Juliette grinned as she took a big bite and rolled her eyes upwards as the confection melted on her tongue. ‘Oh dear. I was going to say I don’t want to make an enemy of Kenneth, but now that I’ve remembered how good these are, I think I’d be prepared to fight him.’
Morag laughed. ‘That’s more like it.’
They chatted briefly about Juliette’s job back home and sipped on their coffee. Everything felt easy and relaxed and Juliette’s nerves abated.
Eventually, Morag stood. ‘Now, I’ll be away and leave you to it. If you have any problems at all, you know where to find me.’ She turned to leave but stopped. ‘Kenneth mentioned you’d had a run-in with Reid at the shop.’ She shook her head and sighed. ‘I just wanted to say, don’t bother with old grumpy-erse MacKinnon.’ She winked and tapped her nose. ‘What he doesn’t know, he cannae complain about. Although I can just tell you’re going to be fine.’ Juliette made to stand too, but Morag held up her hand. ‘Oh no, you don’t. You’ve more pancakes to eat, I’m determined to put some flesh on your bones, missy. I know my way out. Have a wonderful day, Jules. Or, should I say, Sparkly?’ She laughed. ‘Wee Evin’s quite fond of you, you know? His nickname for you makes me smile.’
Juliette smiled again. ‘He’s such a sweet boy.’
‘Aye, he’s grand. Well, bye just now,’ she called as she disappeared down the hallway and out of the door.
Juliette tucked into her second pancake, her heart a little lighter and her excitement rising once more.
* * *
Just before ten, Juliette stood at the door, one hand poised to open the latch and one poised to turn round the ‘Open’ sign. She had opened the shutters on to a bright sunny day, the sunlight dancing on the water opposite and people were already out and about in the village. She counted the seconds down in her mind. Five… four… three… two… one. The sign was flipped, and the latch released.
This is it!
Within minutes, Evin appeared with Chewie. The dog was bright-eyed, and his tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth. It was good to see him looking so happy.
Evin looked down at him. ‘So, you’ve to stay here. Don’t go bothering anyone if they walk by, okay, Chewie? This is a museum, so you’re not allowed in.’
The dog tilted his head as if taking in every syllable and Juliette couldn’t help smiling. She was definitely warming to the idea of a canine friend and the thought surprised her.
Evin walked through the door. ‘Good morning, Sparkly Jules. How are you today?’
She grinned at his name for her. ‘Good morning to you too, Evin, I’m good, thanks. And you? And how’s Chewie doing?’
The boy glanced over his shoulder through the open door and then back to Juliette, his eyes shining with happiness. ‘I’m great and the muckle dafty’s back to his usual self, thanks to you.’
‘I’m so glad to hear that. You were right about his dislike of swimming though.’
‘Aye, alls Chewie seems to do is eat, sleep and poop in between wanting to be on your lap.’ He grinned.
Juliette laughed as a mental image formed of the huge, slobbering dog, dwarfing anyone whose lap he decided to favour. ‘Ah, well, I suppose he doesn’t realise quite how big he is. How did you end up with such a big dog anyway?’
‘A man over on the mainland had a dog who had pups. My dad knows him and took me to see them. The man said Chewie was the runt of the litter and no one was wanting him, so I begged my dad. And I begged and begged. And then I came home from school one day and there he was. It was the best day of my whole life,’ he beamed.
‘Well, I bet he’s glad you wanted him. So, young sir, what can I do for you today?’ Then concern settled over her. ‘Shouldn’t you be at school?’
‘No, it’s the summer holidays, thank goodness. I hate school.’ He grumbled.
Realising that the holidays would be different up in the north of Scotland than back in England, Juliette was relieved to know she wasn’t aiding and abetting in a skiving ploy. ‘Oh dear. That’s a shame. Some say it’s the best time of your life.’
Evin huffed. ‘Aye, well only doaty dobbers would say that.’
Juliette pursed her lips, keen to not alienate her first visitor. This place was an education, that was one thing she was loving. All these new phrases and sayings she was committing to her memory bank would give her something funny and sweet to look back on. ‘Okay, well, maybe being here is the best thing for you, eh? Have you been before?’
He nodded. ‘Loads. I like the old-fashioned toys display. It makes me laugh that kids used to play at catching a wooden ball in a cup, but now they all sit and stare at a screen. My dad banned me from my Xbox today because I left a pile of dirty dishes in my room, so I thought I would come and see the toys. So… I’m here.’ He held his arms out as if to prove a point.
‘Here you are indeed. You can be my helper if you like. Now… let’s get some water for Chewie, eh? It’s a warm one today.’
13
Juliette smiled a warm welcome as a few more people entered the museum. Since Evin had arrived, it had become quite busy. Some of the visitors were people she recognised from the local area as she had walked around, meaning they were here to suss her out. She didn’t mind. It must’ve been quite strange for the villagers, having an interloper running one of the local businesses.
Evin helped put some new leaflets in the tourist display that had been dropped off by the postman. They chatted in between customers and he divulged his love of all things fantasy and prehistoric. He could name many of the dinosaur species which impressed Juliette, and he clearly had a passion for dragons and other mythical creatures. Eventually he asked the time and when Juliette told him it was after one, he gasped.
