Page 89 of Dreaming Under An Island Skye
‘Love you too. Be strong.’
Juliette hung up, composed herself, took a deep breath and prepared herself for her final day in the museum.
* * *
Thankfully, the day was busy once again. Juliette wondered what any new owners might do with the place once a sale had completed. Would Reid’s imaginings of coffee bean posters come true? She hoped it would be something that at least kept the character of the building, but she sincerely doubted it. And maybe it was a good thing she wouldn’t be here to see it.
At the end of the day, she closed up for the very last time and walked around the museum in the quiet absence of the day’s visitors. She let her fingertips trail along the glass cases and inhaled the smell of the place, trying to commit it to memory. The old Lifeboat House had been put to wonderful use as a museum and she felt privileged to have been a small part of it. The sad thing was it would make such a wonderful quirky coffee shop for some huge chain. But what a shame that would be. The Lifeboat House had gone from saving lives to giving people a chance to learn about lives they could only see in such a place.
There was a knock on the locked door. Juliette wiped her damp cheeks and walked across to see who was there. Could it be Reid? She hoped so.
‘Oh, hi, Caitlin. I’ve just closed up for the last time,’ she said with a quiver of her chin.
‘Oh, honey, c’mere.’ Caitlin enveloped her in a warm hug. ‘I had a feeling you’d be sad. I know I am. I can’t believe you’re going back south. It’s always felt like you were supposed to stay.’
‘Ah, it’s just not meant to be. And I’m a great believer in if it’s meant to be, it will be.’
‘Aye, my granny used to say, “If it’s for you, it’ll no pass you by.” But I hoped this was for you. I really did.’ She let go of Juliette and stood back. ‘Anyway, pub tonight. A wee farewell drink. How about it?’
‘That’d be lovely. Thank you. Have you seen Reid, by any chance?’
She frowned and chewed her lip as if realising for the first time that she hadn’t. ‘Actually, no, which is odd. You must’ve heard from him though?’
‘No. I haven’t seen him since… well, since just after Evin left.’
Caitlin frowned. ‘I haven’t seen anyone walking Chewie either.’
‘Do you think they’ve gone away or something?’
Caitlin shrugged. ‘Your guess is as good as mine. Anyway, I’ll let you go home and get sorted. I’ll call for you around seven? We can grab a bite at the pub.’
Juliette nodded. ‘That’d be great. See you then.’
When she stepped inside the cottage, she checked the answering machine. Along with a message from her mum, there was the one she’d hoped for. Although the content wasn’t what she wanted to hear.
‘Hey, Jules, it’s… it’s me. It’s Reid… Look, I wanted to explain why I dashed off like that. Kate had been trying to get hold of me while you and I were… Anyway, Evin ran away. I had to take Chewie and leave to help her find him. I didn’t want you to think I left because of… (a deep sigh) The good news is we found Evin. He’s had a rough time and I need to focus on him now. What happened between you and I was…’ He sighed again, clearly struggling to find the words. ‘I’ll never forget it. I’ll never forgetyou. But in a way, it’s probably a good thing I was called away. I’m useless at goodbyes. Especially when I really don’t want to say them. And I didn’t want to say goodbye to you, Juliette. But I understand that the other night was something you won’t want to repeat. A once in a lifetime thing. And I’ll treasure it because of that. I understand that your heart still belongs to Laurie. I really do. And I understand that your life isn’t here. It’s in Mistford. And my life has to be wherever Evin is. So, I’m letting you go.’ His voice broke and he cleared his throat. ‘I’ve left you a gift at the pub with Stella and Joren. Please don’t open it until you get back home. It’s not for anyone else to see but you. I wish you happiness, Jules. You deserve happiness, more than anyone I know. Take care.’
When the message ended, Juliette’s face was wet with tears that had fallen silently as she’d listened to the pain in Reid’s voice. Her shoulders juddered and her heart ached. She wanted to have the opportunity to tell him he was wrong. That she did want to be with him. That it wasn’t a ‘once in a lifetime thing’ for her, regardless of what he had presumed. She hoped Evin was unharmed and that Reid would be able to mend himself and be happy. But the pain she felt was too reminiscent of the loss she’d experienced before.
* * *
Caitlin arrived at seven, and after she held Juliette and let her cry without needing explanation, Juliette washed her face, applied some make-up and they made their way to the pub.
‘It’s hard to believe that tomorrow is the last morning I’ll wake up here. This past three months has gone by in a blur.’
‘Yeah, it doesn’t seem like two minutes since I was meeting you and now, I feel like I’ve known you a lifetime.’
‘Well, a hell of a lot has happened, that’s for sure.’
‘You could say that. Poor Grace is devastated that Evin has gone.’
‘I bet. They’d become fast friends, bless them.’
When they arrived at the pub, Caitlin held open the door and Juliette walked through. Suddenly, there was a cacophony of party poppers, blowers and applause. A sign hung above the bar which said,
So Long Jules, Haste Ye Back!
Juliette brought her hands to cover her mouth and widened her eyes as the shock of it all grabbed hold of her. The Toilichte Hens began to playThe Dashing White Sergeantas everyone clapped along, and she was hugged from every which way.
