Page 96 of The Boathouse By the Loch

Robyn followed Percy and met David on the landing, about to take Judith’s case up the next flight. She said, ‘I think Judith is upstairs.’

‘All right. She can choose one of the spare bedrooms.’

Robyn leaned in and whispered, ‘I wanted to show her the view from the balcony.’

‘There will be plenty of time for that.’ David glanced up the stairs. ‘Perhaps she wants to unpack first, and get settled in.’

Robyn nodded. ‘Of course.’ She hadn’t thought of that. ‘Will you tell her that I’ll be in the kitchen. I need to get the dinner on …’ Robyn was keeping an eye on the time. She’d already prepared a homemade lasagne – she just needed to put it in the oven to bake, and then make up a rocket salad, and some homemade skin-on chips.

She’d debated what to cook for the party. She’d wanted a sit-down meal, and had come up with so many different recipes online, she didn’t know what to choose. But whether she could pull off the ambitious recipes or even find all the ingredients in the local shops in Aviemore, she had no clue.

David told her not to make a rod for her own back, and to make something easy but tasty. He’d suggested Italian. She had settled on lasagne – one meat-based and one vegetarian. Robyn had also prepared a large pizza, buying the pizza base and adding her own toppings. She knew Annie and Joe’s little girl, Evie, loved pizza. Although she’d be the only child at the party, and wouldn’t eat a massive pizza all to herself, Robyn reckoned that a few of the adults might help themselves to a slice too. It would be a strange combination with lasagne, but Robyn didn’t care. She thought of the pizza, ready to go in the oven about ten or so minutes before people arrived, and decided she’d definitely help herself to a slice.

‘Will you tell Judith I’ll put the kettle on, so when she’s ready we can all have a cuppa together before Gayle arrives?’

‘Will do!’

Robyn watched David hoist the old suitcase up the stairs. She looked at Percy, who was sitting by her feet. ‘Come on, let’s go downstairs and leave Judith to her unpacking.’

Percy woofed.

Robyn frowned at him and gently tapped his nose. ‘Quiet! Remember – indoor voices. We talked about this.’

Percy licked her pointy finger.

‘Well, I talked about it, and you just looked up at me with those adorable eyes, didn’t you?’ Robyn smiled and gave him a fuss, before heading downstairs. She heard Percy’s paws on the open-tread stairs as he followed her.

In the kitchen, Robyn opened the enormous American-style fridge and got out two large Pyrex dishes containing the pre-prepared lasagne. It wouldn’t take long to heat up in the oven.

The pizza was on a tray on the worktop near the oven and the chips were ready to be cooked. Next, she got out the rocket salad, some tomatoes, a cucumber, and a jar of the French dressing. She decided not to add the French dressing to the salad, but leave the jar on the table so that her guests could help themselves.

She turned around with the jar and looked at the table she’d set up with a tablecloth and place settings. It was a large table, which was just as well. She’d only invited close friends, but there would be eleven, without herself, David and Judith. Fourteen people at the meal. She’d had to jig around the place settings to fit everyone around the table. And then David had let her in on a little secret. He hadn’t even planned to bring up that he’d invited a surprise guest until he’d seen her doing the place settings at thetable. But it wasn’t just one extra guest – it was three!

One was a child, so Robyn had brought in the small garden table for two, with two chairs, and put that in the corner, where Evie could sit with whoever was coming and hopefully make friends. She could just about squeeze in two more people at the table.

Robyn had tried to find out who the surprise guests were, but David would not tell. She had told him in the past that she didn’t like surprises, but he had assured her that she’d like this one. Still, it was on Robyn’s mind. She didn’t know all David’s friends, and supposed that perhaps it was an old friend from high school, along with a partner and child.

Robyn had even written out little cards for the table so that everyone knew where they were sitting. She thought that although it was a bit formal, it was a nice touch, and saved any awkward moments if people had a preference about whom they were sitting with.

She looked around the table and checked the seating arrangement for the umpteenth time. Joe and Annie would be seated together. Next to them would be Duncan and Alec, who planned to come straight after work in Duncan’s van. Alec would be off to university in September. Robyn would miss him. He hadn’t long started work in Duncan’s store part-time while he was studying for his A-Levels. Robyn had found out that Duncan really didn’t have the money to pay for him, but he’d hired him on the spot when his mother had said she desperately needed the money. It didn’t take long for Robyn to realise that underneath Duncan’s gruff, no-nonsense, and sometimes quite short-tempered exterior, there was a caring, gentle soul. If only he’d mellow and let people see that part of his nature once in a while.

She’d put her friend Melissa and her partner Brodie on that side of the table too, next to Duncan. Brodie now ran Wilbur’s Bookstore. She remembered Melissa and Brodie moving in together in the flat above the bookstore after they both graduated from university. They were now settled into their new home, and were engaged. Robyn wasn’t surprised. Melissa had confided that she’d set her heart on marrying Brodie before they’d even started dating.

Gayle, Doris, Marty and Nick, along with Judith, would be sitting together on the other side of the table. David would be at one end of the table, and she would be at the other, with Judith sitting to her right. She’d just squeezed in the two other surprise adult guests, one on either side of the table down at David’s end. She’d placed them there because David knew them, with the letter ‘A’ on the cards for ‘anonymous’. She had also invited Rose and George, the couple who lived on the new-build estate where Nick worked. They had been the first people to hire her services as an interior designer and were good friends. They’d passed her name on to all their new friends who’d moved on to the development.

She had been disappointed, but not surprised, when they’d sent their apologies – they’d already had a prior engagement. They were away with friends on a short break to Edinburgh to celebrate Rose’s birthday. Apparently they were travelling back late that evening.

When Robyn had heard, she’d made a mental note. While she’d been planning for their wedding, she had already been thinking of where they might like to spend their honeymoon. Although it was very tempting to stay right where they were – the Cairngorms had everything they could possibly want for a fabulous holiday – they had their whole lives together to explorethis glorious part of the world and make special memories in the place they called home. But Robyn also fancied making some special memories in another lovely part of Scotland, and Edinburgh sounded just the place. She was looking forward to catching up with Rose and George on their return and hearing all about their trip.

She was seeing them tomorrow afternoon. Although George and Rose had to miss her party, George had more than made up for it by booking something for Robyn which she’d always wanted to do. Robyn and David would be joining Rose and George for a special treat – afternoon tea on a steam train from Aviemore as it meandered through the breathtaking Scottish countryside.

Robyn returned her attention to the place settings. Melissa and Brodie were nearest to Robyn, on her left. She’d purposely put them there, as far away from David as she could. Robyn wondered if she had done the right thing by inviting Melissa.

They’d first met in the public library and had become friends. Robyn had gone there to see if she could find any old newspaper articles about David and the accident that had left him with an injured knee and had ruined his promising ice hockey career. He’d refused to talk about it, so she’d thought she’d try and find out for herself. She’d met Melissa, a law undergraduate, who had been working in the public library during her holidays.

Robyn had found out a lot more than she’d bargained for. She’d assumed he’d had an accident on the ice during a hockey game, and that was how he’d injured his knee. But that hadn’t been it at all. There had been a burglary at Duncan’s store. David had been on a night out with friends when he’d noticed a light in his father’s shop and had found himself face-to-face with two intruders, who were robbing the cash till. One had been armed.

According to the reporter, a scuffle had ensued. David had been shot, but he’d managed to get hold of the gun and it had fired, shooting dead one of the intruders. He’d been arrested and charged, but had successfully pleaded self-defence.

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