The other kids laughed.

“Well, it can be a disaster,” she said. “Or sometimes something good can come of it.”

“Like?” Guthrie asked, sounding both amused and interested.

“Like how a future client asked if I could schedule a reunion for a family later next year, only they would like me to set up a sword-fighting demonstration. I thought if Ian was agreeable, some of his men might like to put on this show.”

“For free?” Guthrie asked, brows raised.

“Of course not. I would charge more, based on Ian’s suggestion, well, and yours, being his financial advisor. The extra proceeds would go to the MacNeill pack.”

“I want to do it,” Logan said, and several of the teens eagerly volunteered to help.

She laughed.

“Moneywise, how well do your parties do?” Guthrie asked, probably directing the lecture back to the math side of the business since this was a math class.

“All of you have learned about percentages, aye?” Calla asked the students.

They groaned.

“Okay, well, you want to make a high enough profit—income less expenses—to make the venture worthwhile. You have to include all the costs—getting there, your time involved, the cost of goods and services, et cetera.”

“And do you?” Guthrie asked.

She had the feeling he wasn’t asking just to teach his students something, or because he was the financial manager of the pack. This was more personal.

“If you consider making ninety-five a good income for the year, aye.”

“Ninety-five pounds?” Logan asked, looking as though she was crazy.

“Thousand. Ninety-five thousand pounds. Which, for anyone who knows anything about U.S. dollars, is close to one hundred and fifty thousand.”

That got everyone’s attention, even Guthrie’s. He gave her a small smile.

She gave them all kinds of suggestions for how they could start their own businesses, save money, and even invest it. Then she had an idea. But she couldn’t propose it to Guthrie since he wasn’t in charge of the pack.

“That’s all I have. Any questions?” she asked.

Guthrie looked like he was dying to question her about something, but the kids didn’t have anything else to ask. “Thanks to everyone for listening to me.”

She moved to the back of the class and saw by the clock that the class was about over. She’d fully intended to pay attention to Guthrie while he taught his class and not take it over herself.

Guthrie said to his students, “You have homework on page 131, the first thirty problems.”

She was glad she was no longer learning this stuff. Her father had been a real taskmaster.

Groans followed, and then Guthrie dismissed the class.

Before she could leave, Guthrie said, “You were smiling so brightly that I wondered what you were thinking of.”

“That you give great math classes.” She smiled when she said it. “See you in a few minutes for Christmas shopping.”

She hurried out of the room, but before she went to get her purse and jacket, she dropped by Ian’s office. She had to know something about Guthrie. “Come on in,” Ian said. “Shut the door if you’d like.”

She shut the door and took a seat in front of Ian’s desk. “If it’s not too personal, I was curious as to why Guthrie seems to always be obsessed with money. Not that we shouldn’t keep costs down. But he appears overly concerned about it.”

She thought that the way she earned her money might be a sticking point with Guthrie. If so, there was no sense in even considering trying to make something of a more…permanent type of relationship with him. It would always be a sticking point between them.

Ian leaned back and said, “You know Elaine’s uncles were…privateers in the eighteenth century, aye?”

“Right. Or pirates, depending who was on the business end of their swords,” Calla said.

“Aye. How well I know that. But since Elaine joined us, we refer to them only as privateers. One year, her uncles stole our ship and merchandise. We had to make do with very little food that winter. All of us were concerned, but Guthrie took the whole business more to heart than most and ensured that all food was rationed out so that no one starved that winter. You understand we were only sixteen at the time.

“Since then, he has taken over the finances and done a fine job of it. He’s always been very conscientious about costs and expenditures. A short while ago, we had a big mess with stolen investments. He’s always been one to forgo anything but necessities when disaster strikes. And he’s good at coming up with ways to bring money into the clan to help us make do.”

“And now?”

“After securing our stolen funds, we’re doing well or we couldn’t have hired you to help in preparing a grand celebration for Christmas Eve, which as you know, isn’t as big a deal for the Scots as it is for the Americans. So this is important to me—for Julia’s sake, and the others who are of Scottish heritage but have lived for so many years in America.”

Calla sighed. “I wish Guthrie would enjoy some of the festivities. He’s much too serious.” Except for last night. She was still surprised at herself—and him—for taking it that far. She’d never done that before with any man she was only just getting to know.

Ian gave her a small smile. “I’m sure he’s enjoying himself even if he isn’t letting on.”