A Christmas Wish on Arran (Scottish Romances #4)

Chapter Twenty-Five

The winter market at the school was an annual extravaganza with stalls, crafts and a food market. It was always held in November, so it didn’t clash with the Christmas fair, and Beth was delighted when Jim asked her if she wanted to cover it for the paper. ‘I’ll be there as well, in a dad capacity, but if you need anything just give me a shout. I’m down on the rota to cover the bottle tombola, which can be an interesting gig. Things can get very tense. And a bit physical. You would not believe how enthusiastic folks can get at the thought of winning a bottle of cheap plonk.’

Beth had laughed. This was such new territory for her and she was loving every minute. This week she had been out and about, covering all sorts of events, including a book launch by a local author, a business and civic award ceremony and a fun-run fundraiser for the RNLI. She had watched as the Christmas lights in Brodick had been put up by a team of volunteers, and she couldn’t wait to see them switched on. She told herself that she would definitely volunteer to help put them up next year. There had been no sign of Callum since that night at the pub, and she now wondered if it had been a figment of her imagination. Alessandro had asked her out again but she had let him down as kindly as possible, telling him that she was busy with work. The last thing she wanted to do was give him the wrong idea, especially when he had made it clear he was interested in her.

It was Saturday morning, the sky was dark and heavy, and Beth wondered if it might even snow. She parked her car at the school and shivered as she got out, glad she had pulled on her winter boots and her thick red coat. It had become really cold these past few days, and she laughed in delight as a few wisps of snow started to fall, landing on her nose. She followed the bustling crowd, making her way through the school’s main entrance, then into the sports hall where the market was being held. Jim had warned her it could get really busy, but Beth hadn’t expected to see quite so many people. It was as though everyone on the island was here. She scanned her eyes across the hall, looking for any familiar faces.

‘Beth,’ Jim’s son Murray tugged at her hand, ‘you made it. Come on and buy some raffle tickets.’

‘Sure.’ She smiled, happy to be pulled along by him. ‘Wow, it’s busy in here, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, it’s always like this. Right, it’s three for a pound or twenty for a fiver.’ He had the prowess of a Barras Market stall holder.

‘Twenty it is.’ She pulled her purse out of her bag, glad that Jim had warned her to make sure she had plenty of cash on her, as the kids were experts at getting everyone to part with it.

‘Thanks Beth.’

‘Where is your dad’s stall? And Rory? I promised I would go and buy some of his cakes.’

Murray pointed in the direction of their stalls and she gently made her way through the throng of bodies, reminding herself to be observant — she’d need to write something for the paper. It was warm in the hall and she pulled off her coat. When she reached the tombola stall she saw a harassed-looking Jim with only a few bottles left on the table.

‘It’s been crazy,’ he said. ‘No wonder Freya signed me up instead of her. You take your life in your hands doing this.’ He threw his hands up in a gesture of defeat. ‘I’ve only been open an hour and that’s the bottles almost finished. I’m going to need a stiff drink by the time I get out of here.’

Beth gave a wry smile, knowing that Jim was actually in his element. Murray had told her that her dad loved this kind of thing. ‘I do have to admit, I am quite partial to a tombola Jim. I’ll take three tickets.’

Jim grinned and held a bucket out to her, giving it a good shake first. Beth put her hand in to the small folded pieces of pastel-coloured paper. She looked at the first number and showed it to Jim. He frowned as he scanned the few bottles of wine that were left — along with a bottle of washing-up liquid, ginger beer and a bottle of Babycham, which looked like it needed a good dust. ‘That has to be vintage.’ She pointed at the green bottle.

‘Do you know what? I think you can still buy it in the shops. But I think this particular bottle has clearly been in the back of someone’s cupboard for a while.’

‘It looks positively historic.’ Beth watched him hopefully as he scanned the tickets on the bottles, trying to match hers up with one of them.

Jim shook his head. ‘Sorry, no luck. Try again.’

Beth reached in and was again unlucky with her second ticket.

‘Third time lucky?’ he asked.

‘Sure,’ she smiled happily, ‘you never know.’

Jim’s eyes lit up when he realised she had a winning number. ‘You are a winner.’ He laughed. ‘Congratulations Beth. And I hope this comes in useful for all those dishes.’ He handed her the bottle of washing-up liquid.

Beth burst out laughing. ‘Well, yes, at least it will come in handy. And I’m sure it’s far better for my health than a bottle of wine. Thanks Jim.’ She slipped it into her handbag. ‘I’d better go and see the kids at the baking stall before that sells out too.’

Jim raised his eyebrows. ‘You should be okay. Rory and Freya were up late last night, baking. The house was like a cake shop this morning. I was told in no uncertain terms to keep my paws off it all.’

‘See you soon.’ She gave him a small wave and made her way across to the baking stall. It was crowded, and for a moment Beth was lost in her own thoughts as she waited to be served. Maybe it would be better to come back later? She had also spotted the local cheesemaker’s stall, and wanted to buy some of that too. Just as she turned to move away, she stumbled, then felt a strong arm catch her before she fell flat on her face.

‘Elizabeth?’ asked a voice above her.

With the strong arm still holding her, she looked up to see who it belonged to. Beth was then glued to the spot — speechless — and her legs turned to jelly.

‘Callum?’ she eventually croaked.

He hadn’t let go of her arm and his eyes were full of concern. ‘Are you okay? That was quite the tumble.’

She nodded, studying his face, which was older and a bit more lined. He was still as rugged and good-looking as ever. His dark hair was now flecked with grey, and he was standing very close to her. ‘I’m fine, honestly. Thanks for helping me.’ She used as measured a tone as she could, given that her heart was now dancing to its own disco beat.

He shrugged, let her go and took a step back. ‘No worries.’ He paused and looked at her inquisitively. ‘Well, this is a bit of a surprise after all this time . . . What brings you to Arran?’

Beth felt her cheeks flushing. ‘I moved over at the start of the month. To work on the local paper.’

His gaze didn’t waver from her face. ‘Right.’ He paused. ‘I see. So you’re living here now?’

Beth nodded, trying her hardest to stay calm and not show her utter shock at seeing him. Her arm was still tingling from his touch. ‘I live in Brodick, near to the office. And you? Are you still near Lamlash?’ She tried to sound casual, but her voice was more high-pitched than usual.

‘Yes.’ He shrugged. ‘Family stuff, you know?’

Beth didn’t, but she nodded anyway, her cheeks reddening even more. She hated to think what sort of flustered state she must look. Of course he was settled with his own family. She had to keep reminding herself that most people her age were. She realised this was her cue to exit. The last thing she wanted was to bump into his wife and brood of kids, especially when he was having such an effect on her. She didn’t want to be the sad ex-girlfriend who was now having a midlife crisis, and lusting over her old boyfriend who happened to still be as hot as anything.

‘Well, it’s been really nice seeing you Callum. Thanks for your help. I’ll let you get on with your day. Hopefully I’ll see you around?’

He looked a bit taken aback. ‘Oh. Sure thing.’

Beth’s heart sank when she saw his expression. Had she said something wrong? She longed to say something else to break the ice and move the conversation along. She just didn’t want to linger if his wife and kids were about to appear. Then, quite unexpectedly, he reached over and gave her a warm hug. Beth had to stop herself from squealing. His firm torso was pressed against hers. He smelt of spice and cinnamon. All the years seemed to melt away as she momentarily hugged him back. Then he stepped away.

‘It’s really good to see you,’ he said. ‘Maybe we can catch up sometime?’

Beth stood for a moment, bewildered by his hug and his words. ‘Good to see you too Callum. Yes . . . that would be, er, great. See you later.’ She smiled and turned away, walking back towards the cake stall as nonchalantly as she could manage. Cake , she told herself calmly. That was what she needed. A nice slice of chocolate cake. A sugary treat would be the perfect distraction. She gave herself a shake. Who was she kidding. What she really needed was a cold shower. As she looked over her shoulder, she saw Callum standing, watching her. He gave her a small wave, then turned and disappeared. Beth was sure he was off to find his family — she felt a pang of sadness. She would finish up here and head home as soon as she could. Right now, she couldn’t face seeing him with anyone else.