Page 9 of Snowy Surprises in the Highlands (Scottish Highland #5)
‘Great. Thanks, Mrs Somers. Speak soon.’ The screen went blank, and Bella heaved a sigh of relief.
Harris appeared behind her in his uniform. ‘That sounded very positive.’ He placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her a squeeze.
‘It did, didn’t it? I’m quite excited about it.’
‘I think I know the place. It’s been empty for years but it’s on the loch and the views will be incredible from there. Great spot for a hotel.’
‘I can’t wait to go and see it. Maybe we could have a drive up and look at the outside.’
‘Sounds like a good idea. We can drive up after we’ve been to see Mum and Isla at the weekend.’
* * *
As planned, the following weekend they visited Isla and ate the lovingly prepared Sunday lunch with her, Tam and Maeve too.
The three golden oldies were like a triple act and there were more than a few giggles to be had.
Bertie and Beau ran around the garden until Bertie was completely worn out and then slept at Bella’s feet for the rest of the afternoon.
Bella had told them all about the hotel she was going to be working on and that she and Harris were driving up to have a look at the old place.
‘Watch out for poultrygeists at that place,’ Isla said with an exaggerated shiver.
‘Oh, aye, I’ve heard that they can be fowl ,’ Harris said with a sly wink at Bella.
Oblivious, Isla continued, ‘They can if you believe what you see on the TV. Throwing things around. I saw a tick tack video where one had opened all the kitchen cupboard doors when the homeowner had turned her back for a second. Then she turned around again, and it shut them all. Houses and buildings of that age can harbour all sorts of spooks and goolies, you know.’ And then she added, rather seriously, ‘If you believe in that kind of thing. Which I don’t. ’
Bella chuckled, not only about the fact that Isla had warned them against something she supposedly didn’t believe in, but also because she was now imagining invisible, clucking ghosts throwing items of crockery and cutlery around and banging cupboard doors; she didn’t want to think about the goolies Isla had mentioned.
Harris chuckled to himself and shook his head. ‘Stop it, Isla, or we might chicken out of going,’ he said.
Bella was trying hard not to laugh. ‘We’ll be careful, Granny, don’t worry. We’re only looking at the outside, so I doubt they’ll be bothering us, if they in fact do exist.’ Bella smirked. ‘Anyway, we should get going so we can see the place in the light.’
‘Aye, you don’t want to be going in the dark, that’s for sure,’ Isla said… even though she didn’t believe in ghosts.
Bella stood and pulled her jacket on. ‘We won’t see you until next weekend now because Harris is working all week and I’m hoping to head over to Inverness to visit Skye and Ben’s wee baby.’
‘Oh, bless his wee heart. I must give you a fiver to take for his piggy bank. Take lots of photos, won’t you? And we’ll see you next weekend.’
They said their goodbyes and climbed back into Fifi, the red Citroen 2CV that used to belong to Isla but was now Bella’s pride and joy.
* * *
They drove up the coast road with the sun still bright overhead, with the windows wound down and Florence and the Machine playing on the stereo.
There were daffodils and bluebells scattered in the hedgerows, and birds flitting from hedge to tree and back again.
The island was alive and vital, and it was clear that spring had sprung on Skye.
The cloudless expanse of blue overhead, combined with the fresh sea air rushing in from outside, put a smile on Bella’s face as she drove, singing along with Harris about ‘Dog Days’.
She had brought her digital SLR camera along to snap some photos of the hotel, figuring that would be better than just using her phone, and her stomach fluttered with excitement.
Once they pulled up the driveway and parked the car, they walked Bertie down by the water’s edge and laughed as he dipped his feet into the loch and then ran away again from the cold sensation.
He found a huge, gnarly stick that was far too big for him and tried his best to carry it.
Bella snapped photos of him as he dragged the thing around, tail wagging frantically.
‘Wow, this place is stunning,’ Bella said. ‘I mean, I knew it was beautiful from the photos but it’s even better in person. I can imagine living somewhere like this and waking up to that view every morning.’
They peered in through the windows and the orange and brown colour palette was just as startlingly bad as Bella had expected.
Much of the furniture was still in situ and Bella wondered if Mrs Somers had considered selling it.
There would no doubt be collectors out there who would snap up the pieces that had sat unused for many years.
The most recent owner had passed away and there had been disputes over who should inherit so Mrs Somers had emailed to say confirmation would take much longer than they had originally anticipated.
Bella snapped as many photos as she could, knowing she probably wouldn’t visit again until grant of confirmation had occurred and the keys had been passed over, and after Mrs Somers’s email, who knew how long that might take.
‘Are you still excited to be taking the place on?’ Harris asked as he slipped his arm around her shoulders and they both gazed up at the windows. Bella was keeping an eye out for the poultrygeists but sadly didn’t spot any.
‘I am. Although it’s bigger than I expected. It could be quite a long project. I just hope I’m up to it.’
‘Ah, you can do it, Bella. I’ve got every faith in you.’ They stood in silence for a while, taking in the view and inhaling the fresh clean air.
Harris turned to Bella. ‘I’m so proud of you. You knew what you wanted, and you went for it. You’ve achieved so much in such a short time and it’s clear that it makes you happy, which is all I want for you.’ The sincerity and love in his gaze made her heart melt.
She tiptoed up and kissed him. ‘Thank you, that means such a lot to me. You’ve been so supportive, and I can’t thank you enough.’
‘No thanks needed. We’re a team. The best team there is.’
The breeze had picked up now and the temperature had dropped. Bella just hoped it wasn’t because of the spooks and goolies. She giggled as she thought about that. ‘It’s getting chilly, let’s get Bertie home.’