Page 42 of The Boathouse by the Loch (The Scottish Highlands #4)

Jake was woken by the sound of voices coming from the kitchen.

He was pretty sure he’d heard Natty badgering her mother to wake him up, and Faye telling her to quieten down.

He hoisted himself up to a sitting position.

He checked the time and was shocked that it was almost ten.

It was little wonder that Natty wanted to wake him up.

The only time he’d stayed over at Faye’s, and had slept on the couch, was when he’d babysat Natty while Faye was on a course and she’d got held up getting home.

This time, he wasn’t babysitting. He and Patrick had hung around, anxious to see Natty when Faye returned home with her.

Patrick had been so nervous; worried that as soon as Faye returned and found him still at her house, she’d tell him to leave.

He hadn’t been the only one feeling nervous.

But Faye hadn’t told them she wanted them gone before she returned.

All she’d said was that she was collecting Natty from the bus station on her own.

When Natty arrived home, there was an awkward moment when she ran into Jake’s arms, rather than her grandfather’s.

It was understandable; Jake had been a fixture in her life recently, far more than her grandfather.

. Patrick was desperate to change that. And, as it turned out, so was Faye.

They’d all had dinner together, and Patrick had stayed until Natty’s bedtime, reading her a bedtime story before kissing her goodnight.

Natty had wanted a bedtime story from Jake too, and a promise that Jake would be there in the morning.

She had not made her grandfather promise the same.

It hadn’t bothered Patrick. He’d walked out of the door on cloud nine about the fact that as soon as they returned from Scotland, he knew he could head round for dinner and read his granddaughter a bedtime story again.

Jake listened to Faye and Natty, who were still bickering in the kitchen.

He hadn’t been able to promise Natty the previous night that he’d still be there in the morning – it had been up to Faye to decide whether she wanted him to crash on her couch.

The problem was that Natty had been up and down the stairs until late, checking he was still there.

By the time she had gone off to sleep, and then he and Faye had sat chatting until late about their plans to go on holiday to Scotland, it was so late that Faye insisted he should stay.

It was just as well, as Jake was too exhausted to walk to the tube station and get a train home.

Jake stood up, stretched, and folded the spare duvet that Faye had given him.

Faye had decided not to tell Natty the previous night about the holiday to Scotland.

Natty had been too excited as it was, both with Jake’s unexpected arrival back from Scotland and with finding her doting grandfather waiting for her at home too.

The news that she was going on holiday with Jake to Scotland too would have been a recipe for an overtired and overexcited nine-year-old to end up getting very little sleep – which would not start the first day of the school summer holidays on the right note.

Faye was right when she’d said that Natty had had enough excitement for one day.

Now, Jake was wondering whether, in the cold light of day, all the talk of them going on holiday together to Scotland was going to turn out to be just that – talk.

Jake swallowed. He’d been so excited at the thought of returning to Scotland with them, making plans for what they could do together when they arrived, and thinking about Patrick’s advice – make sure they have a bloody good time, get back in her good books, and lastly …

don’t screw it up . He’d found it difficult to sleep.

Now, he was wondering why Faye hadn’t woken him.

Was she putting off the moment she was intending to tell him that she’d changed her mind?

Disappointment washed over him at the possibility.

Perhaps the real reason she hadn’t told Natty the previous night about the trip was because she was already having second thoughts.

She’d suggested it in the heat of the moment, and now she’d had plenty of time to think it through and probably thought it was a bad idea.

Natty had disappeared all because of him.

Jake wondered if Faye had only suggested it because Natty had planned to go to Scotland to find Jake, so in the spirit of proving to Natty that she’d definitely taken back what she’d said to her about not seeing Jake anymore, she was proving it by going on holiday with him – and to Scotland to boot.

Jake frowned. He was convinced that was it.

He stepped out of the lounge and walked up the stairs to the bathroom.

He was just opening the bathroom door when he happened to glance into Faye’s bedroom.

He saw two suitcases. He did a double-take.

Was Faye already making preparations for their holiday, even though the plan wasn’t to leave until Friday?

It was Saturday, and Jake would have loved to go that day, but even though it was the first week of the school holidays, Faye still had one of her courses to attend the next week for her headship qualification.

The upside to hanging around London for the week was that he would be babysitting Natty while Faye was on her course.

Jake stood outside the bathroom door, staring at the suitcases in disbelief. Was it really happening – the three of them going on holiday to Scotland?

Jake flushed the loo and headed back downstairs. He heard Natty in the kitchen as he approached the door.

‘Are you getting me a phone just like yours?’

‘Not exactly sweetheart. It will be a basic phone without WiFi or internet, but we’ll go shopping and you can choose one.’

‘Oh Mummy, you’re the best.’

‘I know.’

‘But will there be time before we go on holiday?’

Jake was about to open the kitchen door when he heard Faye say, ‘There will be plenty of time to shop for a mobile phone. You’ve got all week.’

‘Please can we wake Jake up now? I can’t wait to talk to him about our holiday. He is coming too. Mummy, you won’t change your mind, will you?’

‘Oh, sweetheart. Rest assured, we are not going anywhere without him.’

Jake felt a lump in his throat. He had his heart set on showing them the country of his birth, and the place he would always think of as home, but in that moment he realised that although it would have been wonderful, he didn’t actually care all that much where they went, as long as he was with them.

Jake couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as he opened the kitchen door. Natty immediately flew into his arms. ‘Jake!’

Jake threw Faye a sheepish look, suddenly afraid of how spending a holiday together would work.

Would it draw them closer? Would she start to feel the same way about him that he felt for her?

Or would he find his relationship with her daughter getting in the way?

It wouldn’t get in the way of them physically being together, but what if Faye were to feel jealous and threatened by his presence in Natty’s life, after being a single parent for so long?

Patrick was right: it had always been just the two of them before Jake had come along – she’d made sure of it by keeping distance in her relationships, keeping the guys she’d dated out of Natty’s life.

But she hadn’t counted on a guy she wasn’t dating, who she’d invited into their lives, capturing Natty’s heart.

Oh, how he wanted to capture Faye’s too.

Jake held his breath.

‘Jake,’ said Faye, smiling, ‘Natty and I have a surprise for you.’

‘For me?’

Natty nodded. ‘Yes.’

‘You know I told you last night that I wanted us all to go on holiday together to Scotland?’

Jake nodded. He didn’t let on that he’d already overheard them talking and had guessed that perhaps they weren’t going to Scotland after all.

He wasn’t surprised. It was quite a distance to drive, unless they flew, and with the school summer holidays having started, and their plan to go at such short notice, he imagined the flights might be fully booked, unless he paid first class.

Knowing Faye, she wouldn’t want him to go to the expense.

There would be plenty of other destinations in the UK that didn’t involve a flight or such a long car journey.

He smiled. Wherever she wanted to go was fine by him – perfect, even. He’d have no quibbles whatsoever with her plans. He looked at Natty. ‘What’s the surprise?’

‘It was Natty’s idea. Early this morning when she’d woken up, I told her the plan to have a holiday together in Scotland.’

Jake nodded. ‘You know, it’s absolutely fine not going to Scotland.’

‘Who said we’re not going to Scotland?’

‘Um … I thought maybe you’d changed your mind about the destination.’

‘Why would I do that?’

‘Because it’s a long way by car.’

‘Well that’s what holidays are for. To get away – a long way away.’

Jake grinned.

‘But we don’t have to travel by car,’ said Faye. ‘Natty and I talked about it, and I gave Natty a choice as to how we travel there – plane, train or automobile.’

Natty chuckled into her hand.

Faye smiled at her. ‘Sorry, it’s a bit of an in-joke. You know that old eighties movie she likes …’

‘Oh, yeah.’ Jake smiled. ‘So, what did you choose?’ Jake couldn’t stop smiling. He still couldn’t believe this was really happening – they were all going to Scotland together.

Natty ran up and gave Jake a slip of paper. ‘Here – we printed yours out.’

‘You booked already?’ Jake said in surprise casting a glance over at Faye.

Natty said, ‘Yes, while you were still asleep. We wanted to surprise you.’

Jake took the ticket. He was surprised all right. He gave Natty a hug .

‘It’s a train ticket,’ said Faye.

Jake looked at the train ticket with a sinking feeling. ‘Well, that’s just … wonderful, Natty.’

Of all the ways to travel, why had she needed to choose the train?

Jake tried hard not to think of Eleanor, but it wasn’t working.

They had always gone to Scotland by train.

In the beginning, they hadn’t. They had gone by car, but the car journeys had been long and monotonous.

It had been Eleanor’s idea to go by train.

And it had stuck. They had always got the sleeper train.

Jake looked at his ticket. At least it wasn’t a sleeper.

‘Mummy always says that trains are very romantic.’

Jake peered at Faye.

‘Er … no, I don’t.’

‘Yes you do.’

‘Well, um, not in this scenario, sweetheart.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘I mean this is a holiday, not a romantic break.’

Jake looked across at Faye, disappointed.

‘Why not?’ said Natty. ‘You two could smoochy-smoochy on the train.’ Natty puckered her lips.

‘Natty!’ Faye exclaimed. ‘No one is doing any smoochy-smoochy on the train – or anywhere else on holiday.’

‘Shame.’

Faye turned swiftly in Jake’s direction. ‘Pardon?’

‘I said, er … same, no one is doing the … smoochy-smoochy.’

Faye looked at him for a long moment.

Jake wondered if she thought he was taking the mickey. He kept his expression neutral.

‘Well, good. I’m glad to hear it.’ Faye turned to Natty. ‘Why don’t we go shopping for your phone this morning? ’

Jake noticed she’d quickly changed the subject.

‘Can Jake come too?’ Natty asked.

Jake turned to Faye expectantly. He wanted to spend the day with them. He wanted to spend every day with them until they all left for Scotland. They could go shopping for her phone, then get some lunch out, and take Natty to one of the London parks, and perhaps to a museum in the afternoon.

‘Oh, Mummy, please say Jakey can come too. Please, please, please.’

Faye turned to him. ‘Jake, would you like to—’

‘Absolutely.’

‘All right. Natty, go and clean your teeth.’

Natty was out of the door like a shot.

Jake smiled after her, thankful for pester power.

He had the whole week already planned out in his head.

There were lots of things they could do together each day in London: museums, the zoo, parks.

Perhaps Patrick would like to join them and enjoy some days out together before the three of them headed off to Scotland on Friday.

He stole a glance at Faye. Of course, whether they invited Patrick would be up to her.

Natty’s head reappeared round the door. ‘Mummy says she fancies you.’

‘Natty! I did not.’

‘Did too, when I asked you if you like Jake.’

‘Yes, but I didn’t say—’

Natty slammed the door shut. Jake heard her thundering up the stairs. When he turned to Faye, she was furiously wiping up. ‘Right, I’ve got a ton of things to get done before we go shopping this morning. Do you need to go home and, you know, shower and change? ’

‘I’ve got my bag right here.’ Jake pointed towards the hall. Patrick had taken it out of his car and left it the previous night. ‘I’ve got clean clothes. Would you prefer that I go home to shower and change?’

‘No, why would I prefer that?’

Her back was still to him, he noticed. She was avoiding eye contact.

Her reply was short, abrupt. Jake sighed.

He really hoped this holiday was not going to turn out to be a bad idea.

Natty clearly had plans for him and Faye to get together.

He did too. But he wasn’t a nine-year-old child with no filter, who wanted things now.

Jake could wait. He’d wait and wait and wait, and hope that one day Faye might just feel an inkling of what he felt for her.