Page 57 of The Boathouse By the Loch

The three of them stood there, eyeing the map.

‘She wanted to know where I was, the name of the place in Scotland. Isn’t that just like her?’ added Jake. ‘Wants to know every last detail.’

They all fell silent. It had become glaringly obvious; Natty had been trying to locate him on the map. Faye had told her she wasn’t seeing him anymore, so Natty had decided to go and see him by herself. She was out there on the streets all alone.

Faye turned wide-eyed to look at him and said, ‘And you didn’ttalk her out of it?’

‘Talk her out of what?’

‘Why – coming to find you, of course.’

Jake wished the ground would swallow him up. It was all his fault.

Patrick stepped in. ‘Are you sure you told her you were in Aviemore?’

Jake thought hard. ‘Yes, I’m pretty sure.’ But there was no marking of any kind on the map to indicate where Natty was off to, if indeed she had decided she was somehow going to attempt that journey. But knowing Faye’s stubborn, headstrong, and very bright little daughter, Jake guessed she wouldn’t have put a mark on the map, just in case her mum found it. That didn’t mean she hadn’t somehow got it into her head that she was off to Scotland, even though she wouldn’t get very far travelling on public transport before someone alerted the authorities, surely.

‘I discovered her iPad is missing,’ said Faye. ‘She always takes that if she’s going on a long journey.’

Patrick raised his eyebrows. ‘So, that’s where she thinks she’s going,’ he said, stabbing the map with a stubby forefinger, right dab in the middle of the Scottish Highlands.

‘This is all your fault,’ Faye turned on Jake.

Jake said in a small voice, ‘I never meant for any of this to happen …’

‘Faye, I don’t think you can blame it on—’ Patrick began.

‘You stay out of this.’ She pointed a finger at Patrick, then turned her attention swiftly back to Jake. ‘Actually, this isn’t your fault; this ismyfault for not seeing the signs earlier. I kept all my dates out of Natty’s life so she wouldn’t get attached to another man who would walk out of her life at a drop of a hat, like herfather, like her grandfather …’

‘Now, Faye, that’s not fair …’ began Patrick.

‘I said, will you stay out of this!’ She rounded on her father. ‘Can’t you see what’s happening here? I had it all figured out. Guys could come and go so long as I stuck to one simple rule; there were no instant families here. That way she wouldn’t get close, she wouldn’t get hurt.’

‘Who are we really talking about here?’ interrupted Patrick. ‘Natasha oryou?’

She fell silent.

Jake scrutinised her closely becausethatwas an interesting question. She’d had a number of dates with one particular guy who, according to Faye, wasn’t willing to commit. This seemed a tad confusing to Jake when he considered the conversation he’d overheard on the doorstep of her house one night during babysitting duties.

Faye had just arrived home after an evening out. Jake had just nipped upstairs to check on Natty, who was fast asleep. He was walking back down the stairs when she’d opened the front door and he’d overheard a snippet of conversation between Faye and her then beau. The gist of it was that he was serious about her and wanted them to take the relationship to the next level. He owned some plush city apartment, and he wanted them to move in together. He’d even taken the liberty of hiring a personal shopper to set up a child’s bedroom, along with a playroom as a surprise for Natty. ‘I’d love to meet her, you know.’ Jake distinctly remembered that line. He’d hated the thought of another guy in their lives.

Jake never heard mention of the guy again.

At the time, this had pleased Jake no end, not because he didn’tlike the guy – he didn’t even know him – but because he liked things just the way they were. Jake knew that in time, he would have to face up to the possibility that Faye would get into a relationship that turned serious. But still, he found himself absurdly fretting over each new guy, wondering if he was the one she’d fall head-over-heels in love with, unaware, until Patrick had made that comment, that Faye wascommitted not to have a relationship,that she had been playing the field with no intention of letting anything get serious; with no intention of letting anybody get close.

Jake should have recognised the signs; after all, he had been just as guilty of playing that game himself these past few months. This should have made him feel relieved. Instead, it made him feel uneasy because he realised that he had become that guy with the apartment, that guy who had taken the liberty of setting up the bedroom and playroom for Natty. Jake had got too close, and like that guy, Faye was cutting him loose.

‘Everything was working just fine until you came along.’ Faye stabbed a finger into Jake’s chest. She turned to her father. ‘He’ll get promoted,’ she said. ‘Then he’ll be transferred to another school. Oh no, wait – you’re going back to the Ross Corporation.’

Patrick turned to look at Jake in surprise. ‘Really?’

‘No. Not permanently.’

‘Never say never!’ Faye spat. She turned to her father. ‘And he’s never short of female company.’

‘That does not surprise me.’

Jake frowned at Patrick. He wasn’t helping.

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