Page 71 of Summer Escapes on the Scottish Isle

‘Good luck, though I’ll probably see you around because I’ll be in Duncoorie for a few more weeks yet.’

‘If you’re ever in the pub, I’ll buy you a drink.’

Freya grinned. ‘Don’t think I won’t hold you to that, because I will.’

Happy that she’d been able to help, she left Rob’s studio, eager to see the rest of the craft centre.

The next studio made her smile, for in the window were the most glorious and exquisitely detailed doll’s houses. This must be Tara’s work, she surmised, and with a spring in her step, she went inside.

Tara glanced up, a professional smile on her face, but when she saw who it was, she did a double take and her eyes lit up.

‘Freya! You came!’ She leapt to her feet and hurried towards the counter, leaning across it to give her a hug. ‘What do you think?’

‘I think you’re extremely talented,’ Freya replied honestly.

‘Not about my doll’s houses, silly. I was talking about the craft centre as a whole.’

‘I haven’t looked round all of it yet,’ she admitted. ‘I’ve only been into the glass workshops and the pottery studio next door.’

Tara beamed. ‘Why doesn’t that surprise me?’

‘I remember these old buildings being mostly derelict when I was a kid. It’s lovely to see them restored and put to good use.’

‘It certainly is,’ Tara replied. ‘The minute I saw this place, I knew I wanted to work here.’

‘I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t mind working here, either.’

‘It’s a pity we can’t persuade you to stick around.’

‘I wish I could, but I can’t,’ she replied. ‘As soon as Dad is back on his feet, I’ll be off.’

‘To New York?’

‘Not straight away. I’m hoping to start my new job in January, but I haven’t had a contract through yet and neither have I handed in my notice. There’ll be an awful lot to sort out before I leave.’

In her quieter moments, Freya had run through in her mind what needed to be done. Handing in her notice would be easy; deciding what to do with her apartment was much trickier. Did she want to sell it, or did she want to rent it out? It would be nice to have a base in London, in case she decided to return one day; actually, there was noin case, because she had the feeling she wouldn’t spend the rest of her life in the States. She would come back to Britain at some point, so the most sensible thing would be to rent out her property in London, so she didn’t have to try to find somewhere to live when she did eventually return. Anyway, renting it out meant that she could come back any time she wanted with a minimum of fuss if, for whatever reason, living in America didn’t work out.

Freya chatted to Tara for a few minutes more, then left to explore the rest of the centre.

The other studios were equally fascinating, and she spent some time in each before making her way to the gift shop and Jinny.

Jinny was delighted to see her. ‘What can I tempt you with?’

Freya’s gaze darted greedily around the shop, briefly alighting on something that caught her eye, before swiftly moving on. By the time she’d finished her initial scan, there were at least a dozen things she would have loved to buy. In fact, she was so spoilt for choice that she was having trouble deciding on any one thing. Or anytwothings, for that matter.

Then she realised that if she bought something, she’d have to make sure she’d be able to take it with her across the pond, else it might sit in storage for some considerable time, if not forever. Of course, she would take any special items with her, and that was something else she’d have to look into. She could hardly pack her kiln into a suitcase, could she? Would she even want to take it? It would probably be cheaper and easier to buy a kiln once she was there – in fact, she might be able to stipulate that having a fully equipped studio was part of the contract.

Gosh, there was so much to think about, it was making her head spin. Time for a break.

After promising Jinny she’d be back, though not necessarily to buy something, she went to the cafe for a slice of cake and a restorative coffee, and tried not to think about anything other than the immediate future.

But the immediate future didn’t involve Mack, so why on earth did an image of him pop into her head and her heart miss a beat?

Chapter 19

Freya swallowed hard and tried to ignore the unmistakable smell that all hospitals seemed to have. For weeks after her mother’s death, she’d imagined she could still smell it in her hair, no matter how often she showered or what products she used.

‘Stop fidgeting,’ her dad hissed, and Freya realised her foot was tapping a staccato tattoo on the grey-tiled floor. She willed herself to keep still, and stared at the notices dotted around the walls, and then at a muted screen playing an NHS information video on a loop.

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