Page 36 of The Castle in the Bay

‘Down,’ Alexander said. ‘Sorry about that.’

‘It’s ok.’ Monty patted Scamp whose tongue lolled out.

‘I hear you’re a banker,’ Alexander said. Monty winced at the turn of phrase. Had Iona told him to say that?

‘That’s one name for it. More specifically, I’m a commercial banker, which probably makes it sound even worse.’

Alexander smirked. ‘I’m not meaning to be rude. Just curious. In fact, if you’re a commercial banker, that’s even better. Maybe you could have a chat with Catriona about her diversification plans.’

‘I think I put my foot in it the other day by suggesting glamping pods.’

‘No, she loved the idea. But she’s not sure how to go about it all.’ He glanced around. ‘She’s a hard worker, and she’s got some good ideas, but she can’t do everything. She thinks she can, and she doesn’t like admitting she needs help, but sometimes she does. If you were to give her professional advice, she’d take it better from you than she would from me. She reckons I interfere too much or think she’s incompetent – which I don’t at all. I think it’s incredible what someone so young has done here, but she can’t do it all alone.’

‘Well, I’ll try, but only if it comes into conversation naturally. If I bring it up, it’ll look rather suspicious.’

‘That’s true,’ Alexander agreed, then lowered his voice. ‘Also, between you and me, I’m not sure Iona’s managing that well either. She’s a bit of a flake, doesn’t really know how to run a business properly. She’s enthusiastic, I’ll give her that, but enthusiasm only gets you so far.’

Monty glanced back towards Iona, who was still deep in conversation with Ruaridh. When Monty had seen the container yesterday, it seemed well set up, as far as he could tell anyway,but he remembered the issues she had with people cancelling. Not that it was her fault, but maybe something in the setup wasn’t working. ‘I’m not a business advisor as such, and I’m not sure Iona would want me butting in with unsolicited advice.’

‘Yeah, you’re so right.’ Alexander clapped him on the shoulder. ‘And you’re on holiday. I shouldn’t be pestering you at all. I just want things to work well for them.’

‘Well, if the opportunity arises—’

‘Alexander,’ Catriona said from behind them. Monty spun around, a guilty heat rising in his cheeks. Seriously? Why did he feel like a naughty little schoolboy doing something he shouldn’t?

‘Yeah?’ Alex ran his hand through his hair as he faced Catriona.

‘Can you take the jeep into the village and get the supplies from the shop?’

‘Yeah, sure.’ He glanced back at Monty. ‘I should get on. We were just chatting about the glamping pods. Monty knows a thing or two about business. You should put your heads together.’ With a little smile and a wave, he left them.

Catriona folded her arms and watched him with narrowed eyes.

‘I… um… wouldn’t want to speak out of turn,’ Monty said.

‘It’s fine. I’m happy to do all this stuff, but I don’t have time to take long boat rides to the mainland to meet financial advisors or wait for ages on a call to be connected. My life is too busy for that.’

‘Well, I’m happy to give you a few pointers. Not now, necessarily. Just when you have a minute.’

‘I don’t want to waste your holiday. But if you did, I’d be happy to pay you with free breakfasts or dinners.’

He smiled. ‘Best deal I’ve ever made by the sound of it.’

‘Perhaps you’d be free this evening. After I’ve sorted the meals and got Eilidh settled.’

‘Sure. No problem. Is it still ok for me to borrow a car today?’

‘Yes. I’ll just get the keys.’ Catriona headed inside. She’d suggested he took her car and explored the other end of the island, and that wasn’t a bad idea. If he’d thought he could survive a four-and-a-half-hour ferry trip, he’d have brought his own car, but his relationship with water and boats meant that was a no-no. Now he knew the size of the island however, he realised he needed transport – and the bike still had the puncture.

Iona and Ruaridh had disappeared, presumably to go to work. Monty wasn’t sure what Ruaridh did, or where he lived. He seemed to be around quite a bit though. And he definitely looked like he enjoyed Iona’s company, despite what he might say.

Catriona returned with the keys and led him to a small Vauxhall. It was about fifteen years old but seemed in good shape.

‘It’s an easy car to drive. If you want to get in and check you can find everything.’

Monty got in. It was tiny compared to his car and a little clunky. He’d got so used to an electronic dashboard. These big chunky buttons were confusing at first, but he’d soon get the hang of it. He told himself that again as he pulled off less than smoothly. Driving on roads this narrow was something of a skill in itself, especially when he came upon a campervan.

He had to reverse, looking over his shoulder. Doing this without cameras and parking sensors felt like landing a plane blindfolded. He took the bends cautiously, the Vauxhall rattling over the uneven surfaces. The rugged beauty of the island stretched out around him, with rocks and sandy beaches off to the wild sea on one side and grassy hills on the other. He pulledinto an open space, stepping out to take in the panorama. The fresh air filled his lungs.

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