The Secrets of the Glen (Scottish Highlands #2)

Chapter 34

Robyn watched the car door open.

‘It’s only Joe!’ she said, relieved. And he wasn’t in uniform. Joe was wearing a casual outfit, looking relaxed in faded jeans, a sweatshirt and trainers. He waved, but he hadn’t seen them at the kitchen window. Joe was waving at someone in the garden –David.

‘See, what did I tell you?’ Gayle said in a sing-song voice. ‘The cuffs will be coming out any minute now.’

‘Oh, do shut up.’ Robyn said, staring out of the window as David went over to greet his brother.

‘What’s this?’ Robyn looked down at the tea towel that Gayle had placed in her hand.

‘If you’re going to stand here, you might as well be useful.’

Robyn reached for a plate and slowly wiped the rim, her attention riveted outside the window. Joe was patting David on the shoulder and said something, pointing at David’s knee. David nodded and smiled.

Joe slapped David on the back as though he was happy with what he’d been told. Then David leaned close and started to talk animatedly. Joe’s smile faded. When David had finished, they both turned in an instant and looked toward the house.

Gayle raised a soapy hand and waved.

Robyn backed away from the window. Were they talking about her – about what she’d asked David that morning?

‘Where are you going?’ Gayle grabbed her arm, making her sleeve wet. ‘That plate is dry. You’ll be rubbing the motif off.’ Robyn looked down at the plate that she hadn’t realised was still in her hand as Gayle lifted it from her grasp and deposited a wet one in its place.

Robyn moved back to the sink and looked again out of the window. Joe had returned to his car. The car door was open on the passenger side. He was casually resting a hand on the car roof, talking to somebody inside.

David had disappeared.

Robyn exhaled in relief. Gayle was right: she was being paranoid. Joe’s visit had nothing to do with her, and the conversation with his brother had nothing to do with her either. She smiled at Gayle as she took another soapy plate off the draining board and dried it.

She stared at Joe, wondering who he was talking to. Was Annie in the passenger seat? Why hadn’t she spotted her in the car when Joe had arrived?

David reappeared with Marty. They joined Joe, briefly chatting to the person in the car before Marty crossed the driveway, returning to the garden.

Robyn paused as Joe and David stepped away from the car, continuing their conversation. Joe had left the car door open. Sitting inside was a small child.

Robyn smiled when she realised who it was. Small for her age, Evie – Joe and Annie’s daughter – was six years old. Robyn had met her several times over the course of the last three months while David had been living at Lark Lodge. She and David had babysat Evie together at Joe and Annie’s house, and Evie had visited Lark Lodge often to see her favourite uncle and play in Gayle’s large garden with Olive.

Evie adored the dog. She’d been badgering her parents for a puppy, and now she was badgering her parents for an Olive – which was out of the question in their small, two-bedroomed house with its through lounge and kitchen. They just didn’t have the room for an Old English Sheepdog.

Evie loved bringing along ribbons and hair clips, making everybody smile when she made the long fur on Olive’s head stand up in little tufts. It didn’t seem to bother Olive. She just loved all the attention. Of course, all the ribbons came out as soon as Evie left.

Robyn picked up a mug from the draining board. As she wiped up the remaining plates and mugs, her attention wandered back to Evie, who was still sitting in the front seat, her head just above the dashboard. A little hand darted up and waved furiously. She’d spotted them at the kitchen window.

Robyn waved too.

‘Is that Evie?’ Gayle spotted her and waved.

Evie took that as her cue to get out of the car. She paused, looking in the direction of her dad and uncle. They had their backs to her, deep in conversation.

Robyn watched as she crept towards the house, realising that she’d probably been told to wait in the car.

A moment later, Evie came running into the kitchen. ‘Robyn! Gayle!’ She ran up to them.

Gayle said, ‘Hello, petal,’ and gave her a hug.

Robyn was next – little arms were thrown around her waist as Evie gave her a hug too. Evie tilted her head up at Robyn, showing her a gummy smile – she had lost her front baby teeth.

Robyn smiled down at the little girl, who was Joe’s mini-me. There was no mistaking her for anyone other than Joe’s daughter; she had his features and colouring, and his build. A round little girl, with a large round face, Evie loved playing with her dolls, plaiting their hair, and plaiting Olive’s fur. Robyn remembered that David had told her about the time that Joe and Annie had bought her some ice-skates and had tried to get her on the ice. Evie had had none of it. That was why she hadn’t been there when Joe and Annie had been skating on the frozen-over pond; a friend had been babysitting.

She let go of Robyn and saw Olive’s empty dog bed by the Aga. ‘Where’s Olive?’

Gayle said, ‘Ah, Olive is out at the moment, going for a run with Uncle Nick.’

Robyn glanced at Gayle. They exchanged a smile. Nick had become Uncle Nick, Gayle and Robyn had become aunties. It was a kid thing. Little Evie clearly loved her new grown-up friends so much that she now considered them pseudo-family.

‘Oh!’ Evie frowned. ‘When are they coming back?’

Gayle cast her gaze at the clock on the wall. ‘Soon, I expect.’

Evie ran over and sat cross-legged in Olive’s dog bed, elbows on her knees, face planted in her hands, looking cross.

Robyn glanced out of the window. Joe had turned around and discovered his daughter was not in the car. He turned to the house. So did David.

Robyn walked over to Evie. ‘I think your dad is looking for you.’

‘I don’t care. I want to see Olive.’ She sat there, picking at the hem of her pretty floral dress.

‘If you wait outside, you’ll see her coming up the drive with Uncle Nick.’

Her face lit up. She scurried out of the dog bed and raced out of the kitchen.

Robyn felt a bit guilty for saying that. While it was true, Robyn’s ulterior motive was to get her out of the house before David and Joe came inside to look for her. Even though Robyn had convinced herself that they weren’t talking about her, Robyn could still feel the colour rising in her cheeks at the thought that David had told Joe about her outburst that morning. Cross with him for keeping secrets, she’d shouted, ‘Don’t tell me, then!’ and had stormed out of their bedroom and down the stairs. She’d felt embarrassed at her childish outburst.

Robyn popped her head out of the kitchen and saw Evie standing in the open doorway of the house, her hands thrust inside the pockets of her dress. She turned around, spotted Robyn and ran up to her. Robyn stepped out into the hall, keeping an eye out for Joe and David appearing at the front door. ‘What are you doing? I thought you were keeping an eye out for Olive?’

‘It’s my birthday,’ she announced, her eyes dancing beneath thick black lashes. ‘I’m six, and you’re coming to my party.’

‘Party?’ Robyn had completely forgotten about that. She glanced at Gayle, who had appeared in the kitchen doorway. ‘Well, happy birthday, Evie. That reminds me …’ Gayle disappeared up the stairs. Robyn knew where she was going – to fetch the present she’d bought her.

Robyn looked back at the child standing right in front of her. She didn’t know how to say it, but she just had to tell her she couldn’t go. She opened her mouth. ‘Evie, look. I can’t go to—’ she stalled.

‘Robyn can’t go to the party, Evie.’

Evie turned around at the sound of her father’s voice. He was standing in the doorway, his large frame squeezing out the daylight and dimming the hall. Robyn guessed the conversation outside had been about her after all. Joe had guessed that she’d decided not to come to the party. It was because of the argument she’d had with David that morning when she’d asked him to tell her about the incident in his father’s shop.

She hadn’t brought up the newspaper article she’d found. She hadn’t had a chance before he’d stormed out in the garden.

She imagined that David felt, as she did, that it would be better if she didn’t come along to the birthday party. They might spread an atmosphere because they weren’t talking to one another – or, heaven forbid, have another argument in front of the children, and spoil Evie’s birthday. She imagined that David had told Joe his feelings on the matter, and that Joe agreed.

‘Why not?’ Evie raised her voice and stamped one foot.

She turned back to Robyn, her voice a whisper. ‘Please come to my party.’ Her eyes wide, she leaned towards Robyn as if she were trying to hypnotise her with wide, saucer-like eyes into saying yes.

Robyn glanced over at Joe, who was still standing in the doorway.

‘Don’t you like me anymore?’ Evie asked Robyn.

Robyn swallowed. ‘Oh, that’s not it at all.’ She couldn’t get the words out fast enough.

‘Evie.’ Joe said with a slight warning in his voice. He was used to his daughter’s endearing methods of getting her own way.

Evie turned around. ‘She’s my friend.’ Evie stamped her foot. ‘And it’s my party. So I can have who I want.’

Robyn stared at Evie. She did have a point.

Evie turned around, chubby arms reaching up, angling for Robyn to pick her up.

Robyn picked her up. She was surprisingly heavy for one so small. She gave her a cuddle.

Evie wrapped her legs around Robyn’s waist and rested her cheek against Robyn’s. Suddenly Robyn felt determined that she wasn’t going to let Evie down.

She whispered, ‘I’ll be there. I promise.’ How could she refuse?

A little voice whispered in her ear, ‘I knew you’d come.’

Robyn had absolutely no idea why Evie seemed to have formed such an attachment to her. And the amazing thing was that Robyn felt the same way.

‘I agree with Evie,’ said Gayle. She was still standing in the kitchen doorway. She eyed Joe crossly. ‘It is her birthday.’ Gayle put her hands on her hips. ‘Surely she can choose who she wants to come to her party.’

Joe looked at Gayle. Then his eyes travelled to Robyn and Evie. He was outnumbered. Joe backed down.

Evie smiled at Gayle, then scowled at her dad, her grip tightening around Robyn’s neck.

Robyn didn’t know how she was going to show her face at the party, knowing that David had been having words with Joe about the argument between them that morning.