‘Yikes! I should go home and eat lunch. Dad will be thinking I’m not hungry and I’malwayshungry!’ He left, collecting his obedient dog on the way. Thankfully, Chewie hadn’t slipped his lead this time and had stayed where he was, tethered to a hook on the wall outside.
Later, Juliette was sitting, thumbing through one of the display books about the local area, and another visitor entered. She lifted her head to see the smiling eyes of an elderly gentleman.
He shook his head. ‘Well, I never. Fancy seeing you again. I was right when I said this island was small, eh?’
Her eyes widened as she recognised the kind man from breakfast at Gretna. ‘Oh, my goodness. Hello. How lovely to see you again. Did the wedding go okay?’
The man smiled wistfully. ‘Aye, it was grand. A really good wee break. My grandson and his new husband are happy and that’s all that matters.’
‘I’m so glad to hear that. So, what brings you to the museum?’
The man glanced at the floor and waved his hand. ‘Och, it’s a silly thing. I come in quite often as I only live in the next village. I like to visit to see my wife. Well, a photo of her in her wedding frock. You must think me a silly old fool.’ He shook his head, his cheeks tinged with pink.
‘Ah, then you must be Mr Gair. I think it’s very romantic that you still come here.’
‘Why, thank you, dearie. Please, call me Hamish.’
Juliette held out her hand. ‘And I’m Jules.’
He shook her hand. ‘Jules? Oh, now, would you happen to be the young lady who jumped into the water to save that wee boy’s dog?’
Juliette’s cheeks tinged pink now. ‘Goodness me, news does travel in this place.’
His eyes twinkled and he gave her a warm smile. ‘It certainly does, even from one village to another.’ He laughed. ‘I’m so very glad our paths have crossed again. I look forward to seeing you around and about the place. Now, I’ll leave you to your book and I’ll go and visit my darling Mary Ann.’
‘Please do. Lovely to see you again.’ Juliette’s heart melted as she watched the elderly man make his way through the display cases to the place his wife’s veil and photograph were. She had only been missing Laurie for two years and it already felt like a lifetime, but this poor man had been without his true love for decades.His heartache must be overwhelming. Her eyes began to sting, and she had the urge to see Laurie’s face. She opened the silver locket that sat around her neck and gazed at the handsome man captured in the photograph. ‘I miss you so much,’ she whispered.
* * *
Juliette closed the shop for a half-hour lunch break at two and was eating a ham and cheese sandwich at the garden table, while, on the radio, KT Tunstall sang about being ‘On the Other Side of the World’, and she was swept away by the melancholy for a brief moment as she listened to the sadness of the lyrics. Determined to stop her mood from descending on such an important day, she switched off the radio and decided to listen to birdsong instead.
Later, as she was serving one of her many customers with souvenir postcards and pens, she caught sight in her peripheral vision of someone standing outside peering in. Once the sale was complete, she turned to see Reid watching her, a stern, almost annoyed expression fixed in place, hands on narrow hips.
She raised a hand. ‘Oh, hi, Reid!’ He waved and walked in as the customer left. ‘I had Evin in here earlier. He seems to like this place.’
‘Yes, yes, he’s fascinated…’ he said distractedly, avoiding eye contact. ‘Listen I wanted to say… I mean… I’m not exactly…’ He sighed. ‘It’s been brought to my attention that I upset you, in the shop. So, I wanted to pop by and say it wasn’t my intention. I seem to have a knack of putting my foot in it.’
Juliette shook her head, trying to think of what to say. She didn’t want to let him off too easily. It wasn’t exactly an apology but more of an explanation, however, she didn’t want to drag the negativity out either. ‘Oh, it’s fine,’ was all she managed to utter.
He rubbed his hand roughly over his messy hair and briefly lifted his chin to lock his gaze on hers. It was a split-second exchange and his cheeks were aflame. ‘Okay. Good… great. Anyway, that’s what I wanted to say… so…’ This time, he lifted his chin and fixed her with what she presumed to be an apologetic smile. Her stomach fluttered a little and she absentmindedly placed a hand over it. Reid stepped forward and opened his mouth as if to speak again but instead immediately stepped back. ‘Right, well, bye for now.’
Before she had a chance to respond further, he walked out of the museum and left her sitting there, open-mouthed yet again. It wasn’t exactly an apology; more of an acknowledgment of the fact he’d been an arse. It was something, she supposed.
In a lull during the afternoon, Juliette stood at the door, looking out onto the inlet. It was a warm day with a slight breeze coming in off the water. The sky was a cerulean blue, dotted with little fluffs of slow-moving white cloud. Seagulls were taking turns at sitting on the railings that skirted the water while their friends performed aerobatics, crying out as they swooped down to the small fishing boat where the skipper, who she now knew to be a man called Gus, was readying to set sail again. Tourists stood at the other side of the inlet, right at the edge, taking photos of the view reaching into the inner sound. The bunting that stretched along the whitewashed cottages opposite fluttered in the gentle breeze and the sun cast its glow on the rocks rising up behind the buildings.
The temporary nature of her stay popped, unwelcomed, into her mind and she turned and stepped back inside. She knew she must make every minute count.
* * *
Just before closing time, Morag appeared, a warm smile fixed in place as always. ‘Hi, Jules. How’s your first day been?’
Juliette beamed. ‘It’s been amazing. I’ve met some of the locals and some of the people travelling through on holiday too. It’s been surprisingly busy. The takings are good too.’
‘Grand. It’s a popular wee place. But you’ve enjoyed it?’
‘Absolutely loved it more like. Although…’
Morag frowned. ‘What’s wrong, hen? Is something troubling you?’
