Page 26 of Summer in the Scottish Highlands (The Scottish Highlands #5)

As he drove through Aviemore and approached the small roundabout leading out of the town, Jake ignored the SatNav directing him towards Pitlochry.

Faye looked at Jake. ‘I think you missed the exit for Pitlochry.’

‘Nah, we’re not going in that direction.’

‘But the SatNav—’

‘It will soon re-route,’ Jake said, grinning.

Faye must have caught his expression. ‘What are you up to?’

‘We’re taking the Old Military Road instead.’

‘The what?’

‘Don’t worry, it’s perfectly fine to drive. It’s the scenic route through the mountains.’

‘The mountains? Is it safe?’

‘Oh, perfectly. The road is well maintained, and it takes you right through the national park to lush valleys, and past rivers and lochs, and there’s even an upland plateau where the road traverses an almost lunar landscape.’

‘It sounds as though the drive is going to be spectacular. Is that the route you took when you were a child – do you think?’

Jake hoped this was the journey that had stayed with him from many years ago. ‘We might catch a glimpse of Balmoral.’

‘What’s Balmoral?’ Natty asked, listening in on the conversation.

‘The Royal Family’s Scottish residence, sweetheart,’ replied Faye. ‘It’s called Balmoral Castle.’

‘Can we go there too?’

‘Not today, sweetheart.’

‘Tomorrow?’

Jake looked at Faye. When he had been researching which castle to visit, Balmoral had popped up in the search results. ‘I think it’s mainly the grounds that the public can visit. I thought Natty would like to go to a proper castle where we can go inside and explore.’

‘I still want to visit Balmoral.’

Faye rolled her eyes. ‘We haven’t got time today, and there aren’t that many days left of our holiday, so I don’t think we’ll be driving over this way again.’

Jake didn’t want to think about the end of their holiday. Instead, his thoughts turned to their date that evening, and where he should book an evening meal.

Faye was still talking to Natty. ‘We can always plan to visit next time we’re in Scotland.’

Jake turned his head to look at Faye. Did she just say next time we’re in Scotland?

‘But we can still go this time. We’ve got another three weeks.’

‘Natty, we talked about this. We can’t stay another three weeks. Gayle hasn’t got vacancies, and I imagine things are pretty booked up round here as it’s the school summer holidays.’

‘But what about Jake’s house?’

Jake continued driving, looking straight ahead and pursing his lips. Like Natty, he didn’t want to return to London either – not at the end of the week, at any rate.

‘Look, Natty. I think Jake is having his house redecorated.’

‘The whole house?’ asked Natty.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jake saw Faye turn in her seat to face him.

She’d seen the house. Who could resist a holiday in a Scottish mansion, complete with gables and turrets and pretty shutters on the windows?

But Jake was still undecided. Not about extending the holiday.

He’d do that in a heartbeat. But he knew it would be ridiculously hard to find vacancies around Aviemore.

The Lake House would be the only option, but he had his misgivings – how would it affect him, staying there with the little family he’d fallen in love with?

How could he not think of the events of last Christmas if he stayed in that house?

Could he still enjoy his time with Faye and Natty there?

Unfortunately, the very fact that he was undecided answered his question.

Even so, he couldn’t lie to Natty, even if that meant a day of pester-power to get them to both relent to staying on into August. He’d just have to do his best to find other accommodation.

He was about to tell Natty that the whole house wasn’t being redecorated – in fact, that week, with Bonnie off work, the house wasn’t being decorated at all – when Faye said, ‘Yes, the whole house is being redecorated. Now, put on your headphones and listen to one of your audiobooks.’

Jake glanced at Natty in the rear-view mirror as she put on her headphones and scrolled through the iPad. He waited until she found a book and he was sure she was listening to that and not to what he was about to stay next. He glanced at Faye. ‘Why did you say that?’

‘I don’t understand … she likes listening to her au diobooks.’

Jake shook his head. ‘No, I meant about …’ he lowered his voice even further, ‘The Lake House. It isn’t being decorated all at once. In fact, right now, Bonnie isn’t there doing anything at all.’

‘Yeah – I guessed that.’

‘Then why—’

Faye whispered, ‘I know your house has a history, and you don’t want to revisit your past.’

Jake didn’t want to revisit his past full stop.

He looked away, embarrassed, when he remembered what Natty had said about the broken memorial stone she’d discovered in the grounds of his house.

He wondered what conversation had ensued between Faye and Marty after that discovery – that Jake had lost his marbles for a time, convincing himself that Eleanor was dead, his subconscious protecting him from the truth of her condition.

Jake breathed a heavy sigh. He did want to know what Marty had said. ‘Look, about that memorial stone Natty mentioned—’

‘It’s okay, Jake. You don’t have to explain. That’s all in the past now.’

So Marty had said that he must have had some sort of breakdown.

That breakdown was in the past, but Eleanor wasn’t.

The visit with Marcus to see her was waiting for him when he returned to London.

Jake still wanted to avoid it, and the thought of returning to his old life at the Ross Corporation while Marcus checked into rehab.

The thought of staying on in Scotland for three more weeks – hell, the entire school summer holiday – seemed very, very enticing.

And Natty was right: why couldn’t Patrick come and join them for a holiday?

There was still the issue of where they would stay, but he’d just have to cross that bridge if Faye agreed.

Jake was about to mention it to Faye when Natty shouted out, ‘ Are we nearly there yet?’

Nowhere near , thought Jake. ‘We’ve got a little while yet.’

‘Can we play I Spy?’ Natty asked.

As Jake, Faye and Natty travelled along the winding road from Aviemore to Braemar Castle, the rugged beauty of the Scottish Highlands unfolded before them.

The road cut through vast stretches of heather-clad moorland.

Tall, craggy peaks loomed in the distance; their tops covered with patches of snow even though it was the middle of summer.

They passed shimmering lochs nestled between the hills, and dense pine forests.

Natty shouted out, ‘I spy with my little eye something beginning with d!’

Jake had just spotted a deer darting between the trees before it disappeared.

He guessed that’s what she’d seen too, although he didn’t let on.

Natty enjoyed keeping them guessing. It made Jake wonder if years ago, he himself, younger than Natty was now, had sat in the back of a car with his parents, driving along this very road, playing I Spy.

He smiled at the thought that all these years later, he was back travelling this road with—

‘What is it?’ Faye asked, placing a gentle hand on his arm again.

Jake took his eyes off the road for a second, realising she must have caught him frowning.

He managed a smile. ‘It’s nothing. Just concentrating on the road ahead.

’ That was a lie. The road ahead didn’t need an awful lot of concentration.

He’d been thinking about being back there, all grown up, with his own family – with Faye and Natty, hoping things worked out that evening with the romantic meal.

Hoping it would be the start of something wonderful.

It occurred to him that when he thought of family, he always thought of them.

He knew that Eleanor, the woman he’d married, along with his unborn child, was gone, but he never imagined what his life would have looked like with them if the accident hadn’t happened last Christmas.

You’re just protecting yourself from going down that rabbit hole, Jake told himself, although he knew there was more to it than that; it was the guilt about knowing that if the accident hadn’t happened, he wouldn’t have met the love of his life.

It felt as though he and Faye were meant to be together.

‘Are you sure everything’s okay?’ Faye asked. ‘We can change our plans if this trip is bringing back painful memories of your parents.’

‘Not at all.’ Jake smiled reassuringly. He wasn’t about to tell Faye what had been on his mind. ‘It’s a fantastic drive, isn’t it?’ he commented, glancing her way once more. He could tell by the look on her face that she wasn’t convinced by his reply. But thankfully she let it drop.

Natty’s voice from the back provided a welcome distraction. ‘Are we still playing I Spy?’ she asked.

‘Yes!’ Faye exclaimed. ‘And I know what it is. Look!’ Faye pointed at another deer.

The sky was wide and open, with clouds high in the sky casting shadows across the valleys in the distance, creating a dramatic and ever-changing view. ‘I’m so glad you chose this route to Braemar,’ said Faye.

‘Mum, the mountains look like cakes covered in icing sugar,’ Natty said, turning around admiring the views out of the rear window of the car.

The I Spy game petered out. Natty put her headphones back on to listen to a story.

Faye asked for the guidebook and flicked through the pages for a bit while Jake drove.

Then she cast it aside to look out of the window.

They drove on, Faye oohing and aahing over the scenery, exchanging a smile, here and there, with Jake.

Jake looked at the SatNav. ‘Not long now.’