Chapter Twenty
Over the next few days, Rosie and Isobel explored the island together and made the most of the sunny weather. Both had been quite happy to walk and talk and then stop for coffees and scones. Bella had been sleeping in late, whereas Rosie and Isobel were both early risers. Rosie had initially tried to persuade Bella to go with them and to get some fresh air. But Bella had insisted that she was happy to have some slower starts to the day and that she didn’t want to crash their holiday any more than she already had.
However, this afternoon, Rosie had insisted that Bella and her mum went to the café in Lamlash together. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to join them but she was keen to have some time to put the groceries away and catch up with some gardening.
She had waved them off saying there was plenty of weeding in the garden needing her attention and made them promise to return with a giant slab of chocolate cake for her. As she heard their car crunch over the gravel and drive down the lane, she grabbed the keys for the shed and wandered out into the garden to get ready for an hour or two of digging. Putting in her earbuds, she selected a Gabby Logan podcast, pressed play and was soon absorbed in digging out weeds and hoeing the flower bed while listening to Gabby interview Clare Balding.
While she worked, her mind wandered to what was happening in Beach Cottage next door. She hadn’t seen Luke since that first morning though she had also deliberately varied her route. She had not been expecting herself to react in such a physical way when she had seen him. And certainly not after all these years. He was a fling from the ancient past and that was where he should stay.This is what happens when your husband leaves you for a younger model. You start imagining all sortsand go into a fantasy world and hark back to the past. You need to give yourself a reality check,she told herself.
Standing up to stretch her back, she pulled off the gloves and laid them on the grass. Coisty immediately picked one up and went haring around the garden with it, keen to play. Rosie laughed at him and went inside to make some fresh coffee. She spooned the grains into the paper filter in the coffee machine and filled it with water. Then she reached for a mug from the cupboard and flicked the machine on. It would take several minutes to percolate so she walked down to the bottom of the garden and stood, with her hands on her hips, as she decided what to do next. Either finish weeding the flower beds or prune the climbers which were now stretching well over into the neighbouring garden. She opted for more weeding and, as she satisfyingly pulled them out at the root, she half wondered about trying to make that spot into a vegetable patch. With the number of dandelions that also seemed to spring up across the lawn, which were apparently good for the grass, she knew she should try and go all mother nature and make tea or something with them.
She was parched. It was definitely coffee time. The sun was getting hot and as she stood up, she suddenly felt as though she was being watched. She turned round slowly and saw Luke looking over the fence from next door, which made her think he must be standing on something, unless he’d suddenly become a giant. He waved and looked as though he was speaking, but she couldn’t hear him. She pulled out her ear pods and smiled. His eyes lit up, which was a bit disconcerting, and he beamed at her.
‘Hello again,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t mean to startle you. I knocked at the front door and nobody answered and then I heard you in the garden. I just wondered if you could maybe lend me a little drop of milk, please for my coffee? I completely forgot to buy some.’
Her mouth dropped open. ‘Milk?’ she said, confused. ‘You would like some milk?’
‘Yes, please, if it’s not too much trouble. I need to go to the shops and get some bits and pieces. I didn’t realise . . . anyway it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to put you out.’ He looked slightly sheepish.
Rosie sprung into action. ‘Of course. Just give me a minute.’ Then feeling very emboldened, which was way out of character for her, she made a snap offer. ‘In fact, why don’t you pop over. I have just made a pot of coffee and I’m about to take a break.’
He sighed deeply. ‘I would love that. Thank you.’
Rosie gestured to the cottage. ‘Just come to the front door and I’ll let you in.’
Chapter Twenty-One
When Luke reached the front door of Creel Cottage, he felt a bit discombobulated. On a typical weekday, if he wasn’t on location and he hadn’t been for a while now as the latest series he’d starred in had come to an end, he had a routine of checking emails, dealing with admin and meeting up with friends for coffee or dinner, or a game of golf or squash when he was in one of his healthy phases. Being here on this island, on his own, was liberating but he was also a bit lonely. He hadn’t realised just how much he enjoyed the company of others and wasn’t particularly good at being alone with his thoughts. The more he tried to focus on writing down some words — after all, that was the reason he was here — the more he got fidgety and distracted. He had been here several days now, yet had barely written a few hundred words.
‘Hello,’ said Rosie as she swung open the door and ushered him in.
‘It’s been a while,’ he said jokingly and then inwardly cringed. A few days on his own had clearly turned him into an imbecile. He followed her through to the kitchen. Although the cottages looked almost identical from the outside their interiors were completely different. Beach Cottage might have been very high spec with lots of luxuries and mod cons but Creel Cottage was much homelier. The kitchen units were made from worn pine and the flagstone tiles looked as though they had been there for decades. He immediately felt welcome here. It was a space that was inviting and cosy and as he looked out through the French doors that opened on to the garden, he couldn’t help but admire it. ‘Wow, what a beautiful garden. Completely different to next door, which is all paving and decking.’
Rosie shrugged. ‘I suppose that is easier maintenance, though, for a holiday home.’
‘True,’ he said with a nod. ‘It is a very special spot. Especially with those sea views. But your garden is something else.’
‘My dad was a keen gardener so I must give all the credit to him.’ She paused and looked as though she was considering whether to elaborate. ‘This was my parents’ home for many years. They both passed away and, well, they left the cottage to me.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ he said gently. ‘It must be comforting to feel a bit of a connection to them through the house.’
Rosie nodded. ‘Yes, it is. Anyway, please do come outside. I don’t know about you but I am desperate for my caffeine fix.’ She gestured outside and picked up a tray which had two mugs of coffee, a small pot of sugar, a jug of milk and a plate of shortbread.
Coisty, who was sunning himself on the patio, opened his eyes then wagged his tail lazily. Rosie laughed. ‘You’ve lost your touch. He can’t even be bothered to get up and greet you.’
Luke laughed and bent down to pat him. ‘He is very cute, aren’t you, boy?’ Sitting down at the bistro table, he gratefully accepted the coffee from Rosie. She also encouraged him to try the shortbread.
‘It’s my mum’s old recipe,’ she explained.
He bit into the crumbly, buttery biscuit and chewed. ‘Wow, it’s delicious,’ he said. ‘I think it’s the nicest shortbread I’ve ever had.’
‘Homemade is always better, I think,’ she said, her cheeks pink, evidently encouraged by his response. ‘I’m trying out a lot of recipes from her old book that I found. It’s been fun and even nicer to share them with friends.’
Luke took a sip of coffee. ‘How is Bella doing? I haven’t seen her. Did she end up going back to Glasgow?’
‘No,’ said Rosie, a little perplexed, and shaking her head. ‘She’s been in a bit of a tizz these past few days. She’s lost her jobin Glasgow. She’s a beauty therapist and she got a call to say the salon was closing with immediate effect.’
Luke put his mug down on the table. ‘Oh dear. Poor Bella. That will have come as a shock . . . honestly, I do feel for kids these days. Everything feels so much harder for them than it was in our day.’
