Page 64 of The Boathouse by the Loch (The Scottish Highlands #4)

They drove down the single-track lane in silence.

She thought Joe might at least ask her where she’d go once she collected her belongings or what she’d do about her interior design outlet, which wasn’t actually her shop.

She realised with a start that everything was in Robyn’s name, from the business to the money in the savings account from the cheques that Judith had sent.

She looked at Joe and suddenly realised why he was accompanying her to the house to collect her stuff.

Her stuff. The clothes she could pack into the old rucksack.

Not the suitcase that belonged to Robyn.

Not the keys to Duncan’s shop where she ran Robyn’s Interior Design, not the savings account containing Robyn’s money, and certainly not the keys to the boathouse.

She realised something else with a start.

She would leave Aviemore just as she had arrived on Christmas Day, penniless and homeless.

But this time she’d be alone too. Bonnie didn’t care about Logan.

She was glad to be rid of him. But she’d cared about the baby so very much.

She remembered when she’d woken up in the hospital after the accident, and Dr Jamieson had broken the news that she’d been pregnant and that she’d lost her child.

All she’d hoped was that one day, she might – just might – be so very lucky as to start a family with the man of her dreams.

She had thought that it would happen, with David.

A wave of nausea suddenly hit her. ‘Oh, god. I need you to pull over. I think I’m going to be sick.’

‘Hold on.’ Joe slowed down to a stop. He’d barely put the handbrake on when she opened the car door and leaned over, retching. ‘Oh, god, I’m so sorry,’ she said before another bout.

Joe said in a gentle voice. ‘Are you all right?’

She sat up in her seat, and wiped her mouth.

Joe was frantically trying to unscrew a bottle of water. ‘Here.’

She took several sips.

‘Feeling better?’

She didn’t, not really, but nodded anyway. ‘Sorry.’

‘Please don’t apologise, Roby— I mean Bonnie.’ He paused. ‘That name is going to take some getting used to,’ she heard him mumble as he set off in the car.

Bonnie stared at the scenery. She couldn’t believe it had just been a few hours ago that she’d been driving down this road, sitting in the back of David’s car, excited about showing Judith her home and the wedding planner.

And now she was back, in Joe’s car, going to collect her belongings and be escorted from the boathouse.

It could be worse, she supposed. At least she wasn’t arriving in a police car.

She looked at Joe. ‘Will you do something for me? Will you tell David I’m sorry?’ She realised she wasn’t the only one whose life had changed forever that day.

Unsurprisingly, Joe shook his head. ‘No.’

Bonnie peered out of the window. ‘You’re right. You don’t have to do anything for me, and I wouldn’t expect you to.’

‘That’s not it, Bonnie. ’

She continued staring out of the window at the pine forest. ‘What do you mean, Joe?’

‘You have nothing to apologise for.’

‘That’s just not true. I was Logan’s girlfriend, the man who robbed your dad’s store, robbed David.’

‘That wasn’t you. That was Logan.’

‘But you all welcomed me into your homes, your hearts, and I was living a lie. I’m not the person you all thought I was. I’m not Robyn, I’m Bonnie.’

‘What’s in a name?’

‘What’s in a name?’ she repeated, getting angry. ‘What’s in a name? Everything, as it happens – at least for me.’

‘Ah, you see, that’s where you’re wrong. So wrong. We got to know you over the last few months, and you’re still you , whether you call yourself Robyn or Bonnie.’

As Joe turned down the driveway of the boathouse, she was expecting it to be deserted, but there was David’s car, and other cars parked haphazardly in the driveway, as though people had arrived in a hurry to vacate their cars.

Joe pulled the car up outside the house.

‘What’s going on?’ She recognised the cars – Gayle’s, and Brodie’s, Duncan’s delivery van. And a rental car that Jake, Faye and her daughter must have arrived in earlier that evening.

Joe turned in his seat to look at her.

She stared at him. ‘I don’t understand …’

‘I wanted to tell you – I really did.’

‘Tell me what?’

‘Why don’t you go inside?’

‘Aren’t you coming with me to check I don’t steal anything? Are they all here to make sure I don’t take anything that isn’t mine? Well, Bonnie’s, I mean.’

Joe got out of the car and whizzed around to the other side, opening the car door for her.

She reluctantly got out. She had not expected everybody to be there, making it all so, so much harder. But where were they?

Joe walked up to the front door. He didn’t have to punch in the alarm. The door was ajar. They were expected.

He walked in, but she didn’t follow. He turned around, walked back, and took her by the hand, saying softly, ‘You’re going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay.’

He led her up to the kitchen door and opened it. The door swung wide open.

Joes whispered, ‘They all swore me to secrecy. Sorry, I wanted to tell you. Whether you call yourself Robyn or Bonnie, that doesn’t change the fact that we all love you.’

She stared around the table. Everything was as it had been before, except it wasn’t her by the kitchen counter turning around with a large bowl of salad, about to drop it when she was confronted by Judith. It was Judith herself. She walked over to the table and put it down.

Everyone was looking a little flustered, as though they’d only just taken their seats.

Her homemade pizza and lasagne were in the centre of the table.

Judith said matter-of-factly, smiling at Bonnie, ‘Let’s start over.’

David stood up, walked around the table, and pulled out her chair. ‘Please, take a seat.’

Bonnie slowly sat down, not sure what to make of it all. Was she dreaming?

She felt David’s hand rest gently on her shoulder, then the feeling of his lips kissing the top of her head.

She watched Joe take a seat and then raise a glass.

She looked around the table, stunned that they were there – her friends who were, to her, family.

They were all there, in the same seats, raising a glass – the two children, raising a glass of squash – as though all that had happened when Judith had called the police had just been a horrible, horrible nightmare.

Joe said, ‘To the happy couple. Congratulations on your engagement.’

David stood by her chair, a hand on her shoulder, raising his glass.

Duncan said, ‘Hear, hear!’

Percy woofed twice, which made everyone laugh.

‘Shall I be mother?’ asked Gayle, rising from her chair.

‘But I’m mother,’ said Doris.

Gayle smiled as the plates were passed to her one by one and she started dishing up the homemade lasagne. Conversation rose around the table.

David was about to walk over to resume his seat at the other end of the table when Bonnie grasped his hand.

He looked down at her, concerned. He whispered. ‘Is everything okay?’

‘Oh, David – everything is more than okay. It’s just … I didn’t expect this.’ She’d tried very hard not to cry in front of everyone, but now tears were streaming down her face.

He knelt down by her chair and reached up, gently wiping away her tears. ‘Did you think we’d all love you any less?’

‘I thought … I really thought I was coming back here to collect my things and leave.’

‘I know. Joe really wanted to tell you, but we just wanted to surprise you. I’m so sorry, it was a stupid, stupid idea.

I didn’t mean to make you cry. We were all in on it, obviously.

Gayle did think that after what you’d been through it was too much, surprising you, and continuing with the meal, and having the party, but we all wanted to be here to welcome you home. Can you forgive us?’

‘Can you forgive me ?’

‘What for? Having a raw deal in life, and trying your best to make a go of it with the rotten cards you’d been dealt?’ He took her hands gently in his and whispered, ‘Tell me it’s all too much and I’ll send everyone home. They’ll understand … we can do this another time.’

She smiled at him, then looked around the table at everyone chatting, and eating, as though nothing extraordinary had happened that day.

But something extraordinary had. She wasn’t thinking about the fact that after so many months, she had her memories back.

What she’d discovered was far, far more important to her; finding out where she truly belonged, right there in the boathouse, with the people who knew her, the real her – the young woman who had started life with absolutely nothing, and nobody in her corner, but through a twist of fate had ended up with everything she could ever wish for.

‘I love you, David Gillespie.’

‘And I love you, Bonnie Stewart. Now, how about we eat, finally?’