‘Of course I will. Give me an hour or so and then I’ll be there.’
‘Oh thank you Callum,’ she said. ‘You are so kind. What would I do without you?’
Callum smiled. ‘That’s okay Maisie. Do you need anything brought in from the shops while we’re out?’
She cleared her throat. ‘Well, I mean if it’s not too much trouble, and you don’t mind, if you could bring me a wee bottle of red wine that would be appreciated. I’m running low.’
Callum shook his head and laughed. She was some woman. ‘No problem. See you soon. Bye Maisie.’ Ending the call, he walked back over to Beth and Daisy.
‘Is everything okay?’ asked Daisy.
‘Yes. It was just Maisie asking if we could do an errand for her.’ From the way Beth inclined her head, he could tell she was wondering who Maisie was. He decided he would let her be curious. For now. Yet, despite that, he wanted to know more about her. He wanted to knoweverything.Where had she been and why was she really back on Arran to start with? Callum knew that they needed to get on with their appointments, but he was finding it hard to drag himself away from Beth. He had a flashback of what it felt like to kiss her, the way in which her lips moved on his. It was impossible to ignore the way she was looking at him — the rosy flush on her cheeks and the brightness in her eyes. It was as though she was also having the same flashback, and for a moment they looked into each other’s eyes.
Daisy coughed. ‘Right, I think we need to go. Mrs Richards is ready to see us. She’s staring at us.’ Daisy tugged at his arm. ‘Come on, I don’t need you making things even worse for me than they already are in that class.’
Beth smiled over at her. ‘Good luck.’ She turned to him. ‘That reminds me, I offered Daisy some help with English if she’d like it. I said to check with you first though.’
‘That’s very kind. Thanks. We’ll get back to you on that.’ He could smell her perfume from where he was standing and it was unnerving. He didn’t want to leave her side.
‘You’d better go.’ Beth eventually broke the spell. ‘Nice to see you again. Maybe we should catch up properly . . .’ She sounded unsure, and a bit embarrassed.
Callum nodded his head and tried his very best to sound casual. ‘Sure. I’d like that. We will sort something out. See you later. Come on Daisy.’ He turned and walked to the other side of the room, taking a seat opposite the teacher. He tried hard to focus on what she was saying, but knowing Beth was just metres away was a huge distraction. All the feelings he once had for her came flooding back. He felt a mixture of love, lust, regret, anger and sadness. He leaned forward, making himself focus and listen to what Mrs Richards had to say. After a few minutes with her he could now understand why Daisy had been feeling so out of sorts with this subject in particular. She reminded him of his old English teacher who hadn’t done much to encourage his love of the subject. No wonder Daisy was struggling.
As they left the classroom, he glanced over to steal a look at Beth, but she was engrossed in a conversation with other parents.
‘See what I mean.’ Daisy’s eyes were downcast as they walked along the corridor.
‘Mmm,’ he said. ‘Yes. She’s not the most encouraging of teachers, is she?’
‘Nope,’ mumbled Daisy. ‘Can I get Beth to help me then? I think that would make a difference. Plus you two go way back, so technically she’s an old friend? Or more than that?’ Daisy looked at him and winked.
Callum rolled his eyes. He knew that Beth’s offer to help made sense. He had no doubt that Beth would help Daisy with her English, but he just didn’t know if he could face allowing her back into his life again. So much had happened since they were last in each other’s worlds. But how could he say no to Daisy? ‘If you think it will help you with English, then I’m sure we can work something out.’ He couldn’t believe the impact Beth had on him after all these years. Despite the sadness he felt — when he thought back to how much his heart had been broken in the days after Beth had left to go to London — he now felt something else. A flicker of excitement, a glimmer of hope and, most of all, a longing for the woman who he was head over heels in love with all those years ago.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The next day, Beth finished up from work early and walked along to the ferry terminal to meet her dad. Jim had worked from home that day, which she was relieved about, as she needed some time to think after seeing Callum last night. All her memories of him were at the forefront of her mind, and she knew she might end up oversharing with Jim. He was the only person she saw on a regular basis at the moment. She was grateful to have the space to try and process how she felt. She realised, with startling clarity, that Callum still had the same effect on her despite the massive time lapse. Deep in thought, as she walked with her eyes fixed on the incoming ferry, she didn’t realise someone had been calling her name.
‘Beth.’ Kirsty put her hand on her arm.
‘Oh Kirsty. Sorry I was miles away. How are you?’
Kirsty smiled gently. ‘I am wonderfully relaxed. I’ve just been for a massage and must make a point of going more often. I feel amazing.’
‘That does sound nice.’ Beth reached to knead the sore muscles on her neck. ‘In fact it sounds like something I could do with. Where do you go?’
Kirsty pointed across the road and up the hill. ‘Just up there.’ She rummaged around in her bag, then pulled out a small business card. ‘Here.’ She pressed it into Beth’s hands. ‘I know I should really be recommending Amy. But it’s almost impossible to get a slot with her and, when I do, she refuses to charge me. I’ve started seeing Lyssa on the quiet. She has the hands of an angel. Just don’t tell my sister.’
‘I will make a point of booking in. Thanks for the recommendation.’ Beth glanced over at the ferry as it blasted its horn. ‘I’m just meeting my dad. He’s visiting for the weekend.’
‘How lovely.’ Kirsty shivered. ‘It’s getting cold isn’t it. I love this time of year.’
‘Me too. It’ll be fun to take him to the lights switch-on.’
‘Absolutely. I’ll maybe see you there?’ asked Kirsty. ‘I’d better leave you to it and let you get there on time.’
For a fleeting moment she thought about telling Kirsty that she had seen Callum, and asking her what his story was. Then she realised now was not the time or place. ‘Thank you. And, Kirsty, I was wondering if you might fancy catching up for a coffee sometime again?’
‘Yes of course. I’d love to. How about you text me when your dad is away? Then we can meet up maybe next week?’ Kirsty beamed at her.
