He forced a laugh, as if realising he’d overstepped another invisible line in the sand. ‘I’m messing with you. Sorry. Terrible sense of humour. But… honestly, don’t be surprised if my darling brother asks you out.’
Feeling flustered, Juliette was lost for words. ‘Well… bye. And take care of yourself, Reid.’
He took her left hand in his right and gently shook it as if sealing some peace deal. ‘Thank you, Jules, sincerely.’
His thumb grazed the skin on the back of her hand and she shivered. However, unhappy with her reaction in the light of his comments about Kendric, she turned and dashed away from the cottage as fast as she could and didn’t even turn back to wave.
24
Juliette stared at the records on her laptop screen. So, her grandfather had been a lifeboat volunteer? And her grandmother, along with other wives, used to cook for the lifeboat crew when they had returned from their missions. Her connection to Glentorrin strengthened still at that discovery. Now that she looked closer at some of the lifeboat crew photos, she could pick out her grandfather, standing proudly with his colleagues. She texted her mother to let her know the details.
Sunshine blazed in through the glass in the front window of the museum. As the rays were caught by the Tiffany-style lampshades, little shards of colour were cast across the wooden floor like a multifaceted mosaic. Everything about the place was beautiful.
A wave of sadness washed over Juliette as she thought about Reid’s obscure ‘last season’ comment, and then imagined it being turned into something utterly prosaic like a tacky gift shop, or, worse still, having it be swallowed up as a minor cog in a well-known corporate machine.
‘Ah, hello there, young lady.’
Juliette was pulled from her daydream to find Hamish Gair standing before her. Seeing his smiling eyes always cheered her up. ‘Hello, Hamish. How are you today?’
He handed her a bunch of the most beautiful flowers. ‘Oh, I’m grand. I brought you these from my garden. I thought they’d cheer up your counter. They were my wife’s favourites. She did love her garden.’
Touched by his kindness, Juliette accepted the bouquet that was tied with twine. ‘Thank you, these are so beautiful.’
‘You’re welcome, my dear. Is everything okay? You looked a little lost when I arrived.’
Juliette was surprised how observant the elderly gentleman was. ‘Did I? Oh, it’s nothing. Just feeling a little melancholy, I suppose. Not sure why.’ She shrugged.
‘I have those days too. But that’s why I’m glad I have my garden and my museum to visit.’
‘You do. And it’s always a pleasure to see you, Hamish.’
‘And you, my dear Jules.’
‘How’s your grandson enjoying his stay?’
‘Oh, grand. He and his Michael have gone to the mainland for a wee bit of sightseeing. I thought I’d pop along here whilst they’re out.’ He smiled warmly.
‘Ah, lovely. Well, I’ll let you get on with your visit.’
He nodded and made his way to the same spot in the museum that he always visited.
Her heart sank a little as she watched him, knowing that there was a possibility of the place being closed for good at the end of the season. What would poor Hamish do if the museum closed? Would his wife’s belongings simply go back into a cupboard at his home? At least he could see them on display here and know they were being enjoyed by others. She knew that gave him so much joy. Juliette vowed that she would chat to Morag. Perhaps she could come up with a strategy, a rota, or something that would mean the place could remain open long after she’d gone?
* * *
A group of chatty Americans came in during the afternoon and she talked to them about the area, surprising herself with how much she was able to tell them from memory. Pride gave her a boost, and for the rest of the afternoon she found herself singing as she tidied the children’s discovery area and restocked the shelves of souvenirs.
That is until an unwelcome visitor arrived.
Leanna walked in around an hour before closing.
Juliette was determined to be civil despite their last meeting. ‘Oh, hi, Leanna, do you have the day off today?’ she asked with a friendly smile.
Leanna surveyed her with undisguised disdain. ‘Reid is a very understanding boss.’ The way this was delivered was as if Juliette had insinuated otherwise.
‘Well, that’s good to hear.’
The woman glanced around at the display cases with those same pursed lips as if a putrid smell had taken up residence under her nose. ‘I’ve heard that you’ve been handing out all manner of advice to people. It’s not what you’re here for and it’s not welcome around here, you know. You should also know there have been complaints already,’ she said with a sneer.
