Page 51 of The Boathouse by the Loch (The Scottish Highlands #4)

‘Come on, let me show you around,’ said Robyn, racing ahead to the door and quickly punching in the key code for the alarm.

Judith came up behind her. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Just switching off the alarm.’

‘Why do you need a house alarm all the way out here?’

Robyn pursed her lips. She did not want to talk about the reason, especially as David had no clue that Duncan had told her about the burglary.

She turned around, smiling at Judith, and shrugged. ‘I don’t know,’ she said, and left it at that.

David followed them into the house, carrying Judith’s luggage.

Robyn was just saying to Judith, ‘Let me show you around,’ when Judith rushed into the kitchen before Robyn even had a chance to start the grand tour. Judith then reached for the study door.

‘Wait – I didn’t tell you about—’

Too late. Judith had already opened the study door, only to be met by an excited beagle jumping up at her.

‘Percy – down!’ Robyn had left Percy in the study with his dog bed, toys, and a chew, and with the door shut, so that he didn’t get under their feet when Judith first arrived. She had decided not to mention that she had a dog until they arrived home.

She’d wanted to take Percy with them to the airport, but hadn’t wanted to leave him in the car on such a warm day while they met Judith in the airport terminal.

The only option had been to leave Percy at home alone.

Robyn knew they’d only be gone three hours.

She wouldn’t have left him any longer than that.

‘Sorry, Judith. I hope you don’t mind dogs. I should have told you about—’

Judith walked into the study, ignoring the dog at her heels, before Robyn had even finished what she was saying.

When Judith reappeared, David said, ‘I’ll take your suitcase up to one of the bedrooms.’ He was just about to take the stairs when Judith pushed past him and took the stairs two at a time.

Robyn and David stood at the foot of the stairs and exchanged a look of surprise.

Even Percy sensed something was amiss. He stood beside Robyn and David, looking up the stairs, whining.

Robyn said, ‘What’s with her?’

David replied, ‘Guess she’s eager to see the place.’

Robyn smiled. ‘Yes, I guess she is.’ Robyn gave Percy a reassuring pat on the head before starting up the stairs.

When she got to the lounge on the next floor, with the log burner, exposed brickwork, faux beams, and the gorgeous view out of the double doors to the loch, she presumed that was where she’d find Judith, keen to get out on the balcony and soak up the amazing views.

Robyn stopped in the lounge with Percy at her heels. The patio doors leading out to the balcony were still shut. ‘Judith?’

Percy ran out of the lounge and stopped at the foot of the next flight of stairs up to the bedrooms .

Robyn followed Percy and met David on the landing, about to take Judith’s case up the next flight. She said, ‘I think Judith is upstairs.’

‘All right. She can choose one of the spare bedrooms.’

Robyn leaned in and whispered, ‘I wanted to show her the view from the balcony.’

‘There will be plenty of time for that.’ David glanced up the stairs. ‘Perhaps she wants to unpack first, and get settled in.’

Robyn nodded. ‘Of course.’ She hadn’t thought of that.

‘Will you tell her that I’ll be in the kitchen.

I need to get the dinner on …’ Robyn was keeping an eye on the time.

She’d already prepared a homemade lasagne – she just needed to put it in the oven to bake, and then make up a rocket salad, and some homemade skin-on chips.

She’d debated what to cook for the party. She’d wanted a sit-down meal, and had come up with so many different recipes online, she didn’t know what to choose. But whether she could pull off the ambitious recipes or even find all the ingredients in the local shops in Aviemore, she had no clue.

David told her not to make a rod for her own back, and to make something easy but tasty.

He’d suggested Italian. She had settled on lasagne – one meat-based and one vegetarian.

Robyn had also prepared a large pizza, buying the pizza base and adding her own toppings.

She knew Annie and Joe’s little girl, Evie, loved pizza.

Although she’d be the only child at the party, and wouldn’t eat a massive pizza all to herself, Robyn reckoned that a few of the adults might help themselves to a slice too.

It would be a strange combination with lasagne, but Robyn didn’t care.

She thought of the pizza, ready to go in the oven about ten or so minutes before people arrived, and decided she’d definitely help herself to a slice .

‘Will you tell Judith I’ll put the kettle on, so when she’s ready we can all have a cuppa together before Gayle arrives?’

‘Will do!’

Robyn watched David hoist the old suitcase up the stairs. She looked at Percy, who was sitting by her feet. ‘Come on, let’s go downstairs and leave Judith to her unpacking.’

Percy woofed.

Robyn frowned at him and gently tapped his nose. ‘Quiet! Remember – indoor voices. We talked about this.’

Percy licked her pointy finger.

‘Well, I talked about it, and you just looked up at me with those adorable eyes, didn’t you?’ Robyn smiled and gave him a fuss, before heading downstairs. She heard Percy’s paws on the open-tread stairs as he followed her.

In the kitchen, Robyn opened the enormous American-style fridge and got out two large Pyrex dishes containing the pre-prepared lasagne. It wouldn’t take long to heat up in the oven.

The pizza was on a tray on the worktop near the oven and the chips were ready to be cooked.

Next, she got out the rocket salad, some tomatoes, a cucumber, and a jar of the French dressing.

She decided not to add the French dressing to the salad, but leave the jar on the table so that her guests could help themselves.

She turned around with the jar and looked at the table she’d set up with a tablecloth and place settings.

It was a large table, which was just as well.

She’d only invited close friends, but there would be eleven, without herself, David and Judith.

Fourteen people at the meal. She’d had to jig around the place settings to fit everyone around the table.

And then David had let her in on a little secret.

He hadn’t even planned to bring up that he’d invited a surprise guest until he’d seen her doing the place settings at the table.

But it wasn’t just one extra guest – it was three!

One was a child, so Robyn had brought in the small garden table for two, with two chairs, and put that in the corner, where Evie could sit with whoever was coming and hopefully make friends. She could just about squeeze in two more people at the table.

Robyn had tried to find out who the surprise guests were, but David would not tell.

She had told him in the past that she didn’t like surprises, but he had assured her that she’d like this one.

Still, it was on Robyn’s mind. She didn’t know all David’s friends, and supposed that perhaps it was an old friend from high school, along with a partner and child.

Robyn had even written out little cards for the table so that everyone knew where they were sitting. She thought that although it was a bit formal, it was a nice touch, and saved any awkward moments if people had a preference about whom they were sitting with.

She looked around the table and checked the seating arrangement for the umpteenth time.

Joe and Annie would be seated together. Next to them would be Duncan and Alec, who planned to come straight after work in Duncan’s van.

Alec would be off to university in September.

Robyn would miss him. He hadn’t long started work in Duncan’s store part-time while he was studying for his A-Levels.

Robyn had found out that Duncan really didn’t have the money to pay for him, but he’d hired him on the spot when his mother had said she desperately needed the money.

It didn’t take long for Robyn to realise that underneath Duncan’s gruff, no-nonsense, and sometimes quite short-tempered exterior, there was a caring, gentle soul.

If only he’d mellow and let people see that part of his nature once in a while .

She’d put her friend Melissa and her partner Brodie on that side of the table too, next to Duncan.

Brodie now ran Wilbur’s Bookstore. She remembered Melissa and Brodie moving in together in the flat above the bookstore after they both graduated from university.

They were now settled into their new home, and were engaged.

Robyn wasn’t surprised. Melissa had confided that she’d set her heart on marrying Brodie before they’d even started dating.

Gayle, Doris, Marty and Nick, along with Judith, would be sitting together on the other side of the table.

David would be at one end of the table, and she would be at the other, with Judith sitting to her right.

She’d just squeezed in the two other surprise adult guests, one on either side of the table down at David’s end.

She’d placed them there because David knew them, with the letter ‘A’ on the cards for ‘anonymous’.

She had also invited Rose and George, the couple who lived on the new-build estate where Nick worked.

They had been the first people to hire her services as an interior designer and were good friends.

They’d passed her name on to all their new friends who’d moved on to the development.

She had been disappointed, but not surprised, when they’d sent their apologies – they’d already had a prior engagement. They were away with friends on a short break to Edinburgh to celebrate Rose’s birthday. Apparently they were travelling back late that evening.