Page 32 of Summer in the Scottish Highlands (The Scottish Highlands #5)

Faye and Natty walked along the high street in Aviemore, looking for Wilbur’s Bookstore.

Although there were some children’s books in Gayle’s library at Lark Lodge, most were a bit young for Natty.

Faye was distracted for a moment by a window display, the soft furnishings draped with an assortment of colourful throws and cushions.

It was the tartan cushions and throws that had caught her attention.

The other shop window was displaying the usual items you might expect to find in a grocery store.

‘Gillespie’s General Store,’ she said out loud, stopping to take a closer look.

‘No mum, that’s not the shop. We’re looking for a bookshop,’ Natty said, sounding a little exasperated. ‘Remember – we went in there to buy ribbons for Olive.’

Of course Faye remembered. It had been the first day of their holiday, and while Jake had been visiting the tourist information and getting them tickets for the steam train, she’d visited Robyn’s Interior Design because Natty had dragged her into the shop.

She hadn’t had a chance to check out the window display.

It had certainly caught her attention this time around.

‘Look, there’s Jake!’

Faye glanced at Natty, who was waving. She saw Jake drive by on his way back to Lark Lodge.

‘What time is he picking us up?’

Faye frowned and mumbled, ‘I wish we could make our own way back.’

‘What was that, Mummy?’

‘Oh, nothing.’

Faye pushed the door open and stepped inside the shop, thinking of the last time she and Natty had visited.

She’d been so full of the holiday, and all the amazing days out she imagined Jake was in the throes of planning during his visit to the tourist information.

Now there they were, just a few days later, and the date night she’d been looking forward to, that she’d already planned, having asking Gayle to babysit, was out of the window. In fact, now the whole holiday was.

Jake should have been booking a table at a restaurant in Aviemore for their meal out together while she and Natty bought their journals.

Instead, he was heading back to Lark Lodge.

He didn’t say why he had to return there straight away and couldn’t just hang around the car for them.

But she could make a good guess – he was packing to leave early; to head back to London and the Ross Corporation.

Faye was feeling very sorry for herself.

She wished she’d never brought up Martha and Aubrey.

Then they wouldn’t have argued. Then again, it had only brought to the fore her secret fear – that his new life away from his corporate career wasn’t a new life at all but a means to an end – some sort of mental breakdown that he had to work through away from the corporation and the Rosses.

Seeing the broken memorial stone to Eleanor in the garden of The Lake House hadn’t allayed her fears but had actually compounded them.

She’d been trying to ignore such thoughts, especially as the holiday was going so well.

But Jake had been having some sort of breakdown.

And with the help of his teaching post, and her and Natty, he had been working his way towards returning to that life after the pain of losing his wife.

She and Natty, they’d been a means to an end, a way through the healing process.

That was all they were to him. She was convinced of it.

‘Mummy, what are we standing here for?’

Faye snapped out of her unwelcome trip down the rabbit hole she’d been avoiding.

When she’d voiced her fears that Jake would return to his old life, he hadn’t exactly denied it.

She was going over the conversation in her mind.

Although he’d said it was only temporary, when she’d questioned why he was really on holiday with them, he hadn’t said it was because he wanted to be with her.

It was what she’d wanted to hear. But he’d said nothing of the sort.

‘I’ve been such a fool,’ she said under her breath.

‘What’s wrong, Mummy?’ Natty took her hand.

Faye saw the worried look on her face. She thought of Jake packing to leave, and thought I’ve still got our return train tickets .

Jake can go back, but I’m going to make the most of the remainder of the holiday.

Faye couldn’t remember the last holiday she’d taken with Natty.

This was still going to be a holiday to remember for the two of them – she’d make sure of it.

‘Come on, let’s see if Evie is here. You wanted to tell her about your trip to the castle, didn’t you?’

‘Oh, yes please!’

When Faye stepped forward, Natty didn’t budge. She was looking through the shop window. ‘What is it, sweetheart?’

‘I wonder why Jake’s gone back to Lark Lodge.’ She turned to look up at Faye. ‘Do you think he’s got a surprise waiting for when we get back?’

Faye could feel the tears welling up. She swallowed.

There was going to be a surprise all right; the one Natty least expected – Jake would be leaving.

But that wasn’t going to be the worst of it.

He was going to be leaving them too. This was just why Faye hadn’t let a new man into Natty’s life since her father left.

Faye was determined not to think about that right now. She wasn’t spoiling their one holiday together in years. She’d just have to lie to Natty and say that Jake had been called back to London unexpectedly. Then Faye knew she’d have to drop the bombshell when they returned.

‘Come on.’ Faye held on to Natty’s hand. ‘We’re going to make this a holiday to remember, you and me. Starting now.’

‘All right, Mummy.’

They both stepped forward. Ahead of them in Mr Gillespie’s General Store was the sweet aisle.

‘Can I have some sweeties, Mummy?’

‘Of course you can.’

Natty halted. ‘Really? Are you feeling okay, Mummy?’

Faye laughed. She knew why Natty had asked that question. It was a rarity that Faye bought her sweets. Normally it only happened after much cajoling, and even that didn’t always work.

‘Let’s buy Evie some too,’ said Faye. She didn’t know yet whether Evie was there, and she’d have to check with her mum, Annie, whether Evie could have some sweets too, but she’d just cross that bridge in a minute.

Natty ran ahead, down the sweet aisle. Faye was about to follow when an older man carrying a cardboard box appeared around the corner of the grocery shelves and nearly bumped into Faye.

‘Who are you?’ he asked gruffly. ‘What do you want? ’

Faye stared at him. She guessed by the apron and the box of groceries that he was Mr Gillespie.

She had the impulse to state the obvious and be very sarcastic by replying, I am your customer, and I want to buy some sweets for my daughter.

Instead, she said, ‘I was admiring your window display and would like to see some more tartan cushions, like the ones you have on display, please.’

She knew it wasn’t Mr Gillespie who sold interior design items, but looking through the window a moment ago, it had seemed that there was no one serving in that side of the store.

Faye knew that Bonnie wouldn’t be in work all week.

She’d assumed that Annie was looking after the store. She wondered why she wasn’t there.

‘Right, well you don’t want to speak to me about that,’ he said.

Faye had the feeling that he was being unhelpful on purpose.

‘So, who do I speak to, then?’ Faye couldn’t hide her sarcasm.

She glanced around the empty shop and thought that it was little wonder there were no customers if he was going to treat people like this.

Even so, she added conversationally, ‘It’s unusual, having an interior design outlet in a grocery store. ’

‘Is it?’

Faye watched him kneel down to unpack the box of washing-up liquid and put the plastic bottles on the shelf. She could see why Bonnie wasn’t returning to work straight away if this was what she had to look forward to – working in a shop with such a grump.

‘You’re still here,’ he said, looking up at her.

Faye really liked the cushions. ‘As I said, I’m interested in a couple of tartan cushions like the ones in the window, and possibly a throw.’

‘Well, which is it – two cushions and a throw or just two cushions?’ Mr Gillespie got off his knees and squashed the small box flat between his hands.

Faye bit her lip before she said something she’d regret.

She’d had enough of his short-tempered retorts.

She was about to fetch Natty and take her custom elsewhere – there was supermarket on the other side of the street that she imagined had plenty of sweets – when he stopped, looked down the sweet aisle, and bellowed, ‘What are doing? I hope you’ve got the money to pay for those, young lady. If you’re shoplifting …’

Natty immediately dropped the sweets in her hand.

‘Hey!’ Faye strode up to the old man. ‘Who do you think you are – accusing my daughter of shoplifting?’

‘Ah, I didn’t realise she was with someone.’

‘Yes – her mother.’

Natty ran passed Mr Gillespie and immediately took her mother’s hand. ‘I didn’t take anything, Mummy. I was just choosing some sweeties.’

‘I know, darling.’

Faye hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting this grumpy old man the last time she had been in the shop last – although for some reason, he seemed familiar.

She just couldn’t place where she’d seen him before.

But this was the last straw. She held her finger up and pointed at him.

‘Nobody accuses my daughter of shoplifting. Come on, sweetheart – let’s go.

We’ll come back when we can speak to Annie, who sold you the ribbon for Olive last time we were here.

’ Faye glared at the man in front of her. ‘Maybe she would like my custom.’

Faye was just storming up to the shop door when Mr Gillespie called out, ‘Wait!’

She reluctantly turned around.

‘Did you just say Annie sold you some ribbon for Olive?’

Faye shrugged. ‘Yeah – what of it? ’

Mr Gillespie got out some glasses from the pocket of his apron. He peered at them both. ‘Hey, I know you. You were at the party.’

‘Party? Bonnie’s party?’

‘That’s right.’

Now Faye knew where she’d seen him before. ‘You were there too.’

‘Yes, Bonnie is engaged to my son, David.’

‘Oh, of course.’ It made perfect sense that he’d have been at the party too. There had been so many people, and so much going on that evening that the whole night had gone by in a blur.

‘I remember you now. It was the mention of ribbon and Olive. Your daughter and Evie were putting ribbons in Olive’s hair.’

Inexplicably, Mr Gillespie suddenly turned and walked down an aisle. He picked up the sweets that Natty had dropped and quickly returned. ‘Sorry, but I do have a problem with kids coming in, stealing sweets, after school.’

‘Well, that’s terrible. Parents should be instilling in their children a moral compass – teaching them right from wrong.’

‘I agree.’

Faye followed him to the counter. She continued, ‘But in my experience, some parents just have no parenting skills.’

‘In your experience …?’

‘Oh, I’m a teacher.’

Mr Gillespie stood behind the counter. ‘Sad state of affairs, isn’t it?’

‘I’ll say.’

He put the sweets into a small paper bag and secured it with some tape. He handed it to a shy Natty, who was standing beside Faye at the counter.

Faye opened her purse. ‘How much do I owe you?’

‘It’s on the house.’

‘Oh, I couldn’t …’

‘I insist. That was very rude of me to assume …’ he trailed off. ‘Sometimes I have a problem with out-of-towners too.’

Faye quipped, ‘Why does that not surprise me?’

Mr Gillespie looked at her sheepishly. ‘You know, most of them are perfectly nice, but some do sweep in here in their posh four-wheel drives, with their second homes, acting like they own the place.’

Faye thought of the Rosses and wondered if that was how they carried on, although somehow, she couldn’t imagine it.

‘Well, I can assure you, that’s not me.’ Although she knew she could be guilty by association if that was how the Rosses behaved.

‘I’m Duncan, by the way. I’m not surprised we didn’t really meet at the party. It all went by in a bit of blur, with what went on … you know.’

Faye smiled. ‘Yes, I know.’

Duncan looked again at Natty. ‘I am so sorry if I scared you.’ His face softened as he broke into a smile. ‘And what’s your name?’

‘I’m Natty. We’re on holiday with Jake and staying at Lark Lodge for a whole week. I want to stay longer. I love Scotland. Mummy, can we stay longer – please?’

Faye swallowed. Unfortunately, that was now definitely out of the question.

‘Yes, I remember you arrived with Jake Campbell-Ross.’

Faye rolled her eyes at Natty, wishing she hadn’t mentioned that. ‘Sad state of affairs, what happened to his wife.’

Faye regarded him for a long moment. She looked at Natty. ‘Do you want to go and choose some more ribbon for Olive? ’

‘But there’s no one in that side of the shop.’

‘It’s okay, isn’t it?’ she asked Duncan.

‘Yeah, sure.’

‘Bring them back here so I can pay.’

Duncan shook his head. ‘It’s fine. I’m sorry I behaved like that.’

‘Please, Natty, just choose what takes your fancy.’

Faye watched Natty skip across to the other side before she turned to Duncan. ‘You were saying … about Jake’s wife, Eleanor …’