A Christmas Wish on Arran (Scottish Romances #4)

Chapter Ten

Over the next couple of days, memories of Beth’s time on Arran came flooding back as she explored and refamiliarized herself with her new surroundings, as well as the places she had such fond memories of. Fortunately the rain had let up and the winds had died down, which made life a bit easier. She was so grateful that Margaret had suggested she borrow her car. It meant she could drive the whole way around the island from Brodick through the villages of Lamlash and then round to Whiting Bay down to Kildonan — an area she had always loved swimming at when she was younger — then to Blackwaterfoot and all the way up to Lochranza, where you could catch the ferry to Claonaig on the mainland, and then round to Corrie. It was exactly as she had remembered, which was such a relief. She would have been so disappointed if the island had lost its charm and appeal. Plenty of years had passed but, if anything, it felt as though things had mainly stayed the same. Yes, there were new places, but nothing significant or transformative that had changed its essence. It all felt reassuringly familiar. She felt a sense of belonging, which was an unusual feeling, and so far removed from what her life had been like last year. It felt like home .

A plumber had been called out to fix the heating in the flat, however, it looked as though a new boiler was needed, so the problem was going to take a bit longer than a few days to fix. In the meantime Beth had unpacked a few more of her clothes and made herself at home in the cabin, despite her attempts not to get too comfortable. The flat that she was going to was fine, but not a patch on the stylish hotel accommodation.

Today Jim had kindly invited her to have Sunday lunch with his family. He lived just outside the village of Lamlash with his wife, Freya, and their sons, who were twelve and fourteen. Beth stopped at the local shop in the village to pick up some flowers and chocolates for them. As she walked back towards the car she glanced up and noticed a café with floor-to-ceiling windows. The sign said Cèic and the windows were strung with twinkling fairy lights that made it look very cosy and welcoming. She was tempted to go in but was short of time. Instead, she made a promise to herself that she would definitely return to check it out. As she opened the car door, she glanced over at the verge by the beach and saw a man walking his dog. Her stomach started to flutter. There was something familiar about his gait and the casual but confident way he strolled across the grass. He turned to call the dog and, when she saw his face, her head started to spin. Beth quickly got into the car and sat in the driver’s seat for a moment to gather her thoughts. It was just a coincidence , she told herself. It wasn’t him. Not after all this time. It was just someone who looked like him, and she felt a pang of wistfulness as she thought back to those intense and heady days when life seemed far much simpler. She allowed her mind to drift for a moment, thinking back to how different her life might have been if he had arrived at the train station that day. Then she gave herself a shake and remembered that she had somewhere to be. There was no point in dwelling in the past. There was no way he was still here after all this time.

A few minutes later she pulled into the driveway of Jim’s split-level bungalow, which had wonderful views towards the Holy Isle. She paused for a moment as she looked at the small island in the bay. It was a place dedicated to peace and wellbeing and it was only now, when she had the perspective of a weary adult, that she understood why people would go there on retreats, to take a break from life and get back in touch with themselves. It did sound very appealing. As she turned and walked towards the front door of the house it swung open just as she reached it.

‘Well hello there,’ said Freya, a petite woman with curly red hair and a broad smile. ‘You must be Beth. I’ve heard so much about you. Welcome. Come on in.’

Beth warmed to her immediately as she followed her into a bright hallway where she kicked off her boots.

‘Och, you don’t have to do that Beth,’ said Freya, who was wearing just warm socks on her feet. ‘But I appreciate it. I feel as though I spend all my time mopping the floors at the moment, especially with all this rain. As you can imagine the boys tramp in and out with muddy boots and don’t give it a second thought. Come on through here.’ She walked into a huge open-plan kitchen with a large island and barstools.

‘This is Rory, our younger son.’ She pointed to a shy-looking boy who was sitting on a stool swinging his legs.

‘Hi Rory, nice to meet you,’ said Beth.

‘Hello.’ His cheeks flushed.

‘Where’s your brother?’ asked Freya.

Rory shrugged. ‘I’ll go find him.’ He slipped off the stool and went to look for him.

Beth handed the flowers and chocolates to Freya. ‘These are for you.’

‘They’re gorgeous,’ said Freya. ‘Though there was no need.’

‘I wanted you to know I appreciate you having me.’

Freya gave her a reassuring smile. ‘Thank you.’ She took the flowers to the sink and reached for a vase from a cupboard. ‘It’s great to have you here, and I know Jim is just relieved that it’s no longer just down to him.’

‘I’m excited about it.’ Beth watched as Freya snipped the end of the flowers, then poured boiling water over the ends.

‘Just a wee tip I picked up along the way. It makes them last longer.’ Freya had seen Beth watching.

Beth smiled. ‘Thanks for that. I will try and remember the next time I have flowers.’ She gestured around the room and towards the window that framed the bay. ‘You have a beautiful home. And what an amazing view.’

‘Thank you.’ Freya smiled and put the vase of flowers on the window ledge. ‘I do love sitting there and just looking out when I’m in the house on my own and all is quiet. It changes every day. I often think of it as being like a live picture frame.’

Beth nodded in agreement. ‘I can see how that would appeal.’

Freya pointed to one of the stools at the breakfast bar. ‘Take a seat while we wait for the boys to come down. I have to say, I do think you’re very brave to come here.’

Beth shrugged as she perched on the barstool. ‘At least it’s not completely new to me. I think that would be much scarier. I’m not quite sure I could go somewhere I don’t know at all. And it’s actually really nice to be back.’

‘Of course, that’s right. Jim said that you worked here when you were a student?’

‘Yes, that was a very long time ago. But it was a really happy time. I’ve got some great memories.’

‘I’m not surprised. That time in your life when you have no worries and everything is carefree. Then it all goes downhill.’ Her tone was knowing, but she smiled. ‘It has been a great place to raise the boys, and they love the summers here. But I have a feeling they’ll be off to the mainland as soon as they can.’ Freya took a seat opposite her. ‘Did you keep in touch with anyone from your time here?’

‘Not really. We all had good intentions to begin with, and then things kind of fizzled out. Life happened, I guess. I don’t know anyone here anymore. I suspect most people will have left and gone on to other things.’

‘Yes, I know what you mean. We didn’t have Facebook back in the day did we? It was harder to stay in touch, as I keep telling the boys. Mind you, it was also easier to be a bit more elusive, which I have to say I prefer. I will never get used to everyone feeling the need to share every minute detail of their lives.’

Beth nodded thoughtfully. Even now some people avoided social media like the plague. They clearly just didn’t want to be found.