Page 36 of Surprises on the Scottish Isle

‘It’s a word.’

‘A made-up one?’

‘It might be.’

‘I’ve got the opposite problem – not enough people-ing.’

Jinny gave her a sympathetic smile. ‘It can’t be easy moving into a new area. Avril tells me you’re from Edinburgh. Is that where your family are?’

‘I’m originally from Glasgow but moved to Edinburgh when I got married.’ Tara noticed Jenny looking at her left hand. ‘We’ve just got divorced.’ The decree absolute had come through this week.

‘I’m sorry, hen. I didn’t mean to pry.’

‘You’re not, it’s fine.’

‘Is that why you moved to Skye?’

‘Partly for a fresh start, and all that, and because properties are cheaper here. But the main reason was that as soon as I saw the craft centre, I fell in love with it. I’ve always worked out of my attic, so having my very own studio is a dream come true. The castle is lovely too, and everyone is so friendly.’

‘You didn’t want to go back to Glasgow? Ah, here’s your lunch and my coffee.’

Tara waited until she’d eaten her first mouthful before replying. ‘There’s nothing there for me now. My mum and stepdad moved to the Isle of Wight about five years ago – they run a caravan park – and I’ve drifted away from my friends.’ Tara wiped her mouth with a serviette. ‘Crumbs, that makes me sound sad and lonely, when I’m not.’

OK, she wasa bitlonely, but looking back, she’d actually been lonelier when she and Dougie had still been living together. He’d worked long hours (yeah, right!), and Tara had been ensconced in her attic room like bloody Rapunzel, not seeing a soul from dusk ’til dawn, unless she had a delivery or orders to post. Being in Duncoorie and having loads of people around was a real treat. And if it became too much, she had the solitude of the boathouse to retreat to until her social battery recharged.

‘Come to tea this evening,’ Jinny suggested, and Tara immediately felt awful. She didn’t want her to think she was so pitiful that she needed to be invited to tea.

Flustered, she gabbled, ‘No, that’s fine, honestly. No need to… I’ve got stuff to be getting on with, and there’s a chicken breast that has to be used up.’ Oh, dear. As the words poured out of her mouth she knew she was making it worse.

‘It’s nothing fancy,’ Jinny continued, as though Tara hadn’t spoken. ‘Just pasta, sauce and garlic bread. The kids would love to meet you. Well, Katie would – I’ve told her all about your doll’s houses – but I’m afraid Ted isn’t as keen. Dolls and little houses aren’t his thing. My husband, Carter, won’t be in this evening, so I need a buffer between me and the kids and you’re it.’

‘Katie is nine, you said?’ The same age as Bonnie, Tara recalled.

‘That’s right, and Ted is six.’

Tara would have liked to have had children, just not with Dougie. Even on her wedding day, the thought of having a baby with Dougie didn’t even enter her head. What did that say about their relationship? Abouther?

An image of Calan’s russet-haired daughter sprang into her mind. If she and Cal had made a baby, would their child have looked like Bonnie?

Flippin heck! What was she thinking? Her head was in the shed these days and she blamed it on the upheaval of this past month or so. No wonder she wasn’t thinking straight.

Jinny picked up her cup and drained it. ‘See you at five thirty. My place is the third on the left after the post office. You can’t miss it.’

And with that she was gone, leaving Tara to finish her lunch.

Calan was walking towards the castle from the direction of the maze, when he decided to take a gander at the rear of the craft complex. One side of it faced the loch and got most of the weather, especially when a storm blew in from the sea, so he wanted to have a quick scan of the roof to check for loose slates. He highly doubted any had come loose since the last time he’d checked, but there was a cold front moving in overnight bringing rain and squally wind, breaking the run of nice weather Skye had enjoyed these past few weeks.

Although the dry, sunny weather was brilliant for tourism, Cal loved the wild stuff. In his opinion, little could beat a walk along the shoreline when it was howling a gale, or being tucked up snug and cosy in front of a roaring fire when it was lashing it down outside.

He’d just rounded the corner and was thinking with satisfaction that the cafe looked busy, when he spied Tara sitting at an outside table. She was side-on to him and staring across the loch, her chin resting on her hand.

He halted abruptly, then turned on his heel and went back the way he’d come.

‘Forgotten something?’ the castle’s head gardener, Paul, called as Cal hurried past.

Cal didn’t answer, giving the man a vague smile and a wave instead, feeling ridiculous. This couldn’t go on. He tried to foster a reputation of being friendly and approachable, someone they could come to if they had a problem or wanted advice or a helping hand. He didn’t so much regard himself as their boss, but more as a friend and a colleague. After all, they were in this together and they all wanted the castle and the craft centre to succeed. Mhairi kept insisting that they were one big, happy family and she was right. But if he kept avoiding Tara or not being himself around her, sooner or later someone would notice and the gossip would start. It occurred to him that Jinny already had, remembering her speculative expression at the pub the other evening. Maybe it would be better not to hide the fact that he and Tara had once had a relationship, but mention it casually so it didn’t seem like a big deal. And he knew exactly who to mention it to.

‘Looking good, as always,’ he said, when he entered the gift shop, his eyes roving over the racks and shelves.

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