‘You will. I’ll bring something sweet to treat us all.’
He rubbed his hands together. ‘Och, you’re a star.’
* * *
Once back in the house, Caitlin found Grace cuddled on the sofa with Cleo. The little dog wagged her tail as she walked into the room. She reached down and scratched the dog’s belly before bending to kiss her daughter on the head.
‘Hey, sweetie. How are you doing?’ Caitlin asked with concern. She knew that Grace had been melancholy all day and each time she had checked on her through the day, she had been cuddled up with Cleo.
Grace sighed and shrugged. ‘I’m okay. I phoned Cora, but her dad said she wasn’t in. I think she was, but I don’t think she wanted to talk to me. Or her dad didn’t want her to talk to me.’ Her lip trembled.
Caitlin flopped down beside her on the sofa. ‘Hey, come on, love. I hate to see you so sad.’ She stroked her hair. ‘I’ve got something that might cheer you up.’ She proceeded to tell Grace about Archie’s request for help and all about Sophie too.
‘Wow. Isn’t he scared? He’s never been a dad before. He hasn’t even looked after a dog, has he?’
‘No, and I think he is a wee bit scared, but I think he’s excited, too, and he needs our help. In fact, he specifically mentioned you. Anyway, go and get a good wash. We’ve to be there at six. He’s making pizza.’
* * *
Just before six, Caitlin, Grace and Cleo set off on their short walk along the road to Archie’s house. It had been adreich, rainy day, but the gloom had finally cleared, and the sun was peeping through the clouds and forming a halo of light over the little coastal village. It was a tad chilly, and they had to dodge puddles as they walked. Although Cleo didn’t avoid puddles, ever. Instead, she trotted through them with a wagging tail as if they were her very own personal foot spa.
The village, on the whole, was quiet, with the exception of Jules, her fiancé Reid and his son Evin out for a walk with Chewie. They waved and shouted their hellos and Caitlin made a mental note to get the girls around for drinks again soon. She had so much to tell them.
At six o’clock sharp, Caitlin knocked on the door of the stone cottage along the road from Archie’s outdoor shop. He opened the door, and they were greeted by the smell of fresh herbs, baked cheese, and dough.
‘Come on in, guys. The pizza is just about done.’ He bent to fuss Cleo. ‘Hey there, girl, I bet there’ll be a sneaky bit of ham for you.’ As if genuinely understanding the word ham, Cleo yipped and wagged her tail.
Caitlin and Grace stepped inside and removed their jackets. Caitlin had only ever been as far as the hallway at the front of the cottage and had only glimpsed the living room once before. Now she could see that it was neat and tidy. There was a grey and cream tartan carpet, plain cream walls, two two-seater black leather sofas and a huge inglenook fireplace complete with roaring fire to take away the chill outside. Caitlin spotted Reid’s artwork on three walls, all depicting scenes from around the Isle of Skye, and the window on the fourth was adorned with a pale grey blind and sumptuous cream, jacquard curtains. It was fairly masculine, but she knew that would soon be about to change.
‘We’ll eat in the kitchen. Go on through,’ Archie told them as he hung their coats in the small hallway.
Caitlin unclipped Cleo’s lead and they made their way through to the back. The kitchen was a little more to Caitlin’s taste, with grey, shaker-style units and grey and cream marble worktops. A modern twist on a country classic. A cream-painted wooden table at one end was surrounded by four mismatched chairs. Again, a painting by their mutual friend Reid featured on the wall by the table. This one was of the Quiraing, the mountain range in the north of Skye on the Trotternish Peninsula, a place Caitlin loved but hadn’t been walking in for too long.
Caitlin and Grace sat, and Archie came in and removed three pizzas from the oven and placed them in the centre of the table. ‘I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so we have a veggie one, a chicken and mushroom, and a ham and pineapple. All home-made,’ he added with a smile of pride.
‘Fantastic. You didn’t have to go to so much trouble though. We’ll eat pretty much any pizza won’t we, Grace?’
Grace was already munching on her first piece, and she nodded effusively whilst mumbling, ‘Hmm, good!’ Cleo watched her every mouthful, licking her lips in anticipation of any tasty morsel that might come her way.
‘I forgot to show you this earlier,’ Archie said as he handed a photo to Caitlin. A beautiful dark-haired little girl smiled from the print. ‘It arrived in the post from Jackie’s mum, bless her heart. It’s a recent photo too. She’s in the garden at the foster carer’s.’
Grace leaned closer. ‘Oh, she’s so cute! Isn’t she, Mum?’
Caitlin beamed. ‘She’s gorgeous. I can definitely see you in her features, Archie.’
Archie’s cheeks coloured.
‘So have you got lots of ideas for her room?’ Caitlin asked as they ate.
‘I’m thinking maybe a navy-blue ceiling and bedhead wall, then lots of stick-on glow-in-the-dark stars.’
‘Yes! Oh, I’d love that!’ Grace interjected before Caitlin had a chance to reply. ‘Then a sky-blue on the other walls with rainbows. I’ve seen these rainbow wall stickers you can get online; I’ll show you. And there’s this really cool duvet set on one of the big shop websites that’s got galaxies on. That glows in the dark, too, I think,’ she added with enthusiasm, and it warmed Caitlin’s heart to see her daughter’s mood lifted. ‘And we’ll have to make sure we get things for Bowie the Pug too. He’s Sophie’s best friend, so we’ll need to make sure he settles in.’
Archie nodded. ‘That all sounds amazing, and you’re right about Bowie, this will be his home too. The carpet in the back bedroom is fairly neutral and there’s a single bed and wardrobe and bedside table, so that will all work. I’m so glad you guys are here to help me,’ he told them with a wistful smile.
‘We can’t wait to meet little Sophie,’ Grace told him. ‘I can be like a big sister to her.’ Her face paled a little and she glanced nervously as her mum. ‘I mean… like a big cousin… or something like that.’ Caitlin could see that Grace was still affected by the events that took place with Lyle. The hope she had been filled with at the start of the relationship had been dashed so harshly and it made her heart ache. All she wanted was for Grace to be happy and to help her get over it all.
‘I’m sure Sophie will be very excited and happy to meet you, Grace,’ Archie told her. ‘Especially when I tell her you helped to design her new room.’
