Her mother stood and straightened her skirt. ‘I’m sorry, Caitlin. But you have to make a choice here.’ She pointed in the general direction of Caitlin’s belly. ‘That abomination… or me.’
Caitlin’s heart lurched and her stomach roiled on hearing her mother’s vile choice of words. She inhaled a deep breath, smoothed her hand over her tummy, shook her head and closed her eyes for a moment. Her heart ached at the posed ultimatum, but she knew, in reality, there was no choice to be made.
Her chin trembled and sadness washed over her like a tsunami. ‘Mum, honestly, that’s a decision I really don’t want to make. But I’m sorry, if you’re forcing my hand, I’m afraid I have another life to protect now.’ Her voice broke and she paused, hoping that her mother would see sense and open her arms out to her.
The prospect of being a single parent was daunting, starting a new business at the same time was terrifying, but she knew in her heart she could and would do it. If nothing else, she had determination. But she could’ve really done with a hug from her mum. When none came, she swiped hot tears from her cheeks and cleared her throat.
‘I really do love you, please remember that.’
Her mother looked on in shock, so she waited a split second more, but when her mother didn’t move, Caitlin nodded in defeat.
‘Bye, Mum.’
And with those final words, she turned and left her family home with the melancholic feeling inside that she may be leaving it for the very last time.
1
The early-evening June sun was still high in the sky over the pretty coastal village of Glentorrin, and it warmed the garden at the back of the bakery, as Caitlin Fraser handed out the filled wine glasses to her friends: Lifeboat House Museum guardian Jules Fairhurst, village shop owner Morag McDougal, and the newest resident, ex-Hollywood actress, Ruby Locke.
It was Friday evening and wonderful to be outside enjoying the clement weather, Caitlin thought, and the planting and weeding she had done in her little cottage garden was paying dividends. Birds were still chirping overhead and feasting on the feeding station she had made with her twelve – soon-to-be thirteen –year-old daughter Grace, and the buzz of bees could be heard as the little insects worked hard around the newly dug flowerbeds. The variety of colours were so cheerful and uplifting and she was happy that Grace’s plan to plant a rainbow had come to fruition.
‘So, I have news,’ Caitlin told her friends with a sly smile.
The women shared an intrigued glance.
‘Sounds ominous. What’s going on?’ Jules asked.
Caitlin took a large swig of the crisp, fruity wine for Dutch courage and placed her glass down again. ‘Well, ladies, at the ripe old age of forty, I’ve decided I’m going to start dating.’
Morag chuckled. ‘It’s about bloody time if you ask me, hen. I thought we were waiting for hell to freeze over or something.’
‘Thanks, Morag,’ Caitlin replied with a roll of her eyes and a good-humoured smile. ‘I’ve spent so many years putting Grace and the bakery first, but I think maybe the time’s right. And I figure that now my parents’ bed and breakfast up at Portree is sold, I have the space to include a man in my life.’
‘I’m surprised it took so long to sell. It’s been quite stressful for you, hasn’t it?’ Jules said with a sad smile as she tucked her blonde waves behind her ears.
Caitlin nodded. ‘Aye, it has. Two and a half years since Mum passed away, and two years since I put the place on the market. Thank goodness it’s done now though.’
‘You did such a lot of work to the place. It was stunning when you put it up for sale,’ Ruby said wistfully.
‘Well, someone needed to drag it kicking and screaming out of the nineteen eighties. I’ve never seen so much chintz.’ Caitlin laughed as she remembered the task of stripping the flowery, pink and blue, lounge wallpaper from the top of the walls, and the pink candy-striped paper from the bottom. Of course, the intricately decorated, oh-so-eighties border covering the join of the two had gone too. Thankfully, she had managed to find a team of painters and decorators to take over when she found the task too much on top of her day job.
Caitlin’s Cakes and Bakes had gone from strength to strength and Caitlin was proud of all she had achieved as a single parent and businesswoman. And although it hadn’t always been a piece of cake, Grace was a lovely, well-adjusted girl, despite her less than ordinary origins. Grace was fully aware of where she came from and although neither were ashamed about it, it wasn’t something they talked about with others. Caitlin had discovered that, whilst not everyone was of the same opinion as her own mother, not many people understood her choices.
‘Didn’t you ever fancy moving up there to run the place yourself after all that hard work?’ Morag asked. The woman, who was in her sixties, not only ran the village shop with her husband but a successful bed and breakfast too. Caitlin often wondered where she got her energy from.
Caitlin smiled and shook her head. ‘No. Too many memories.’ She shrugged. ‘Mostly good but… Well, some that I’d rather not be reminded of.’ She took a sip of her drink as she remembered the beautiful old house she had grown up in with its sweeping driveway and pretty, private garden. ‘And I love my little bakery here in Glentorrin, so it wasn’t a difficult decision to make.’
She was grateful she had made peace with her mother several years prior to her death, and that Grace had met her Granny Maggie. Once, when delivering a birthday cake to a customer, she had bumped into her mum in Portree when Grace was around seven. The woman had sobbed and apologised over and over when she had laid eyes on the beautiful, sweet-natured young girl for the first time. She had taken them back to her home and served tea and scones whilst showing her granddaughter old photos of her mum as a child. It was how things should have been all along, but at least Maggie had acknowledged that fact, even if it had been a little too late.
As if sensing a slump in the jovial atmosphere, Ruby chimed in, ‘So, how are you going to go about thisfinding a manlark? Because let me tell you, it’s not blooming easy.’
Caitlin laughed. ‘Says the beautiful, red-haired ex-movie actress who bagged a sexy property tycoon.’Good grief,if Ruby, a thirty-year-old stunner, thinks it’s difficult, there’s no hope for me!
Ruby held up a finger and giggled. ‘Ah, we’re not allowed to call Mitch a tycoon any more. He says it sounds too braggy. And you know what he’s like about being the centre of attention.’
‘Oh, we certainly do,’ Caitlin replied with a knowing smile. Caitlin remembered the first time Hollywood actress Ruby Locke had walked into her bakery, and she had tried her best not to be too starstruck. Glentorrin resident Mitch Adair had been roped into helping the star, by a mutual acquaintance, to stay out of the public eye by staying at a couple of his properties. This all followed a horrible incident where Ruby’s social media accounts had been hacked, and some horrid imposter had put out vile posts pretending to be her. Mitch was just the kind of healing Ruby had needed and now the pair were head over heels in love.
Caitlin’s thoughts returned to the poster she’d seen on the noticeboard at the village hall. ‘So, for starters, there’s a singles night up in Broadford, at the Crown Hotel, tomorrow night. I thought I’d give that a go.’
