A Highland Family Affair (Highlands #3)

Chapter 11

11

December arrived in a flurry of snow and minus temperatures but even with those possible obstacles the Christmas Countdown Fayre went off without a hitch during the first weekend of the month. Charlotte had taken over the final organisation of the event and had done an amazing job.

It was lovely to have so many people wandering around the stalls, smiles fixed on their faces and festive cheer almost palpable around the castle. The school choir took up one small corner of the long gallery and entertained everyone with their unique renditions of Christmas favourites. Dougie had been roped in to play Santa this year and, of course, Merry the Elf, aka Mirren, was fully in character as she introduced children to Father Christmas in the library. Charlotte had also donned an elf costume and stepped in to assist so Mirren could take breaks.

The smell of fresh pine, mulled wine and cinnamon wafted through the air and the stunning Christmas trees chosen and installed by Kerr stood proudly in situ, complete with twinkling lights and decorations.

Olivia had noticed Kerr and Charlotte sharing little moments when they thought no one was looking and she decided to turn a blind eye for a while in case it simply fizzled out. But the more she saw them together, the more she felt bad for standing in their way.

At the end of the fayre, it was ascertained that it had been even more successful than the previous one and, even though everyone was exhausted, it was agreed that it would continue to be a staple event on Drumblair Castle’s calendar.

‘Will is such a great lad, you know,’ Kerr announced at lunch on the second Monday in December. He had spent the weekend working with Charlotte’s son at the nursery. ‘He just gets stuck in. He’s so confident and he’s learning all the Latin names of the plants. And we have such a laugh together. He’s got a wicked sense of humour for a kid.’

‘That’s really nice,’ Olivia said but couldn’t help the concern niggling at the back of her mind. Him getting close to Charlotte’s son meant it would be even more difficult if things didn’t go well with her.

‘He loves that place as much as I do, you know? And we make a really great team.’

Olivia knew that he was angling after her approval to date Charlotte, and she was ready to give in and hang the consequences. Seeing him so enthusiastic about things these days made her happy and it was incredible to see him making such a go of the nursery. These days she often found him in the library with his nose in gardening books.

Ali Gordon had called her a couple of times to reassure her that Kerr too was getting stuck in and didn’t mind what job he was given or how mucky it was. Apparently, he was quite a hit with the customers too, something she had never anticipated hearing about the Kerr she’d always known. Although it was becoming more and more apparent that the Kerr from her past no longer existed. The traits of the old version had faded away and been replaced by a kind, caring heart and a deep-seated need to help people. This newfangled Kerr, this all-singing, all-dancing big brother model, was working out just fine.

As she listened to him enthuse, she made a decision. ‘How do you think Will would feel about you dating his mother?’

Kerr placed down his soup spoon and swallowed. ‘Are you saying what I think you’re saying?’

Olivia shrugged but smiled playfully. ‘I’m just asking a question.’

Kerr straightened his spine and a wide smile appeared on his face. ‘He actually suggested I should ask her out. She’s been trying dating apps and has met some real “dobbers”, Will’s words, not mine,’ he said with a grin.

Olivia pushed her chair away from the table and stood. ‘There you go then,’ she said simply before putting her plate in the sink and leaving the room.

Kerr dashed after her. ‘Wait! Liv, are you saying I should ask her out?’

Seeing how happy this prospect made him, she replied, ‘I’m saying you should ask her out. But…’

‘Be careful? Don’t mess it up? Don’t scare her away because you need her?’

Olivia folded her arms across her chest. ‘All of the above, yes.’

Kerr gave a theatrical bow. ‘Your wish is my command, Lady MacBain.’

Olivia smiled and shook her head before turning away again.

‘Olivia,’ he called out and she turned back once more. ‘Thank you.’

On the Friday of the following week, Olivia had taken the day off to pack for her trip with Brodie as they would be leaving the castle in the early hours of Saturday morning to make the most of their drive over to Skye.

She saw Charlotte taking a break in the kitchen around one in the afternoon. ‘Oh, hi, Charlotte. How are you?’ she asked as she grabbed herself a cup of the freshly brewed coffee from the pot.

Charlotte flushed pink and smiled shyly. ‘Hi, Lady Olivia. I’m good, thanks. Really, really good.’

Olivia was intrigued and sat down opposite her. ‘Come on, spill the beans. Why are you so smiley?’

Charlotte chewed her lip for a moment and a crease appeared between her brows. ‘Oh… erm… I’m not sure I should…’

‘Is this about Kerr?’ Olivia asked, guessing the reason for her cagey reply.

The problem with Charlotte was her cheeks gave her away every single time. ‘Erm… would it be a problem if I said yes?’

Olivia smiled and shook her head. ‘Nope. I said he should ask you out. And apparently so did Will.’

Charlotte’s eyes widened. ‘Really?’ She placed a hand over her heart. ‘Oh, that’s so sweet. Of both of you. But yes. We went out last night. He took me for a meal at the village pub.’

Olivia frowned. ‘He took you to the Drumblair Arms?’ She was surprised he had taken her to a place that so openly served alcohol and that he hadn’t tried to be overly fancy and showy but was quietly impressed at his modest but solid choice.

Charlotte nodded. ‘He did and it was so lovely. I’ve only ever been in once, but it was really cosy, and the food was delicious.’

‘Did he… erm… drink?’

Charlotte shook her head. ‘No. Look, I’m aware of his troubles and I can assure you he is serious about staying sober. He drank bottled orange juice that I saw him pouring at the table. Nothing was added.’

Olivia nodded and relief washed over her. ‘Oh, I’m so glad.’

Charlotte smiled as she twiddled her teacup. ‘Will is quite taken with him too. He talks about him all the time. They have such a giggle at the nursery. He loves it there. And it’s really building his confidence. He was quite shy when we first moved here but he’s really coming out of his shell, and I think I have Kerr to thank for that.’

Kerr never ceased to amaze Olivia lately. Praise from Ali, kind words from Charlotte and Will his number one fan. He had even gained Innes’s trust and that was saying something.

‘I’m really pleased for you, Charlotte.’

‘Please don’t worry, though, Lady Olivia, I won’t let this interfere with my job. I love working here and I have every intention of keeping my place.’

Olivia appreciated that so much. ‘That’s good to hear. It’s great to have you as part of the team. Right, I’d better get back to it. That suitcase won’t pack itself.’

Olivia and Brodie finished packing the car with their cases and went back inside to say goodbye to the dogs. Both Marley and Wilf sulked on their beds, clearly knowing they were being left behind.

Olivia crouched to cuddle them both. ‘We’ll be back before you know it, boys,’ she told them as she scratched them both behind their ears.

‘Are you excited?’ Brodie asked her as she stood again.

She turned and slipped her arms around his shoulders. ‘Words can’t describe how excited I am. I really can’t believe we’re doing this so close to Christmas, but I can’t wait to see Bella and her new place. Skye is beautiful but I bet it’s something else at Christmastime,’ she said dreamily.

‘That was the deciding factor about dates. The pictures never do it justice and there’s nothing like witnessing the real thing in real time. And I know we’re only away for four nights, but I want to make the most of it.’ He squeezed her into his side. ‘Bella’s going to get the surprise of her life. Come on, we’d better go.’

As they walked into the hallway, Kerr appeared from the staircase. ‘Hey, you two, have an amazing time.’ He hugged Olivia. ‘Don’t worry about this place. The dogs will be fine with Dougie and Mirren, and I promise to behave.’

Olivia hugged him back. ‘Thank you. Any problems, please just call me. It doesn’t matter what time it is, just?—’

He placed a hand on each of her shoulders. ‘Olivia, relax, I’ll be fine and so will Drumblair. Now go.’

She nodded, suddenly feeling doubtful about her decision to leave. ‘Okay.’ She reluctantly turned towards the door as Brodie opened it and stepped outside.

‘Oh, and Olivia?’ Kerr said.

She turned. ‘Yes? What’s up?’ Her heart skipped.

Kerr smiled. ‘I just wanted to say… I love you.’ Before she could respond, he turned and jogged back up the stairs.

Olivia’s eyes welled with tears. It had been the first time he had said those words to her without prompting by their parents, and with genuine sincerity.

She smiled and turned to follow Brodie to the car.

Snow had fallen again overnight, creating an almost monochrome palette of the scenery as they drove towards Skye. As they passed through villages and towns, the greys and whites before them were punctuated every so often by people in brightly coloured waterproof coats and woolly hats, some walking their dogs, some having snowball fights. The sun was hanging low in the sky, bathing everything in a golden glow.

As they travelled, they sang along to Brodie’s Spotify playlist that was filled, obviously, with eighties music. Olivia gazed out of the window as they passed Eilean Donan Castle with its snow-capped roof, sitting against the white-covered hills behind it. The sky overhead was a pale grey that threatened another imminent snowfall.

Brodie squeezed Olivia’s knee. ‘Are you warm enough?’

She gazed over at him, loving that he was so concerned about her. ‘I’m toasty, you?’

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back. ‘Same. The view is incredible.’

Olivia agreed as she turned her attention to the view once more. They passed through a small hamlet of only a few houses where a young family were building a snowman on one of the grassed areas. The joy on their faces made Olivia smile. A group of teenagers were pulling sleds along behind them as they messed around, throwing snowballs, and headed towards a small hill that sat behind the houses. Little white cottages lined the road and each house was decked for the festive season.

‘When the barn’s done, you should take the upstairs space and turn it into your design studio,’ Brodie said out of the blue. ‘You must really miss it.’

The thought had crossed her mind, but she wasn’t sure how she could fit designing around her responsibilities at the castle. ‘Hmm… if only I had more hours in a day. I do get lots of inspiration from the castle. But there’s so much to do to keep the place going that I’m not sure I could fit it in.’

‘What about starting your own brand? You designed the Drumblair tartan, why not go all out and set up your own label?’

‘It would be amazing, but I just don’t think I have the time.’

‘You have Charlotte now. She’s doing so well and getting things done.’ He reached over and took her hand again. ‘I just want you to be happy. I want you to be doing the thing that makes you feel like you , and I think that’s designing. It’s why you left Drumblair to go to New York in the first place. Tell me I’m wrong.’

She gazed at him and sighed. ‘You’re not wrong. I just don’t want to spread myself too thinly, that’s all.’

‘I think you should at least think about it. The Olivia MacBain label could be amazing. Will you at least give it some thought?’

She tried not to acknowledge the twinge of disappointment on hearing him use her full name. ‘I will, I promise. And thank you for supporting me. I love that you have such faith in my multitasking abilities.’ She laughed. ‘You have more faith than I do.’

‘Like I said, I just want you to be happy and you sacrificed your dream career for the sake of the castle, which was so admirable, but now things are moving along smoothly at Drumblair with the tours and the rest of it, it would be a good time to get back to doing what you love. And the barn would be the perfect place. You’d be surrounded by other creative types; you’d be so close to home in case you were needed. It seems the most logical thing to do.’

It was as if he had reached inside her mind and pulled out her innermost thoughts. She missed designing terribly and had scribbled down tons of ideas only for them to come to nothing. The thought of starting her own label both excited and terrified her and her stomach flipped at the mere prospect of it.

And Brodie was right, the barn and the other undeveloped outbuildings at the castle would make great studio space and it would feel amazing to get back to doing what she had always wanted to do. But in the back of her mind was the fact that the castle was her responsibility. She was the one tasked with ensuring her parents’ legacy remained intact and with making sure everything ran smoothly. Whilst she had acquired a fantastic team of people, it was her head on the block if anything went wrong.