A Christmas Wish on Arran (Scottish Romances #4)

Chapter Six

Beth woke early, having slept fitfully during the night. She was nervous, but also excited, about the day ahead as she swung her legs out of bed and pulled on her dressing gown. It was still dark and the flat was completely quiet, her dad still fast asleep. She shuffled into the kitchen to boil the kettle. Stifling a yawn, she stared out of the window, noticing the pool of moonlight in the residents’ garden and the gentle mist of rain. It was quite a magical and calming sight, and she allowed her gaze to linger on it as she sipped her tea. She really hoped the mist wouldn’t turn into a downpour as the weather was expected to change later. She could do with driving conditions being kind if she was to make the ferry. Indeed, she hoped the wind wouldn’t pick up until she was safely on Arran. Her bags were packed, she had checked the boat actually was on time and now all she needed to do was quickly shower and dress.

It didn’t take her long to get ready. When she came out of her room, her dad was waiting in the hallway in his striped pyjamas and the slippers she’d given him for his birthday.

‘Good morning, dear. Are you all set?’ His eyes were still bleary. ‘Please do drive safely and let me know when you’re there.’

She reached to him and pulled him into a tight hug. ‘Thanks, Dad.’ She felt a sob catch in the back of her throat.

‘You do them proud, and remember I can come and visit anytime. Just get settled and then I will pop over. And you’ll come back here for Christmas?’

‘Of course I will, Dad. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. We can make Christmas dinner together like we used to.’ Beth felt a wave of guilt ripple through her. Last year she had made excuses not to come back to Scotland for Christmas. She couldn’t face anyone or anything, and instead had spent it alone.

Her dad blinked back what looked like a tear and then reached across to the small hall table by the front door. ‘This is for you.’ He handed her an envelope. ‘Please take it and use it. Please,’ he pressed it to her palm as she started to refuse it, ‘don’t argue with me on this. I don’t quite know what has happened, Beth. You can tell me when you’re ready if you want, but equally you don’t need to tell me anything. But just let me do this for you. It will make me feel better.’

Beth smiled gratefully. She didn’t have the heart to disagree with him, so instead she took the envelope and tucked it safely into the bag slung across her body. ‘Thank you. Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it, and all you’ve done for me. Margaret too.’

She had said her farewells to Margaret last night, and Margaret had promised to come and visit her soon with her dad.

‘I was over there with the girls in the summer for the fête,’ she’d said, referring to her daughter and granddaughter. ‘It was quite the shindig.’ Then she’d winked. ‘But that’s a story for another time. You’ll not believe me when I tell you what happened . . . Anyway you’ll have a ball. Mind you, it’s going to be a big change from London isn’t it. But the good thing is there are lots of nice-looking fellas there too . . .’ She frowned as she thought about it. ‘Though they all seemed to be taken when I was there. But anyway I’m sure you’re bound to find yourself a new man. You’re a great catch.’

Beth had winced and Margaret blushed, seemingly realising she had put her foot in it. She started to quickly backtrack. ‘Sorry, ignore me. You don’t need a man. They’re useless. Nothing but trouble. You stay young, free and single. Ignore me and my big mouth. Sometimes I get a bit carried away and forget what I’m saying.’

Beth had grown increasingly fond of Margaret over the past week — especially after the Dolly-and-Cher bonding session — and now, as she stood there looking at her dad, who suddenly seemed older and smaller, she felt reassured that her dad had such a good neighbour, regardless of what their relationship was — and their questionable chat.

* * *

The weather forecast had been right, and by the time the ferry arrived at Brodick harbour, the wind had picked up and it was blowing a hooley. The grey water was furiously choppy. Beth had done all she could on the journey — focusing on the horizon — to avoid being sick. The dark, heavy skies looked as though a downpour of rain was imminent, and as she waited to get back down to the car deck, she heard people muttering about this being the last ferry of the day. As she turned to look at the rough seas behind her it was understandable that the ferry would dock in Brodick, not attempting the journey back to Ardrossan. Unfortunately, cancellations were par for the course if you lived on a Scottish island, even more so during the winter months. Even though it was just past noon, the fading daylight made it feel much later than it was. The shorter days were something she had managed to conveniently forget after living in the South of England for so long. As she looked out the smeared windows, she randomly thought about her old garden in Greenwich where she’d spent hot summer days enjoying glasses of ice-cold wine. She tried to push away the niggling voice of doubt that was starting to get louder in her head. Is this really what you want? Have you made a mistake? Is it ever a good idea to revisit the past? What on earth are you doing? Surely the café would be better than this? There is no way you can do this . But as she got into Margaret’s car, silently thanking her again for that huge act of kindness, she reminded herself that she didn’t have any other option. She no longer had a home or a job in London. This had to work. She had nothing to lose. Her inner cheerleader reminded her that, back in the day, she had flown all over the world in pursuit of stories. Interviewing Kofi Annan in New York when he was with the United Nations, actress Jennifer Aniston and all of One Direction were just a few highlights. Then the recession hit, and more and more jobs were axed and there were fewer prestigious jobs to cover. Beth had been a staff writer on a women’s glossy magazine, which was forced to close when advertising revenue plummeted. Since then she had tried her best to make it as a freelancer, but the momentous effort it took to come up with new ideas and try and pitch them to no avail had left her exhausted. Sighing, she thought about why she became a journalist all those years ago. It wasn’t about meeting celebrities. It was because she was young and na?ve and thought that she could make a difference. Until she soon realised that sales were the bottom line.

Starting the ignition, she braced herself at the sound of the clunk as she followed the other vehicles driving over the ramp. The plan was to drive straight to The Arran News office where she would meet her colleague, Jim. He would in fact be her only workmate, so she really hoped they’d get along. Although they had only met on Zoom, he had been really enthusiastic about offering her the position, and delighted to hear about her connection of old with Arran. As she drove out of the ferry terminal, she looked at the foot passengers who were getting soaked in the rain that had turned torrential. The one person who had bothered to risk an umbrella was now fighting with it — the wind had blown it inside out. She was taken aback at the fancy terminal building, which was definitely new. It had been a much simpler harbour when she had last been there. The office was just a few minutes’ drive away and she turned right and drove along the main road, briefly glancing at the cafés and shops that lined the left of the promenade. There had been lots of changes but, given that she hadn’t been here for more than two decades, it all felt amazingly familiar. As she pulled up outside the front of the office, a shiver of nerves rippled through her. Being cocooned in the car made her feel safe and warm. Especially as the wind was now battering huge raindrops off the windscreen. As she approached the row where the office was, she could see Jim standing at the window waving.

Ordinarily Beth would have leaped out the car to say hello. But she was nervous and that jeering voice wasn’t ready to quit. What if he thinks I’m not up to the job? What if I get found out? When she realised Jim was now waiting at the door and watching curiously, she summoned up the courage to get out of the car. Come on , she said to herself. Local newspapers matter, and this is where I can try and make a difference.

‘Hi Jim. How are you?’ She dashed towards the shelter of the doorway.

He ushered her in with a smile and gave her a warm handshake. ‘What a lovely day, eh.’ He laughed. ‘Welcome Beth. It is great to see you . . . and I’m just glad you made it.’ He gestured towards the bay. ‘I believe the ferries are off now for the rest of the day.’ He glanced at the sky. ‘Though it looks like it could be a few days given the weather forecast.’

‘I know. It was quite the bumpy ride. I just hoped I wouldn’t vomit.’ Oh why did I say that?

As if picking up on her anxious thoughts, he smiled reassuringly. ‘Well you wouldn’t be the first person to do that. I’ve never been great on boats, much to my wife’s annoyance. She loves sailing.’ He shrugged. ‘Anyway, you’re here now, Beth. There is no escape. Even if you wanted to leave you couldn’t. I just hope you’ve brought your wellies.’

Beth wished she could come up with a witty response, but her mind went blank. ‘Indeed.’ She pictured the posh boots she’d bought to go away for a weekend in the country with Tim, which didn’t happen. At least she could still get use of the boots.

‘Now, come on, I can show you the office to begin with, which will take all of about ten seconds.’ He pointed to the small open-plan office with a few desks. ‘Welcome to our grand headquarters.’ He chuckled. ‘Let’s just say you’re not going to get lost.’

Beth looked around the room. ‘It’s absolutely fine,’ she said brightly. A few wilting plants were dotted around the desks, looking as though they could do with a water.

‘The kitchen is there and the toilets too.’ Jim pointed through the back. ‘And you’ll appreciate, when the weather has improved a tad, we have that stunning sea view.’ They both laughed as they looked at the dark churning waters in the distance. ‘I’m fairly relaxed about where you want to work. You’ll be out and about a fair bit, and we will always have a few meetings at certain times where we’ll both be in the office. But if you want to write anything up from home that’s okay. I tend to prefer coming in to be honest. I find I get a bit too distracted at home and end up in the kitchen or watching daytime telly.’ He rolled his eyes and grinned.

‘That all sounds good to me,’ she said. ‘And the flat? It’s just upstairs?’

Jim hesitated and rubbed his hand over his chin. ‘Ah, yes, it is.’ He shifted his eyes from hers.

Beth felt a prickling sense of unease as she frowned.

‘The only thing is, well, about the flat. I have to admit that we do have a slight problem.’