Page 25 of Summer Escapes on the Scottish Isle

‘That’s teaching,’ Freya replied firmly, and saw Tara glow with pleasure.

‘I never thought of it like that,’ the woman said.

‘What other crafts are there?’

‘We’ve got a glass-blower, a man who makes stained glass, a jeweller, a watercolour artist, a quilter, and loads more. Oh, and apotter.’

Freya was curious to see the craft centre – the pottery studio in particular – and a wave of longing for her own studio swept over her. She’d been trying to avoid thinking about how she was going to cope without the feel of clay in her hands for the rest of the summer, because it was too upsetting. And being back in London on Sunday, packing for Skye, had brought it home to her.

She’d spent the interminable journey telling herself that she’d be too busy to throw pots or make ceramic sculptures anyway, but she hadn’t been able to escape the ridiculous sense of loss she felt. And itwasridiculous, because she’d only be gone for a short while – she’d be back in London before she knew it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Mack and Cal.

‘All done,’ Mack said. ‘It was a right bawbag to shift, but it’s up there now.’

‘Thank you. I really appreciate your help.’ She gave Mack a wry smile. ‘You were right – I don’t think we’d have managed it on our own.’

Cal said, ‘Tara, take note: youcanadmit to being wrong now and again.’

Tara got to her feet and walked over to her fiancé. ‘I’ll be happy to –whenit happens.’ She stretched to give him a quick kiss, then turned to Freya. ‘Thanks for the coffee.’

Freya replied, ‘Thanks for the company.’ She’d enjoyed chatting with her and was sorry to see her go.

She followed them into the hall to show them out, and Mack hesitated by the door. ‘We’re off to the pub for a quick pint,’ he said. ‘Care to join us?’

Freya hesitated.

Tara gave her puppy-dog eyes. ‘Please come! I guarantee these two will start talking about tides or football, or something equally riveting. I need saving from them.’

‘You needsaving?’ Cal chuckled.

‘I do! I really do.’ Tara nodded. ‘You don’t know what these two are like when they get together, Freya.’

Freya smiled regretfully. ‘Maybe another time? I’ve had a hectic few days and I’m bushed.’

‘I’ll hold you to that,’ Tara said as Freya showed them out.

After they’d left, she made a mental note to buy the men a bottle of whisky each, and maybe some wine for Tara, because she’d made her feel so welcome.

Her spirits lifted for the first time since she’d heard of her dad’s fall. Hopefully, being back in Duncoorie wouldn’t be as bad as she feared.

Chapter 9

Mack’s mind wasn’t on the job, so it was lucky he knew his spiel off by heart. He’d taken out so many whale and dolphin watching trips that he could do it with his eyes closed.

OK, that wasn’tstrictlytrue. He could talk the talk without too much conscious thought, but he still needed to keep his wits about him, because a sea loch was a fickle mistress. At the northern end, an island at the mouth of the loch gave the landward side protection from the sea, but the tides could be dangerous, and submerged rocks were a hazard.

While keeping his attention on the water, the wind and the boat’s location, Mack was able to deliver his well-rehearsed info over the loudspeaker system, telling his passengers about the Atlantic grey seals that were hauled out on the rocks. But a far too generous portion of his mind was on Freya.

There was something about her that intrigued him, although he couldn’t put his finger on it.

In the pub last night, Cal, blast him, had taken every opportunity to wind him up, though why Cal was under the impression that Mack thought Freya was different to any other woman he’d set his sights on, Mack didn’t know. As far as he was concerned, he’d not done or said anything to give his mate that impression, aside from offering to help shift a bed and a sofa. And that was only because his mother would have given him hell if he hadn’t.

But somehow, Freya was preying on his mind. He couldn’t seem to get her out of his head and he was baffled by that. He kept returning to the feeling that there was something about her…

Annoyed with himself, his gaze strayed to two women sitting near the cabin. They were giggling and looking his way. Mack smiled automatically as he continued describing the feeding habits of the seals, and received smiles from them in return. However, he had a golden rule of never mixing business with pleasure, so no matter how tempted he might be, he didn’t hit on his paying customers. If he happened to bump into them in the pub later, that was a different matter. Not that he was boozing this evening, though. Contrary to popular belief (i.e.Cal’s), Mack didn’t spend all his free time in Skye’s various drinking establishments, picking up women.

If he wasn’t too tired, he might do a bit of work on his house when he got home. He’d bought it a few years ago, and it had cost him every penny he had and then some. And he’d been doing it up ever since.

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