A Christmas Wish on Arran (Scottish Romances #4)

Chapter Eleven

After Freya and Beth chatted for a while, Jim appeared with who Beth assumed was their older son.

‘Hi there,’ she said brightly.

‘Good to see you Beth,’ said Jim. ‘This is Murray. We were just trying to get some maths homework done.’

Murray was less shy than his brother — he stepped forward and held out his hand. ‘Nice to meet you, Beth.’

‘Oh, I don’t envy you. Maths was never my strong point,’ admitted Beth.

‘Aye and I don’t think it’s my dad’s either.’

Beth chuckled.

‘Oi,’ said Jim, ‘do you mind? Did I or did I not help you with the problem?’ He rolled his eyes. ‘Honestly! Grab a seat at the table and I’ll get lunch sorted. It won’t be long.’

‘Jim has been cooking so we are in for a treat.’ Freya chuckled. ‘Beth, if you and the boys grab a seat at the table and I’ll just bring over some water.’

The large table in the dining area of the kitchen was covered in a pale blue oilskin cover, was flanked on either side by pine benches.

‘Beth, I’ve done a roast chicken. I hope that’s okay. And I believe Rory has been busy making an apple crumble.’ Jim had a tea towel sling over his shoulder and looked very much at home in the kitchen.

‘That sounds perfect. Thank you. And Rory, how did you know that crumble is my favourite?’

Rory blushed but smiled as he followed Beth to the table, taking a seat next to her. ‘We did it in food tech.’

‘Food tech, is that like home economics?’

Freya nodded as she sat opposite Beth. ‘Yes, it was home ec back in our day, wasn’t it? But it’s pretty much the same thing.’

‘And do you like cooking, Rory?’ asked Beth.

‘Yes.’ He nodded enthusiastically.

‘What sort of things do you like making?’

‘Pastas, cakes, curries, omelettes.’ His voice bubbled with excitement. ‘And we’re going to start doing Christmas baking soon. Shortbread and a Yuletide log.’

‘Wow. I wish I could do all of that.’

Rory flushed with embarrassment but smiled, clearly delighted by her praise.

‘The school has a winter market later this month,’ said Freya. ‘You’ll need to come to that Beth. Rory has volunteered to help with the cake stall.’

‘I will be there.’ Beth smiled at Rory. ‘I love cake, and it’s been ages since I’ve gone to anything like that. Count me in.’

‘And there’s the Christmas fair too. That’s at the start of December, when the lights are switched on.’ Rory’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Jim chuckled. ‘And that’s just in Lamlash. You’ve joined us at the right time, Beth. It’s going to be a busy few weeks for you.’

‘It sounds perfect. I can’t wait.’ And Beth meant it.

Perhaps it was Rory’s youthful enthusiasm, or the cosy ambience that Jim and his wife had created in their home, but Beth realised she felt a sense of happy anticipation at the thought of Christmas. She was looking forward to being part of this community as all the festivities began. It was a sign of how far she’d come since this time last year.

The conversation flowed over lunch as they talked about the boys’ school and their other subjects. Some favourite and others not so much. Freya spoke of her reluctance to move to the island when Jim was offered the job. ‘We were living in Aberdeen, close to my parents, and Murray was about to start school and Rory was a toddler,’ she explained. ‘I thought it was one of the worst ideas Jim had ever had.’

Jim smiled at her affectionately. ‘But it turns out I was right though, wasn’t I?’

She grinned at him. ‘Yes, you were. And it was the best decision we made. We moved into this amazing house, the boys settled into school and I even managed to get a teaching job in the primary school. It all seemed to fall into place.’

‘Then the in-laws moved over too,’ said Jim wryly.

Freya took a sip of her water. ‘It has worked out well for babysitting though. We’ve been really lucky to have them here. But enough about us.’ Freya set her glass back down. ‘Tell us about London. How did you like working there?’

‘It was a great place to be as a young journalist, when papers and magazines had budgets.’

‘You must have seen some sights? Jim said your CV is incredible.’

‘I was very lucky.’ She felt her cheeks flush. ‘I did get to travel quite a bit.’

‘I can’t believe you wanted to come here , after doing all of that exciting stuff,’ said Murray. ‘Won’t you be bored?’

‘Ah, well, things tend to change as you get older.’ She shrugged. ‘I was ready for a quieter pace of life.’ Beth wasn’t quite ready to talk about or dwell on her past. She rested her fork on her plate and looked at Murray and Rory appraisingly. ‘Now, tell me what you like to do when you’re not at school.’

Jim cleared away the main course and brought the crumble dish to the table, scooping large helpings into bowls.

Beth listened intently to both boys as they talked about their hopes for the future and things they did at the weekend, including football and rugby and kayaking when the weather got a bit warmer. They also said they were hopeful that the year ahead might involve a trip to see Scotland win a rugby game at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.

‘You may have a long wait,’ said Jim drily. ‘They’re not doing so well right now. I think just be content with watching them play a game at Murrayfield rather than them necessarily winning.’

Beth raised her eyebrows, smiling as Jim and the boys started to debate, in impressive detail, the strengths and weaknesses of the national squad.

Freya shook her head. ‘You see what I have to put up with? If it’s not rugby, it’s football, and I know it’s clichéd but I don’t like either.’

Beth chuckled and realised how much she was enjoying being part of this household that was full of love and chatter and stories. She took a final mouthful of crumble and put her spoon back in her bowl. ‘I’m absolutely stuffed. That was delicious. Thank you so much. I insist that you let me help with the washing up.’

‘Not at all. That’s for Murray and Freya to sort. We have a rule in the family that whoever cooks doesn’t do the tidying,’ said Jim.

Freya grinned. ‘Yep, and when Murray and I cook we also, very thoughtfully, don’t use absolutely every single dish in the kitchen.’

Murray nodded in agreement, then turned to look at Beth, focusing his dark brown eyes on her. ‘I wondered Beth . . . would you be able to help me with a school project please?’

‘Of course — well, as long as it’s not maths.’ Beth couldn’t help smiling. ‘I’m afraid it was never my strength.’

He shook his head. ‘No, it’s not maths, don’t worry. A few of us are keen to start a school newspaper and I wondered if you might come in and speak to the group and give us some advice, please. We have started trying to make a plan but we’re a bit stuck.’

‘Of course I will,’ said Beth carefully. ‘Though you do have a bit of an expert here in your dad. Don’t you want to ask him? I don’t want to step on his toes.’

Jim had a huge grin on his face. ‘It’s not quite the same when it’s your old man though, is it? You can imagine how embarrassing it would be for him to have me traipse into school and lecture them. I mean, what do I know about anything?’

Beth gave Murray a conspiratorial wink. ‘That is very true. I can totally see what you mean. Look, don’t worry, we can’t possibly have your dad embarrassing you. I would be delighted to help. Just let me know when and where and I’ll be there.’

Murray jumped up from the table with a huge smile on his face. ‘Brilliant. Thanks so much Beth. When can you come in?’

‘As soon as you would like. Next week if that helps? You have a chat with the group and the teachers and work out when would suit. I am assuming that I would need the headteacher’s permission to work with you? I actually have my DBS, the English criminal record check, if they’ll accept that?’

Jim nodded. ‘Don’t worry, it’s all fine as I forgot to tell you that I did the Disclosure Scotland check for you when you accepted the job. Your certificate should be in your desk drawer in the office.’

Beth raised her glass. ‘Thank you. Thanks for making me feel so welcome. It’s been such a lovely afternoon and I am happy to help with anything that I can. Same goes for you too, Rory.’

Freya, Jim, Murray and Rory clinked their glasses against Beth’s.

‘To a new beginning and a brilliant New Year on Arran. Cheers everyone,’ said Freya.

‘Cheers,’ said the rest of them unanimously.