Page 53 of Surprises on the Scottish Isle

‘If you’re happy, shall I go ahead?’ she asked.

‘Er, yeah, great. Please do.’

‘Can you do me a favour and let me know whenever Bonnie is at the castle? I don’t want her coming in and finding me working on it.’

‘Of course.’

‘I’ve got plenty of other things on the go that she can help with – if you don’t mind.’

‘I don’t mind, as long as you don’t. Feel free to send her packing when you’ve had enough of her. She won’t take offence.’

‘I will,’ Tara smiled.

There was a pause, and Cal wondered if she wanted to sendhimpacking but was too polite to say. ‘I’m going into Portree later, if you need anything picking up,’ he said, moving towards the door.

She caught her bottom lip between her teeth as she thought. ‘Um, there are a few bits and pieces I could do with. Actually, never mind, I’ll pop in myself at some point, then I can’t tell you off for fetching the wrong thing.’

A memory bubbled to the surface. She’d done that very thing when she’d asked him to pick up a book on contemporary art, but he’d bought the wrong one. He’d apologised, and Tara had shown him she’d forgiven him by taking him to bed.

‘Why don’t you come with me?’ he suggested, and he got the impression she was going to refuse, when her phone rang.

‘Excuse me a sec. Oh, it’s the estate agent,’ she said with a frown.

Cal automatically assumed it was the same agent who was selling Yvaine’s cottage, but Tara cried, ‘That’s great news. Thanks. Tell him I accept.’

When she came off the phone, she was grinning widely. ‘I’ve just accepted an offer on my house. Or should I saywehave. Dougie is happy with it, so with any luck contracts will be exchanged in a couple of months. It shouldn’t be long, because the people who put the offer in are cash buyers with no chain! Woo hoo!’ Her eyes sparkled. ‘You know what that means? I can start looking at houses, so I will come to Portree with you, if that’s OK? I’ve got an estate agent to visit.’

Cal parked the Range Rover in a square with a war memorial in the middle, not far from Portree’s main street. Tara noticed a selection of shops, restaurants and other businesses, as well as a post office, but she didn’t see any estate agents.

‘There’s one just there,’ he said after she’d asked, guiding her around the corner. ‘And a couple further along the street. Shall we meet back at the car in about an hour? Will that give you enough time?’

Tara hedged, not knowing whether it would or wouldn’t. Besides, since she was here, she wouldn’t mind taking a quick look around the town.

‘Or,’ he said, ‘I could wait for you in The Isles Inn, and we could have a bite to eat once you’re done. They do great bar snacks.’

‘Sounds good,’ she replied, and after Cal had told her where to find the pub, Tara went off to explore.

Her first stop was the estate agent he’d pointed out. It wasn’t the same company that had shown her around Bonnie’s house, but even if it had been, Tara no longer felt like a fraud. She was legitimately looking for a property, and with an offer accepted on the house in Edinburgh, she was in a good position to put an offer in on a property herself – assuming she found something suitable within her price range.

Yvaine’s cottage was eminently suitable and within her budget, but Tara couldn’t bring herself to consider it. It would be too weird. And what would Bonnie make of it? And Cal?

Tara came away from the first estate agent armed with the details of several properties, only one of which was in Duncoorie, and by the time she’d visited the other two estate agents, she was feeling a bit overwhelmed. There were so many variables that she didn’t know where to start with putting them in any kind of order.

After a quick scoot around the shops to purchase a few essentials and a trot down to the waterfront with its colourful houses and view of Loch Portree, it was time to make her way back to the square and the pub where Cal was waiting.

Tara’s heart leapt when she saw him. He was perched on a stool chatting to a woman behind the bar, and both of them seemed to be enjoying the other’s company.

Jealousy jabbed at her with bony fingers, and she flinched.

Plastering a smile on her face, she strolled casually up to the bar and was gratified when Cal noticed her and broke into a grin.

‘Can I get you a drink?’ he offered.

‘Soda and lime, please.’

He nodded to the barmaid, who didn’t look anywhere near as pleased to see Tara as Cal did. ‘And can we have a couple of menus?’ he asked, after she’d poured their drinks.

Taking them over to a table near a window, they sat down and Cal handed Tara a menu. It was only after they’d ordered did he ask whether she’d had any joy with her property search.

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