Page 82 of The Boathouse By the Loch

‘You could see a hypnotherapist.’

‘A what?’ Robyn and David said in unison.

‘There. I told you it was a silly idea.’

‘How would hypnotherapy help her?’ David asked.

‘I read about it in one of my books. Apparently hypnotism is just one tool in their toolbox. I can show you one of my books, if you like.’

David shook his head.

Gayle turned to Robyn. ‘Look, hopefully your mum is coming home soon, and seeing her will trigger your memories. Then you won’t need a therapist.’

David smiled. ‘I agree. Wait for you mum to return, and take it from there. On that note, we’d better get going. The sooner that letter is in the post, the better.’

They all left the kitchen, saying their goodbyes at the front door. Robyn knelt down and gave Olive a hug, telling her how much she was going to miss having a dog around.

Gayle and David exchanged a knowing smile.

Gayle stood at the door, Olive by her side, watching them walk to the car. She heard Robyn ask, ‘Are we stopping in Aviemore first?’

‘Yes, we’ll need to get a stamp to post your letter. And don’t be thinking you need to stop by your shop. As I said before, Annie has got things covered. As of today, we are on holiday.’

As David opened the car door, Gayle overheard him say, ‘After we’ve posted your letter, I’ve got one more pitstop on the way home.’

‘Oh, right. Where’s that?’

‘You’ll see.’

Gayle smiled knowingly as she watched them both get in the car. She got out her phone and looked at the photo of the sweet beagle. ‘Percy, you are a lucky boy.’

Chapter 28

Jake was woken by the sound of voices coming from the kitchen. He was pretty sure he’d heard Natty badgering her mother to wake him up, and Faye telling her to quieten down. He hoisted himself up to a sitting position. He checked the time and was shocked that it was almost ten. It was little wonder that Natty wanted to wake him up. The only time he’d stayed over at Faye’s, and had slept on the couch, was when he’d babysat Natty while Faye was on a course and she’d got held up getting home.

This time, he wasn’t babysitting. He and Patrick had hung around, anxious to see Natty when Faye returned home with her. Patrick had been so nervous; worried that as soon as Faye returned and found him still at her house, she’d tell him to leave. He hadn’t been the only one feeling nervous. But Faye hadn’t told them she wanted them gone before she returned. All she’d said was that she was collecting Natty from the bus station on her own.

When Natty arrived home, there was an awkward moment when she ran into Jake’s arms, rather than her grandfather’s. It was understandable; Jake had been a fixture in her life recently, far more than her grandfather.. Patrick was desperate to change that. And, as it turned out, so was Faye. They’d all had dinner together,and Patrick had stayed until Natty’s bedtime, reading her a bedtime story before kissing her goodnight.

Natty had wanted a bedtime story from Jake too, and a promise that Jake would be there in the morning. She had not made her grandfather promise the same. It hadn’t bothered Patrick. He’d walked out of the door on cloud nine about the fact that as soon as they returned from Scotland, he knew he could head round for dinner and read his granddaughter a bedtime story again.

Jake listened to Faye and Natty, who were still bickering in the kitchen. He hadn’t been able to promise Natty the previous night that he’d still be there in the morning – it had been up to Faye to decide whether she wanted him to crash on her couch. The problem was that Natty had been up and down the stairs until late, checking he was still there. By the time she had gone off to sleep, and then he and Faye had sat chatting until late about their plans to go on holiday to Scotland, it was so late that Faye insisted he should stay. It was just as well, as Jake was too exhausted to walk to the tube station and get a train home.

Jake stood up, stretched, and folded the spare duvet that Faye had given him. Faye had decided not to tell Natty the previous night about the holiday to Scotland. Natty had been too excited as it was, both with Jake’s unexpected arrival back from Scotland and with finding her doting grandfather waiting for her at home too. The news that she was going on holiday with Jake to Scotland too would have been a recipe for an overtired and overexcited nine-year-old to end up getting very little sleep – which would not start the first day of the school summer holidays on the right note. Faye was right when she’d said that Natty had had enough excitement for one day.

Now, Jake was wondering whether, in the cold light of day, allthe talk of them going on holiday together to Scotland was going to turn out to be just that – talk.

Jake swallowed. He’d been so excited at the thought of returning to Scotland with them, making plans for what they could do together when they arrived, and thinking about Patrick’s advice –make sure they have a bloody good time, get back in her good books, and lastly …don’t screw it up. He’d found it difficult to sleep. Now, he was wondering why Faye hadn’t woken him. Was she putting off the moment she was intending to tell him that she’d changed her mind?

Disappointment washed over him at the possibility. Perhaps the real reason she hadn’t told Natty the previous night about the trip was because she was already having second thoughts. She’d suggested it in the heat of the moment, and now she’d had plenty of time to think it through and probably thought it was a bad idea.

Natty had disappeared all because of him. Jake wondered if Faye had only suggested it because Natty had planned to go to Scotland to find Jake, so in the spirit of proving to Natty that she’d definitely taken back what she’d said to her about not seeing Jake anymore, she was proving it by going on holiday with him – and to Scotland to boot.

Jake frowned. He was convinced that was it. He stepped out of the lounge and walked up the stairs to the bathroom. He was just opening the bathroom door when he happened to glance into Faye’s bedroom. He saw two suitcases. He did a double-take. Was Faye already making preparations for their holiday, even though the plan wasn’t to leave until Friday?

It was Saturday, and Jake would have loved to go that day, but even though it was the first week of the school holidays, Faye still had one of her courses to attend the next week for her headshipqualification. The upside to hanging around London for the week was that he would be babysitting Natty while Faye was on her course.

Jake stood outside the bathroom door, staring at the suitcases in disbelief. Was it really happening – the three of them going on holiday to Scotland?

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