Katherine smiled in relief to be in a suite at the Miramar. This was much more like it. She deserved some first-class treatment after the year she’d had: cold-water sponge baths. She had to admit though, the food had all been delicious. You just couldn't beat homemade meals with farm-fresh ingredients.

She clicked the TV on, made herself an espresso martini at the bar, and plopped down on the L-shaped sectional, complete with a floating section to put her feet up on. "Ah, this is the life I missed."

It was just the news on TV, but having missed a year’s worth, she found it comforting. Earthquakes, fires, tornadoes, and crime all over the world. She laughed. “The celebrity gossip’s just icing on the cake!”

Maybe it was mean of her, being their hostess and all, but she didn’t lift a finger to help the men adapt. No, she just sat there with her feet up and watched TV, chuckling at their foibles.

“Hello, Front Desk. Verra pleased I am to meet you. I am Luag MacDonald. … Verra well, I'll get on with it. Can we have some food here, please? … Do you have anything from Scotland? … Aye, that sounds verra good. … I thank you. We look forward to sampling some of your cooking."

A few minutes later.

"Hello, Front Desk. I am Roland Cheyne. Pleased I am to make your acquaintance . … Verra well, there are only two beds in this room, and there are three of us, all unmarrit. Is the third person expected to sleep on the floor — not that I'm complaining, mind … I dinna see a door. … Ah, there it is."

A door opened.

A gasp.

Roland’s voice coming from the next room. "Och, aye! This will do verra nicely. I thank you for your warm hospitality.…”

Her phone had been buzzing all afternoon, and now she finally got back to it.

Mom: Got any photos of the Celtic Rock musician you toured with?

Katherine: No, but it's over, and I'm home.

Mom: Ooh! Can I come see you?

Katherine: Yes, but wait a few days. I have company.

Mom: A new someone special, I hope.

Katherine: No, no one special.

Mom: Are you sure?

Katherine: Yes, I'm sure. Just people I met on my trip. They tagged along home with me for a free place to stay.

Mom: I hope you’re being careful.

Katherine: Yes, of course I am.

And then Roland was wailing, "My grove. I need to be in my grove. Tending my trees. I can't hear them. They can't be all gone. All my trees!"

At first, Katherine ignored the man, hoping he would stop or fade into mumbles.

But no. “They’ve murdered all my trees! All the trees! It’s so silent!”

The man needed sedation, and looking over at the bar, she saw the means within reach. So she went over and gathered all the scotch she could find, and then all the whiskey. Heck, she threw the rum in as well. Mini bar bottles cost what, ten dollars each? Well worth it. She poured them all into one pitcher, threw in some ice, and stirred it up.

With a sympathetic face, she offered it to the wailing man. "Here. You look like you could use this."

It worked. Roland absentmindedly took the pitcher by the handle and gulped down some of the potent cocktail. Then some more. The more he drank, the more talkative he became — but also less whiny, thank God.

“I will convince my druid brothers to save our precious groves o’ trees. I will na help Donald turn Scotland into this monstrous unnatural type o’ place, no I will na.”

Katherine felt a thrill go through her at this. "This is wonderful news, Luag!"

"How do you figure that, lass?"

"Don't you see? Roland will tell the other druids about the damage world domination does to nature and then they'll call off the whole war!"

But Roland’s face wrinkled up in sadness. "Donald was gaun'ae march on Scotland regardless o’ us druids."

Katherine gave Luag a look, trying to share a moment where they agreed Roland was off his rocker. But to her shock, his face agreed with the little man. A distinctly highlander determination accompanied this agreement, and for a moment, all she could do was admire him. But that moment passed quickly.

She used their Charades hand signals to ask him behind Roland’s back, “Why don’t you look surprised?”

His eyes said, “Oh, come on,” while his hands signaled, “Everyone knew the Laird o’ the Isles coveted the region when he chose his bride. This is the reason Leif has been training the militia extra hard. He has been expecting this war.”

Toward the end of the pitcher, Roland said something that changed Katherine's mind about going back with the two of them to the 1400s.

"Your friends are in grave danger. Even now, Donald marches on Aberdeen. We druids hae seen that Donald, as Scotland’s king, will make the kingdom a world power. I am na longer gaun'ae help him. I now see what being a world power does to our precious groves o’ trees, the poor darlings! Howsoever, I will na be able to stop Donald. I only hope I can convince my druid brothers to save the trees!”

The druid broke down into sobs.

Over his bowed head, Katherine signed to Luag, “Help him into the other room, put him to bed, and hope he falls asleep and gives us some quiet.”

Leif signaled "I thought the bedroom was yours."

Opening her eyes as wide as she could to emphasize that this warranted a change of plans, she signed back to him, "You and I can sleep out here on these two arms of the couch."

"Very well," Luag signed back just before doing as she said and escorting the now woozy and stumbling Roland into the bedroom.

Katherine had vague fears of the man peeing the bed or something similar, but surely the fine wouldn't be too high. And it would be worth it to have him off their hands.

Luag came back into the suite's living room just as there was a knock at the door.

"Room service!"

The waiter left the table in front of the couch.

Luag dug in with enthusiasm at first, grabbing the bread and meat together in Medieval fashion. But he stopped with a disgusted look on his face after just one bite. “This isna Scottish food.”

Katherine picked up her fork and daintily demonstrated proper 21st Century manners. “Of course it isn’t. You’re in the USA, not in Scotland. This is our version of your fare.”

He watched her use her fork for a minute and then tried it. He did pretty well, only fumbling once.

While they ate, Katherine watched a never-ending series of surprises on the news. Stealing a sidelong glance at Luag, she saw that he was watching too. His eyes were so big with amazement that she was impressed he was able to keep on eating. It softened her heart. Back in his time, he had seemed so arrogant, so smug. She liked this naïve and surprised look on his face.

They were watching a commercial with several businessmen shaking hands with each other, and it gave her an idea. "I've changed my mind. I'm coming with you back to your time. I can't abandon Lauren and Jessica — or Amy, for that matter. Just promise me something."

Luag gave her a wary look as he sipped from his bottle of craft beer. "I need to know the promise first, lass."

"Fair enough. The next time you get exasperated with me because I don't know something that everybody knows, you'll remember how you feel right now watching TV — something everybody knows around here and has done their whole lives. Do we have a deal?"

He smiled. "Aye, we have a deal."

She reached out her hand to shake, and slowly at first, then with more determination, he shook it. She thought they held hands longer than strictly necessary for a handshake, but she didn't want to let go either.

At long last she did let go so that she could pick up the room phone and call the front desk. “Yes, please get us an Uber up to Big Bear in the morning. … Hm. Send us a variety of breakfast foods at eight and ask the Uber to be here at nine. … Thanks. And I’m emailing you a list of other items I’d like delivered to our room along with breakfast.”