Page 4 of Sailing Free at Loch Tunnagan (Loch Tunnagan #1)

Seven Years Later

J ess woke to the smell of freshly laundered sheets.

Wispy strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail tickled her face as they caught in the crisp morning breeze that blew in through the open window.

Her hand itched to reach out and grab her phone from the bedside cabinet but she stopped herself mid-stretch. She thought of Ryan’s text last night.

Don’t rush back. I can handle everything at the office. Enjoy your morning in the hotel x

A habitual morning scroll through her emails felt as natural to her as eating or breathing.

She fought back the urge and tried not to focus on how her stomach clenched at the thought of missing a message from a customer.

Ryan would deal with everything this morning.

She could trust him, she knew that, but releasing all control left her feeling unsettled.

When she arrived for breakfast in the hotel’s dining room she was surprised to find that the only occupants were herself and one member of staff.

“Hi, I’m Dawn, I’ll be looking after you over breakfast today.” She glanced at her watch. “I’m afraid the buffet doesn’t open until 7am. Can I get you a tea or coffee while you wait?”

“Sorry, I didn’t check the time before I came down,” apologised Jess. “Coffee would be amazing, thanks.

As Dawn set about making the coffee Jess’ focus was drawn to the deep mahogany serving table that the coffee machine sat on. Intricate carvings ran around its legs, depicting a scene of two otters chasing each other around the curves of the wood.

Dawn followed her gaze and flashed Jess a warm smile. “It’s all hand carved by the owner Callum. He takes inspiration from the local wildlife. If you look carefully, you’ll spot his carvings all over the hotel.”

Sure enough, Jess let her eyes roam around the room and discovered other delightful carvings hidden amongst the furniture.

She was mesmerised by the beauty of them,” They’re amazing.”

Dawn nodded in agreement and handed Jess her coffee. “What brings you to the village?”

“A boat.” smiled Jess. “My partner and I run a holiday let business. The market is expanding and there’s a new group of consumers who are keen to stay in unique and quirky places. “

Dawn’s expression changed a little and there was sadness in her voice as she spoke, “I’m guessing that was Derek’s boat; ‘The Sauncy Lass’? Edith told me she was selling it.”

Jess understood Dawn’s change in tone. “Yes, Edith told me that Derek died recently.”

Dawn nodded, “He was only a few months into retirement. Life’s so unfair sometimes.”

Jess sat down at a window seat with her coffee. The smell alone was enough to trigger the dopamine in her brain but the view out over the loch combined with the deep, strong coffee brought her mood up to a new level.

She watched as an old couple clad in swimwear and bright neon caps entered the water. They grasped each other as the shock of the cold water hit them, causing ripples to travel across the crystal-clear water.

Her thoughts wandered to Ryan and she tried to remember the last time they’d done something fun like that? It shocked her to discover that she couldn’t remember. She hadn’t seen Ryan for a few days as they’d both been away for work but she made a mental note to schedule some time with him soon.

Everybody would be in the office now. The itch to check in with them niggled at her and she was almost relieved when her phone started ringing.

“Everything ok Paul?” she asked as she answered.

“Jess?! Oh, thank God! I’ve been trying to reach Ryan and Steph. I’m glad someone’s answered. Listen, it’s the head of EasyClean, she was standing outside the office when I arrived. Says she won’t leave until we settle three months of invoices that haven’t been paid.”

Jess felt the blood drain from her face:

“Three months? Has Steph not paid them? I’ll come right away and sort it out.”

Paul whispered into the phone.

“Come quick. This woman is out for blood…… and I donated on Thursday. I don’t have enough left!”

Jess laughed despite herself.

When she looked up from her call, she found Dawn beside her with her coffee in a to-go cup.

“Sorry, I overheard. Good luck with the meeting.”

She thanked Dawn for the coffee as well as the paper bag (which apparently contained a croissant), then raced for the door.

As she walked to the car, she took a few deep breaths in an attempt to keep her annoyance at bay. Steph had been pushing her and Ryan to expand the business to include holiday lets abroad. Ryan had been eager to explore the idea but Jess had been concerned that it would spread them too thin.

She understood that mistakes happen but the fact that Steph had neglected to pay the cleaners whilst spending hours on research for holiday lets abroad was proof enough to Jess that expansion abroad was a bad idea.

The drive to the office was a blur and when she got there, she was met with a woman who appeared to be made of pure purple fury.

She beaconed the woman into her office, turning back to thank Paul for his help, then closed the door.

In all, they couldn’t have been talking for more than ten minutes but by the end of it the cleaning bills were paid, some free lets offered up as a thank you for EasyClean’s patience, and Jess had assurance that EasyClean would be more than happy to continue doing business with them.

They were the best cleaners they’d ever used. Jess couldn’t afford to lose them.

With one crisis averted she turned her attention to tracking down Ryan and Steph. She tried Steph first, after all EasyClean was Steph’s mistake. It went straight to voicemail. Then she tried calling Ryan; his phone simply rang out.

Having failed to reach him on the phone, Jess headed to the house, picking up coffees from Ryan’s favourite place on the way. It must have been a rough trip; he never missed work like this.

When she opened the door, there was an almighty thump from their bedroom followed by Ryan running to her with a dressing gown on. He skidded to a halt in the hall with a sheepish expression on his face.

Immediately, Jess could tell that something wasn’t right. She knew what Ryan looked like after a long sleep, and this wasn’t it.

His face was flushed and his eyes alert, fearful even. He looked guilty. That was it. As this dawned on her she heard a noise from their bedroom.

Ryan tried to catch her attention, “Jess, I didn’t want you to find out like this. I’m so sorry, my head’s so messed up.”

Jess knew without asking, but she needed to hear it out loud.

“Find out what? What have you done?”

A familiar voice issued from their bedroom… Steph. “Ryan, is that the delivery guy with the coffee and bagels?”

Ryan looked down at the coffee cups in Jess’s hands. His face paled with guilt.

Jess’ vision blurred and the sound of Ryan’s pleading voice grew muffled and distant. Oh my god, was she going to faint? She refused to let herself be that fragile. Taking a deep breath, she regained her composure and let steely rage take over.

She exploded, “Steph!? Are you kidding me? With Steph of all people? I trusted you both. You’re my best friends.”

Ryan, her best friend, her partner in everything shifted uncomfortably and pulled the cord of his dressing gown tighter. The dressing gown she had bought him for Christmas.

She needed to get out of there; her feet were already making their way to the top step when Steph emerged from the bedroom.

“Oh shit! Jess, I’m sorry…” Steph’s voice was flat, insincere.

Seeing Steph stroll out in her underwear was the last straw. Jess spun on her heels and fled. Neither of them tried to catch up with her, though she heard Steph tell Ryan to “...just leave it, she’ll need to cool off.”

That had the exact opposite effect.” Cool off? ‘Cool off!” What right did Steph have to decide what she needed to do?

She climbed back into her top of the range Land Rover. The car Steph had insisted she and Ryan buy as it ‘fitted the image of the company’. Jess had personally thought it was a bit ridiculous to be driving around the city in a 4x4 but had gone along with the plan anyway.

As she settled into her luxurious seat she looked over at Ryan’s coffee. The smell that had once brought her comfort now made her nauseous. She lifted the cup, stepped out of the car, then threw it in a nearby bin. When she got back, the familiar smell was already dwindling.

Jess drove away numb, with no destination in mind. Eventually she found her way back to the office.

Paul pulled out the plug on the phone as soon as he saw her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as he embraced her in a hug.

A sob escaped from her, “Ryan slept with Steph.” It was all too raw; she couldn’t believe the words she had just said.

“Oh Jess, I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

Jess shook her head, then imagined returning to the flat later. “Actually, would you be able to check and see if any of our nearby rentals are free?”

Paul hesitated at the keyboard. He didn’t need to look, it was the middle of spring and everything was booked for the Easter break.

Jess slumped down at the desk. Her eyes caught a recent pile of paperwork. The purchase documents for Edith’s boat.

Maybe there was still one place she could go.