Page 88 of Summer Escapes on the Scottish Isle

As she’d predicted, talk around the dinner table was dominated by all things boat-related. Mack did most of the talking, though, her dad content to ask questions and listen.

‘Does he seem subdued to you?’ she asked Mack when she was cleaning up afterwards. She had sent her father into the sitting room, but Mack had insisted on staying in the kitchen to help.

‘A little.’

Keeping her voice low, she said, ‘He’s lost his sparkle.’

‘He’s been through a lot,’ Mack pointed out, stacking the plates next to the sink.

‘I know, but getting him to smile is hard work. Could he be depressed?’

‘Maybe.’

‘I think he needs to get out more. He really enjoyed lunch out the other day, but he can’t walk far, so we’re a bit limited. Any ideas?’

‘Why don’t I take him to the quay? He’ll like that. I could even take him out on the boat.’

Freya was shaking her head. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’ The boat had a ramp for less able passengers to embark, but how would he cope with the waves? The loch could be choppy, the swell high. Even seated, he might struggle to keep his balance, which would put undue strain on his hip.

‘I’ll take good care of him, Freya. He can sit in the cabin, and I’ll pick a calm day. It’ll be just me and him.’

‘When? You run three trips a day.’

‘Early morning, late evening?’ He shrugged.

Vinnie shuffled into the kitchen. ‘What are you two whispering about?’

Mack caught her eye, questioningly.

Freya bit her lip, then nodded. Mack would take good care of him, she knew.

‘Fancy a boat trip?’ he asked Vinnie.

Her dad’s expression didn’t change, but there was a flicker in his eyes. And when he nodded wordlessly, Freya realised he was holding back tears.

Without thinking, she rose up on tiptoe to give Mack a kiss on the lips, and the flash of surprise and pleasure on his face made her smile.

However, the speculative look on her father’s face quickly wiped it off. She didn’t want either man to get the wrong idea.

But long after Mack had said good night and her dad had retired to bed, Freya knew that they wouldn’t have got the wrong idea at all. They would have hit the mark. Seeing Mack with her father, the thoughtful, gentle way he had with him, had brought it home to her – she was in love with Mack.

She suspected she had been in love with him when she was a teenager, and it had taken her return to Skye to realise that she had never stopped loving him. But however she felt about him, it didn’t change anything – she would be leaving the island as soon as her dad regained his health.

Her place in this world wasn’t on Skye, even if her heart was.

Mack loved early mornings on the loch. The sea was calm today, low tide exposing glistening rocks and the rippling pools teeming with life. A gentle breeze was blowing away the low mist drifting across the waters and the sun poked through scattered clouds.

Vinnie had said little since Mack had picked him up in the truck, but his eyes were shining and there was a small smile on his face.

Getting him on deck had been tricky, but with care they’d managed it, and Vinnie was now settled at the helm, gazing out to sea with quiet excitement as the boat chugged away from the quayside.

‘It’s been a while,’ he said.

‘Five years, six?’ Mack estimated.

‘Aye, there or thereabout.’

‘You miss it, don’t you?’

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