Caitlin waved both hands dismissively. ‘Yes, yes, I’m fine but… the café. It’ssold,’ she said as she bent double, resting her hands on her knees.
Juliette raised her eyebrows. ‘Sold? That’s happened quickly.’
‘Yes, but it’swho’sbought it that’s the big news!’
‘Why? Who’s bought it?’
‘Bloody Donny McNair!’
Juliette scowled in disbelief. ‘Leanna’sDonny? What the hell doeshewant with a café?’
‘Bought it for his princess,’ Caitlin replied in a mocking tone.
‘Oh, right.’
‘There’s something fishy going on. Have you seen Reid lately? He’s not answering my messages or calls. Is he okay?’
Juliette sighed as the weight of his reality pressed her down. ‘I’ve not seen much of him, no. I think I’ll head round again tonight to check on him.’ Kendric’s admission rattled around her head and made her stomach knot. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to walk into the firing line.
‘Good idea. He needs all the friends he can get just now. He shouldn’t be leaving. None of this should be happening.’ Caitlin was right, even if she didn’t know the half of it.
* * *
Juliette ate dinner quickly and picked up her phone to video-call her parents. Safe in the knowledge that they were well, and that Dexter had arrived with them, she said her goodbyes and ended the call. Her mind was filled with mixed feelings about Reid. She’d started simply wanting to help him in his time of need – the commonality of depression drawing her to him in her desire to stop anyone from going what she went through after losing Laurie. But things had changed. What had once been simply a kinship had, for her, become more. She didn’t want to feel that way. There were so many reasons why she shouldn’t. Laurie being the main one. But spending time with Reid had meant she’d grown closer to him. His smile warmed her, and his laugh – as infrequently as it happened – was music to her ears. She never expected to feel this way, especially so soon after losing Laurie. But she couldn’t seem to stop the way her stomach flipped when they made eye contact. Or the way she smiled when she thought about him.
Then, there was the news about Kendric and Kate and the fact that she’d been almost made complicit in their dark deeds. Juliette couldn’t tell Reid, but she couldn’t expect him to understand if he found out that she knew. She was utterly conflicted and hated that Kendric had put her in this position. The only saving grace was that she would be returning home soon and Reid would be moving on with his life too; athough that fact didn’t fill her with the relief she expected.
Right now, Juliette needed to hear the voice of reason – well, actually, she simply needed to see Millie’s face.
‘Hey, honey! So good to see you,’ Millie beamed into the camera. ‘How are things on the wild isle of Skye?’
Juliette let out a sigh of relief at the familiarity of her friend’s smile and happy tone. ‘The place is wonderful, and I feel… I feel at home here in a strange way. I know it’s silly and I’m heading home soon, but I really will be sad to leave.’ Knowing Reid was leaving, however, did mean the place wouldn’t be quite the same if she were, in fact, staying.
‘Aww, sweetie. When you get back, me and Harry are coming up to take you out and cheer you up. How is that hunky chap with all the crap going on?’
‘Reid? He’s dealing with such a lot. And it’s only getting worse,’ she mumbled. ‘I’m trying to spend time with him to encourage him. Like you did for me, when… you know.’
‘Well, he’s a very lucky man. But… You seem a little bit down. What’s wrong?’
Juliette wanted to tell her everything she was feeling and everything that was going on but was scared to admit it all out loud. ‘I’m just… I don’t know… Reid is… I feel… Ugh!’
There was a pause before Millie spoke. ‘Right… so I’m going to read between those incomplete sentences and interpret what Ithinkyou want to tell me, okay? Correct me if I’m wrong.’ Another pause. ‘You like him. But you like him more than a simple friendship. You’re attracted to him and you’re scared that people will judge you for that, seeing as Laurie was the love of your life and he’s only been gone two years. Am I close?’
Juliette’s eyes pricked with tears. ‘Scarily so.’
Millie’s expression softened as did her voice. ‘I had a feeling this was going to happen. As soon as you told me about him, something in your voice told me it was more than just you helping someone in need. Oh, honey. I wish I could hug you.’
‘What do I do, Millie? I’m leaving soon and I’m guessing I’ll never see him again unless I do something about this. I don’t know how I feel about that. I get the feeling he likes me too. But… he’s going through so much, and things just keep happening to make his situation worse. I don’t want to make a colossal mistake or end up being one for him. This is the last thing either of us need. And the guilt… I feel like such a traitor. I never expected to be attracted to anyone ever again. Especially not so soon. It’s such a betrayal of Laurie’s memory.’
Millie frowned. ‘Hey, stop that. Remember what Laurie said? Remember how he said you had to move on and let yourself love again? Well, he meant every word. He wouldn’t want you to go through life alone.’
‘I know he said those things, but I never expected I’d need to think about them. And what if… what if this is just a lust thing? What if it’s just curiosity and some deep-seated need to feel wanted again? How can I drag someone else down that path? Especially someone who’s been hurt so much.’
‘Look, honey, all you can do is go with the flow. Don’t push things, but don’t fight them off either. If it isn’t meant to be, you’ll both get over it. But don’t avoid the possibility of being happy.’
Juliette managed to smile. ‘Spoken like a woman in love.’
‘Absolutely. I never expected to meet Harry when I did. And I certainly never expected things to go the way they have as quickly as they have, but I’m happy, Jules. So happy. And I want the same for you. It’s what you deserve.’
