Jules reached out and took her hand. ‘Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. That’s really rough.’
‘Yeah. My timing is crappy.’ She forced a laugh even though the emotion of her situation had sneaked up on her, making her heart ache and her eyes well with tears. ‘I really like him, Jules. And now I’ve lost him.’ Her heart squeezed as she heard her own words out loud. ‘After all these years and those daft conversations we’ve had, I realise my feelings right at the time when he finds someone new.’
‘I’m so very sorry,’ Jules replied.
‘And now I’m going camping with him and the girls tonight, all platonic, because that’s what friends do, and I don’t want to go. I think… I think he’ll be able to tell how I feel when he looks at me. I don’t think I’ll be able to hide it.’
Jules held out her hands. ‘Look, tell him you and Grace can’t go, something’s come up.’
Caitlin gave a sad smile. ‘Too late. Grace is already up there. And Cleo. He took them earlier. I can’t abandon Grace when she’s so excited about me going.’
Jules pursed her lips. ‘Ah. Maybe you could just go pick her up and come home?’
Caitlin shook her head. ‘As tempting as that is, it would look strange. It would be even more clear that something was amiss, only I wouldn’t be able to explain what.’
Jules nodded. ‘Yes, true. Oh, heck, Cait, it looks like you can’t really get out of it.’
‘Nope. You’re right, I’m afraid. I’m going whether I want to or not.’
* * *
As Caitlin drove along roads lined with gorse and dotted with pretty, whitewashed cottages, the sky overhead was still a vivid cornflower-blue with swathes of fluffy, candyfloss-type clouds, and she was relieved that the weather had behaved itself at least. She switched on the radio, hoping it would distract her from the stampede of butterflies marching around her insides.
‘Next up, one for all you old romantics out there,’ the radio announcer said. ‘This is Take that with “Rule the World”…’
‘Oh, for f—’
The intro to the song began and Caitlin was immediately taken back to Archie’s garden when they were surrounded by their friends but had locked eyes on each other. She’d thought she had seen something in his expression. Had she imagined it? Had he felt something too but been too scared to say anything? Knowing Archie, he wouldn’t have said anything when he was with Rosabeth, even if he had felt it. He was such a loyal person. And now he would presume that she was still with Bram. She hadn’t told him anything to the contrary and Archie had already moved on. Now, her favourite Take That song had been ruined for her, forever destined to remind her of Archie’s eyes on that fateful night.
She pulled into the picturesque campsite on the edge of Loch Dunvegan at seven in the evening. The surface of the loch was glasslike, and the mountain known as MacLeod’s Table could be seen across the water in the distance, silhouetted against the sky. It really was a stunning location, and she could see why Archie had chosen it.
Grace came jogging over to where she had parked, Sophie was holding her hand.
‘Hi, Mum! Did you bring anything nice?’ Grace asked.
‘I like the biswits you make,’ Sophie said, then hid behind Grace as if she had spoken out loud by mistake.
Caitlin’s heart swelled at the interaction. ‘Aww, that’s really lovely, Sophie, I’m glad. And yes, Grace, I have all sorts of goodies. Give me a hand with the bags.’ She handed Grace her overnight bag – something she knew made her appear a total townie – and Sophie took her sleeping bag, but it was almost as big as she was. She huffed and puffed, fighting to see over the top of it, but refused to hand it over when Caitlin offered to help. Admiring the little girl’s determination and trying not to giggle at the stubborn streak that reminded her of Grace, Caitlin carried the bag of food she had brought.
‘Archie has got some burgers on the go,’ Grace informed her.
‘Good thing I brought bread buns too then, eh?’ she said with a grin. ‘What have you been doing today then?’ Caitlin asked as they walked across the campsite to the neatly mowed area that Archie had chosen for their camp.
‘We’ve played badminton, been for a long walk, ate lunch down by the loch and looked at the flowers. It’s been really fun, hasn’t it, Sophie?’
‘It’s been fun, fun, fun!’ Sophie said loudly with a skip that surprised Caitlin. She was definitely coming out of her shell.
In a little oasis, there were two decent-sized tents set up with their entrances opposite each other, and a camp table and chairs in the middle. A colourful windbreak shielded them from the other campers and, for a moment, Caitlin wished they were there for more than one night, it looked so cosy.
‘Ah, you made it!’ Archie said as he walked towards her. He pulled her into a hug, which took her by surprise. Being in his arms, even for a brief second, felt right somehow, comfortable even but she mentally slapped herself.
Get a grip, Caitlin.
‘I brought bread and a few sweet treats,’ she said, holding the bag aloft.
‘Great! Come on and have a seat. Fancy a bottle of beer?’
If she had a beer, she was definitely staying the night. This was it, make or break…
