Page 59 of A Summer House on Arran
‘Who would have thought that chiffon and glitter and ribbon could be so heavy.’ A wide smile lit up her face. ‘I’ve got them in these bags as they’re all on hangers. I thought it would be easier for the kids to store them like that and saves them getting mixed up.’
‘Ah, you are a genius,’ said Olivia, biting her lip, anxious to see the costumes. She watched in eager anticipation as Edie draped one of the carriers over a table. Peeling down the zip, Edie reached inside and took out a hanger. Gently shaking it, she held it up for Olivia to see.
‘Well, what do you think?’
Olivia felt Edie watching her as she scanned the costume. ‘Oh wow, Edie. I can’t believe what you’ve done. This isn’t what we agreed . . .’
‘Oh, oh,’ said Edie. ‘I should have stuck with the plan. I just thought . . .’
‘No,’ gasped Olivia. ‘That’s not what I meant. You don’t understand. This isn’t what I expected.’ She threw her hands in the air in exasperation. ‘Sorry, Edie. This is coming out all wrong. What I should have said was they areamazing. Absolutely, unbelievably brilliant.’ And she meant every word. They were incredible, and so much better than she could ever have imagined. ‘But how on earth did you add all the extras? Where did you get them from?’
‘All the sparkly stuff?’ she asked, chuckling.
‘Yes, that, exactly.’
‘Well, I was running up the chiffon skirts on my machine. That took no time at all. Then I decided that it would be great to add a wee something extra. I mean, red and black are very vivid, but I know sometimes it’s good to have a bit of sparkle and glamour. I remembered that I had a bag of Christmas tablecloths in the loft. I’d got them in a sale in Glasgow one year and then completely forgotten about them. Anyway, I thought the golden flowers on them were the perfect appliqués for the costumes.’
Olivia was speechless. The amount of work that had got into the costumes was overwhelming.
‘Don’t be daft now, don’t be thinking that I did it all by myself,’ she said, reading her mind. ‘I had a team of helpers. Amelia and Thea, my friends in the village, helped me with it all. Once we’d cut out all the shapes, it didn’t take long to stitch them into the skirts.’ Edie sheepishly reached into one of the other bags and pulled out a T-shirt. ‘We didn’t want the boys to feel left out either. Fergus had some spare black T-shirts at the outdoorcentre, so we turned them inside out and cut the labels off and stitched the appliqué onto them too.’
Olivia chuckled. ‘What would I do without you all?’
Edie gave a dismissive wave of her hand. ‘That’s what community is all about, my dear. We’re here to help each other.’
‘It’s been amazing,’ said Olivia. ‘Honestly, I can’t believe what a summer this has been. It’s exactly what I needed. It feels like a fresh new start.’
Edie smiled warmly. ‘You know there is something magical about this place, dear.’ She reached out to touch Olivia lightly on the arm. It was as though Edie knew exactly what she had been through. Olivia hadn’t shared any of the details with her, and she knew that Kitty was discreet. But it was as though Edie justknew.‘We owe it to ourselves to make the most of every moment, and to be happy. Life is an incredible gift. You’ll be okay, dear.’ Edie looked at her so sincerely. ‘I just have a feeling that things will work out. Look at how much you’ve achieved in your short time here.’
That was true. Olivia thought back to Italy and how vulnerable she was then. She had taken a leap of faith and come here, had found a true friend in Kitty, discovered how much she loved teaching dance and managed to prevent Patrick from dominating her thoughts. ‘You’re right,’ she said to Edie. ‘It feels like it’s all coming together.’
Is it though, Olivia?a voice in her head whispered.Do you really think Patrick will let you go?
Chapter Forty-Two
It was finally the day of the Highland Games. Olivia felt increasingly nervous, checking and rechecking the costumes hanging up in the huge tent that doubled as a dressing room. She had woken early like a child on Christmas Day, so excited about seeing the kids dance on the stage and seeing their little faces light up in front of a crowd. She had stayed late at the community hall last night doing a last practice with the kids, who had done themselves proud. She had grown so fond of the little dance troupe over these past few weeks, and was hugely impressed at what they’d managed to pull together, always keen to push themselves and add in some extra moves.
‘We want to win this, Miss Olivia,’ they told her every time they met to practice their routine. ‘Please show us things that can make us better.’
So she had. She had taken them through their paces again and again, adding extra touches here and there to make sure their routine would stand out.
Now, fuelled by coffee, she was just about managing to hold herself together, knowing that in a couple of hours it would all be over, and she could collapse in an exhausted heap. It would all be worth it. One of the mums had stopped briefly to talk to Olivia, and now Kitty was heading over to the baking stall that she was running with the help of her friend from home, Ellen, who had arrived last night.
‘Hi, girls. How’s it all going?’
‘Brilliant,’ said Kitty, emerging from beneath a trestle table with yet more containers of baked goods. ‘They’re all going like hot cakes.’
‘Do you need a hand?’
‘Thanks, but I should be okay. Amy’s helping, though she stepped away to go to the loo and get some coffees. She should be back any minute.’
‘And I’m just going to nip back up the cottage to get the extra cakes.Just in case,’ said Ellen.
‘You are a love. Thanks, Ellen. Bet you’re glad you came here for a break.’
Ellen grinned. ‘There is no place I would rather be. See you soon. And good luck, Olivia.’
‘Aw, thanks,’ she said gratefully.
