Tallulah was the first of the group to strip off to a bikini that looked like it had been stolen from the set ofLove Island. It certainly wasn’t designed for doing any swimming, especially not in Scotland in some random river pools. He clocked Sam throwing his wife a look of incredulity and tried not to chuckle. Then he said to the rest of the group to take their time getting in the water. He swam over to Sylvie, who looked a bit nervous. ‘Once you’re in, it will be okay. It’s cold but you’ll soon warm up.’ He tried his best to smile at Tallulah, even though she was now swimming a bit too close for comfort. When he felt her leg brush against his, he manoeuvred himself out of the way, then encouraged everyone to enjoy their time in the water but not stay in too long.
‘How about you, Logan?’ asked Sam. ‘You must have done thousands of these walks and know Scotland like the back of your hand.’
That was true. Logan absolutely loved his job — being outdoors, showing off the country he adored to tourists. After leaving the Navy five years ago he had taken some time out to hike and explore Scotland in a way he hadn’t before. He had taken his backpack and gone at his own pace, which was a refreshing change after living to such tight routines. It took some getting used to, knowing he could stay in a place for as long or as little as he wanted. He had no ties or responsibilities. The whole experience was really liberating.
Then he had started working for a touring company, which offered guided tours to small groups. He loved being able to take people to hidden parts of Scotland and really show them the bestof it. Meeting people from all over the world was a perk of the job too, and he had made some great friends who he still kept in touch with. He had set up an Instagram account, the Tartan Wanderer, and, yes, he knew it was really cheesy, but tourists loved it and it was easy to remember. His sisters had made fun of all the comments he got from ‘the ladies’ if his face appeared in a post, which was very rare. He tried to focus on showing images and reels of Highland cows, hills, glens, snowy mountains, dolphins, castles and white beaches.
Logan had recently celebrated his landmark birthday of forty, and felt no urge to settle down. He liked his freedom and his space far too much. He couldn’t understand why anyone would choose a relationship over that.
‘Do you ever get bored of going to the same places time after time?’ asked Sam.
‘Oh, not at all,’ he said with a shrug. ‘Never. No two days are the same, no two visits are the same. There’s always something different, whether it’s the weather or the scenery. I always notice things I haven’t before. It’s the best job in the world. I’m very lucky.’
‘You have an amazing office,’ remarked Sam’s wife, Naomi.
He nodded.
‘Where is your favourite place?’ asked Sylvie.
He frowned as he tried to answer her question. ‘That’s really tricky,’ he began. ‘I mean, there are so many amazing spots . . . I love Glencoe, and obviously Skye is amazing. In fact, I love all the islands . . .’
‘Okay then.’ Sam was clearly enthralled. ‘How about this? What if you had to choose one island? If you could recommend just one, which would it be?’
Logan took another swig of water from his bottle as he thought. Then he smiled as he felt a slight shiver down his spine. ‘Arran,’ he said dreamily. ‘If I had to choose my favourite spot itwould be the Isle of Arran. It’s just off the west coast. About an hour’s ferry ride away from the mainland.
‘Oh,’ said Tallulah, a tad breathlessly. ‘Have you got time to take us there? It sounds spectacular. And so romantic.’
He briskly shook his head.Oh, good God, that’s the last thing I need.‘I’m afraid not.’ He cleared his throat. ‘As you know, this is ourfinalday, and it would take us a good day to travel there and then several days to explore.’
Her shoulders slumped and she stuck out her bottom lip. ‘What a shame. I was thinking about cancelling my trip to Edinburgh and perhaps trying to see more of the islands.’
‘Well, our next few tours there are fully booked,’ Logan said quickly. ‘Until the end of the season,’ he added, crossing his fingers that his boss wouldn’t find out he’d said that. ‘Edinburgh is a must-see. Especially when you’ve flown all this way.’ What was he talking about? Dublin was only an hour away. He knew he was grasping at straws.
Sylvie nodded in agreement. ‘It is stunning, Tallulah. You must go. Edinburgh is such a romantic city.’
Tallulah quickly switched her attentions to the young French woman. ‘Oh, do tell me more. Can you give me any recommendations?’
‘Of course. I’ll make you a list of suggestions. You will not be disappointed, I promise.’
At that moment Logan wanted to high-five Sylvie and thank her profusely. Instead he clasped his hands tightly together. ‘I hope you’ve enjoyed what you’ve seen of Scotland so far and . . . that you’ll feel like coming back some day. There’s so much to see and do here. We’re so lucky.’
He decided that he wouldn’t share details of his next trip, just in case Tallulah made a last-minute change to her plans. He was in fact heading to his favourite destination, to lead a tour around Arran, the island he loved and knew well. He would havea couple of days off before the tour started, then some time off afterwards. He planned to spend it on the island, relaxing and catching up with his good friend, James, who had moved back there last year to run a new distillery.
‘Well, we will definitely be back, that’s for sure,’ said Sam to the rest of the group. ‘I think I can safely say we have loved every minute. Thanks for looking after us so well.’
Everyone clapped and nodded.
Logan beamed in pride. ‘Thank you. And haste ye back.’
‘What does that mean?’ asked Tallulah from underneath her eyelashes. She was clearly going for one last ditch attempt.
Logan turned to her and gave her a kind smile. Then he addressed the rest of the group. ‘That means you areallalways welcome here.’ He didn’t want to say it meant, ‘Come back soon.’ Because that would give her the wrong end of the stick completely. Honestly, he was mentally exhausted from walking on eggshells these past few days. He just hoped that his next group on Arran wouldn’t have any Tallulahs in it. His nerves couldn’t take it.
Chapter Three
It was the morning after she had waved goodbye to Cameron, and Kitty sat at the breakfast bar in her kitchen, nursing a mug of tea. It was peaceful, apart from the sound of birds chirping gently outside. She had spent yesterday cleaning the house from top to bottom and decluttering, knowing that she wouldn’t hear from Cameron while he was in the air. She should keep herself busy. Then, when she had eventually gone to bed, she hadn’t been able to get to sleep until she knew that Cameron had landed safely. He sent her several messages telling her all was fine and not to worry. Despite his reassuring words, she had tossed and turned for ages before finally drifting off. When she woke up, she stared at the ceiling, forgetting for a moment that things were different. It was a mere moment of suspended bliss and then she felt the dread in the pit of her stomach when she remembered. Cameron was gone.
Kitty twirled a lock of her red hair as she thought about how strange it all was. She knew it wouldn’t be easy when Cameron left, but she wasn’t expecting to feel quite so awful. Friends had warned her what to expect. She had dismissed their concerns and just assumed she would have a quick cry and then get on with things in the way that she always had. How wrong could she have been? It had been the complete opposite — it was like a tsunami of emotions threatening to drown her.
