Juliette hugged her and tried not to cry. ‘I’ll miss you all too. So, so much.’
‘Hey! Save a hug for me!’ came Caitlin’s familiar voice from outside. And when she arrived, she joined them in their embrace.
‘I finally have a best friend and you’re moving away and leaving me.’ Caitlin sniffed.
‘Oh, don’t say that. I’m trying hard not to blub.’
Morag laughed. ‘Well, you’re better than me. I’ve already started.’ She laughed through her tears and wiped her eyes.
Caitlin placed a hand on either side of Juliette’s face. ‘Take care ofyou, okay? And remember that if ever you get sick of the beautiful, picturesque place you live, you can always come back to this old hole.’ She grinned and her eyes shone.
‘I will. And please come and visit me too, okay?’
‘Don’t worry, me and Grace will make it down south soon. Maybe Christmas!’
Juliette nodded vehemently. ‘That would be absolutely fab. The Cotswolds are so pretty at Christmas. Like something off an old chocolate box. Grace will love it.’
‘Can’t wait. Now, Morag has put you some breakfast together that you can easily eat as you drive, seeing as we knew you wouldn’t have eaten—’
‘What makes you think I haven’t eaten?’
Morag, with hands on hips, chipped in, ‘Well, have you?’
Juliette laughed. ‘Well, no!’ She was tempted to add ‘Mum!’ to the end but refrained.
Caitlin grinned and held out a paper bag. ‘See! And I’ve brought you some shortbread. There’s some for you and some for your mum and dad.’
‘You’re so sweet,’ Juliette said as she hugged them both again. ‘Thank you, both. I never expected leaving to be this hard, but I really should get going now; long drive ahead to my folks’ house near Durham.’
‘Well, as my Kenneth said, safe journey. And let us know when you’re there safely.’
Juliette nodded, no longer able to form words.
Caitlin wiped her eyes. ‘You know, friends come and go in this life. But the ones who make you laugh and the ones who it hurts your heart to let go, those are the ones that mean the most. You’re that for me.’
Juliette hugged Caitlin again and sobbed into her shoulder. Eventually, she took the food packages, kissed both women on their cheeks and turned back to walk to her car.
She took one long last look at the Lifeboat House Museum, the place she had temporarily called home and the place that had stolen her heart, before climbing into the driver’s seat and starting the engine. Morag and Caitlin waited outside the shop to wave to her and, as she pulled around the corner at the end of the village, Stella and Joren waved too.
Juliette drove along the road and stopped at the end of the lane that led to Reid’s house. She wound down the window and listened. It was eerily quiet, except for birdsong and the sound of the breeze rustling through the trees. Her heart squeezed in her chest as she remembered the times she had walked up and down this pretty lane, but she was determined not to be sad. She hoped Reid was well. That he was reunited with his boy and that he could move on and find happiness.
She wished that for herself too.
She started the engine once again. Instead of Dexter’s CD, she flicked on the radio, deciding she’d listen to the local station until she was out of its reach.
Juliette was just crossing the Skye Bridge and memorising the view from up there when the radio presenter announced the next song. All the strength she’d tried to muster was swept away in one fell swoop as the opening bars to Lewis Capaldi’s ‘Hold Me While You Wait’ floated from the speakers, and once more she was transported back to that one special night with Reid as the heartfelt words wrapped themselves around her semi-healed heart.
38
The homeward journey was just as stunning as the one she had made to travel to Skye, only this time she skirted the Cairngorms National Park on a tree-lined A road, with a mountainous vista beyond, just visible above the tops of the silver birch and alder trees. On through Pitlochry, Dunkeld and Bankfoot. At Perth, she pulled over and managed to eat a little of what Morag and Caitlin had packed for her but did so in silence. She couldn’t risk listening to the radio in case she was yet again presented with songs that reminded her of things she needed to forget. Once she had eaten, she set off again, determined to arrive at her parents’ house before nightfall.
Around five in the evening, she pulled on to the driveway of the house she had grown up in. Her dad’s Volvo and Dexter’s motorbike were sat side by side in front of the pleasant, detached home, which was located in a cul-de-sac of nineteen fifties red-brick buildings, all similar in appearance, with their bay windows and slate tiled roofs. The arched porch over the front door was adorned with a stunning hanging basket of evergreen plants – gardening was something her mum was fond of and every spare minute was spent pottering. Everything looked just the same and that was such a comforting fact.
Juliette pushed down on the front door handle and opened the door before stepping into the smartly decorated hallway. ‘Mum! Dad! I’m here!’
Seconds later, amidst coos and kisses, she was enveloped in a family hug – something she really needed. As she was held at arm’s length and told how well she looked, she tried her best to put thoughts of handsome Scottish men called Reid out of her mind for good.
Eventually, she held out the brown paper bag that had accompanied her all the way from Skye and managed to say, ‘I brought some of the best shortbread you’ll ever taste.’
