2
The summer break was looming, which meant Juliette’s hours at the university would be drastically reduced for several months. It was time she could use to her advantage if she were to arrange to take the whole summer off. And the more she thought about it, the more she realised that Skye would be the perfect escape for her. She knew no one there, so she could reinvent herself, but she still had family ties to the island, albeit historical ones. It wasn’t a million miles away, but the distance was sufficient for her to need to rely only upon herself again. And, most importantly of all, there were no memories of Laurie there to catch her off guard.
Having emailed Peter the Sunday after their non-date to explain her panic attack and tell him that she was going away for a while, she received a pleasant enough response that eased her conscience. It turned out he too, had realised that he wasn’t yet ready for dating – although she guessed he just wasn’t ready for datingher. They ended things on a friendly note with the agreement to keep in touch. She knew – and she guessed he did too – that it was highly unlikely their paths would ever cross again.
Whilst still on the computer she opened a new tab and searched for the village of Glentorrin on Skye where her mother had been born. Her heart skipped as she flicked through images of the coastal village with its whitewashed houses and mountainous backdrop. Her mind began to whir with possibilities.
Back at work on Monday, Juliette managed to avoid the whole conversation with Claire about why her date with Peter hadn’t gone well. Apparently, Claire had workmen in at home and spent most of the day responding to calls and messages from the foreman. Some of the calls became quite heated and so Juliette decided that avoiding her was the best option.
After lunch, whilst Claire was out, Juliette took the plunge and knocked on her boss’s door. ‘Nancy, could I have a moment of your time, please?’
‘Absolutely, dear, do come in.’ Nancy epitomised every stereotype going when it came to librarians – the one thing Juliette had promised herself she would never do – from her neatly styled grey bun to the spectacles dangling from a chain round her neck and the sensible shoes on her dainty feet. She was a lovely woman but very serious and, on occasion, dour in appearance. ‘How can I be of help to you, Juliette?’
Juliette twisted her hands in her lap. ‘Well… the thing is… I’m thinking it might be a good idea if… I mean, obviously, I understand if the answer is no, but—’
Nancy tilted her head inquisitively. ‘My dear, whatever it is, please don’t be afraid to just come out with it.’
Juliette nodded and inhaled a deep, calming breath. ‘Okay… okay… The thing is, I’d like to take a long-term unpaid leave of absence over the summer.’ She exhaled. There, it was said. Out in the open. Dealt with… kind of. ‘I’ve been doing some family research and I’d very much like to spend some time in the village where my mum was born, on the Isle of Skye. It’s a cute little place called Glentorrin. I’ve never been, but I feel a kind of connection to the place. Something’s pulling me there and…’ Realising she was rambling, she allowed her words to trail off.
Nancy nodded slowly. She leaned forward, folding her hands on the desk. ‘I see. I see. Can I be frank with you, dear?’
Uh-oh. This doesn’t sound good. ‘Of course.’
‘I think it’s about time you did this. In all honesty, I was so surprised when you returned to work so soon after Laurence’s passing. Especially seeing as you’re surrounded by memories at every turn here. Your tenacity was admirable, and I certainly appreciate your commitment to your work, but really… no one expected you to justget on with it, dear. We’re two years on and I’ve been waiting for this day to come. I’ve left you to come to the decision yourself, of course, but I had a feeling you would, eventually.’
Juliette opened and closed her mouth, a little stunned by what she’d just heard.
Nancy held up her hands. ‘Please, don’t get me wrong,’ she continued, ‘you’re a most valuable member of the team and we certainly don’t want to lose you, but you must take care of yourself, too. I think it’s an excellent idea to take some time away. Obviously, I’ll need to run it by management, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s a yes.’
Well, that was easier than she expected. ‘Oh… wow… thank you.’
Nancy eyed her with curiosity. ‘You don’t sound convinced that it’s what you really want.’
Juliette scrunched her brow. ‘No, it’s not that. I just… I wasn’t expecting you to be so understanding.’
Juliette witnessed a first: Nancy rolled her eyes. It was thankfully accompanied by a wide smile. ‘Goodness me, Juliette, I’m not an ogre. The health of my team is of paramount importance to me. I would’ve hoped you’d known me long enough to realise that.’
‘Oh yes,’ Juliette backpedalled. ‘I didn’t mean to insinuate the contrary. Not at all. I think I just expected there to be more hoops to jump through.’
‘Well, hopefully it should be a relatively hoop-free process. Now, let me have the dates and the length of time you wish to take, and I’ll see what I can do.’
* * *
Juliette sat in the window seat of her cottage, watching the children playing in the park opposite as she chatted to her mum on the phone. ‘Nancy was great about the whole thing. It was a relief and terrifying all at once, Mum. This means I actually have todosomething now.’
‘Well, I think it’s a wonderful idea. And I’m so glad you’ve chosen Skye. It’s a shame we never took you there as a child. Your dad loved our family holidays abroad though. Can you imagine if I’d insisted to your father, the sun-worshipper, we should go somewhere where it rains a lot?’ She laughed. ‘He’s just the same now. Give him a pool and an ice cold beer and he’s sorted.’
She had a point though. Dad loved nothing more than to sit under a parasol, on a sunlounger with a good book while she and Dexter built sandcastles and ate helado and sandía.
‘I do regret it now though,’ her mum continued. ‘All the holidays we had and not one to the place where I was born.’ She sighed. ‘I’ve only visited since to attend a couple of family events when me and your dad were first married. It’s such a beautiful island, sweetheart. You’ll love it.’
‘So, you don’t have any living relatives there at all now?’
‘None that I’m aware of. There may be some distant ones. After all, your granny and grandpa grew up there, so there may be someone with a distant connection, if nothing else. Neither had siblings though, so finding relatives isn’t likely, but think of the fun you could have researching. Oh, it will be so wonderful for you. Do you have any particular place in mind?’
Juliette didn’t need to think much about this. She was desperate to visit the village her mum grew up in. ‘I’m going to try to find somewhere to stay in Glentorrin.’ There was a silent pause and then she heard a sniff. ‘Mum? Are you okay?’
Her mum cleared her throat. ‘Sorry, love. I’m a silly old fool. I’m getting all emotional at the thought of you visiting my little village. I wonder if it’s changed after all these years.’
