Page 27 of A Scottish Christmas Hideaway
‘Hullo,’ he said. But he kept his eyes on the large garden.
‘How are you today, Dad? I hear you’ve had a busy week.’
His father looked at him, his eyes a rheumy blue, and gave a weak smile.
‘I believe you’ve been busy singing?’ He didn’t know any of the words to the first song the manager had mentioned but he slowly started to hum the music from “I Belong to Glasgow”.Then added the words he could recall. ‘I belong to Glasgow . . .’ He watched his dad, whose eyes were on him, and he waited.
His dad started to tap his foot on the floor. ‘Dear old Glasgow town . . . well, what’s the matter with Glasgow.’
Reuben grinned as his dad continued to sing. It was the first time in months that he had looked so engaged and there was now a spark in his eyes. Reuben watched and listened in astonishment as he sang the song in its entirety. It had been the greatest number of words to leave his father’s lips for the longest time.
‘I can hear some lovely singing coming from here,’ said a care assistant, doing her rounds with the tea trolley. ‘That is wonderful, Mr Campbell,’ she said with a smile.
He grinned at her, clearly appreciating the praise.
‘Now, gentlemen, can I offer you a cup of tea?’
They both nodded and his dad turned again to look outside. ‘Look what I brought you, Dad. Remember Catriona’s famous tablet?’ He unwrapped one of the small packages from the paper bag and broke a piece off, putting it next to his mug. He picked it up and examined it suspiciously before putting it in his mouth. He closed his eyes for a minute as he chewed, then opened them again. ‘Catriona?’
‘Yes, our neighbour, Catriona. She lives at Thistle Cottage. She made it and sent it in.’
His dad nodded at him but didn’t say anything else for the rest of the time that Reuben was there. But he didn’t mind. He couldn’t believe what a transformation he had seen in his dad today. If the best way for him to communicate was through music, then that was good enough for Reuben.
As he drove away from the care home, he felt as though a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He needed to talk to someone and tell them. There was a time he would have talked to his ex, but suddenly he felt the urge to speak to Jessica.It was a long time since he’d wanted to share with anyone and he liked the feeling he had at the thought of talking to her.
Chapter Sixteen
The Christmas lights switch on was at five o’clock and started with a small procession from the village hall. Jessica had managed to grab an hour at home, to decompress from the intense bottle tombola experience earlier, while her parents went to the Rowan Bay Inn for a late lunch, early dinner or ‘linner’ as they liked to call it. They had arranged to meet her at the hall just before five.
It was a cold night and as she left Thistle Cottage, Jessica was glad to be wearing her warmest clothes. She still had her Christmas sweater on underneath her thick coat, tights under her jeans and a woollen scarf, gloves and hat on. Her boots crunched against the thick frost on the pavement and she shivered as the chilly air nipped at her nose. It was a clear night and the dark sky was scattered with twinkling stars. As she reached the high street, she was surprised at how many people were bustling around. Families were out, with children all wrapped up and babies cosy in their buggies. Laughter and chatter filled the air, and seeing everyone enjoying themselves made her smile. She hadn’t realised that the event was such a big deal. She didn’t remember it being like this when she was younger. Back then, people tended to congregate around the small square in high street to watch the Christmas tree lights be switched on. But that was about as exciting as it got. As she neared the hall, she spotted her parents in the crowd and made her way over, slipping into place beside them.
‘It’s about to start,’ said her mum excitedly pointing at the doors of the hall which had just opened.
There was a murmur of anticipation as the steady and low sound of bagpipes began. Everyone quickly quietened down and turned their heads towards the hall as the piper stepped out. Dressed in his kilt and a thick woollen coat he gave the eventa sense of ceremony as he began playing “O Little Town of Bethlehem”. Jessica felt goosebumps on her arms and she gave a small shiver, though she wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or the moment itself. Then as the piper moved, leading the procession behind him, Jessica could see that children were following, holding lanterns that glowed like tiny stars. Their excited faces made her smile. As the piper’s tune faded, the carol singers following behind the children began to sing. Their voices were gentle and harmonious as they sang “Silent Night”, and Jessica watched and listened, letting it all sink in. It felt as though the whole village had gone quiet as they listened to the familiar melodies which felt so comforting.
‘It’s so nice you’re here with us for this,’ said her dad gruffly.
She linked her arm through his and nodded. ‘It’s quite the event. I’m impressed.’ With a small flicker of guilt, she realised she couldn’t remember when she was last in the village in the run up to Christmas. She normally arrived on Christmas Eve and was only back for a couple of days.
‘Here comes the man himself,’ said her mum, pointing at Santa who was at the back of the procession on a large tricycle decorated with tinsel. ‘It’s a shame that Lexi isn’t here yet. She would love this.’ He waved and grinned as he passed by. As the sound of the choir started to disappear, the piper struck up a lively version of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”and the crowd started to follow the procession towards the high street. Jessica felt a flutter of excitement in her stomach as she walked along with her parents, looking up at the lights draped from lamp post to lamp post ready to be switched on.
The procession stopped by the small square, beside the village clock, which had a large Christmas tree made entirely from strings of sparkling lights. This was the moment everyone had been waiting for. Jessica’s breath caught in her throat as there was a collective countdown from the crowd. ‘Ten, nine,eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.’ Then Santa stepped forward and pressed a button. There were loud gasps and cheers from everyone as the tree burst to life with all its twinkling lights and the brightly coloured Christmas lights flickered for a moment then lit up the street in shades of red, blue and green. Jessica smiled, feeling as though Rowan Bay had been sprinkled with magic. She looked around as she wondered if Reuben might be here. She scanned the faces in the glow of the lights, hoping to see him. She waved and smiled when she saw Gillian with Millie, but Reuben wasn’t there, at least not that she could see. Her parents were now deep in conversation with Iris and another woman.
‘I’ll see you back at home,’ she said, lightly touching her mum’s arm. She turned and slipped away, walking back up the high street towards Rowan Lane. Now seemed like the perfect time to go and see the new and improved Primrose Cottage and have a look at what Reuben had done to it. She was genuinely intrigued to see it free of dust sheets. And if she was being honest with herself, it would be nice to see him. The fact he had invited her over earlier was perfect.
Chapter Seventeen
Jessica walked up the lane and knocked on the door but there was no answer. Then she tried it again, tapping slightly harder this time.
‘Hullo,’ said a bleary-eyed Reuben, opening the door. ‘I must have nodded off. Sorry, have you been standing there for a while?’
‘I’m sorry I woke you,’ she said, mortified.
He shook his head and smiled. ‘Don’t be daft, come on in.’ He gestured for her to go through to the front room.
‘Thanks.’ Jessica followed him in, noticing his low-slung sweatpants and hoodie that he must have changed into after being out earlier. ‘I was at the lights switch on and thought I would knock on the way back.’ He raked his hands through his hair and stifled a yawn.
‘Your hair is fine,’ she said jokingly, telling herself to speak to him as though she would speak to her brother. He was just Murray’s old friend and if she could remember that then it would make all of this easier. Except he wasn’t her brother. He was a six-foot hunk with the sexiest smile she had seen in years. ‘Don’t fluff it up on my account,’ she managed to say lightly.
