Juliette thought of Hamish Gair, her mum’s photo and all the fishermen to whom the place was dedicated. ‘But that’s such a shame. Why now?’
Morag shrugged. ‘It’s just a timing thing. We all have our own lives. Our own businesses. I’m afraid it’s time to let the village move forward. There’s been some interest from a couple of chains on the mainland. It’s a prime tourist spot. The investment would be good for the place. And I think the difficulties we had in finding someone to run it compounded things really.’
Juliette’s heart plummeted. She’d become so very fond of the place and the thought of it being swallowed up by a corporate entity made her sad beyond words.
Once Morag had left, Juliette sat nursing a drink she hadn’t touched. Her thoughts a mixture of the museum, Leanna and Reid and Evin.
‘Penny for them?’
She lifted her chin and found Kendric smiling down at her. ‘Oh, hi. Sorry, I was miles away.’
‘Can I join you?’ he asked, pointing to the chair opposite.
She glanced around, a little uneasy to be seen with him after Leanna’s accusations. ‘Oh, I was actually just about to go home. I’ve had enough to drink.’
‘Just stay for a little while.’ He nodded at her full glass. ‘It doesn’t look like you’re in the mood for wine. I’ll grab us a coffee.’ He smiled that million-dollar smile that made Caitlin swoon but didn’t have the same effect on Juliette.
‘Okay, just one coffee. Then I really must go and phone my folks.’
He nodded and disappeared to the bar, returning soon after with the coffees he promised. ‘I wanted to chat to you about something.’
A little nervous twinge tugged at her insides. ‘So you said. What, exactly?’
‘I’m compiling a piece about local heroes. I’ve a man who saved his neighbours from a house fire, even after they’d been feuding for years. I have a family who rallied to help out a refugee who was going to be deported. And after what you did for Chewie, jumping into ice-cold, thrashing waves to save an animal that wasn’t even yours,andin the light of the fact that you’re not from here, I think it would be very interesting for our audience. A great addition to the show and a real personal-interest piece. It would be done on camera and you’d need to come to Glasgow with me to shoot it. We’d get your hair and make-up done and the interview would be somewhere swish, a nice hotel, maybe.’
Juliette twisted her fingers in her lap and scrunched her brow. ‘Oh… I don’t think… I mean, it’s not something people will be bothered about, surely. It’s not really heroic. And I’m not sure I want to be on TV.’
The door to the pub swung open and in walked Leanna and her husband, Donny. As if trained like a homing missile, Leanna’s gaze fell immediately on Juliette. She glanced at Kendric and then back at Juliette and shook her head, her lip curled into a sneer.
Great, this is all I need.
‘Did you hear me, Jules? You drifted off there.’
She tore her attention from her nemesis and shook her head. ‘I’m so sorry. What did you say?’
‘I was just saying that I feel like your story is an interesting one. People love stories about animals that have happy endings. And, let’s be honest, you’re an incredibly attractive woman. Very photogenic, I bet. I’m sure the camera would just love you. Plus, I’ve discovered you’re connected to Skye too. It’s all stuff that gets viewers. I really think it would be a great piece. Would you at least think about it?’ He pleaded with his eyes.
Leanna continued to glare over at Juliette and she swallowed hard. She couldn’t talk about this. Not now. Not here. Not with the eyes of Leanna boring into her. No prizes for guessing how quickly Reid would find out about her apparent rendezvous with his brother.
Realising that Kendric was still waiting for a response, Juliette stared into her coffee. She watched the tracks of steam rising and disappearing into the air. She wasn’t one to search out the limelight. She didn’t consider herself a hero. There were almost certainly better people he could interview. Eventually, after considering her words carefully, Juliette said, ‘Thank you, but… I really don’t think I’m your person. I’m sorry. Look, I have to go now.’ She stood, grabbed her bag and jacket and left the pub as quickly as her legs would carry her.
25
Morag informed Juliette that the museum was to be closed on Friday so that an estate agent could come and take photos for the sales brochure. The sorrow that descended at this news was quite overwhelming and she wondered how on earth they could bear to let the place go. So many memories of lives lived and lost were contained within the walls, within the very fabric of the building, and the fact thatshefelt this after such a short amount of time led her to believe that hearts would break when it eventually closed.
But everything was arranged for the visit of the estate agent and Juliette was relieved to have been given the day off; the thought of being there to witness the beginning of the end was something she simply couldn’t face.
Knowing she was at a loose end, Caitlin offered to take her on a shopping trip to Inverness. Her Saturday assistant was available to cover a day early so the pair planned to head off first thing.
There was a golden glow atop the mountains across Loch a’ Chuilinn as they made the journey across the country. The water was millpond still, apart from the odd bird diving in for breakfast. Juliette was surprised by how quiet even the main roads were; a car every few miles passed them going in the opposite direction, but it was hardly the gridlock of southern cities that she was used to. She smiled serenely as the scenery floated by.
At around ten o’clock, Caitlin pulled her car into a space in a small multistorey. ‘Right, I don’t know about you, but I think coffee and a croissant should be our first port of call!’
‘Music to my ears,’ Juliette agreed as her tummy rumbled its approval.
Caitlin led the way to a small French coffee shop, and they sat at a table by the window. Once the waitress had been and they had placed their order, Caitlin said, ‘So, are you going to go for it?’ Wondering whatitwas, Juliette frowned, so Caitlin continued, ‘Kendric MacKinnon, silly.’
Juliette fiddled with her napkin and felt the heat of embarrassment rise in her cheeks. ‘He and I hardly know each other, and besides, I’m not really looking for anything—’
