‘Edie, you know my mate Callum who lives up near Maisie in the old cottage. And Ruby his dog,’ said Fergus.
‘Ah, yes, of course,’ she said. ‘Hi Callum.’ She looked at Callum and chuckled. ‘Maisie always speaks very highly of you.’
Callum had always had a soft spot for Edie, and he immediately warmed to her again this morning. She had twinkling eyes and a bright orange coat. A yellow scarf was draped round her neck and she looked like a burst of sunshine, with her vibrant energy and kind smile. ‘Nice to see you Edie.’
‘Right I’d better be off,’ said Fergus. ‘Or Grant really will be raging. Callum, you enjoy your five minutes’ peace and let’s arrange to catch up soon. See you.’
Callum gave his friend a wave. ‘Nice to see you too Edie.’
She paused and Callum waited, fully expecting her to say goodbye. But she suddenly sat down. ‘I know this is a bit forwardof me dear, and I hope you don’t mind, but I need you to be my decoy. I’m trying to avoid Doris over there.’
Callum glanced over at the door and raised his eyebrows questioningly.
‘She’s in charge of the Christmas fair and she’s driving me mad. I can’t bear to listen to her rant on about Santa’s grotto yet again. Or debate how many mini-marshmallows should be sprinkled on the cups of hot chocolate. Once she gets going there’s no stopping her. And if you’re not careful she’ll have you signed up as Santa. She managed to rope Fergus into it last year.’
Callum chuckled. ‘Yes, I remember that. Looks like the coast is clear. She’s away.’
‘Oh thank goodness for that. Actually, while I am sitting here, and I know this is a bit cheeky of me. But, well, I’ll strike while the iron’s hot and all of that . . . It’s just that I’m looking for someone to do some nice shelves for my study. I’ve books all over the place and I keep tripping over them. Well, I know you’re a bit of an expert with joinery and woodwork . . .’
Callum smiled at her. ‘I’d love to help. Just give me a call and I can come and have a look.’ He passed her a business card.
‘Oh thank you dear, I’m so glad I was bold enough to ask. It’s been on my to-do list for yonks! Anyway, I’d say it’s time for me to get my coffee. Otherwise I’m going to expire. Toodle-oo. I’ll be in touch.’ She grinned. ‘And thanks for being my decoy.’ With that, she gave Molly’s lead a gentle tug and turned to make her way to the counter.
Callum took a bite of his scone and chewed. The thought of making some bespoke shelves for Edie had left him feeling excited. It had been a while since he’d done anything other than the usual joinery jobs, which had involved a lot of window frames lately. This would make a nice change — he could be more creative. Feeling buoyed, he realised he really needed to make more of an effort to get out and connect with people. It feltgood just to chat. He should make more effort to come here and socialise. There was kindness and authenticity to Edie’s smile, and her request for help and the interaction with both her and Fergus this morning was a reminder that there were genuine people out there who cared for him.
He glanced at the door and did a double take when he saw an attractive woman exiting with her takeaway coffee. There was something familiar about her and he watched her through the window, frowning as he tried to place her. Then his heart skipped a beat as he realised who she reminded him of. It had been years since he’d thought about Elizabeth. He couldn’t. She was from a different lifetime — a lifetime that was very different to where he had ended up. Realising he was getting wistful, he gave himself a shake. She was long gone and firmly in the past. He picked up the paper bag with Maisie’s croissant. ‘We better get this to the birthday girl.’ He stood up and Ruby jumped to her feet.
Stopping at the café that morning had been a nice reminder that, even though life could be tough, he did have friends and he wasn’t alone.
Chapter Fifteen
Later that night Beth pulled on her pyjamas and warm socks, curled up on the sofa and called her dad, letting him know she had now moved all her things into the flat. She had barely spoken to him since her arrival on Arran as she had been so busy settling into the new job. But she really did want to let him know everything was okay.
He picked up in two rings.
‘Hey Dad. How are you?’
‘Better for hearing you dear. Tell me how are you? Are you all settled and enjoying island life?’
She smiled at the sound of his reassuring voice. ‘Yes, I am, and sorry I haven’t been in touch. It’s been hectic trying to get settled and learn the ropes. But you’ll be glad to know that I am now in the flat above the office. I moved in this afternoon.’
‘That’s good news. You said in your message that the boiler was broken. I hope it’s been fixed now. Is it nice and warm?’
She looked around at the sparsely decorated room and chewed her bottom lip. It was definitely a contrast to her surroundings in the lodge at the Brodie Hotel. The flat was charming. It had a bright and airy sitting room, neutrally decorated. The bedrooms were off the living room, and there was a small galley kitchen.
‘Yes, it is nice and cosy, and once I’ve added a few bits and pieces it will definitely feel a bit more homely. And guess what? There is even a spare room for when you come and visit. Mind you it is quite small.’ She wasn’t quite sure what the deal was with Margaret, and whether she would also want to come along.
‘Oh that’s good. Though I don’t want to put you out Beth. You just get yourself all settled and I will come over when it suits you. That’s if it’s okay with you of course.’ His voice was full of uncharacteristic enthusiasm.
Beth nodded, as her eyes filled with tears. ‘Of course you can come over, Dad. In fact, what about if you come over for the last weekend of the month when the Christmas lights are switched on?’
‘Sounds good, let me just check those dates.’
She listened as he flicked through the large desk diary that he kept by the phone. ‘You’re in luck. That weekend is free, dear. The Christmas events kick off on the first of December. But it’s a Christmas charades night and I could definitely do with avoiding that.’ He chuckled.
‘That’s great, Dad. You could come over on the Friday and stay until the Monday? There’s a Christmas fair on in Lamlash that weekend as well as the light switch-on in Brodick.’
‘Wonderful. I can’t wait to see where you are and what it all looks like. It’s been years since I was in Arran.’
