A Christmas Wish on Arran (Scottish Romances #4)

Chapter Thirty-Two

Beth looked outside and was relieved to see the rain had now gone off. Callum could make a quick getaway with the rest of the customers who’d been waiting, apprehensively looking at the sky. She looked across at Margaret. ‘Um, are you sure you really want to know?’

Margaret burst out laughing. ‘Of course I do. I want all the juicy details.’ But she was looking at her with such kindness and warmth that Beth found herself opening up to Margaret in a way that she hadn’t to anyone in a very long time. She smiled faintly as she thought back to those heady days of being young and carefree. ‘Where to begin?’ She scrunched up her nose. ‘It was a long time ago.’

‘Well, just start at the beginning. Tell me how you met.’ Margaret took a forkful of the carrot cake.

Beth nodded in agreement and studied Margaret’s face thoughtfully for a moment. Then she began to tell her about how she met Callum. She told Margaret about the summers she had spent working at the Brodie Hotel when she was a student.

‘I absolutely loved it. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming and we all got on brilliantly. Some people I worked with already lived on the island. Then there were a few others like me who had come over from the mainland to work for the summer. I loved it and couldn’t wait for the season to start. It always felt like a bit of a haven, and the rest of the world felt like it was a million miles away.’

‘Aye, I can imagine,’ said Margaret. ‘Must have felt like time stood still.’

‘Exactly.’ Beth smiled at Margaret. ‘That was exactly how it felt. Like a really special time with endless summer days and nights. And funnily enough my memories are that it was always sunny.’

Margaret laughed. ‘The sun always shines in happy times.’

That was so true. When she looked back, she thought of sunshine and fun — the rain didn’t feature at all. The work at the hotel wasn’t difficult. There was plenty of free time to laze on the beach, swim, play tennis and hang out with friends. However, it was her final and third summer on the island that was the happiest few months of bliss. That’s when she and Callum met for the first time. He worked two jobs, pulling pints behind the bar of the hotel in the evenings, and for his father’s joinery business during the day. They would snatch any time they could together, which was hard given their conflicting schedules. Beth would spend most of her evenings off nursing a drink in the bar until he finished his shift, then they would go for late-night walks and sit on the beach talking until the sun came up. Then they would grab a few hours’ sleep before Beth started her housekeeping shift and Callum had to be back at the joinery workshop just outside Lamlash. It was handy that he could drive and had his own car. The rare nights off that Callum did have they would go to the local pub and listen to live music with the other staff from the hotel, including Kirsty. Beth sometimes wondered how they had managed to actually sustain a relationship when they were both so busy. But the connection between them had been magnetic. They had been young and in love. Or so she had thought.

‘It sounded like it was a very special time.’ Margaret smiled at her.

‘It was,’ she said wistfully. ‘I mean, I knew it wouldn’t last forever, and that life would go back to some kind of normal. I guess it had to. But then I had the offer of a job in London, and it seemed natural that he would also come. He was really up for doing something different, and I knew he would pick up work in a pub or as a joiner, as he’d finished his apprenticeship with his dad.’ Beth took a sip of her coffee. ‘It’s strange to think I was also offered a job on The Arran Times then. But I turned it down. I desperately wanted to be in London, where all the action happened.’

Margaret inclined her head to one side. ‘What happened to Callum?’

‘Well, I went back home to Glasgow for a couple of weeks before moving. I needed to get myself organised. Callum and I were going to take the train to London, and we spoke on the phone right up until a couple of days before we were due to leave.’ Beth poked at a piece of cake with her fork, then placed it back on the plate. ‘We arranged to meet on the platform at Central Station. I kept looking at my watch, wondering where he was. I thought I’d got the meeting point wrong and I checked everywhere. I was running about the station like a headless chicken.’ She shook her head sadly as she remembered. ‘We didn’t have mobile phones then and I didn’t have any coins or even time to use the phone box. But I knew he wasn’t coming . . . I’d always told him that he didn’t have to, and that if he didn’t show up then I would know he had changed his mind and that was okay. He needed to do what was right for him. But I was devastated when he didn’t show. I had really fallen in love with him . . . and I thought he felt the same way too. But it just wasn’t meant to be. I’d got it all so very wrong.’

Margaret placed a hand on her heart. ‘Oh Beth. That’s so sad. You must have been bawling when you get on that train. I don’t know if I would have managed it. That would have taken a fair amount of strength. It’s like a scene from a movie.’

Beth felt her eyes glistening as she remembered how upset she’d been as the train chugged out of the station. She had managed to hold it together until she got to her seat. She had sunk into it and gazed out the window as the train went over the bridge and across the River Clyde. Only then did she let the tears start to fall — she sobbed on and off for the next few hours. Her heart felt as though it had been smashed into smithereens. She had been grateful that her mum had given her some tissues to take with her. She had used every single one.

‘That must have been so tough,’ said Margaret.

‘It was. But I just had to get on with things. There was nothing else for it.’

‘And did you keep in touch with anyone else from the hotel?’

Beth felt a pang of guilt as she thought about Kirsty. Her shoulders sagged. ‘No, I didn’t. I had planned to, but I just threw myself into work and building a life for myself in London. I worked all the time, and I guess I wanted to forget it all and try and move on. I felt as though I’d made a bit of a fool of myself. But I did bump into an old friend from back then quite recently. She lives here now, she invited me for a coffee.’

‘Ah,’ said Margaret, ‘that’s interesting. Did she shed any light on your fella?’

Beth blushed. ‘I didn’t want to ask after so long. And he’s not my fella, Margaret. Anyway, it’s all water under the bridge now. It doesn’t matter. It all happened in another lifetime.’

‘But do you have any plans to see this friend again?’ Margaret clasped her hands together on the table, leaning towards her.

Beth nodded. ‘Do you know, it was actually really lovely seeing her. She’s called Kirsty. Turns out she lived in London for a while and then moved back here with her husband and children. We’re going to catch up again soon.’ She paused. ‘I guess I feel bad about missed opportunities with people. If I’d known that she was in London maybe we could have been in each other’s lives down there. But I guess it wasn’t meant to be.’

Margaret reached her hand out and patted Beth’s arm. ‘I’m a great believer in fate you know. What’s for you won’t go by you and all that. Things happen for a reason.’

‘I suppose so . . .’

‘So you never did find out why he didn’t come with you?’

‘No. I just assumed he’d changed his mind.’

‘Did you ever think that something might have happened?’

She shook her head. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Something may have happened to stop him from coming.’

‘Nope. I was so young back then. And our arrangement had been to meet at the train station at a certain time. If he wasn’t there I would know that he wasn’t coming. I just thought it wasn’t meant to be. Until . . .’

‘Hmm?’ Margaret waited for Beth to elaborate.

Beth waved her hand dismissively. ‘It might sound daft, but when I first saw him in the pub a few weeks ago I couldn’t believe it. I felt like a teenager again. My heart was racing and it felt as though there was still a connection across that crowded bar. I mean how stupid does that sound? Decades have passed and we haven’t had a proper conversation . . .’

If truth be told, Beth hadn’t been able to push away thoughts of Callum since seeing him that night.

‘Did he ever try to get in touch with you back then?’ asked Margaret.

‘No, but it was very different back then. We didn’t have social media in the way people use it to connect now. And I changed my name.’

Margaret nodded. ‘Yes, your dad explained that to me. Not sure I would have agreed to do that. I mean Elizabeth Taylor is a splendid name.’

‘I know. I wouldn’t do it now. I was young and thought I had to do what I was told if I wanted to get ahead.’

‘I understand that. Changed days now, thank God. What are you going to do?’

Beth shrugged. ‘I’m not sure there is much I can do. I can hardly ask him. That would be weird. Anyway, his life has moved on.’

‘Well everyone’s life has moved on since then, Beth . . . It was a long time ago. I mean, I’m sure you’ve had plenty of men in your life since. For all he knows you could have been married and divorced three times.’ Margaret looked at her inquisitively.

Beth nodded. Her heart hammered as she wondered if this was the time to tell Margaret about Tim. He was a whole other story though. Perhaps she would share that another day. ‘Well things have changed for everyone, but most certainly things have changed for him. He has definitely moved on.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘He’s a dad now. He has a daughter.’

‘Ah, I see,’ said Margaret. ‘Though not unexpected at your ages and stages of life. Most people have baggage. And is he married? Does he have a partner?’

‘I have no idea,’ said Beth. ‘It would be a bit weird if that was my opening question to him.’

Margaret leaned towards her. ‘I have been around the block a bit my love. It’s called growing older. But I can tell you, the way he was looking at you would suggest to me that he is a man who is unattached.’

Beth smiled without conviction. ‘I’ve got no idea about his personal life.’

‘It sounds like you could do with asking your friend Kirsty a few questions.’

‘That would be weird and stalkery though.’

‘Rubbish. There’s always a way. I think the first thing you should do is see Kirsty for a coffee and ask her.’

‘I don’t think I can.’

‘Of course you can, you’re a journalist. You ask people questions for a living.’

‘What would I say?’

‘Just ask if anything happened that summer after you left and see what she says. She may be able to shed some light on what stopped Callum from making that train.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘But more importantly she might be able to tell you a bit more about his current circumstances.’

Beth looked at her watch. ‘If we’re quick we’ll catch the lights being switched on.’

‘Stop trying to change the subject young lady . . . But I agree. Let’s go out and join the party. We might even bump into your fella again if we’re lucky. Then you can introduce us properly.’