Page 74 of Under A Sicilian Sky
‘Right, yous lot. We’d better head back,’ Dougie said.
‘Aye, I suppose so,’ Mitch said as he stepped away from Ruby. He clenched his jaw and turned to face the route that would take them back down the mountain to the road.
‘Be sure to hydrate,’ Dougie added. ‘And watch your footing. The wind’s picking up.’
Ruby sighed. Had she imagined the look in Mitch’s azure eyes just then? She didn’t think so, although his words from the night before suddenly came back to her as a vivid and ill-timed reminder. ‘You live in a totally different world from me and soon you’ll be returning to that world. And I’ll be going back to my life as a property developer. I’ll be a distant memory by the time you’re accepting your next award.’
Sadly, she knew he was right.
28
Dougie cooked up a pot of stovies for an early dinner – another Scottish meal Ruby had never tried. It was a little bit like a stew but not as liquid, and contained potatoes, meat and vegetables. A truly hearty meal after their long chilly hike.
As they ate, they chatted about the views they had witnessed from the top of the Quiraing, and Shelby handed round her camera to show the photos she’d taken. Then Dougie regaled them with stories of his days in the army and the long treks through deserts and hostile territories; how he learned survival skills that had served him well through life. He spoke animatedly about the animal encounters he’d had and how he had narrowly avoided a wrestling match with a tiger. His stories explained a lot about his general demeanour and the way he wanted to protect others. He was a fascinating man who had dedicated the younger years of his life to guarding Queen and country, and Ruby’s respect for him grew further.
After dinner, Ruby retreated to her room to get ready to go to Jules’ house/home salon, but she took a moment to video-call Kitty.
Her best friend’s smile greeted her as the call connected. ‘Hey, gorgeous lady. How’s things?’
Ruby smiled. ‘Good, good. We all went on a hike today up the Quiraing.’
Kitty giggled. ‘Is that a euphemism? It sounds painful.’
‘No! Cheeky. And it was rather painful but only becausesomeonewas a bit hungover.’
Kitty narrowed her eyes and leaned closer to the camera. ‘Ruby Locke, have you been a naughty girl?’
Ruby grinned and nodded. ‘And boy did I regret it. I made such a tit of myself in front of Mitch.’
Kitty’s eyes widened. ‘I’m intrigued. Do tell.’
Ruby felt the heat of embarrassment rising from her chest to her face. ‘I may have told him, in my uninhibited, drunken state, that I had thought about kissing him.’ She covered her face with one hand and peeped through her fingers to gauge her friend’s reaction.
‘You did not!’ Kitty exclaimed with a gasp of giddy excitement. ‘I knew it! You go get him, lass!’ When Ruby didn’t reply, Kitty frowned. ‘Hang on… you don’t look as happy as I was expecting. What did he say?’
She sighed. ‘That I was from a different world to him and that I’d be returning to that world soon and I’d forget about him.’
Kitty’s expression changed to one of sadness. ‘Ah. Not what I was expecting at all. Are you okay?’
Ruby shrugged. ‘I’ll have to be. He has a point after all. Although not about the forgetting. And he probably doesn’t fancy me anyway. Just because I’m famous doesn’t mean everyone finds me attractive. And if I’m logical about things, it’s pointless me thinking of anyone romantically at this point. I can’t make any long-term plans, seeing as I don’t know what will happen.’
‘I wish things were different, honey. You deserve to be happy and loved.’ Kitty sighed deeply. ‘Do you ever feel like jacking it all in and just being you again?’
This was a question that Ruby had pondered so much since the hacking. Even if this case was solved, there was nothing to stop it from happening again further down the line. As a well-known person, everything she did was under scrutiny already, but after this mess she worried that the spotlight on her would be even harsher, even less forgiving.
Social media could be the most wonderful, supportive place, but it could be hell too, depending on whether you were in or out. Cancel culture was on the rise and people felt they could say whatever they wanted from the safety of their home, with a computer on their lap. Keyboard warriors, that’s what they were known as. The fact that real people’s lives were so easily damaged at the click of a mouse didn’t seem to register with some, or it did, and they didn’t care.
‘I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it, Kitty. Life would be so much easier if I was just Ruby Locke the… I don’t know… dance teacher?’ The despondency she felt at admitting her feelings caused her stomach to knot. ‘But, also, I don’t want to give in. I don’t want to let them win, whoever they are. I need to fight this before I can make any decision about my future. I may still go down, but I’ll bloody go down fighting.’
‘I’m so proud of you. I really am. And you’ll always have me. But I think you’re best not to rush into things. I just wish I could help.’
‘Me too. Anyway… enough doom and gloom, how’s the bump?’
* * *
Jules once again greeted Ruby with a hug. ‘I’ve gathered all the ingredients together and I’ve watched the video a couple of times, so it should be fairly straightforward to get your hair closer to your natural colour again. The people who have reviewed it have had mixed results, though, so it may or may not work.’ She cringed as she took Ruby’s coat. ‘They also say the treatment can be quite drying to the hair, so it’s up to you whether we go ahead. We could just have a cuppa and a biscuit instead. I won’t offer alcohol.’ She grinned and gave Ruby a knowing look.
‘Oh, what the heck. We’ll give it a go. I can pile conditioner on it afterwards. And if necessary, I’ll have it all cut off and go short for a change.’
