Page 38 of The Castle in the Bay

Iona raised an eyebrow and folded her arms. ‘Um, ok. What about?’

‘Business. She’s expecting me.’

‘Is she now? She never mentioned it. Well, come in.’ She opened the door. ‘What business are you discussing?’

‘Diversification and the like.’

‘Why would she discuss that with you?’

‘Because I’m a banker, remember? A commercial banker, in fact, and I know all about business.’

She smirked and took a swig of beer from a bottle on the table. ‘Well, she’s just putting Eilidh to bed. I expect she’ll be down in a minute.’

‘I’m here.’ Catriona marched through the door. ‘She always wants about ten extra cuddles on the nights she knows I’m busy. Come into the sunroom, we can sit in there. It’s a bit nicer.’

Monty followed her out of the kitchen, certain Iona’s eyes were following him closely.

He took a seat opposite Catriona in the small sunroom. It was a little old-fashioned, with its rattan furniture, but comfortable nonetheless.

Catriona opened a little bureau and took out a laptop. ‘Do you want to see figures? Or what? I’ve got the account sheets.’

‘It depends what your goal is. If you want to move into glamping pods, you need to write an action plan. Decidethe location, check if planning consent is needed, look into suppliers, builders, etc. Everything should be costed out as accurately as possible. Try and get a timeframe fixed and written down. I can help you draft something just now if you want. Once you have all that, you can analyse how you intend to fund it.’

Catriona raised an eyebrow. ‘Right. Ok. This is where my brain starts to overload. I’m good with the practical side of things, running this place, but the paperwork is where it gets messy.’

‘I’m the exact opposite.’ He gave her a little smile. ‘Isn’t there anyone else who can help you?’

‘Not really. My mum has a good business head, and she used to do all this, but she’s not well. She has chronic fatigue syndrome, and she spends most of her days in her cottage. Ruaridh and I go around every day and make sure she’s ok, but she isn’t up to doing anything like this.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that.’

‘Yeah, well. Our dad left when we were young, and the same thing happened with Eilidh’s dad. I learned to fend for myself, but this kind of thing is so alien to me.’

‘It can seem daunting, but that’s where being organised can help. A solid plan will give you the backup you need.’

‘Ok. And you can help me with that?’

‘Definitely.’ He nodded, taking off his glasses and wiping them on the bottom of his shirt. ‘If you open a document, we can get started straight away. It doesn’t have to be fancy or in any special format to start with.’

They worked on it together as the sun sank a little lower, shining brightly into the room even at this time of evening.

‘I appreciate you taking the time out of your holiday to help,’ Catriona said. ‘This is so much clearer in my mind just seeing it like this.’

‘No worries. I look forward to the free meals. You’re a great cook.’

‘Thanks.’ She grinned. ‘You’ve earned them.’

The door opened, and Iona strolled in, carrying her beer. ‘Mind if I join you for a bit? My nose is bothering me.’

‘Maybe you have hay fever,’ Monty said.

‘I meant metaphorically. As in, I want to know what you’re up to.’

He smirked because he knew fine what she meant.

‘We’re nearly done,’ Catriona said. ‘It’s nothing that would interest you. I didn’t think you were sold on the idea of glamping pods.’

She gave a little shrug. ‘Wasn’t I?’

---