Two hours later, Juliette stood before the same gilt mirror, her mousy hair replaced with shoulder-length waves in several shades of blonde. Just this one change to her appearance had given her a boost.
She smiled at her reflection. ‘Wow! Charmaine, you’re a miracle worker!’ She hugged the stylist, who happily snapped several photos for the ‘after’ version of the makeover.
With her stunning new locks and an unfamiliar but enjoyable bounce to her step, Juliette embarked upon a mission to purchase new clothes for her trip. Luckily, Millie arrived for coffee and, after gawking at her in a speechless stupor for a good three minutes, offered to help with the search.
This was a whole new chapter to Juliette’s life and it saddened her that Laurie wasn’t here to share it with her. But this was something she simply had to do, even though it meant going it alone.
* * *
A few weeks passed like minutes and preparations for Juliette heading to Skye were almost complete. Work had given her a tea party to wish her bon voyage. Gifts had included insect repellent and a transparent ‘rain mate’ hat, which had caused great hilarity, especially when she had modelled it.
She visited the cemetery to lay fresh flowers for Laurie and chat to him about her impending trip. ‘You’ll always be in my heart, Laurie, no matter where I go. And I’ll always wear my locket,’ she told him as she gazed at the lettering carved into the stone plaque. Walking away that day had been hard and she wondered, very briefly, if she could actually go through with it. But she knew that she wouldn’t just be letting her family and friends, and Laurie, down if she didn’t, she’d be letting herself down, so she was determined to follow her plans through.
Before she knew it, packing day had arrived and Juliette giddily folded yet another pretty new sweater and placed it neatly in her suitcase with the rest. Rain and cold weren’t things she was averse to. Growing up in a small northern mining village had meant she was used to puddles and grey days. But they didn’t mean her childhood had been dull. Far from it. She had so many fond memories of woodland walks with her parents and Dexter. Bright wellingtons and raincoats were wardrobe staples. As well as some scorching-hot summers in her childhood, she remembered visiting the beach at Scarborough on wet winter days to build sandcastles and eating fish and chips on the seafront. Knowing this meant that whatever weather Skye threw at her, it would still be an opportunity to make more wonderful memories.
These days, however, she was more of a ballet pump flats girl, but she had invested in walking boots for this trip. It wasn’t a total step into the unknown, but she knew she had to consider her wardrobe carefully. She glanced up and caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Her newly coiffed hair looked a little statically charged and dishevelled thanks to the effort of trying oneveryitem she packed.
A deeply huffed sigh briefly distracted her, and she turned to where Millie sat, brow creased, on the bed. ‘I know this is the right thing for you to do, but I’m going to bloody miss you.’
Juliette stopped packing and walked across her bedroom to her friend. She bent slightly, placed a hand on each of her shoulders and looked her straight in her familiar green eyes. ‘I’m going to miss you too. But I think it’s just what I need, and it’s only a few months. It’ll fly by.’ She kissed her friend’s forehead and hoped Millie would think of a few months as no time at all.
She turned and yanked open the sticking door of the large pine wardrobe, then stood, hands on hips, assessing her hanging garments with bewilderment.
After a few moments of silence from Millie, she piped up again. ‘I have to say, though, I can’t believe that arsey man turned you down for the job. And I’m worried about you only having somewhere to stay for the first week. What will you do if you can’t find anywhere? Will you come home?’
Juliette sighed. It was concerning her too, but the last thing she needed was to worry Millie further. ‘I’m sure I’ll find somewhere. Word of mouth is probably the best way and I need to be there to hear of a place. If all else fails, I’ll move on and find something somewhere else. Honestly, don’t worry. I’m a big girl, you know.’ It was all rather scary, but a flutter of excitement skittered inside her at the thought of the adventure to come.
Since Laurie had died, Juliette had felt as though she was living in a kind of bubble. It’d been just over two years and shestillfelt as though people didn’t really know how to speak to her. It was as if they thought she was made of glass and she’d shatter at the mere mention of his name, so they avoided her altogether and she was tired of it. She wanted things to benormalagain; to just be somewhere that no one knew her aspoor Jules, the widow. If only for a little while.
Millie pulled her lip between her teeth and sat silently for a moment. ‘I’m sorry, chick. I know how hard this last couple of years has been for you. Laurie’s death was just awful… so bloody unfair. And I know I encouraged you to do this, but… I just… I don’t want you to feel youhaveto run away.’
Juliette smiled and sat on the bed beside her. ‘I don’t feel that, honestly. This is the first thing I’ve felt excited about in ages. It just feels like… like something Ineedto do. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated by Skye. My mum was born there and when I was little I didn’t understand how she could’ve been, since there are only clouds up there.’ She giggled at the memory. ‘When I realised it was actually an island, I built it up into this mysterious, beautiful place. And that silly meltdown at Alessandro’s made me realise I just need to get away. Going to Skye will give me that chance, plus I’ll get to see where Mum grew up. I can’t quite believe I’ve waited this long, to be honest.’
Millie’s eyes glistened with tears. ‘Just make sure you come back, okay? Don’t go falling in love with the place and buying a bloody house up there.’
Juliette wrapped her arms around her. ‘I’ll definitely be coming home, don’t you worry. You can’t get rid of me that easily. And, anyway, Mistford is my home now. You’re here, Dexter’s here. My job is up the road. So, you see, there are too many reasons to be here.’
‘Don’t you ever think about moving back up north to be closer to your mum and dad? You could rent this place out now that the mortgage is paid off.’
Juliette laughed and nudged Millie with her shoulder. ‘On the one hand you’re telling me to hurry home and on the other you’re giving me ways to leave. I can’t keep up.’
Millie smacked her palm into her forehead. ‘God, it does sound confusing, doesn’t it? Sorry. I just mean… well, you relocated here for university, but I know how much you miss your parents. After Laurie’s death, I think I expected you to want to go back home.’
‘Dexter moving down here made that easier. And I haveyoutoo, silly.’
Millie hugged her. ‘You certainly do. And we’ve had some laughs, haven’t we, over the years? I know how hard losing Laurie has been for you. And I miss the fact that you were always smiling when he was around. Perhaps this trip will help you to regain that sparkle. I really hope so, my lovely.’
Juliette swallowed the ball of emotion that threatened to restrict her voice. ‘I hope so too,’ she whispered.
‘Has Dex said much since it’s all been confirmed?’ Millie asked, turning to face the window and trying to hide the fact that a few tears had escaped her eyes.
‘He’s all for it. I think he’d have jumped at the chance to escort me, truth be told.’
‘Aww. He’s such a good big brother. It wouldn’t surprise me if he ended up going there too.’
‘That thought had crossed my mind.’ Juliette giggled as she folded another top.
‘And I suppose getting away from things is on his mind since Brid cheated on him. I still can’t believe she did that. All I can say is that it’s a good thing they never got married.’ Dexter had been devastated by the discovery. The couple had been together for two years and Brid had always seemed so committed to him. But it was evidently true that you never know what was going on in the background.
