Page 4 of The Boathouse By the Loch

Gayle shook her head. ‘Ah, no – she’s in Robyn’s side of the shop. Doggy daycare alternates between here and a rather large comfy cushion that Olive loves lounging on in Robyn’s part of the shop. I think Olive is rather fond of Annie’s little girl, Evie. I know Evie is very fond of Olive. She loves that her mum, who works for Robyn, brings Olive to collect her after school before they both return to the shop. Evie loves reading to Olive after school.’

Jake said, ‘How old is Evie?’

‘She’s six.’

Once again, Jake was thinking of Natty and how much she’d love a dog. Evie wasn’t that much younger that Natty. Perhaps Natty would read to her dog after school, like Evie did.

Gayle added, ‘I heard Evie had been badgering her parents for a puppy …’

Jake nodded, not at all surprised.

‘But now she’s been badgering her parents for an Olive!’

Jake laughed.

‘Unfortunately, an Old English Sheepdog in their two-bedroomed house … well, there just isn’t the space.’

Jake nodded.

‘I think they’re worried what will happen when Nick’s job finishes at the new development in Aviemore, and he leaves, taking Olive with him.’

Jake remembered meeting Nick in that clearing. They were building something in the woods. He hadn’t sounded sure what exactly would be built there, even though he had been tasked with overseeing the preparations for building work to commence. Jake said, ‘I’m sure he’ll be around for some time yet.’

Gayle said, ‘Let’s hope so. I’ve kind of got used to having him around. Both him and Marty, actually.’

Jake pursed his lips, recalling what he’d done for Marty when he’d met him gardening in the grounds of The Lake House and had discovered that the Ross Corporation hadn’t been paying him for his work since he’d taken on his father’s gardening business when his father had retired. Unbelievably, it had turned out that Robyn had been paying for him to continue looking after the grounds of The Lake House.

But he’d wanted to set things straight, and give Marty backpay for his work, and a bonus. He’d ended up giving him more than that. Marty clearly hadn’t yet told Gayle about his conversation with Jake, and Jake’s decision to buy Marty the show home on the new housing development where Nick was site manager.

William was still paying Jake handsomely for the work he was not now doing at the Ross Corporation. It wasn’t that Jake was in the habit of just giving money away. But Marty was effectively an employee of the Ross Corporation. William always looked after his own, but this time he hadn’t. Nobody had. Even though Marty had been being paid by Robyn – he wouldn’t have been able to continue the work if nobody had paid him at all – Jake still felt he owed him. And Marty, who had effectively been made homeless after his parents had retired and moved away, and a room in a friend’s house had fallen through, hadn’t had a hope of getting on the housing ladder. Now he had a home of his own. He just had to tell his friend Gayle that, some time soon, he would be moving out of the guesthouse.

Jake changed the subject. ‘I’d still like to meet Robyn.’ Jake had said that the last time he’d been there. He still wondered if it was Robyn who had moved back into Lark Lodge.

Gayle said, ‘And I’m sure you will. Now, why don’t you get settled in?’

Jake nodded, but he did have a question. ‘You want to show me around the house sometime?’ After seeing Eleanor’s old doll’s house in the basement of The Lake House, and noticing the striking similarities with Lark Lodge, Jake was very interested to see just how much more of her design had been used by Robyn in the restoration of Lark Lodge.

In answer to his question, Gayle flashed Jake a smile.

Jake took that as an affirmative. ‘I’ll hold you to that,’ he said. He walked into the room and put his bag on the bed. He was still intrigued as to who was now in the room he’d been staying in only the previous day – the one that was usually reserved for friends.

Jake walked over to the attic window and looked across Gayle’s gorgeous back garden, which was a smaller version of his own garden, over her garden wall. The grounds of The Lake House. He stared at the familiar house.

He hadn’t planned on sticking around Aviemore any longer than he had to. Scotland was a big place. There were plenty of other areas to explore that wouldn’t come with painful memories of the previous Christmas. But Jake had a plan. To move on with his life, it was time to put the past, and what had happened that Christmas, well and truly behind him.

A knock on the door startled Jake out of his reverie. He turned around and walked to the door, opening it.

Gayle pointed. ‘I forgot to ask. Do want some ice for that?’

Jake’s hand involuntarily moved to the side of his face – it felt tender and hot to the touch where Marcus had punched him in the face. He’d hoped Gayle wouldn’t notice. But how could she not? He hadn’t looked in a mirror, but he didn’t have to. He knew he’d have a black eye in the morning. He’d felt the welt getting bigger on the side of his face where Marcus’s knuckle had caught himduring the blow. Jake didn’t blame him. He just wished Marcus had punched him in the face months ago. Of course, it was over Eleanor, and Jake refusal to come to terms with the fact that she hadn’t died on that mountain. What had happened had been far worse.

Jake momentarily closed his eyes, as if that would erase the memory.

‘I’ll be right back.’ Gayle closed the door.

Chapter 3

Jake opened the drawers in the sideboard and unzipped his bag. He was going to unpack this time. He deposited his clothes neatly in the deep drawers and folded his jacket over the easy chair by the window, by which time Gayle had reappeared. It had turned out that there was no ice. Jake closed the bedroom door and sat down on the end of the bed. He put the small pack of frozen peas wrapped in a cloth to the side of his face and winced. A few moments later, he put the peas down and picked up his mobile phone. He was not looking forward to this conversation.

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