Page 17 of Sailing Free at Loch Tunnagan (Loch Tunnagan #1)
C al emerged from the cafe and made his way over to where she stood, his long strides making quick work of the distance between them. Without asking he picked up her bags. “I’ll Walk you back up to the hotel.”
Nodding numbly, she joined him and they walked in silence. She wondered if he would ask her about Ryan but he didn’t push; as if sensing that she needed time before talking.
When they finally reached their suite, Cal placed Jess’ things in her bedroom and then left her to lie on the bed and digest how she was feeling. She must have dozed off because she awoke to the sound of gentle knocking and Cal’s deep tones softly calling her name.
“Come in,” she mumbled as she sat up, pushing the pillow further up the headboard. The door slowly opened and Cal peaked his head in, “Sorry, I didn’t know you were sleeping.”
“It’s ok,” Jess croaked, beckoning him in.
MacTavish squeezed through the gap in the door and nimbly jumped up to lie next to her.
“It’s amazing how therapeutic pets can be.” Jess instantly felt cheerier as she ran her hands through the little dog's fur.
The side of the bed dipped down as Cal perched on the edge, causing Jess to lean towards him.
“Yeah, MacTavish has helped me get through some really tough times,” said Cal looking fondly at his dog. He stretched his hand out to pat him and Jess felt a tingle run through her as their fingers brushed past each other.
“MacTavish and I were wondering if you would like to come for a drive?” asked Cal. “We’re going to get some chips for dinner and eat them on the beach at the loch.”
“That sounds nice,” replied Jess, “let me just get freshened up. I feel a bit gross.”
Cal flashed a cheeky grin, “Is that you? I thought MacTavish was needing a bath.”
She pushed him away playfully.
MacTavish and Cal left her to get ready and within twenty minutes they were sitting in the truck.
“Where’s the closest chippy?” asked Jess.
“Comrie,” replied Cal, “It’s not far.”
As they drove, Jess stared out the window of the truck; mesmerised by the scenery. The sun was getting lower in the sky and its rays danced magically on the loch, casting an orange glow over the water. The towering hills that surrounded them looked dark in comparison.
“Do you ever get used to this?” she asked in awe.
Cal shook his head, “We’re lucky to have this on our doorstep. I tried city life for a bit but it wasn’t for me. This place is in my blood.”
“When did you live in a city?” asked Jess.
“I went to uni in Glasgow,” replied Cal.
“What did you study?” asked Jess.
“Business. I know it's not the most exciting of degrees but I knew I was going to take over the hotel from Mum and Dad. I needed to learn how to run it properly.”
“Ryan and I did Business too, but we were at Stirling.”
“Stirling has a gorgeous campus, doesn't it?” said Cal. “I went to the open day there and was tempted to apply but as an eighteen-year-old the draw of city life outweighed the scenic campus.”
Cal indicated left and turned into a small car park.
“Do you mind waiting here with MacTavish? I’ll nip out and get the food.”
Jess nodded.
Cal returned with two steaming bags of chips and placed them on the back seat of the truck. The smell permeated the air and caused Jess’ stomach to rumble as they drove back. He pulled up next to a stony beach at the head of the loch and they both climbed out.
MacTavish played at the water's edge as Jess and Cal perched themselves on a large boulder and munched on the chips.
Cal finished eating and scrunched the paper packaging into a rough ball before lining it up with the open window of the truck.
He launched the chip packet perfectly and it flew through the gap, landing on the seat.
Jess did the same but her paper bounced off the door of the truck, and landed on the rocks next to Cal.
He picked it up and threw hers through the window too.
“Show off,” she smiled.
“There’s some good skimming stones here,” observed Cal bending down to pick up a handful.
“I’ve never had any luck at skimming stones,” replied Jess nonchalantly.
Cal looked at her incredulously, “How have you managed to get through life without knowing how to skim a stone?”
Jess laughed, “It’s not really a life skill necessary to us city dwellers.”
“Come here.” Cal beckoned her closer. “I’m going to make sure you have skimmed at least one stone before we leave here.”
Jess grudgingly stood up, “Really? Is it that important?”
“Yes,” said Cal decisively.
Cal spent the next half hour patiently teaching Jess how to select the perfect skimmer, the correct hand position to use and the most effective way to release the stone until finally they got a successful result.
Jess, who initially hadn’t really cared about whether she could skim a stone or not, was exuberant when she watched her skimmer bounce three times across the still, dark water of the loch.
She jumped up and down, launching herself at Cal who spun her around. MacTavish sensing the excitement yipped happily at their feet.
Cal placed her gently back down on the uneven ground. She wobbled a little and grabbed hold of his arm to stabilise herself.
He looked up at the sky, “Shall we head back now? It’s starting to get dark.”
“Yeah, let’s go,” agreed Jess. “Thanks for bringing me along with you and MacTavish, it’s helped clear my mind.”
As they headed back up to the truck, Jess kept a hold of Cal’s arm. She was finding it difficult to navigate the rough terrain of the beach now that the light had faded.
“How did it go with Ryan?” he asked.
Jess thought back to how she had felt when she saw Ryan earlier. She sighed, “Please don’t judge me for saying this, but I still think Ryan is a good guy, he just did a really bad thing.”
“Why would I judge you for saying that?” asked Cal curiously.
“Because I feel like society dictates that I'm meant to hate him and I should be planning to exact my revenge on him. But relationships aren’t black and white, the more I think about it the more I realise that I was so focused on the business that I’d been neglecting to find time to spend with him.
Ryan was keen to expand the business but he didn’t let it consume him like I did. ”
She smiled ruefully, “Of course, he should perhaps have tried speaking to me to highlight the issue instead of sleeping with Steph.”
“I understand,”nodded Cal solemnly.
“Has anyone ever cheated on you?” she asked; highly doubting it. You would have to be out of your mind to cheat on Cal.
Cal was silent, he took a long time considering his answer before he finally replied, “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Jess was shocked. “Do you suspect that someone was cheating on you?”
“Maybe,” Cal shrugged lightly but his mood had darkened in a way that didn’t match the light gesture.
“Perhaps you should ask them. It might put your mind at ease.”
His face fell, “I can’t.”
Their conversation was broken by the sound of Jess’ phone ringing. She scrambled around in her hand bag until she had a hold of it.
“It’s Olivia,” she said in surprise, “I hope everything's ok.”
She pressed to answer, “Hi Jess,” Olivia sounded apologetic, “I’m sorry for calling so late.”
Jess checked her watch and smiled, “I think the definition of ‘late’ differs for parents and non-parents. It’s only 8:30pm.”
“I was wondering if you could do me a huge favour,” asked Olivia.
“Of course,'' replied Jess without actually knowing what the huge favour was.
“Is there any chance you could babysit Amelie while I attend her parents' evening. It's Monday evening at 7pm. I’ll pay you of course. I was going to ask Edith but she told me today that she and June are going on a trip to Iona next week.”
Jess felt a jolt of panic. She didn’t exactly have much experience of looking after children. “Can I bring Cal?”
Olivia chuckled, “Yes, of course.”
“Phew,” Jess breathed out a sigh of relief. “Just so you know, I haven’t had much experience babysitting. Are you still happy to have me, do it?”
“Yes,” laughed Olivia. “Despite her efforts at giving me a heart attack today, she is generally really easy. You’ll have Cal with you and anyway, it’ll be close to bedtime so all you’ll need to do is give her some supper and put her to bed. Then you can sit and watch tv."
She paused then with a hint of teasing in her voice added, “But I don’t want to come home to find you two young ones making out on the couch.”
Jess laughed lightly but could feel her cheeks reddening. Ignoring Olivia’s comment she said “Please don’t even think we would accept any payment from you. It’ll be a pleasure getting to hang out with Amelie.”
“You're a lifesaver!” exclaimedOlivia, sounding relieved.
Jess hung up and turned to look at Cal pleadingly. Raising his eyebrows he sighed dramatically, “What have you just signed me up for?”
Jess winced, “Do you mind helping me babysit Amelie on Monday? I freaked out at the thought of doing it alone.”
Cal pondered for a moment before his mouth twitched into a smile, “I’d be delighted to babysit Amelie. It’ll give me a chance to put the little Octopus artist to work cleaning my boat.”
Jess laughed, relieved to know she wouldn’t be doing it alone.