A Highland Family Affair (Highlands #3)

Chapter 3

3

Olivia climbed into bed and snuggled up to Brodie. Her mind was whirring, and her limbs felt heavy. Doubt and worry clouded her thoughts but she was sapped of energy and just wanted to sleep. Kerr had retreated to his own room after dinner, and she figured he must also have been worn out. A good night’s sleep in a proper bed will no doubt do him the world of good , she thought.

She lay silently for a while, but sleep evaded her. She couldn’t get the image of her brother in his unkempt, scrawny state and with the remnants of a black eye out of her mind. He had always been someone who took pride in his appearance. How had he allowed himself to get to that point? Was it her fault? Should she have been more forgiving when he had tried to ruin her plans for Drumblair? No! she told herself. She was trying to keep their family’s legacy alive, and she was doing that the best way she could discern under the circumstances. The fact that he hadn’t liked it wasn’t really her problem. The fact that her mother had chosen her to inherit the castle over him hadn’t been her decision. And although she was very much aware of the shock it had caused him, she knew her mother had had good reason for doing so.

‘Are you okay?’ Brodie asked as he pulled her into him and kissed her forehead.

She slid her fingers across his bare chest and placed her hand over his heart. ‘I think so. I’m just a little… befuddled, I suppose.’

Brodie drew lazy circles on her bare arm with his fingertips. ‘I’m not surprised. It’s all been totally out of the blue. Not only him turning up but his general demeanour and attitude. Just bizarre.’

Olivia pushed herself up onto her elbow and looked down at Brodie. ‘Do you think we can trust him?’

Brodie sighed. ‘Honestly? I wish I could say yes but… it’s hard knowing what we know of him from before. It all feels a bit too good to be true. And he pretended to be a changed man when he was having that fling with Bella only to pull the rug out from under us all. I think…’ He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. ‘I think we should proceed with caution. I mean, there were tenants in his house paying rent so that talk of him running out of money seems weird.’

‘He actually had them pay him up front, so he had all the money in one go. That’s how he ended up spending it. And Uncle Innes found a clause in the house deeds that means it can’t be sold, and the tenants moved out a while ago now, so he won’t have had any income from that.’

‘But that’s another thing,’ Brodie said, a crease of concern between his eyebrows. ‘If his house is empty, why has he turned up here? Don’t you think he would have preferred to go back to his own house? Don’t you find it strange that he could’ve gone to the town house and got himself and his dog cleaned up first, before coming here? Or if he knew they had moved out, why was he on the streets?’

Olivia scoffed. ‘I find the whole situation strange. But… if he is telling the truth then maybe he came here because he wants to make amends. Maybe he’s here for some kind of redemption. And perhaps he wanted me to see him at rock bottom.’

Brodie paused for a moment. ‘Maybe. I’m just worried he did it this way because he knew he’d get the sympathy vote. Tug at your heartstrings and take advantage of your decent nature.’

He had made some fair points. ‘After the way he spent his money so fast and resorted to drinking, I think I fully understand why Mum left the castle to me instead of Kerr.’

‘Oh, absolutely.’ He paused for a moment before saying, ‘I still think we should?—’

‘Proceed with caution,’ Olivia said. ‘Yes, I agree. Thank you for being so understanding about all this. I know how you feel about my brother and the trouble he’s caused in the past. I just have this feeling in my gut that he’s genuine this time.’

Brodie reached up and cupped her cheek in his palm. ‘I really do hope you’re right. But nevertheless, I’ll support you no matter what, Liv. I’ll always have your back.’

She reached up to kiss him tenderly. She knew she would never tire of the feeling of being wrapped in his arms. A thought sprang to her mind, and she pulled away. ‘Oh, my word, Bella leaves for Skye tomorrow with Granny Isla. I’d totally forgotten with Kerr turning up.’

‘She’ll understand. Just pop round to the apartment and see her before she leaves. No doubt she’ll be shocked that Kerr’s back too.’

‘You’re not wrong there. I’m really going to miss her being around.’ Her stomach knotted, and sadness washed over her.

‘Well, we’ll just have to make sure we go and visit plenty. Skye is absolutely beautiful, so I won’t need much convincing to go. And it’s going to be amazing for her to be with Harris again. Think how happy she’ll be. And knowing Isla will be just up the road too will be comforting for her.’

‘I know. I’m just sad knowing my best friend will be so far away from now on.’

Brodie scooped her into his arms and in one swift manoeuvre she was beneath him. ‘You’ll still have me.’

She gazed up at him. ‘I know and I’m happy about that. I just feel like my head is full of cotton wool just now. So many emotions, so many things going on. It’s all a bit overwhelming.’

‘Then why don’t you allow me to take your mind off everything for a wee while.’ He bent and placed gentle kisses from her ear down her neck to her shoulder and she shivered with anticipation.

The next morning, Bella opened the door to the stable-block apartment as soon as Olivia knocked. ‘Hey, you! I was worried I wasn’t going to see you before I left!’ She grappled Olivia into a bear hug.

Guilt niggled at Olivia. ‘I’m so sorry. Yesterday turned a bit… weird .’

Bella raised her eyebrows. ‘Oh? Do tell. I’ll stick the kettle on. I think there’s enough milk left for a cuppa.’

Olivia followed Bella through to the stylish kitchen with its exposed stone wall, tasteful teal units and recessed nook. It never ceased to fill her with pride when she remembered that Bella had designed the stunning stable-block apartments and was now going on to make a career from her interior design talents, although she was going to miss having such an efficient PA.

‘Well, this is a nice surprise, dearie,’ Granny Isla said as she pulled Olivia down to hug her too.

Isla was wearing a purple velvet maxi skirt and a lilac sequined jumper that toned with her purple hair. Ever the glamour puss , Olivia thought. ‘Isla, you’re looking fabulous. Are you excited about your relocation?’

Isla gave a single enthusiastic clap and grinned from ear to ear. ‘Och, I cannae wait. Pabay View is so homely for an old folks’ complex and just down the road from my Arabella and handsome Harris. Me and Beau are going to have such a wonderful life up there on Skye.’ On hearing his name, Beau, the beagle, stood from his bed and stretched before coming to say hello, his tail wagging so that his whole body followed suit.

Olivia crouched to greet the dog. ‘Hey, Beau. I’m going to miss you. I’m going to miss all of you.’

‘Aye, well, I’m sure you can make plenty of visits, dearie. You have an open invite. Anyway, I’m going to do one last check in my room, I’ll leave you two best pals to chat.’

‘Do you want a cup of tea, Granny?’ Bella asked.

‘Ooh, no, I’d better not.’ She leaned forward conspiratorially and whispered, ‘I’m a bit intercontinental these days and we’ve a long journey ahead. I don’t want us to keep having to stop for the loo.’ She smiled and walked towards her bedroom, closely followed by her canine as Olivia pursed her lips, trying not to laugh at Granny Isla’s latest malapropism.

Bella smirked. ‘She never changes. So, come on, spill the tea, MacBain. How did yesterday turn weird?’ she asked as she poured boiling water into two mugs.

Olivia stood and sat on one of the chairs at the oak kitchen table and sighed. ‘Kerr’s back.’

Bella spun around. ‘What? No way!’

Olivia nodded. ‘He’s been sleeping rough in Glasgow apparently. He didn’t look like himself at all. So pale and gaunt-looking. It was quite a shock. Very upsetting, in fact.’

‘Bloody hell, Liv! I bet it was! I don’t understand how he was sleeping rough, though. He has a house. The tenants moved out, didn’t they?’

‘They did. He says he felt too ashamed to come home. He apologised for everything he’s done to us.’

Bella narrowed her eyes. ‘Erm… Haven’t I heard that somewhere before? Oh, yes! That’s because he’s a manipulative shit! You didn’t believe him, did you? Tell me you haven’t let him stay at the castle.’ Olivia cringed and glanced down. ‘Oh, no, Olivia, seriously?’

‘When all’s said and done, Bella, he is still my brother.’

‘Did you not hear what I said about him being a manipulative shit?’

Olivia rolled her eyes. ‘I did. And I know. But you should have seen him, Bells. He’s so thin and pale and had the remnants of bruising on his face from being punched. And he was dirty and soaked from the rain. His hair was all matted and…’

Bella folded her arms defiantly across her chest. ‘So why didn’t he go back to the town house and clean up before coming to see you? Was he going for the sympathy vote? Because evidently it worked.’

Olivia smiled without happiness. ‘Brodie said the same thing.’

Bella huffed. ‘That’s because Brodie is a sensible man. I can’t believe you’re allowing yourself to be taken in by him.’ Her exasperation wasn’t easy to ignore.

Olivia’s heart began to race, and she felt her face flush. ‘He’s my brother, Bella! I can’t just abandon him. I’m not like that. And my mum and dad wouldn’t want me to turn my back on him either.’ She was aware she sounded defensive and angry, and she regretted taking her frustration out on her best friend, especially when it was the last time she would be able to hug her for a while.

Bella placed the mugs of tea on the table. ‘I know. I’m sorry. I’m just worried about you, honey, that’s all. I’m leaving today so I won’t be here to help you if he kicks off again.’ She reached across the table and took Olivia’s hand.

‘I’ll be fine. I’m going to be wary around him. I can’t help that. But something in his demeanour tells me he’s genuine. Oh, and the funny thing is, he’s acquired a dog. Called Sir Lancelot.’ She smirked.

‘I’m sorry, what now? He’s got a dog? Kerr, who thinks animals are a smelly inconvenience? And how the hell is it called Sir-bloody-Lancelot?’

‘To cut a long story short, he was given the dog by a homeless alcoholic he met and became friends with on the street.’

Bella shook her head. ‘You couldn’t write this damn stuff! Quick, get Aiden the author back, this is crime novel fodder right enough.’

Olivia laughed. ‘He’s actually very sweet with the dog. He says it saved him and taught him what love is.’

Bella’s eyes narrowed again. ‘Bloody hell, that’s a bit deep for Kerr, isn’t it?’

‘Tell me about it. Although… like I said, he did seem genuine. He even apologised to Brodie, Dougie and Mirren.’

‘Wow. How did they respond to that?’

‘Dougie was quite stoic. Mirren cried, and Brodie took it with a pinch of salt.’

‘Hmm. Can’t say I’m surprised.’

‘Did I hear you say that Kermit character is back again?’ Granny Isla asked from the doorway.

Bella’s eyes widened in horror and her cheeks turned red. ‘Granny! His name is Kerr and well you know it,’ she told her through clenched teeth.

Olivia, however, burst out laughing. ‘Kermit, that’s brilliant. And you did hear right, yes, Isla. The prodigal brother has returned.’

Isla patted Olivia’s arm. ‘You watch yourself there, hen. I wouldnae trust him as far as I could yeet him!’

Bella almost choked on her tea. ‘Yeet? I think you’ve been watching too many TikTok videos.’

‘Oh, aye, I love the ticky tock. I’ve tried to go virile on there, but I haven’t managed it yet.’

An hour later, Olivia and Brodie helped Bella pack the rest of her granny’s belongings into Fifi, her old Citro?n 2CV. The third member of their little ‘besties’ group, Skye, had arrived with her fiancé Ben; the loved-up couple had recently purchased Isla’s terraced house and were excited about the future.

A lump had lodged itself in Olivia’s throat and she fought to keep her emotions at bay. She wasn’t sure when she would next get to hug her friend and she now realised how difficult it must have been for Bella and Skye when she left for New York to start her internship and subsequent job at the House of Nina Picarro.

Once the car was packed to the gunnels and Beau was secured in his little dog seat, Isla hugged Olivia, Brodie and Skye before climbing into Fifi. Bella closed Isla’s door and walked over to where her friends were standing.

‘Well, this is it, guys. My big adventure begins now!’ The excitement and sparkle in her eyes were clear to see.

Brodie stepped forward and hugged her. ‘Say hi to that hairy lout Harris for me. I still can’t believe you’ve kept this a secret from him. Are you sure he has no clue that this visit is a permanent one?’

Bella nodded vehemently. ‘I’ve never kept such a tough secret for so damn long! It’s a wonder my heid hasn’t exploded.’ She giggled.

Next Ben stepped forward and handed her a bottle of wine. ‘Something from me and Skye to celebrate your first night of your new life.’ He hugged her and stepped back.

‘Aww, you guys. Thank you so much.’

Olivia glanced at Skye and the pair of them stepped forward and scooped Bella into a group hug. ‘We’re going to miss you like mad, Bells,’ Olivia said in a wavering voice.

‘Aye, we are. I might need to move away at some point so you both know how horrible it is for me!’ Skye said with a laugh as she wiped tears from her cheeks.

‘Stop! I’m trying not to bawl my eyes out,’ Bella said as her chin trembled and tears spilled over from her eyes, in spite of her attempts not to cry. ‘Right, we’d better be going. It’s a long drive and Beau will no doubt need to pee on the way.’

‘I know I didn’t have that last cuppa but he’s not the only one!’ Isla called through a gap in her lowered window, causing them all to laugh. ‘Come on, lassie, let’s get this show on the boat!’

Bella chuckled, shook her head and rolled her eyes. ‘Show on the road , Granny.’

Isla’s brow crumpled. ‘Aye, that’s what a said.’

Bella hugged Olivia and Skye one last time before climbing into the car, turning on the engine and pulling away along the long tree-lined driveway.

The friends watched until the little red car disappeared out of sight then Skye hugged Olivia. ‘We’re going to go on home. We’ve got a sofa being delivered this afternoon.’

Olivia beamed. ‘How exciting. Isla’s so happy that you bought her house. And at least you know it’s in great condition since the wiring and everything was redone after the flood.’

Skye hunched her shoulders up to her ears and grinned. ‘We absolutely love it. It’s just so perfect for us and we can’t wait to put our own stamp on it. I’ve got a gazillion Pinterest boards set up, but the trouble is I can’t seem to settle on one design style.’

‘Aye, and I think she’s collecting bloody colour charts,’ Ben said. ‘I keep finding them in weird places. The shelf in the shower was the latest one.’

‘Well, I do my best design planning when I’m in the shower,’ Skye said with a grin.

‘We’ll have enough to use them as wallpaper at this rate,’ he said with a grin and a nudge to Skye’s shoulder.

‘Aww, I’m so glad you’re having fun. And whatever design you go with it’ll look amazing,’ Olivia said.

‘Send photos of the sofa when it’s in,’ Brodie said as he shook Ben’s hand. ‘And give me a shout if you need any help with anything, okay?’

‘Aye, I’ll be taking you up on that, cheers, pal. I hate flat-pack furniture and of course Skye has chosen loads of the damn stuff. Right, come on, Skye, let’s get going.’

‘We’ll invite you around for dinner soon,’ Skye told them as she walked over to their car. And within seconds they were driving away too.

Brodie enveloped Olivia in his arms and she snuggled into the softness of his teddy bear fleece. ‘It’s just us now, Liv.’

Olivia glanced over at the entrance to the castle where Kerr stood, hands in his trouser pockets, looking a little forlorn. ‘And Kerr.’ She sighed.

Brodie turned his head to look at her brother. ‘Aye, and Kerr. I wonder why he didn’t come and say goodbye to Bella.’

‘Probably because Isla would have hit him with her handbag again.’ She smiled at the memory of the last time it happened and shook her head.

Brodie grinned. ‘Aye, she’s a feisty one for an octogenarian.’

The couple walked back towards the house. Kerr had headed off into the grounds with Sir Lancelot, his head hung low, and his tatty old beanie pulled down over his ears. Olivia wondered what was going through his mind at the knowledge that another of his mistreated exes was leaving to start a new life with a new love while he remained alone and single.