She looked around the room. She knew Ben had never really lived here properly and the room was just classed as his on the rare times he was back in the country. Aside from the photo by the bed there weren’t huge amounts of personal touches. Then as she glanced around, she saw something familiar sitting on the guest chair in the corner of the room. It wasTeddy. She gasped and then ran over and picked the soft toy up. He was rather threadbare now, but still as soft and floppy as ever. She sniffed his head and was taken back to a time of life when she was a wee girl and she and Ben had played tea parties with their toys. Teddy was a regular visitor as was her toy, Piggy. Teddy and Piggy had been as inseparable as she and Ben once had. She put him down and pulled herself back to the present. That had been then, and this was now. Life had moved on massively and Ben was now on the other side of the world living his best life on the beach. But there was nothing to stop her sending him a wee reminder of the old days, was there?
Before she changed her mind, she quickly snapped the toy and scrolled for his details in Instagram. Then she sent him a picture with the captionRemember this guy?
Ben responded immediately.Teddy! I miss him!
I’ll look after him. Promise.Bella smiled as she pressed send.
Where’s Piggy?
Home alone in Glasgow. Having a party.
Ben sent back a text with three laughing emojis.
Bella laughed then gave herself a shake. Honestly, being around her mum and Rosie was clearly affecting her. Her next most pressing task was not to think about guys but to try and find herself a new job.
Chapter Twenty-Three
‘Guess what,’ said Isobel a few mornings later as she and Rosie walked Coisty along the beach in Kildonan.
‘What?’ said Rosie. ‘Tell me more?’
‘I think my wee mum has come up trumps with a possible job for Bella.’
Isobel had been a bit agitated that morning and Rosie wondered if she was finding the cottage claustrophobic with the three of them staying there. Or if she was just in panic mode about Bella’s employment prospects. Fortunately, Bella hadn’t raised the issue of her dad again. It seemed other issues had superseded that. For now.
Rosie and Isobel were walking side by side, keeping an eye on Coisty to make sure he didn’t roll in anything smelly or dead.
‘Well . . . you know her man friend, Bill? His daughter, Beth, is a reporter on the paper here and apparently knows everyone and everything.’
‘You didn’t tell her about Luke, did you?’ said Rosie, taking a sharp intake of breath.
‘No, don’t fret,’ said Isobel, shaking her head. ‘I managed to keep schtoom. I mean, I love my mum but you know as well as me that little snippet of information would stay a secret for about three seconds and then the whole of Scotland would know where he was . . .’
Rosie placed a hand on her chest and smiled in relief. She knew Margaret meant well but she could be a bit of a loose cannon when it came to confidential information.
‘Beth had phoned to speak to her dad who told her Mum was upset about Bella losing her job. Then she said that she knew the big hotel in Brodick was looking for a beauty therapist. And the position also has live-in accommodation which is brilliant.’
Rosie frowned. ‘Yes, but do you think that’s what Bella would want? I mean, it’s one thing to come here for a visit, it’s different to actually live and work here.’
Isobel tutted at her. ‘You made it work though. And Ben enjoyed working here over the summer, didn’t he?
‘I know, I suppose so, but our circumstances are quite different. I’m much older than her and I was ready to settle here. She’s young and at a different stage of her life. Ben was just here for the summer and then took off.’
Isobel threw up her hands in exasperation. ‘I know but she doesn’t have a job at all right now, does she? Maybe it’s the change that she needs.’
‘But she might want to go back to Glasgow though to try and look for work there,’ suggested Rosie.
‘Och, I know, but being in Glasgow hasn’t exactly worked out for her, has it?’ said Isobel testily. ‘She’s lost one job and the other job she has working at the bars is totally erratic. If she applies for this job and gets it then it might just give her something to focus on. She always functions much better if she’s got a routine. Otherwise, I’m worried she will get bored and have too much time to think about things . . . she doesn’t have to worry about finding a place to stay here and then it might tide her over until she decides whether to go travelling or not.’
Rosie nodded thoughtfully, noticing that Isobel’s brisk walk had slowed down to a trudge. ‘That’s true,’ she said, looking at her. There was something about Isobel’s expression that made her stop. ‘You’re looking awfully worried. She’s young and resilient. She’ll find another job soon. Are you sure this isn’t about something else?’
Isobel shrugged. ‘Ignore me, it’s just this awful anxiety I have. I was lying in bed last night, worrying that she might never get a job and would be unemployed forever and stuck living with me.’
‘So you were catastrophising things again then?’ said Rosie gently.
Isobel nodded. ‘You know me too well. I’m just overthinking a lot of stuff right now.’
‘Coisty,’ yelled Rosie and sprinted over to him as she saw him sizing up a dead bird lying on the pebbles ahead. She managed to grab his collar just before he threw himself onto it and did his own little dead bird dance. ‘Phew,’ she said to him. ‘I didn’t fancy having to shampoo you again. You are such a mingin’ wee dog at times.’ He looked up at her and barked. Clipping his lead onto his collar, she walked back towards Isobel. ‘I suppose all you can do is suggest it to Bella and be led by her. The blessing is the timing of all of this has been quite good.’ Then she noticed Isobel’s confused face. ‘I don’t mean actually losing her job. I just mean the fact that she has been here with you when it happened. At least you can support her.’ She was hit by a sudden pang of sadness when she thought about Ben. He looked happy, though, whenever she spoke to him and that was all she could wish for.
