I think you must be referring to me. You look okay to me.
Bella felt her heart skip a beat. Was heflirting?Then she reminded herself that he had a girlfriend.
Very smooth, I can see your chat is still as good as ever. Speak tomorrow!
He sent back a laughing emoji and she quickly locked her phone and then switched off her lamp. She closed her eyes and was soon dreaming about being at the beach with a cocktail in her hand, the gentle sound of waves rolling into shore and the feel of warm sand beneath her feet.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The next day Rosie and Isobel were up early to walk Coisty. Then Rosie had a rummage in the freezer to see what she needed to buy at the shops later. Now Ben was back, she knew she would have to cook some proper meals. He was always hungry and had already emptied the fridge in the short time that he had been here. He had spent most of yesterday sleeping and catching up with jet lag. She was pleased to have him home, for however long he chose to stay.
Glancing at the clock, she realised she had better wake Ben up if she was to get him to Brodick on time. Last night, over dinner, he had told them that he planned to stay around for a while and had a meeting about some work at the distillery in Brodick. He had contacted Fergus in case there was anything going at the outdoor centre. Fergus couldn’t help but said his friend James, who managed the distillery, had a vacancy. Ben said Fergus had been sworn to secrecy about his return, which explained why he hadn’t stopped to talk to her at Cèic last week. ‘He would have been worried about putting his foot in it,’ said Ben with a grin.
Now, she looked around for Coisty who had vanished. Rosie smiled and shook her head. She knew exactly where he would be. If there was a warm body to curl up next to then he would be right next to it. He hadn’t left Ben’s side since he arrived back home. Rosie ran up the stairs two at a time. Ben’s bedroom door was lying wide open thanks to Coisty who must have jumped up and forced it open with his two front paws. As suspected, Coisty was there and he put his chin on Ben’s side and opened his eyes as if to say, ‘What is it?’
Rosie reached over to gently shake Ben awake. ‘Ben, love. It’s time you got up, if we are to get you to Brodick on time.’
‘Okay. Two minutes,’ he said groggily. ‘I was planning to take the bus. I don’t want to be a hassle.’
‘Don’t be daft. I’ll take you round. Isobel and I need to go and get some shopping anyway. Do you fancy eggs and toast for breakfast?’
Ben nodded. ‘Thank you. I’ll be right down.’
An hour later, they pulled in at the distillery in Brodick. ‘Hope it goes well,’ she said, glad that he had some smartish clothes from the wardrobe at the cottage. He wore a pair of black jeans and a white polo-shirt. Ben had always been a shorts and t-shirt kind of boy and wasn’t in the least bit concerned about his appearance. But he’d at least combed his hair and made the effort. She caught her breath not quite believing that her little boy was now definitely a young man.
‘Thanks, Mum,’ he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
‘Go in there and smash it,’ said Isobel with a laugh.
Ben rolled his eyes. ‘Okay.’
‘We’ll go and do the food shop. Text me when you’re done and we’ll treat you to a coffee?’
‘Um, okay. That sounds good. Though I was going to see if Bella was around too. I wanted to surprise her.’
‘Just as well I haven’t said anything then,’ said Isobel with a laugh. ‘Don’t worry, your mum briefed me to keep schtoom. Leave it with me. She doesn’t start her shift until later. Let me see what I can do.’
He grinned. ‘Right. Thank you. Hopefully I won’t be long.’
‘Good luck,’ she called as he closed the door.
Chapter Thirty
Earlier that morning, Bella’s alarm woke her with its rude screech. She sat up, rubbing her eyes and yawned. Then, when she realised she didn’t start work until two, she lay back down again. She should have switched the alarm off last night. There was no rush for her to pull on her uniform and race over to the spa. She let herself doze for a while longer and then eventually stretched her arms above her head and sat up as she thought about her plans for the day.
Work had been really busy since she started and she was loving it. She had made it clear she was happy to take on extra shifts when needed, knowing that things would soon quieten down after the busy summer rush. It also meant she would be able to take some time off, hopefully, over her birthday next month. Glancing out the window, she could see that it was a bright day and she had been planning to explore Brodick a bit more and perhaps take the bus round to the café in Lamlash. She had been longing to go back to the place she had been to briefly with her mum, especially as she and Rosie kept raving about their homemade cakes.
An hour later, Bella walked along the promenade in Brodick, breathing in the fresh and salty air. She passed a few familiar faces from the spa and waved when she saw Becky from work with her mum, Kirsty, and her Aunt Amy on the other side of the road. When she saw the large black and white Caledonian MacBrayne ferry berthed at the terminal, she knew the bus would be leaving soon for Lamlash, so she made the decision to jump on it and go round to the next village to treat herself to breakfast at Cèic. As the bus turned left, to follow the road to Lamlash, she gasped when she saw what she thought was Rosie’s car passing by. She squinted to look and waved when she realised itwasRosie with someone else, most probably Luke,sitting in the passenger seat. She could just about make out her mum in the back seat. She quickly sent her a text.
Just going to Lamlash for a wander and was on bus leaving Brodick as I saw you driving past. Let me know if you have time to meet for a coffee? Could meet you at Cèic xx
A few minutes later, she felt her phone vibrate.
Great! We have a few errands to do in Brodick. Will text when near.Mum xx
Bella read the reply from her mum and smiled. She was more than happy to stroll around Lamlash for a while until it was time to go to the café as it was such a beautiful morning. It would be nice to get outside and get some fresh air and explore. Whenever she passed through Lamlash, she was very taken with its pretty cottages which overlooked the sheltered bay. She was also intrigued by the Holy Isle which Rosie had told her was owned by Tibetan monks who ran retreats at the lighthouse there. Although she had visited Cèic with her mum, she didn’t appreciate what a stunning spot it was as her mind had been elsewhere worrying about being unemployed.
She pottered around some of the gift shops making a point of going intoThe Wee Trovethat her gran and Mum had told her about. Her gran had gifted her some beautiful earrings from there at Christmas and she wore them all the time. She made a point of telling the owner, Thea, how much she loved them. Then, when she noticed the time, she realised she should head over to Cèic. She stopped to take a quick selfie with the beach in the background and then quickly sent a message to her gran. Although they had spoken a couple of times since Bella had started her new job, Bella felt a pang of guilt that she hadn’t spoken to her as much as usual.
