a burst of enthusiasm. She quickly pulled back, embarassed and shocked that she was hugging what amounted to a total stranger.

"You're in luck." Jamie said, watching her carefully. "I happen to be heading that way myself. Care for a lift?"

1161 / 4834 / 50000

before . after