Page 8 of Sailing Free at Loch Tunnagan (Loch Tunnagan #1)

A few hours later Jess was sitting in the dining room of the Tunnagan Hotel, a floral dress clinging loosely to her curves and her chestnut brown hair framed her shoulders.

She had never fully understood the term ‘retail therapy’ however her shopping trip into town earlier had given her a small insight.

Jess’ wardrobe at home consisted almost solely of office clothes as she rarely went anywhere or did anything that didn’t involve work.

Every pencil skirt or smart jacket she had found on the rack had left her with a tight sensation in her chest. Whether it was an aversion to her habitual work attire or whether she simply wanted to escape the clothing she most closely associated with Ryan, Jess wasn’t sure.

The pencil skirt and smart jacket combo was the costume she had worn for nearly a decade.

The clothing of the character she had played.

There was a wonderful freedom to be found in changing that habit, in trying on another character for size.

She was disturbed from her thoughts by Dawn, the assistant manager. Jess recognised her as the woman who had served her breakfast the previous morning. The morning when everything changed. The morning when she rushed to respond to a phone call and ultimately unravelled her own life.

Dawn smiled, a hint of surprise on her face, “Oh! hi, it’s great to see you’re staying another night with us.”

Jess grimaced inwardly, “I’m actually just here for dinner. Olivia, who runs the cafe in the village, recommended it.”

Dawn didn’t probe any further, “I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. We use a wonderful selection of locally sourced produce. Someone will be over shortly with a menu. Can I get you a drink while you wait?”

Jess ordered a glass of wine. She didn’t drink alcohol often and thought she may as well have a glass now that she didn’t have to drive or worry about work in the morning.

She closed her eyes and enjoyed the soft velvety liquid sliding down her throat. The wine was delicious. It spread warmth through her body and allowed the muscles in her shoulders and neck to unwind.

The sound of someone clearing their throat made her eyes spring open. She was suddenly acutely aware of a man standing next to her. It was the man from the boat again. Blood rushed to her face as she wondered how long she’d been sipping wine with her eyes closed.

“Hi again,” he said with a slightly crooked smile. “Sorry for disturbing you. Here is your menu. Today’s special is locally sourced free-range duck with a grilled peach salad.”

“Was the free-range duck freshly caught by MacTavish?” she laughed and then wondered if the alcohol was already taking effect.

“Ha, no. You’d have a long wait on your hands for a duck caught by MacTavish. I think he feels a bit embarrassed about the whole situation.”

Jess looked up into the man’s warm smiling eyes. She smiled back at him and put out her hand, “I’m Jess by the way, it’s probably easier calling me that instead of Sauncy Lass.”

The man chuckled, the faintest crease of lines showing at the sides of sparkling eyes.

His hand was large and strong, rough in places, but he held and shook Jess’ hand gently.

“Nice to meet you officially, Jess. I’m Cal.

I was going to take your drink order but I can see Dawn has sorted you out.

I’ll give you a minute to look over the menu. ”

Cal moved over to a nearby cabinet and paused for a moment then picked up a small vase of flowers from a selection beside the menus.

He placed the flowers down opposite Jess and cleared the additional cutlery from the other place setting.

The flowers filled the empty space with a splash of spring colours.

As he walked away, Jess noticed how the dish towel hanging from his back pocket highlighted the contours of a nice bum. She scolded herself inwardly, what was wrong with her! Her attention should be on Ryan and how to solve that mess, not on ogling this poor man.

The meal at the Tunnagan Hotel was exactly as Olivia had promised.

The food was exquisite and Jess had washed it down with more than one glass of wine.

As she stood to leave she felt the room spinning.

God, this was embarrassing. She tried to calculate how she was going to navigate her way across the room without demonstrating to everyone in the restaurant that she was completely steam boat drunk.

She took a step forward and wobbled slightly. When she looked up Cal was emerging from the kitchen wearing a long dark coat. He walked towards her with a glint of humour in his eyes. Leaning close to her cheek he whispered discreetly.

“Are you feeling a bit wobbly?” His breath tickled her ear. “I’m finished up here and can walk you back down the road if you like?”

In any other instance, Jess would have felt uneasy at the idea of a man she barely knew, noticing she was drunk and then offering to escort her out of the building but she instinctively trusted Cal.

When he offered his arm to her, she linked her hand through his elbow and let him support her discreetly out.

The fresh spring air hit her as soon as they emerged from the hotel making her feel slightly more sober and in control of her limbs.

She removed herself from Cal’s arm and instantly regretted it.

The night air was cold and her new dress did little to protect her from it.

Cal noticed her shivering and removed his wool overcoat.

“Here, put this on. I’m roasting from working in the restaurant all night anyway.”

As she wrapped the coat around her shoulders, she could feel Cal’s body heat still radiating from it. The warmth seeped into her and relaxed her shivering muscles.

“Are you enjoying your time on ‘The Sauncy Lass’ so far?” Cal asked as he expertly navigated his way down the steep path that led from the hotel.

“This was a bit of an unexpected visit,” Jess admitted, “and actually last night was my first time sleeping on a boat. However, Edith has kept it in such immaculate condition and everything is so well organised that I managed ok.”

“Loch Tunnagan is quite a drive from anywhere. How did you end up here unexpectedly?” Cal asked.

Jess could feel her chest tighten and Cal sensed her awkwardness.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

“No, it’s ok. I bought the boat from Edith as an extension to the lets we offer as part of our holiday rental business.”

Jess had intended to stop her explanation at that but with the combination of a few glasses of wine and Cal’s calm demeanour she found the words tumbling from her as she spilled the events of the last couple of days.

Cal listened silently, making no interruptions while she spoke, “Have you decided what you’re going to do?” he asked.

Jess sighed, “No.”

“Can I make a recommendation?”

“Yes, please do. My head is such a mess.”

“As cliche as it sounds, you need time. And I don't mean a couple of days. Don’t make any decisions about the business or about Ryan until you’ve allowed yourself time to process everything and reevaluate what is important.”

Jess stifled a laugh.

“What?” Cal asked with mock exasperation.

“You sound like a therapist…..but maybe one for people on a budget.”

Cal rolled his eyes, “Ok, that's the last piece of wisdom you’re getting.”

Jess laughed but as they walked, she let his words sink in and realised he had it bang on.

They arrived back at the boats and Jess noticed she was still wearing Cal’s overcoat.

She reached out to pass it to him and their fingers gently brushed against each other.

Jess felt a buzz of electricity shoot through her.

There was the briefest moment when his eyes met hers but it was impossible to say whether he had felt the spark too.

Cal bent down to check the rope that secured ‘The Sauncy Lass’ to the jetty. Jess looked at him questioningly.

“There’s meant to be some bad weather rolling in tonight. I’m just making sure that you don’t wake up drifting in the middle of the loch tomorrow morning.”

“Jess, Jess!” A loud banging interspersed with her name being called roused Jess from her sleep.

As the world started to come into focus, she realised someone was knocking repeatedly on the door.

The boat was swaying wildly as she tried to make her way from her bedroom and she could hear rain pounding aggressively against the porthole windows.

Cal must have been right about the storm.

As she fumbled with the latch she called “Sorry I was sound asleep”.

A very wet and windswept Cal stood in the doorway looking at her incredulously.

“How can you possibly have been asleep? There are hurricane force winds battering against your boat! Listen, the storm is meant to get worse. I’m going to go up and stay at the hotel tonight and I thought I'd check to see if you wanted a lift up too?”

“Erm, ok, yeah thanks,” Jess’ head was still clouded with sleep. “Let me just pack some stuff into a bag.”

Cal stepped into the cabin and Jess suddenly felt self-conscious.

She looked down realising that she was wearing the incredibly skimpy shorts and vest pyjama combo that she'd bought from the clothes shop the previous day. It was the only set of pyjamas they’d had in her size and she had bought them thinking they would do for the time being.

"I'll just go change into something a bit more weather appropriate."

She discreetly inched her way back towards her bedroom, almost 100% sure that the silky fabric was not covering the entirety of her bum.

As she turned to go through the door, she felt an odd sense of pleasure when she noticed Cal’s gaze linger on her legs before he quickly turned away and asked if she needed help packing anything.

Branches and other bits of debris were strewn across the road as they drove the short distance to the Tunnagan Hotel.

Jess felt a sense of panic rise in her chest as she watched the trees sway dangerously in the strong winds.

She ran her fingers through MacTavish’s fur.

The warmth of the little dog nestled on her lap was comforting.

The rain was so heavy that they could barely see out of the windscreen but Cal didn’t seem flustered and Jess was relieved when he expertly reversed the large truck into a spot outside the door of the hotel.

They entered the foyer quietly and were greeted by the night porter; a man who looked about the same age as Jess’s Grandfather.

He smiled warmly at Cal, “I wondered if I'd be getting a visit from you tonight.” He paused for a second when he noticed Jess standing next to Cal, “Who is the lovely lady?”

“Hey Angus, this is Jess, she’s my new temporary neighbour. She’s staying on the boat next to mine.”

“Lovely to meet you Jess,” Angus extended his hand for her to shake. “How are the boats holding up in the storm?”

“Hopefully the boats will be ok. It was difficult to get any sleep though…..well it was difficult for some of us,” Calsaid tilting his head towards Jess. “Jess over here was sleeping like a baby. Are there any rooms free?”

Angus handed him a key, “There’s only one unoccupied. It’s the Glen Monarch Suite.”

“Cheers Angus.” Cal turned to Jess, “The suite has a sofa. I’ll sleep on that and you can have the bed.” He led Jess up an ornate staircase and along a corridor.”

“Hang on,” said Jess, taking out her purse. “We forgot to pay.”

Cal shook his head, “No need to pay.”

“Won’t you get into trouble from your boss if they find out you slept in one of the rooms.”

The corner of his mouth turned up in a lazy smile, “I think it’s ok, I own the hotel.”

Jess stopped, “Huh, I thought you worked as a waiter. You were a waiter when I was here for dinner.”

“No, we were short staffed so I was filling in.”

Cal tapped the key card on the lock and opened the door to reveal a room that exuded a combination of luxury and warmth.

Deep red velvet curtains kissed the soft cream carpet and hints of tartan were accented in the cushions and bedding.

The huge four poster bed boasted the same intricate carvings that Jess had admired throughout the rest of the hotel.

She ran her hand over the deep mahogany wood, feeling the smooth contours and tracing her fingers over a delicately carved thistle. Realisation suddenly dawned on her.

“When I spoke to the assistant manager at breakfast the other day, she mentioned the owner Callum does all the carvings. That’s you! Cal, these are amazing. You’re so talented!”

“Thanks,” Cal shrugged. “It’s a work in progress.”

“So, you go by Cal on the boat and Callum at work?”

Cal shook his head. "Nah, most people call me Cal, I’ve been Cal since school. Dawn and I grew up together. We were in and out of each other's houses constantly and both my parents, and Dawn’s parents call me Callum. I guess it just stuck with Dawn."

“Are you and Dawn still close?”

“Yeah, she’s my best friend.”

“Wow I wish I had a friendship that had lasted that long.”

“Did you not stay in touch with anyone from school?” asked Cal.

“We moved around a lot when I was younger. My parents are both environmental engineers; they do a lot of consultancy work in different countries. I made friends in the schools I was in but I was never there long enough to really establish bonds strong enough to last.”

Cal nodded understanding, “What about Uni? Did you make any good friends there?”

“I met Paul at the tail end of high school and Steph when I started uni. We stayed close, it helps because we work together too.” She wondered if that was the correct tense to use. Right now, it was impossible to visualise a future where she worked alongside Steph and Ryan.

“Ryan was my boyfriend throughout the whole of uni but he was also my best friend. We were inseparable. Paul worked a lot and Steph studied abroad for a year. I guess Ryan and I were so close that we didn’t leave room for other people.”

Jess felt an ache in her chest as she remembered the two of them crumpled over with laughter in her tiny breeze block bedroom in the student halls. They’d had nothing back then but they had been so happy. She missed that, Ryan.