Page 3 of A Scottish Christmas Hideaway
Jessica looked at her unconvinced. Things never slowed down at their firm. At any time of the year. But she simply shrugged.
Freda leaned forward and patted her arm. Even her fingernails were immaculate, painted in a bright red shade to match her shoes.
Jessica looked down at her chewed nails in comparison. She used to always pride herself on her appearance and having her nails done was always part of her routine.
‘Look,’ said Freda kindly. ‘Have some time away from work, go to the spa and get your nails done.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘But most of all, go and spend Christmas with your loved ones.’
Chapter Two
A few days later, having agreed with her firm to take a period of extended leave, Jessica was packed and ready to go home to Thistle Cottage. She had messaged Kristen, who was working in Singapore until later in the month, to let her know she was going home to Scotland and that the flat would be empty. The thought of seeing Loch Lomond again and having some space to just be was already making her feel marginally better. She hoped that almost six weeks of fresh air, lots of rest and home-cooked food would be just the medicine that she needed. Though she was slightly worried at her own lack of concern over being away from work for so long. Once it would have been unthinkable. But a lot had changed and she reminded herself that this break would give her the chance to think about what she did next. When she had called her parents to tell them she was coming home, her mum had whooped in delight and then put her on speaker phone so her dad could hear.
‘How long for, dear?’ asked her mum.
‘Um, probably until the new year.’
‘That’s wonderful!’ said her dad. ‘How are you managing to get all of that time off work though?’
‘I’ve got loads of holiday to take,’ she’d said quickly. ‘I thought it would be nice to spend it with you. Especially as Murray, Carolyn and Lexi will also be home. That’s if you don’t mind?’
‘Of course we don’t, Jess. It’s been ages since we saw you. It will be lovely to have you all here together — goodness, this is the best Christmas gift ever!’
Her throat had choked with emotion as she thought how sad her parents would be if they knew why she was really coming back for so long. They didn’t need to know she was facing burnout from both work and her personal life. She hadn’t beenhome since last year and she felt so guilty that she hadn’t made time to visit.
As the plane took off from Heathrow, Jessica thought about how much her life had changed since this time last year when she was looking forward to celebrating Christmas with Tim. Her mind wandered to the early heady days when she and Tim had first started seeing each other. She had actually bumped into him stumbling out of the office after another long day at work. She was checking her phone, her head down, when she had walked into him not looking where she was going. ‘I’m so sorry,’ he’d said, catching her arm, and when she looked up at him, her eyes had locked on his. It was like a thunderbolt moment which she had never had before.
‘It’s okay,’ she managed to stutter, unable to peel her eyes from his.
‘Let me buy you a drink to apologise,’ he said.
Her automatic response was to refuse. He could have been anyone. But something made her accept. Maybe it was his American accent and his dark eyes and black hair. But it was Friday night and she couldn’t remember the last time she had been to a pub. And she didn’t have work the next day. ‘Okay, sure,’ she said casually. ‘Just the one though.’
A few minutes later they sat together in a crowded corner of a bar.
She gripped the glass and took a long gulp of the chilled Sancerre.
‘Good?’ he asked, his eyes fixed on hers.
‘Very,’ she replied, unable to take her eyes off his.
‘Cheers,’ he said, knocking his glass against hers. He was very close to her and he whispered in her ear. ‘It’s so loud in here. Shall we get out of here? If you want to . . .’ He’d looked at her suggestively.
Jessica felt a warm sensation in her stomach as she looked up at him. He was tall and broad and wearing a navy designer suit with a crisp white shirt underneath. His hair was dark and wavy and his eyes the darkest shade of brown she had ever seen. They were almost black. She quickly finished the wine and, as she stood up, she felt slightly giddy, realising it wasn’t the effect of the alcohol but being in close proximity to this man. A very good-looking man who smelled of sharp, woody and very expensive aftershave. He gently touched her elbow and guided her towards the door. As they walked along the pavement together, she felt as though a thread was pulling them closer and closer together until, all of a sudden, he was holding her hand and she was gripping it back. And before she knew it, they were somehow back at her flat.
She woke in the middle of the night almost looking at him in disbelief when she realised he was still there in her bed. He hadn’t been a dream. She leaned over and kissed him on the lips. His eyes fluttered open and he gave her a sexy grin. And from that moment on she was hooked. In the months that followed, they spent as much time together as they could, which was tricky due to the transatlantic nature of their relationship. Tim had completely swept her off her feet.
Now as she walked through the brightly lit domestic arrivals hall at Glasgow Airport, her life couldn’t have been more of a contrast. She scanned the rows of people waiting to collect friends and family. She couldn’t see her parents and felt herself growing anxious until she heard her name.
‘Jess! Over here, Jess.’
It was her dad’s voice. She looked around and saw him standing with a wide smile on his face a few metres away. She ran towards him. ‘Daaad.’
‘Oh, Jess. My wee Jess. It is so good to see you.’ He hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head.
Despite being thirty-two, she immediately felt like a little girl again, and as the enormity of the past year started to catch up with her, she burst into tears. Which was exactly the very last thing she wanted to do. She hated worrying her parents.
‘Jess, what’s wrong?’ he said gently, stepping back to look at her with concern. Then he reached into his pocket and found a tissue.
Jessica took it and dabbed at her tears. Her dad, Angus, had always been tall, but as she gazed up at him, she realised he had definitely shrunk. His beard was greyer now rather than its usual salt and pepper look. He also had more lines around his eyes which made him seem older, and the tears started to fall again.
