A Highland Family Affair (Highlands #3)

Chapter 17

17

MARCH

With just over four weeks to go to the wedding, Olivia was excited to be going on her hen weekend. According to Brodie, it had been tricky to get everyone together on the same date but, thanks to his dogged determination, it had all come together. The only downside was that Harper hadn’t been able to make it, due to Paris Fashion Week, and it was looking unlikely that she would make the wedding due to Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week. Olivia was heartbroken but putting on a brave face.

It was Friday and Mirren, Skye and Charlotte had come along with Olivia for the journey from Inverness to Lairg in the chauffeur-driven (by Skye) Land Rover (borrowed from Uncle Innes because his vehicle was newer than Olivia’s and sounded less like a tractor). It hadn’t been brought up to date with USB connections or Bluetooth but it had a reasonably good CD player in it, although Olivia knew that Innes’s supply of Eric Clapton, Phil Collins and, at the other end of the spectrum, opera, might not be to her friends’ taste.

Bella was allegedly arriving under her own steam. This had made Olivia giggle and she had teased Bella that although Fifi may have been old, she was pretty sure that the little red Citro?n definitely ran on petrol. Bella had rolled her eyes on the video call and simply replied with, ‘Ha ha, you muppet.’

Olivia couldn’t wait to see her. It had been far too long. Even though Brodie had been keen to go visit Bella and Harris again on the Isle of Skye, work at the castle and on his latest book of Drumblair walks had taken over and there had been no time.

The journey north to the farm on the outskirts of the little village of Lairg was very scenic and now it was coming towards the end of March it was wonderful to see the spring flowers finally making an appearance in the hedgerows. They passed fields with young lambs springing around with boundless energy and, whilst it wasn’t overly warm, the sky was a bright cornflower blue with intermittent candy floss clouds that hinted at the warmer weather to come.

Brodie had compiled Olivia a mixed CD of songs that he said reminded him of her. ‘A CD? Do they still make those?’ she had teased with a laugh when he handed it to her.

‘Well, the Landy is pretty ancient and doesn’t have Bluetooth or Spotify so CD it is,’ had been his reply.

The other women thought this was ridiculously romantic and she had received a chorus of ‘Aww’s on announcing she was in possession of the disc, and even though she had been a little embarrassed about playing it, they had insisted.

‘Gypsy’ by Fleetwood Mac was on the CD, of course, as was ‘In Your Eyes’ by Peter Gabriel then ‘Every Little Thing She Does is Magic’ by The Police. Most were seventies and eighties tracks, with the odd surprise recent song thrown in for good measure. As they arrived on the lane that led to the cottage that would be their home for a few days, they were all singing along to ‘Marry You’ by Bruno Mars.

Just as the brochure had shown, the cottage was a pretty stone double-fronted building with pots of daffodils and tulips around the door. The garden was multi-levelled and edged with chunks of the same stone that the cottage was constructed of and, aside from a couple of beautiful old oak trees, there were uninterrupted views of the countryside.

When they had discussed their respective celebrations together, Olivia had categorically stated that she hadn’t wanted the fuss of a spa trip or a night in a city involving copious amounts of alcohol and male dancers. So, Brodie had booked this little cottage in the countryside for her. He had confirmed all the details on Valentine’s Day: he had invited everyone and had made sure they were all available. It was perfect. He really did know her well.

Olivia retrieved the keys from the wall-mounted key safe and unlocked the door to the cottage. They entered into the tastefully decorated kitchen with its sage-green shaker-style units. Waiting for them on the butcher’s block countertop was a bottle of champagne and box of chocolates. The wine rack was fully stocked too with Olivia’s favourite Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, another treat from Brodie. Then, on the dining table in the next room, was a huge basket full of pampering supplies.

‘Well, Liv, he has certainly done a grand job,’ Skye said as she rifled through the face masks, lotions and potions. ‘He needs to give some tips to my Ben.’

‘He has done so well. This place is like a home from home,’ Mirren added.

‘You’re so lucky,’ Charlotte said wistfully as she glanced around at her surroundings.

The four friends wandered around the cottage, exploring each room in turn. It was quaint and well decorated with cream-painted stone walls and tartan curtains. There were three bedrooms, two of which had en-suite wet rooms, and a large family bathroom complete with claw-foot bath. The lounge had a log burner, ideal for the early spring chilly evenings, and squashy tan leather sofas.

‘Come on, girls, I think it’s wine o’clock,’ Skye said when they had finished the tour.

‘Aye, you get the glasses and the wine, and I’ll get the fire going,’ Mirren said.

As they were sitting in the lounge, there was a loud roaring noise coming from the lane and towards the cottage. They all stood and walked over to the window. Someone all dressed in black and wearing a black crash helmet was tearing up the track on a huge hunk of motorbike.

Olivia gasped. ‘Oh, no, I think it must be Harris. I wonder where Bella is. I hope everything’s okay.’ Worry knotted her stomach due to her friend’s apparent absence. It must be something serious if she isn’t able to be here , she thought.

They watched as Harris pulled the bike to a halt and climbed off. But what happened next made them all gasp.

Under the helmet was a mop of blonde hair.

‘Bella!’ Olivia squealed and she ran to the door. She pulled it open and ran towards the motorbike. ‘Bells! You’re here! You’re not Harris!’

Bella’s face crumpled before she was almost knocked off her feet when Olivia launched herself at her best friend.

She laughed. ‘Erm… I’m definitely not Harris. At least I wasn’t when I set off! I mean I know they say you live with ’em ’til you get like ’em but I hadn’t realised I was there yet!’

Olivia held her at arm’s length. ‘I can’t believe you came here on a bike!’

Bella unzipped her leather jacket. ‘No one’s more surprised about that than me, I can assure you. But they’re kind of addictive once you know what you’re doing.’

Olivia linked arms with her. ‘Well, I’m so glad you’re here and not Harris. Not that I don’t love him to pieces but it’s so good to see you.’

‘You too. And congratulations again. I can’t tell you how excited I am for you. Bloody took him long enough though, eh?’

‘Tell me about it. I was getting a bit worried.’ They walked into the cottage and the others greeted Bella with hugs.

‘This place is lovely. Brodie did well,’ Bella said as she glanced around.

‘We all said the same,’ Mirren added before hugging Bella.

‘And Bella, this is Charlotte, my PA.’

Bella hugged her. ‘I’m so glad she found someone she felt comfortable with. Leaving the castle and my bestie wasn’t an easy decision.’

Charlotte smiled. ‘Yours were big shoes to fill.’

Bella held up her booted foot. ‘I promise it’s just the biker boots. I’m only a size six.’ Charlotte laughed.

Once Bella had changed out of her leathers, she joined the others in the living room where the log burner was now roaring, and the wine was flowing.

In true Mirren fashion, she had pre-prepared and brought a home-made lasagne for their first night and they all sat around the dining table to devour it along with more red wine. Once their meal was finished, they remained at the table chatting.

‘So, Charlotte, I hear you and Kerr are quite cosy these days,’ Skye said.

Charlotte’s cheeks tinged with pink, and she nodded her head. ‘We are. It’s going well and he’s really sweet. We’re spending lots of time together and my son, Will, adores him.’

Olivia watched as Skye and Bella exchanged surprised glances. She glared at them both and they cringed, clearly getting the message.

‘You were married, weren’t you?’ Bella asked and Olivia glared harder, feeling sure Bella might spontaneously combust if she wasn’t careful. Bella smiled sweetly at her in response. Olivia decided they’d be having words later.

‘That’s right. I’ve been divorced for around eighteen months now, though. My ex has gone back to Hungary to run the family business.’

Olivia stood and walked around the table, topping up the wine glasses. ‘That must be hard on William, not being able to see his dad.’

Charlotte hesitated and chewed her lip for a moment. ‘Actually, please keep this to yourselves but… Tabor isn’t William’s biological father. He didn’t want children of his own. Too busy with his horses, I suppose. I think that was part of our troubles, really. William didn’t take his name when we got married either. Tabor didn’t want him to. Said it wasn’t right when he wasn’t his real dad. The thing is… Will doesn’t actually know about Tabor. I’ve been waiting for the right time to tell him. But…’

Olivia was surprised by this admission to a group of women she didn’t know all that well. ‘Oh, gosh. I’m so sorry, Charlotte, I just presumed he was your ex’s son.’ She sat once again, concern for her PA niggling her mind.

Charlotte shook her head. ‘No. I was already pregnant with Will when I met Tabor. When we got married, Will kept my maiden name, Neill. I suggested Tabor could adopt him, but he didn’t want to. I should have spotted that as a red flag right away.’ She laughed. ‘That and the number of affairs he had. I think I was just a bimbo for him to flaunt when the need took him. I’m surprised we lasted as long as we did, to be honest.’ Her voice broke and she placed down her wine glass and scoffed. ‘Good grief, listen to me. This is supposed to be a celebration. Don’t give me any more wine.’ She laughed but it was clear she was embarrassed.

Bella reached and touched her arm. ‘Shit, that’s a bit rubbish. So, what about Will’s dad? Is he in the picture at all?’

Charlotte gave a very small and rapid smile. ‘Sadly not. I’m afraid Will was the result of a very drunken one-night stand. I don’t even remember the man.’ She widened her eyes as she stared around at the other women. ‘God, that makes me sound like such a promiscuous floozy, doesn’t it?’ It appeared to Olivia that she had been bottling these things up and needed to vent – the wine had apparently made that easier.

‘Hey, you’ll get no judgement from us,’ Mirren assured her. ‘Poor wee lad, though. It’s such a shame your ex didnae want to take him on.’

‘He’s done fine so far,’ Charlotte said with a straight spine. ‘I’ve been both mum and dad to him. Although my parents have always been really good to him.’

‘Oh, aye, of course, hen. I didnae mean?—’

Charlotte lifted a hand. ‘Oh, gosh, no, I know you didn’t. It’s fine, honestly. Anyway, I was on the lookout for Mr Right when I came to Drumblair for the interview and there was Kerr.’

‘What about dating apps? Did you try them?’ Skye enquired. ‘You hear all sorts of horror stories, but I’ve been with Ben since school so it’s not something I’ve ever experienced.’

‘Oh, gosh, yes, I did try them. I seemed to attract all the weirdos, though. And the ones whose profile pictures were ten years out of date or AI generated.’

Bella laughed. ‘Aye, I’ve been there! Guy says he has a six-pack, and it turns out he’s got a whole barrel.’ The group of friends laughed.

There was a pause as they all drank for a few moments until Bella asked, ‘What was it that attracted you to Kerr?’ Her eyes were narrowed, and it was clear to Olivia she was trying to find out if they had been attracted by the same ‘bad boy’ image.

Olivia almost choked on her drink. ‘Ahem, this is turning into a bit of an interrogation. Poor Charlotte. Maybe we could change the subject.’

Charlotte’s cheeks coloured, of course. ‘Oh, honestly, it’s fine. I’m happy to talk about Kerr.’ She thought for a few seconds. ‘He has kind eyes. And he’s had his struggles in life but he’s handling them with such grace. I’ve never met anyone like him, really.’

‘Oh, I’m sure you haven’t,’ Bella mumbled into her drink and Olivia kicked her under the table. ‘Ow!’

Olivia gasped. ‘Whoops! Sorry, Bella, I thought that was the table leg.’

Bella bent to rub her leg. ‘What has the bloody table leg done to deserve a kick in the shin like that?’

Olivia gritted her teeth. ‘Sorry, my bad. Anyway, how is Isla getting on at her new place?’ She had decided to force the change of subject, seeing as no one had taken the earlier, not so subtle, hint.

‘Oh, she’s only gone and fallen in bloody love, hasn’t she?’ Bella announced dramatically.

‘Granny Isla’s got a boyfriend?’ Skye asked with a wide smile and wider eyes.

Bella took a huge swig of her drink as if Dutch courage was needed in order to tell the story. ‘It took her about five minutes to bag a man. Honestly, there’s no messing around with her. Tam Guthrie is her neighbour. We met him on arrival at Pabay View Retirement Home. He was quite dapper in his dickie bow. Anyway, since she moved in, they’ve been spending lots of time together. She was initially trying to set Tam up with Maeve, Harris’s mum. You know what she’s like for matchmaking,’ Bella said with a roll of her eyes. ‘Anyway, turned out he wasn’t interested in Maeve and nor was Maeve interested in him. He only had eyes for my granny. The three of them go to the dances at the old people’s home, though, but you should see Tam and my granny gazing at each other as they waltz.’ She made a puking noise. ‘Honestly, it’s vomit-inducing how bloody cute they are.’ She laughed and the others joined in.

‘Oh, bless her. That’s so sweet. She deserves to be happy at her time of life,’ Olivia said.

‘Oh, she’s happy all right. Get this, so she said to me the other day, “If Tam proposes to me, will I need to get him to sign one of those pre-nautical agreements so my family will still inherit my estate?”’ Her imitation of her granny was spot on.

They all guffawed loudly at this. ‘Pre-nautical? Is she planning on getting married at sea?’ Skye asked with tears streaming down her face.

‘You could get Cod Stewart to play at the wedding!’ Mirren added in a high-pitched squeaky voice.

Olivia joined in, holding her stomach. ‘Or maybe Salmon and Garfunkel.’

‘And she could have a lovely wedding hake !’ Charlotte said.

The wine was definitely helping the giddy mood and they were all verging on hysterical.

Bella’s face was contorted by this point. ‘I knew there was something fishy about it when she asked me!’

Thanks to Granny Isla being Granny Isla and all the cackling going on at Balloan Farm Cottage, Olivia knew this was going to be a hen weekend to remember.

The following morning was bright and sunny, if a little chilly. Olivia rallied the troops and they set off for a walk in the woods behind the cottage. Bella’s mobile rang and she paused to answer it as the others sauntered slowly ahead.

Charlotte walked beside Olivia for a while. ‘You have such a lovely friendship group,’ she said as they walked along a track surrounded on either side by pine trees. Birds darted around before them, criss-crossing the path as if daring each other to do so.

‘Thank you,’ Olivia replied. ‘I do feel very fortunate.’

‘And you’re surrounded by such a warm family too. You and Kerr seem to really care for each other. I bet you’ve always been close.’

Olivia inhaled deeply and chewed her lip. She certainly didn’t want to speak ill of her brother, and definitely not to his new girlfriend. ‘Not really, not until recently. I think perhaps the five-year age gap growing up put a bit of a strain on things.’

‘Well, he speaks so highly of you now. It must feel so good to have people around you who care so much. It’s something I yearn for, for Will.’

After the conversation they’d had last night, Olivia felt a little sorry for Charlotte, her desire to be surrounded by family and to belong was becoming more evident. ‘Well, you’re part of the gang now too.’ She inwardly cringed as she heard the words. She wasn’t quite sure why she’d said that, or what she really meant by it. She was simply trying to make her feel welcome, at home in a way. Although she wasn’t sure how serious the relationship was between Kerr and Charlotte, but she did seem besotted by him. And so far, he seemed much more settled with her in his life. ‘You know, you and Kerr should come for dinner one night when we get back,’ she added to remove attention from her earlier comment, which could have been misconstrued, perhaps. ‘How about next Friday?’

Charlotte’s eyes brightened. ‘You mean like a sort of double date? A couples thing? Just us four?’

Olivia laughed. ‘Yes, that’s what I was thinking.’

Charlotte linked arms with Olivia. ‘That would be absolutely wonderful. Thank you! I’ll message Kerr when we get back.’

‘Oh, good grief! It gets better!’ Bella shouted. ‘The latest from Planet Isla…’

The group stopped, eagerly awaiting the next instalment.

Bella tried to speak in between laughs. She held up her hands. ‘It’s official, ladies, Isla and Tam are not seeing other people. They are committed to one another now. In Isla’s words, they are officially in a monotonous relationship .’