He clicked the phone closed and slid it back into his pocket of his jeans and then glanced over at Juno. "Sorry." He apologized with a small shrug. "That was a work call. I've got to run to a grocery store and deliver some goods to a homebound lady a few miles away. I'm so sorry."

Juno smiled. "I understand – duty calls. Will it be alright if I go with you?" She asked timidly, unsure of the professional level of couriership. She didn't know if it was acceptable for couriers to bring stranded strangers along for the ride.

"Of course." Jamie smiled at her. "Not a problem at all. There's a Sainsbury's a few miles back. We'll still get to the stone circle today, it'll just be a bit delayed. Her order has been called in, I just have to pick them up and run them to her apartment – she lives just a few miles away from the grocery store."

Juno grinned. "Great! I love grocery stores!" Her expression changed after a moment as she glanced down at herself. "Obviously." She said with self deprecation as she tugged her shirt down a little further to hide her curves.

"Hush, Juno." Jamie said fiercely as he quickly turned the car around and headed back towards town. "Hush."

Juno opened her mouth to automatically retort about her overly curvaceous figure, but she took one look at Jamie's stony expression and shut her mouth again. Every time she had mentioned her weight or her curves, he immediately hushed her.

She didn't know if she should be flattered or frightened, but judging from the way his eyes watched her all the time, she was hoping it was flattery.

"But I'm…" Juno began, unable to keep quiet and accept his flattery.

"… beautiful." Jamie filled in immediately. "So hush."

She was too stunned to make another sound.

**

Forty five minutes later, the boot of the car was fully stocked, both for the grocery delivery and for the wandering travelers, and Juno was happily eating a Cadbury's chocolate bar as a mid morning snack.

"Now, normally, I'm a Hershey's purist, but this is some pretty damn good chocolate." Juno said, licking a bit of chocolate from her bottom lip.

Jamie watched her tongue trace her bottom lip, squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and then opened them again with a smile. "Well, everything tastes better in Scotland."

"Except tripe." Juno teased easily. "That simply doesn't taste good anywhere."

Jamie laughed as she popped the last of the chocolate bar into her mouth and crinkled the wrapper into her hand – taking careful note of the price sticker on the corner. She made a mental note to add sixty eight pence to her scrawled receipt tally once they stopped again. "So where are we off to? Is this a repeat customer or a new person?"

Jamie rolled the car into reverse, then out of their parking space. "It's a repeat customer. She's a sweet old lady, and I've visited her several times before. I think with a lot of these people, it's not just that they can't get out to buy groceries or run errands, it's that they are so terribly lonely. I know I'm just supposed to drop off groceries and go on my merry way, but I can't just leave. I always stay and have a little chat with them. I think that's more important to them than having the fixings for beans on toast." Jamie explained as he steered Thor down a narrow neighborhood street. "I've had more tea with strangers than I ever dreamed possible, but I really wouldn't have it any other way."

Juno nodded, her heart swelling at kind his words. "I think that's wonderful." She said quietly. "I think what you do is wonderful."

Jamie shrugged noncommittally and slowed down to ease the Mini into a parking space near a small square building, filled with small apartments. "It started out as just a way to fill the days – gave me lots of freedom, let me see new places and people, got me away from… from disagreeable situations back home." Jamie parked the car then turned to face Juno as he killed the engine. "The more I did it though…" He paused and glanced out the front windshield, as though searching for the right words to say. "I discovered how nice it was to be needed, or to be appreciated just for helping someone in a small way. I… I always lived in an environment where life was very easy, so it's been to open my eyes to the fact not everyone has life as easily as I did. It's been good for me – it's rewarding, and it's fun, really." He took a deep breath after his speech. "Plus, I can sleep in a lot when I'm not busy."

Juno smiled gently at him. "Someday you'll have to tell me about yourself, Jamie."

He smiled in reply, his eyes softening as they met hers. "Someday. Definitely."

"Well, shall we make a delivery and make a sweet old lady's day?" Juno asked, her hand on the door handle.

"Let's." Jamie grinned as they got out of the car. "Word of advice, though. Don't let Mrs. Billingham fool you. She's a sweet little old lady, but she's a cheek pincher, and she's got some muscles."

Juno giggled and helped Jamie unload the groceries from the back of the car. "Mrs. Billingham's got some game, huh?"

"I think she was a rugby player in a past life." Jamie said gravely.

"Weenie."

"You wound me, Miss Jennings. You wound me."

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