‘Mmm, yep, good idea.’ Cally's eyes lit up at the prospect of a pre-Christmas trip to Scotland. 'That sounds wonderful, actually.'
'I thought you might like the idea. The whole estate looks a picture when it's covered in snow.'
'I can imagine.’
‘I was thinking we could invite a few others. Birdie, Eloise, Nina, some of my family.’
Cally raised an eyebrow. 'What? That's quite a group. Any particular reason? That’s a bit out of the blue, isn’t it? I thought you meant just us.'
Logan shrugged. Cally noticed a flicker of something in his eyes, but she wasn’t sure what. Inside, she sighed. She didn’t want to go to Scotland as part of some grief thing to do with Alastair. She was wholeheartedly behind Logan and was happy for his grieving to take as long as was required, but she drew the line at shrine-like reminiscing trips. Nope, she would not be partaking in that.
'No reason. Just thought it would be fun to have everyone together after, well, you know, the last few months or so have been grim. Plus, the estate can certainly accommodate them all, so I thought, why not? Time’s ticking on.'
'True,' Cally nodded, still watching Logan closely. There was something he wasn't telling her, she was sure of it, or maybe he was just strange because he was finally through the initial part of the grief and feeling better. She decided not to push it. If he had something planned, she'd find out soon enough. One thing was for sure though; if Logan started to go on about Alastair, their family holidays up there and recreating past festive trips, she’d pull the plug. She was happy to support him, but that would be a step too far in her humble opinion.
'So, what do you think? Are you up for a Scottish adventure?'
Cally grinned. 'Absolutely. However, I'll need to do some serious shopping. I don't think any of my clothes are suitable for Scottish winter.'
'Don't worry, you know what it’s like up there. You could turn up in a bikini and be kitted out in the boot room. It’s practically an all-weather gear shop.’
‘Good point.’
'When were you thinking of going?' Cally asked, already mentally rearranging her work schedule.
'Early to mid-December, something like that. That way we're back in time for Christmas in Lovely, but we still get the full winter experience in Scotland. I’ll get it sorted.'
'It sounds perfect. You know, if someone had told me a couple of years ago that I'd be sitting in a secret chowder speakeasy in a lighthouse, planning a trip to a Scottish estate, I'd have thought they were pulling my leg.'
Logan chuckled. 'Lovely has worked its magic on you.'
'Sometimes I still can't quite believe this is my life now.' Cally swore. ‘Now I look back, I was in quite the grim place before I moved here. Thank goodness for Birdie, helping me out with the flat.’
Logan reached across the table. 'Well, believe it because it's only going to get better from here. Now I’ve got past, you know what. At least, I hope I have. Yeah, we’re on the up, Blackcurrant.’
Cally side-eyed. Logan was acting quite strangely. She wondered if he was now hiding stuff from her and had been day drinking. He didn’t appear to be drunk, though, which was weird. There was something in his tone she didn’t like. More than odd. She opened her mouth to ask what he meant about things getting better and closed it as Colin appeared at their table again.
'Everything alright here? Can I tempt you with seconds? Or perhaps cake?'
Logan didn’t waste any time. 'Seconds, please. It's too good to pass up. Honestly, one of the best I’ve had.'
Colin’s chest visibly puffed. ‘On it. I’ll be back.’
Cally took a sip of her ale. ‘I read quite a lot about the estate in winter in those books in the cottage. What’s it like?'
‘Snow-covered hills, the loch sparkles and sometimes freezes. Cal, you’ll love the cosy evenings. The roaring fires up there are next level.’
As Cally sat and listened to Logan describe the estate, she loved the idea of another weekend there. Though Logan was acting a tad on the strange side, inwardly, she let out a sigh of relief. As the months had passed, he seemed to have turned a corner, which was welcome news. She thought about Scotland and snow and all things festive. The train ride alone would probably knock her socks off. Logan was correct. It would doherandhimthe world of good. She was going to jump in with two feet and see what happened.
38
Cally had been for a coffee with Logan in the deli before work. The point had been to give her a bit of courage, Dutch or otherwise, before she went in to tell Birdie about what she’d discovered in the Peaceton store. After discussing the ins and outs of it with Logan the night before at the speakeasy, he’d said there was nothing for it but to get on and tell Birdie as soon as possible. He’d also come up with the idea to soften the blow by inviting Birdie to Scotland at the same time. To say that Cally was nervous about having to inform Birdie about the Estrella problem was an understatement.
Unsure about why she was so worried, she’d spent the night tossing and turning, not able to get it out of her mind. In the end, she told herself that she had the evidence, that she knew she was correct, and once she’d told Birdie, it would be out of her hands. It just all felt a bit grubby and underhanded. Truth be told, it was something she didn’t want a bar of at all.
With the problem swarming around her head, she walked into the back of the chemist to the sound of the Shipping Forecast with flutters in her stomach. As she shrugged off her coat, she decided she would not beat about the bush and would tell Birdie right away. However, she didn’t get a chance. As soonas she saw Birdie, she knew something was wrong. Birdie’s face was like thunder.
'Morning. Everything okay with you?'
