Page 18 of Surprises on the Scottish Isle

His reason was very similar to Bonnie’s: jealousy. Bonnie was jealous of her mum spending time with Lenn and not her, and Calan was jealous that if Lenn moved in with Yvaine, Lenn would get to have breakfast with Bonnie every morning and tuck her in every night. Cal should be doing that, not some strange bloke. Bonnie was feeling pushed out and usurped in her mother’s affections, and Cal could wholeheartedly understand because he feared the same thing, that Lenn would become the most important man in Bonnie’s life and not him.

Feeling disgruntled, Cal carried on with the journey that would end with his daughter being returned to her mother’s waiting arms – and those of Yvaine’s blasted boyfriend.

In her usual excited way, Bonnie was out of the car before Cal hadeven opened the driver’s door and she flew into the house, yelling forher mother. Cal lifted Bonnie’s case from the boot and followed behindin a considerably more sedate manner.

He hesitated on the step, unsure whether to go on in or wait until he was invited.

To his annoyance, it was Lenn who did the inviting, acting as though it was his house, not Yvaine’s. He seemed very much at home, despite having a rather grand home of his own on the outskirts of Portree.

Cal tried not to scowl as he realised Yvaine and Lenn might be living together sooner than he’d hoped. The chap seemed to have moved in already.

‘Did Bonnie have a nice time?’ Lenn asked, taking the case from Cal’s reluctant fingers. It felt symbolic somehow, as though it wasn’t just the case he was handing over, it was Bonnie, too.

‘She did, thanks. And you?’

‘We had a lovely time. Sand, sea, se—’ Lenn stopped, but the proprietorial smarmy look in his eye left Cal in no doubt as to what the man had been about to say.

It was a blatant show of possessiveness, Lenn letting Cal know that he was the bloke sleeping with Yvaine now, not Cal. He didn’t care. Lenn was welcome to her. His only concern was Bonnie, and he hoped she didn’t pick up on any of it.

Yvaine appeared in the hall, Bonnie clamped onto her like a limpet. ‘Cal, thank you for taking such good care of her,’ his ex-wife said.

Cal bit back a snarky retort. Had she expected him to neglect their daughter? If she had been so concerned, maybe she shouldn’t have buggered off to Cyprus for two weeks.

He tried to keep his voice even as he replied, ‘I’m her father. It’s my job to take care of my daughter.’

It took a monumental effort on Cal’s part not to look at Lenn as he said it, his gaze remaining on Yvaine. She was looking good, he noticed, the golden tan suiting her. She appeared to be relaxed and happy, despite the flight landing late last night and the long drive from Glasgow airport. In fact, Yvaine was glowing, radiant even.

Lenn looked good too, and Cal’s dislike of the man couldn’t detract from the fact that the guy was a handsome chappie. At thirty-five, he was two years older than Cal, slim, dark-haired and sophisticated. The opposite of Cal, who had a bigger build (all muscle, so he claimed), light russet hair and could in no way be described as sophisticated. Lenn was at home in an office. Cal was more at home on a mountain.

He wondered, not for the first time, whether Yvaine had deliberately chosen a man who was as far from Cal as she could find.

‘Go say goodbye to your dad,’ Yvaine urged, and Bonnie, suddenly realising that her father was about to leave, launched herself at him.

Cal scooped her up, her skinny legs wrapping around his waist, her arms around his neck.

‘I don’t want you to go,’ she muttered into his shoulder.

‘I have to Bon-Bon, you know I do.’

‘It’s not fair!’

Cal couldn’t agree more. And when Yvaine followed him to the car and quietly told him the news that she and Lenn were moving in together so that the three of them could be a ‘proper family’, Cal thought that life was very unfair indeed.

‘You’re back!’ Mhairi exclaimed in delight. She made to rise,age-spotted hands gripping the arm of her chair as she shuffled to theedge of the seat.

‘Don’t bother getting up,’ Cal told her, crossing the room in five strides and bending down to kiss her powdered cheek. As usual she looked immaculate. With her neatly styled hair, rouge, lipstick, and elegant clothes, she reminded him of the late Queen Elizabeth.

Mhairi accepted the kiss, then gestured for him to take a seat. ‘How is Bonnie?’

‘She’s good, thanks.’

‘And you? How was your visit to your parents?’

‘It was lovely. They were thrilled to have us stay, but I think they’re secretly relieved to see the back of us. They forget how lively she can be.’

‘You look tired, too,’ Mhairi observed. ‘I hope you’re not thinking of doing any work today. You are still officially on holiday. Go home and have a nap. I’ll see you tomorrow for our usual Monday morning meeting.’

‘But—’

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