‘Aye and I don’t think it’s my dad’s either.’
Beth chuckled.
‘Oi,’ said Jim, ‘do you mind? Did I or did I not help you with the problem?’ He rolled his eyes. ‘Honestly! Grab a seat at the table and I’ll get lunch sorted. It won’t be long.’
‘Jim has been cooking so we are in for a treat.’ Freya chuckled. ‘Beth, if you and the boys grab a seat at the table and I’ll just bring over some water.’
The large table in the dining area of the kitchen was covered in a pale blue oilskin cover, was flanked on either side by pine benches.
‘Beth, I’ve done a roast chicken. I hope that’s okay. And I believe Rory has been busy making an apple crumble.’ Jim had a tea towel sling over his shoulder and looked very much at home in the kitchen.
‘That sounds perfect. Thank you. And Rory, how did you know that crumble is my favourite?’
Rory blushed but smiled as he followed Beth to the table, taking a seat next to her. ‘We did it in food tech.’
‘Food tech, is that like home economics?’
Freya nodded as she sat opposite Beth. ‘Yes, it was home ec back in our day, wasn’t it? But it’s pretty much the same thing.’
‘And do you like cooking, Rory?’ asked Beth.
‘Yes.’ He nodded enthusiastically.
‘What sort of things do you like making?’
‘Pastas, cakes, curries, omelettes.’ His voice bubbled with excitement. ‘And we’re going to start doing Christmas baking soon. Shortbread and a Yuletide log.’
‘Wow. I wish I could do all of that.’
Rory flushed with embarrassment but smiled, clearly delighted by her praise.
‘The school has a winter market later this month,’ said Freya. ‘You’ll need to come to that Beth. Rory has volunteered to help with the cake stall.’
‘I will be there.’ Beth smiled at Rory. ‘I love cake, and it’s been ages since I’ve gone to anything like that. Count me in.’
‘And there’s the Christmas fair too. That’s at the start of December, when the lights are switched on.’ Rory’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
Jim chuckled. ‘And that’s just in Lamlash. You’ve joined us at the right time, Beth. It’s going to be a busy few weeks for you.’
‘It sounds perfect. I can’t wait.’ And Beth meant it.
Perhaps it was Rory’s youthful enthusiasm, or the cosy ambience that Jim and his wife had created in their home, but Beth realised she felt a sense of happy anticipation at the thought of Christmas. She was looking forward to being part of this community as all the festivities began. It was a sign of how far she’d come since this time last year.
The conversation flowed over lunch as they talked about the boys’ school and their other subjects. Some favourite and others not so much. Freya spoke of her reluctance to move to the island when Jim was offered the job. ‘We were living in Aberdeen, close to my parents, and Murray was about to start school and Rory was a toddler,’ she explained. ‘I thought it was one of the worst ideas Jim had ever had.’
Jim smiled at her affectionately. ‘But it turns out I was right though, wasn’t I?’
She grinned at him. ‘Yes, you were. And it was the best decision we made. We moved into this amazing house, the boys settled into school and I even managed to get a teaching job in the primary school. It all seemed to fall into place.’
‘Then the in-laws moved over too,’ said Jim wryly.
Freya took a sip of her water. ‘It has worked out well for babysitting though. We’ve been really lucky to have them here. But enough about us.’ Freya set her glass back down. ‘Tell us about London. How did you like working there?’
‘It was a great place to be as a young journalist, when papers and magazines had budgets.’
‘You must have seen some sights? Jim said your CV is incredible.’
‘I was very lucky.’ She felt her cheeks flush. ‘I did get to travel quite a bit.’
