‘But that doesn’t seem fair at all,’ Kitty replied. ‘You’ve never been to Scotland before, and this is a one-off trip for you. You’ve come so far and it’s not right you feel you have to leave. I can. It’s easy enough for me to get back to Inverness from here. If I leave in the morning, then I can be back by tomorrow night.’
Olivia bit her bottom lip, not quite knowing what to say. She felt so sorry for Kitty as, despite her kind offer, she looked crestfallen at the thought of her trip being cut prematurely short. She glanced over at Amy, who hovered between the two women.
‘Erm, I’ve just had an idea,’ Amy said. ‘Can I make a suggestion?’
Kitty shook her head. ‘It’s okay, Amy. It’s just one of those things. I already had a look to see what else was free. My cousin lives round in Lamlash, but his flat is having work done, otherwise I could have gone there. Everything else is booked or a bit beyond my budget.’ She paused. ‘Well, unless you have a spare tent, and I could head to the campsite.’
Olivia looked at her in horror. ‘Don’t be silly. That sounds horrendous.’
‘I agree,’ said Kitty, not missing a beat. ‘I would rather be in my own bed. That’s why it would be easier for me just to go home.’
Amy cleared her throat. ‘Can I make a radical suggestion?’
Kitty raised an eyebrow in expectation.
‘Well, how about you both stay?’
‘What?’ asked Olivia.
‘Why don’t you both stay here? Together?’ She said it quite matter-of-factly and rubbed her hands together, clearly pleased with her suggestion. ‘The cottage is big enough. I mean, look at all the rooms, you can take your pick, and I’m sure you’ll respect each other’s space.’ She looked squarely at them both. ‘To be quite honest, it sounds like you both could do with this break and you’re both here now. It would be a shame not to stay and at least give it a go.’
Olivia turned to Kitty, her mind a whir of possibilities and thoughts. Itmightwork. It was the only time that she would probably do this trip, and if not now, thenwhen?
‘What do you think?’ asked Amy.
Olivia eyed Kitty thoughtfully. ‘Well . . . I suppose I am up fortryingit, if you are. I mean, we could see how it goes . . .’
A huge smile spread across Kitty’s face. ‘Really? I mean, yes, we could just see how it pans out, and if we decide it’s not working then we can call it quits.’
Kitty’s smile was contagious, and Olivia couldn’t help but beam back. Talk about a rollercoaster of emotions. She had been through them all in less than an hour. ‘Gosh. Yes. Why not?’ she said kindly. ‘I mean, I have to warn you that I might not be the tidiest of housemates and I can’t cook. But other than that I’ll try and keep out of your way.’
‘As long as you pick up your clothes from the floor,’ said Kitty, ‘then it’s a deal.’
‘Brilliant,’ said Amy. ‘That’s us all sorted then.’ She clapped her hands together in excitement. ‘Okay, I will leave you to settle in. You know where I am if you need me. And if you ever fancy a yoga session while you’re here, do let me know. I’ve started running classes down in the village hall. Or if you just want to come up and say hello then please do.’
‘Thank you,’ said Olivia, grateful for the warm fuzzy feeling that was now washing over her, rather than the anger that had threatened to bubble over and erupt earlier. The thought of being part of something and belonging somewhere, even for just a few weeks, wasn’t actually too scary a thought. Then a little nugget of worry wormed its way into her stomach — she tried to ignore it and focus on the positive. But she felt her lips pursing in worry. There it was again. That flicker of worry and doubt. Why did she have to always think of the things that might go wrong? She noticed Kitty throw her a curious look, and she gave her what she hoped was a reassuring nod.
As if picking up on her worry, Kitty said, ‘We can take it a day at a time, Olivia.’
‘Yes,’ said Olivia. ‘And the yoga might be just the thing I need.’
‘Well,’ said Kitty, ‘I’ve never tried it, but I’m definitely up for giving it a go. Thanks for the offer, Amy.’
Glancing at her watch, Amy yelped. ‘I’d better go, or my sister willkillme. I said I wouldn’t be long. I just hope she heard the oven timer go off, or the shortbread will be incinerated.’ With that she turned round and lightly jogged out the door calling ‘bye’ as she went. The door slammed shut. Olivia and Kitty were left standing in the kitchen, the sounds of evening birdsong chattering through the window.
Olivia turned to Kitty, who was smiling nervously at her. She returned her smile again. This would be fine. It had to be. ‘Okay then, I guess that’s all settled.’
‘And you are sure? You really don’t mind sharing?’ asked Kitty nervously.
Olivia shrugged and made sure she kept grinning. ‘Of course not. I’m sure it will all be just fine. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?’
Chapter Thirteen
Kitty woke early the next morning. She quickly dressed before slipping out of the cottage for a stroll to the village, planning to buy some bread from the bakery. It was peaceful, aside from a few dog walkers who nodded and wished her a ‘good morning’ as they passed. It had been windy during the night, but this morning the sea was calm again and the air was still and warm.
Cameron had sent her some WhatsApp voicemail messages and photos of the lakeside camp he was staying in. She felt a huge sense of relief that she could now picture where he was, and she was relieved that his tone was chatty and light. It sounded as though he was having a great time and that was all she could hope for. This was such an adventure for her boy, and she had to let him do it. It was time for him to travel and learn and gain new perspectives from the people he met. It didn’t make it easy for her, though.
She wiped away a tear as she looked out over the water. This empty-nest malarkey was tough. Thinking about the next chapter in her life was hard, and she knew she didn’t have to have the rest of her life all mapped out this minute. But she did have moments of total overwhelm when she wondered what was next for her. What was she supposed to do now?
