Isobel must have read her mind as she patted Rosie’s arm. ‘I know. I’m so aware of how much you must miss your boy. But he’s having a great time and you should be proud. You raised him to be independent and confident enough to go off and explore the world. At least he didn’t take after his dad.’
Rosie chuckled. ‘Very true. Anyway, did you see that Ash has updated the WhatsApp chat?’ she said, quick to change the conversation and steer it away from the topic of Dermot.
Isobel nodded. ‘Yes. I was starting to wonder if this reunion would actually happen. The plans have been constantly changing.’ She shook her head fondly. ‘What is Ash like? I can’t quite believe that by the middle of next week the gang will be reunited.’
‘Indeed,’ Rosie said, exchanging a glance with her friend. ‘There’s a lot to catch up on.’
They walked in a companiable silence for a moment before she spoke again. ‘Tell me when you are next seeing your new best friend and neighbour?’
Rosie felt her spirits lift at the mention of Luke. ‘We are making good progress with his writing so far. He’s averygood student.’ She giggled. ‘But he finds it hard to focus. He seems to relax more when he can just chat and tell me about things, as though I were an old friend.’
Isobel winked. ‘I bet he does,’ she said with a dirty laugh. ‘Though to be fair, he is good company. When he was round for dinner the other night he just seemed like a normal bloke.’
‘As opposed to what?’ said Rosie.
‘Like, you wouldn’t think he was a celebrity, would you?’
Rosie shrugged. ‘I’m not sure he thinks of himself like that either. He’s just a guy. I think we all get a bit obsessed these days about labelling people. But he is very unassuming. If you were meeting him for the first time then you would have no idea about his background, would you?’
Isobel nodded. ‘Aye, I suppose not. He’s certainly very down to earth for someone who was such a heartthrob.’
‘Anyway,’ said Rosie. ‘I’ve suggested we go for a walk tomorrow to the library in the forest.’
‘Is that a euphemism?’ she said, with a wicked grin.
‘No. It’s a place, Isobel. And you and Bella are also invited to come along.’
‘I don’t know . . . I think we might feel like we’re interrupting your date.’
‘Isobel, will you stop that. It’s not a date. I’m just trying to help him out. Sometimes it’s better just to walk and talk about things rather than be stuck in front of a computer.’
‘Why are you grinning then? I know you, Rosie, and I know when you’ve got that dreamy look in your eyes.’
She sighed and momentarily wondered if she had ever looked dreamy when she was with Dermot.
‘Seriously,’ said Isobel, ‘whatever it is that you’redoingjust enjoy it as it is agreeing with you. It’s about time you had some fun.’
Should she be having fun with another man just now? She wasn’t sure she would ever be ready for a new man in her life. Especially someone like Luke.
Chapter Twenty-Four
‘Is there anything that Granny Margaret can’t do?’ Bella asked her mum later that day. ‘I mean, surely she could have worked for MI5 with all the questions she asks. She also has the argumentative skills of a top lawyerandnow she has turned recruitment consultant.’
Isobel burst out laughing. ‘I know, she is a force to be reckoned with. She’ll be onThe Voicenext.’
Bella had bitten the bullet and, thanks to her gran’s tip, she had called the spa at the hotel and said she heard they were looking for a therapist and she was available to start immediately. They had called her in for an interview and Bella, who decided she had nothing to lose, was confident and breezy and able to answer all the questions without clamming up. She smiled as she thought about her answer to the final question,what do you love most about your job?Bella had replied that she loved making a difference to people in such a short space of time. ‘I love how different people are when they leave compared to how they are when they arrive and they literally have the weight of the world on their shoulders. It is a real privilege to hold that space for people and to give them a wee bit of pampering which can make a massive positive difference to their day. I love it when people leave feeling lighter and leave their tension behind.’ The words were spoken from her heart and the spa manager, Chantelle, had beamed at her.
‘Well, Bella,’ she said, ‘that was a really good interview. I can see why you are good at what you do. You clearly love your job.’
Bella hadn’t needed to feign any enthusiasm at all as she realised just how much she loved the work she did. All the stresses at her old salon had taken away the enjoyment of the job as everyone had been so on edge and worried about whether they would stay open or not. With hindsight, it seemed ironicthat a place of supposed wellness had actually made the staff so on edge. ‘I do,’ she said, nodding her head. She hadn’t actually realised how much she wanted the job until she was sitting there in the interview. The hotel spa was impressive with several treatment rooms and the leisure facilities for guests made it extra special too. The décor was fresh and light with the walls painted in pale shades of lime which was very calming.
‘I will need to check your references,’ said Chantelle. ‘But if they check out, which I’m sure they will do, then we can get the ball rolling.’
Bella knew that Georgie would give her a good reference so that wouldn’t be a problem.
‘And you said you can start immediately?’ said Chantelle.
‘Yes, I can. I might have to nip back to Glasgow to get some of my stuff. But I can be flexible about that.’
