‘Bye, Reid.’ She walked to the front door but couldn’t help feeling there were things left unsaid.
After opening the door, Kendric said, ‘So, how about I take you for lunch. See if I can convince you to change your mind about the TV piece.’
She shook her head. ‘Oh, no, sorry, but I don’t have the time, really.’
‘Okay, maybe next week then.’ And before she could think of an excuse, he said, ‘I won’t give up. I think you’d be perfect for the show.’ He leaned and kissed her cheek, lingering a little too long. ‘And I really would love to take you to lunch anyway.’
Juliette stepped back slightly and shivered involuntarily. ‘Right, I should be going.’
He smiled warmly. ‘Well, it was lovely to see you. I wish I’d arrived home a little earlier.’
She nervously tucked her hair behind her ears and peered up at his painfully handsome smile. ‘Th-thank you. Bye, Kendric.’
‘Bye. Hope to see you again soon.’
She raised her hand and walked away. How on earth did two brothers get to be so different but so attractive, each in their own individual way?
27
Hours and days were being rapidly chipped away from Juliette’s time remaining on Skye. The end of August had arrived, and she wondered why things seemed to move so fast when you hit adulthood. When she was a child, days had felt like weeks, and weeks like months. Now, though, each day seemed to whiz by her at a rate of knots. The air was chillier too and the leaves were beginning to turn.
One of the things her counsellor had always encouraged her to do was get out in the fresh air. ‘Exercise,’ he told her, ‘is good not only for the body, but for the mind, too.’ So, lately, her evenings had consisted of after-dinner walks with Morag, if she was free, or with Caitlin, Grace and Cleo, if they were up for the outdoors. And when it rained, she stayed indoors and read from the wonderful array of stories she’d brought with her. She revisited some of her favourite classics and discovered new authors; along with whom came new stories and writing styles.
Each evening, she saw a different part of the village and beyond. Caitlin told her stories of growing up on Skye and Morag did the same, only their experiences were completely different. The one thing that rang true for both, however, was that the island was an amazing place to live. Grace delighted them with the story of how, thanks to Juliette, she had become friends with Evin MacKinnon. And that he was really cool… for a boy. Now that they were back at school, they were hanging out there, too. And they had started to take Chewie to the big field at the weekends and try to teach him new tricks. Juliette’s heart was so full.
‘And he’s not like other boys,’ Grace informed her. ‘He doesn’t think chasing girls with worms is funny. He actually talks about things that aren’t silly. He wants to help animals when he grows up. And I think that’s totally great because I want to do that too. He’s so mature.’
Juliette exchanged amused glances with Morag and Caitlin, and Caitlin mouthed the wordsproud mummyand clutched her hands at her heart.
* * *
On one of the warmer evenings, Juliette did as she had promised herself at the beginning of her trip: she drove alone to the Skye bridge and parked up to walk across. Armed with her digital SLR camera, she stopped at the midpoint and snapped photos of the evening sunlight dancing upon the water, and of the little village of Kyleakin overlooking Loch Alsh. Across the other side of the road bridge, she could see beyond the island of Eilean Mòr, and in the distance, thanks to the clear sky, she could see the edges of Raasay stretching like a long stony finger up the middle of the Inner Sound.
She inhaled the fresh sea air and closed her eyes. There was a serene peace all around her. The water lapped on the rocks below and gulls cried overhead; sounds she would miss and long for when she returned to her landlocked home.
‘Well, fancy seeing you here,’ a voice beside her said, making her jump.
She turned to see Reid smiling, and even though he was still unshaven, his eyes sparkled.
‘Oh, hi, Reid. It’s a lovely evening for a walk, isn’t it?’
‘Aye. I met with my counsellor for the first time today and she said that fresh air and exercise would help, so…’ He shrugged. ‘Here I am. I’ve even brought a flask. Thought I’d find a bench with a view and sit for a while. Care to join me?’
‘That’d be lovely, if you don’t mind sharing.’ She was not only relieved but delighted to hear that Reid had met his counsellor and even more so on discovering he was already putting her advice into practice. He may have a long way to go to his recovery but these were incredible starting points.
‘Not at all, and there’s a wee bench down the way there. You get a nice view of Kyleakin and Loch Alsh.’
‘That sounds perfect.’ And it really did. Around every corner was another spectacular view offering up more memories for her to take away.
They walked along the road bridge and, sure enough, not far from where Juliette had parked, was a wooden bench overlooking the water. They sat and Reid opened the flask. He poured out coffee into the cup that came with it and some into the little plastic lid. He handed the larger of the two to Juliette.
‘It’s not quite champagne, but here’s to positive steps, eh?’
‘Positive steps,’ she repeated and clunked her cup into his. ‘So, how did it go with your counsellor? I’m surprised you got in so quick.’
‘Aye, not as surprised as me, I can tell you that. It went well though. Having the appointment come so quick meant I didn’t have the time to talk myself out of going. Anyway, she seems nice. She just let me haver on at her and she made a few notes, but mainly, she listened.’
‘How did you feel afterwards?’ she asked, taking a sip of her drink and relishing the earthy flavour of the coffee on her taste buds.
