Page 71 of The Castle in the Bay

‘It’s fine.’

Iona nearly grabbed the phone and told Sophie to fuck off. Did the woman have any idea of the emotional pain she’d put him through? And he thought it was fine. Well, that told her everything.

‘I’d like to talk when you get back,’ Sophie carried on. ‘Let’s put things right between us. What do you think?’

There was a pause, and Iona couldn’t look at Monty. This was what he’d been hoping for since the day she met him.

‘I don’t know, Sophie,’ he said. ‘A lot has changed.’

‘Please, Monty. Just think about it. We can talk when you’re back. It’s all I’m asking.’

Monty let out a sigh. ‘Ok. We’ll talk when I get back.’

‘Thank you,’ Sophie said. ‘I’ll see you soon, then.’

‘Yeah. Bye.’

Monty ended the call and lowered the phone, still sitting beside Iona. The silence between them was heavy, but Iona kept her eyes on the distant castle, the wind brushing against her skin. ‘Did you hear that?’

Iona nodded, her throat tight. ‘Yes. It’s what you wanted, isn’t it?’

‘It was.’ His gaze shifted away. The wind picked up, and Iona felt a chill despite the warmth of the afternoon.

‘We should head down.’ She got to her feet. ‘It’s getting chilly.’

They began the descent in silence. The wind whipped around them, making conversation difficult. But even without the wind, Iona didn’t want to talk. Rant and scream maybe, but she couldn’t bear it. Her heart was in agony. She’d never felt this good with anyone before. Monty had made her feel alive in a way she hadn’t experienced in years. But now, it all seemed to be slipping away. She remembered the crushing feeling ofinadequacy when she lost her job, and it returned with a vengeance. Monty didn’t want her for real. He was still in love with Sophie. He hadn’t lied or led her on. She’d known the deal from the get-go and agreed to it. No point moping about it now.

She kept her eyes on the path, watching her step. The reality of the situation pressed down on her like a solid weight. Monty should go back to Sophie. That’s what all the practice had been about, hadn’t it? Helping him win back the prize he’d been striving for: Sophie.

As they neared the bottom of the hill, Iona’s resolve hardened. She had to let him go. He deserved his chance at real happiness, and it wouldn’t be with her. That option had never been on the table. She lived on this island and wasn’t planning on leaving – he lived in the city and had a good job there. He’d never at any point suggested they tried to extend their relationship any further than the two weeks he was here. And that should be fine with her because she didn’t do long term.

Why then did it feel like her heart was about to crack in two?

Chapter Twenty-Three

Monty

Monty picked up the clothes that were strewn around the annex. His two weeks were nearly up. He only had tomorrow left. How the hell had it gone so quickly? His chest was heavy, and he was only packing up now because he wasn’t sure what else to do with himself.

The conversation with Sophie earlier had been unsettling. His mind was clear on one thing though. He wasn’t getting backtogether with her. But her appearance had thrown a big ugly spanner in his well-oiled holiday fling. Iona had disappeared into the farmhouse as soon as they got back, saying she had things to prepare for her surf class the following day. He knew her well enough to know she was lying. She didn’t do prep work for starters.

Grumpy Iona had reappeared. He huffed out a sigh as he folded his clothes and dumped them on the bed. Maybe it was better this way. They’d have to part anyway, but falling out over nothing seemed silly.

He’d find her later and talk to her. He didn’t want to leave on a low note – and he wanted to thank her for everything she’d done for him.

Rain had drifted in with the wind and Monty had arranged to have dinner in the farmhouse. Catriona was still feeding him free meals in return for his help with the business and possibly because she liked the idea of him being a distant relative. Monty couldn’t deny that was pretty cool, if a little difficult to get his head around.

‘Is Iona about?’ he asked her as he took his seat at the dining table.

Catriona paused for a moment, rubbing her hands together. ‘She is, but she didn’t seem in a very good mood.’

‘I need to talk to her.’

‘Yeah… She, um, told me about the two of you.’

Monty nodded and put his forehead into his hand, leaning his elbow on the table. ‘I’m not sure I want to know.’

‘She didn’t say anything bad about you. It just surprised me a little. Iona is… Well, she doesn’t usually stick to the same person. Maybe my brain is warped after what happened to me with Eilidh’s dad, but I’m scared for her.’

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