Page 32 of The Boathouse by the Loch (The Scottish Highlands #4)

After the initial wave of relief that Natty had been found came the questions, Faye and Patrick firing them off at Jake while Faye, in her desperation to get answers, kept reaching for the phone in Jake’s hand.

‘Calm down, both of you,’ Jake ordered, because they were drowning out the woman on the end of the line.

Jake had assumed he was talking to a police officer, but it turned out the young woman was an employee at the coach company, working in the ticket office.

She had noticed a young girl hanging around Victoria Coach Station in Belgravia.

‘She’s where?’ said Jake. ‘All right. We’re on our way.’

‘Where is she?’ Faye asked.

‘Victoria Coach Station.’

Jake was just relieved she hadn’t got on a bus to Scotland. But she had bought a ticket.

‘She what?’ said Patrick.

Faye asked, ‘Why did they ring my house phone?’

Patrick said, ‘Either she remembered your home phone number, or they used directory enquiries.’

‘She kept asking for a mobile phone, and I said no. If she’d had one, she’d have had my number in her phone, and I would have been able to contact her.’

‘And track her phone,’ commented Patrick.

Jake held up his hand for them to quieten down while he listened.

Natty had bought a ticket to Edinburgh. How she’d planned to get from there to Aviemore, Jake had no clue; the coaches didn’t go all the way to Natty’s destination.

Of course, the company wouldn’t sell tickets to a lone child, but Natty had walked up to the ticket booth on her own and had explained that her parents were letting her buy her own ticket.

She’d pointed at a young couple who were sitting together, waiting for a bus, and had sat down on the seat next to them after she’d bought her ticket. It would be a long wait.

When the young woman started her shift, she’d noticed the young girl sitting on her own with an iPad and a backpack. That was when her colleague told her he’d sold her a ticket because her parents had said she could buy it herself.

‘So, where are the parents?’ she’d asked, getting suspicious, wondering if the girl was running away from home.

The young woman had told Natty a fib, that the bus was cancelled, and that she’d refund her ticket, and was there someone she could call to collect her from the station because she couldn’t stay there all night until the next bus in the morning.

Jake listened as the young woman said it was quite something for someone so young to plan a journey all the way to Scotland, and she’d found the cheapest route.

A smile flitted across his lips. ‘That’s what I keep telling her mother,’ said Jake, eyeing Faye.

‘What – tell me?’ said Faye, who was still clinging to her father’s arm .

‘That she’s a very smart young lady,’ said Jake, passing the phone to Faye. ‘She’s just finishing eating a hot meal in their staff canteen.’

Faye shook her head. ‘Tell them I’m on my way.’

Jake nodded. ‘All right.’ He did just that and put the phone down. Jake explained, ‘Sounds like she had a plan. She bought a bus ticket to Scotland.’

‘How the hell did she do that?’ said Patrick. ‘They know kids are not allowed to travel alone. I’m going to get hold of the person who issued the ticket to a lone nine-year-old kid and …’

‘Apparently Natty knew about that little rule as well,’ said Jake eyeing Patrick. He could well imagine what Patrick would do to that ticket officer. ‘Somehow she made him think she was travelling with a young couple.’

Patrick raised his eyebrows. ‘How’d she do that?’

Jake told them what the young woman had said.

‘Natty must have been aware she wouldn’t be able to travel alone, so she sat down in the waiting area next to a young couple.

Now the man in the ticket booth sees them together, so when Natty comes up to buy her ticket she tells him that her mummy – at this point she makes a show of turning around and waving at the young woman – has let her be all grown-up and buy a ticket all by herself as long as the nice ticket man will let her. ’

Jake could imagine those dark, mischievous eyes staring dolefully at the poor man in the ticket booth; he didn’t have a chance.

‘I don’t believe it!’ said Faye.

Patrick chuckled.

Faye turned to her father. ‘This isn’t funny!’

He raised his eyebrows, tempered his smile, and said, ‘Ahem, no, of course not.’

Patrick got out his mobile phone and dialled the police as he walked to the door. ‘Hello, yes. I’m phoning about a missing child – Natasha Ames. We found her.’

As Faye hurriedly slipped on a coat, Jake followed her to the front door and said, ‘I’m sorry about all this.’ She was right: it was his fault. ‘I should have guessed what she was up to.’

Faye surprised him when she replied, ‘You had no way of knowing she’d do something like this.’

Jake smiled in relief. Was all forgiven? Could they go back to the way things had been? Might he be in with a chance with Faye after all?

‘There’s just one thing that puzzles me,’ mused Faye. ‘Where did she find the money to catch a bus in the first place? She only gets a couple of pounds a week pocket money, and I know for a fact she spends that on sweets.’

Oh, dear . Jake pursed his lips. I think she must have used her GoHenry account.’

‘Her what?’ said Faye.

‘It’s a savings account with a pre-paid debit card for youngsters aged between six and eighteen.’ Jake added, ‘It’s not just parents who can open one for children, grandparents and close family friends can … too.’

The look on Faye’s face said he’d done the wrong thing.

Faye asked, ‘Whose idea was that?’

‘Actually, it was hers.’ Jake wasn’t passing the buck, but it was true. ‘She said all her friends had one and it made her feel grown-up. You can use it to pay for the … bus.’ Jake frowned.

‘Why didn’ t she ask me ?’

Jake would really rather not answer that question.

‘Well?’

‘She said Mummy never has any money so there was no point having the card if she couldn’t have more than two pounds.’

‘I don’t believe this,’ said Faye.

‘Now, don’t get mad,’ Patrick intervened. ‘It sounds like a good idea to me.’ He turned to Jake. ‘Does that mean I can deposit some money into her GoHenry account?’

‘Of course. You can transfer some money, and even set up a recurring transfer too. I’d just need to add you to—’

‘Urrgh!’ Faye cut across Jake. ‘I can’t believe you went behind my back and opened an account in my daughter’s name.’

‘It was only recently. I was going to tell you. We wanted it to be a surprise.’

‘Oh, so now you’re both keeping secrets from me.’

Patrick came to Jake’s defence. ‘Now come on Faye, don’t you think that’s a little harsh?’

‘Now you’re taking his side. Well, what a surprise!’

Jake said, ‘It’s a really good account, comes with an app that teaches them about managing money, budgeting, and saving—’

‘Teaches them money management! That’s a fine one coming from you,’ she scoffed. Faye turned to her father. ‘Do you know how much stuff he buys her? It’s like a regular toy store at his house. He buys her whatever she wants. And now he’s going to give her whatever money she wants too.’

‘No, I wouldn’t do that! Look Faye, I didn’t mean …’ began Jake, but he was cut short by the phone ringing.

Faye leapt to the phone. She said anxiously, ‘Hello? Yes, yes, that’s me,’ said Faye down the phone.

‘She wants to speak to me before I come and get her? I was just walking out of the door. Is she okay? Oh, she just wants to speak to me. Of course, yes put her on …’ She waited a second or two then, ‘Natty? Oh, sweetheart, it’s so good to hear your voice …

no, you’re not in trouble … no, I’m not mad at you …

’ She laughed. ‘No, not even an insy bit … of course I still love you … oh, I shouldn’t have said that about Jake.

I’m sorry.’ Faye turned to look at Jake. ‘Of course you can see him again.’

Jake sighed in relief. It didn’t mean all was forgiven, but at least he was still in their lives – for the time, being at least.

‘When?’ Faye said, clearly repeating what Natty had asked. ‘He’s here with me right now. Yes, it’s true. He came straight back from Scotland when he found out you were missing.’

Faye frowned. ‘All right.’ She reluctantly handed him the phone.

‘Natty, sweetheart. No, I’m not angry with you …’ Jake reassured her, smiling when he realised he was almost repeating verbatim what Faye had just said to Natty a moment earlier before he handed the phone back to Faye.

She said, ‘Right, I’m on my way.’ Faye looked at Jake. ‘No, it’s just me coming to collect you.’

Jake stepped forward, about to protest, but Patrick caught his arm and shook his head.

Jake backed down. In that moment, he realised no matter how close he felt to Natty, no matter how much he would be honoured to be her daddy, the simple fact was that he had no rights there.

It was all up to Faye, and from her reaction to what Patrick had foolishly blurted earlier, or maybe to the GoHenry card, or just to the fact that Natty had wanted to speak to Jake, or just everything right now, it looked like he’d never get the chance to be anything more than a friend. Perhaps not even that .

This was exactly the reason he could barely acknowledge his own feelings, let alone tell Faye how he really felt about her; he was scared of rocking the boat in case Faye threw him overboard.

He would rather things remained just the way they were without any possibility of taking their relationship further, just as long as they both stayed in his life.

Now it looked as though the chances of that were slim to none, unless she had other plans.

Unless she was planning a surprise for Natty.

He could picture the scene; Faye arriving to fetch Natty, surprising her by bringing along both Jake and her grandfather – a happy family reunion.

And the icing on the cake would be Faye telling Natty that she loved Jake and she wanted to marry him.