Page 42 of A Scottish Christmas Hideaway
‘Thank you,’ she said, clearly pleased. ‘It’s been nice having Jessica home to cook for, and with Murray and the family arriving too, it’s given me a bit of focus.’ She lifted her mug to her lips and sipped. ‘You’ve done an amazing job with that house of yours. Are you pleased with it?’
‘I am. I guess it will always feel like home to me in a way, but it’s so different now, the way things are . . .’ He gripped the mug tightly.
Catriona pulled a chair out and sat next to him at the table. ‘You did the right thing by your dad, Reuben. I know it’s not easy, but at least he is safe and being looked after where he is.’
Reuben nodded, grateful that she always said something reassuring to him when it came to his dad. Plenty of people had made sweeping and insensitive comments about how they could never put their parents in a care home.
Catriona regarded him for a moment. ‘You know you’re very welcome to spend Christmas here with us if you’d like? I don’t know if you have plans or not . . . I know Belinda is back. She’s welcome to come too.’
He almost choked on his tea and had to cough to clear his throat. ‘She was back very briefly,’ he said dismissively. ‘She just wanted some advice about a work situation which I am hopingJessica may be able to help with. But as far as I know, she was due to fly back out yesterday.’ He paused. ‘We are finally getting a divorce.’ He exhaled loudly. ‘To be honest, I am so relieved.’
Catriona nodded kindly. ‘I’m sure you must be. You’ve been under so much strain. And I’m glad Jessica may be able to help with some legal advice. That’s very noble of you . . . and that would explain why Jessica has been on her phone a lot. There seem to have been quite a few hushed conversations and her phone has been beeping constantly with texts. Maybe she can give you an update when you see her.’
Reuben wondered when that might be. He wanted to make sure he gave them all a bit of space and didn’t want to be hanging around like a spare part. He really appreciated Catriona’s kindness and her offer to have him at Christmas, but he didn’t want her to feel responsible for him. He knew how much she was looking forward to having her family together again and the last thing she needed was an extra mouth to feed. He finished the rest of his tea and then glanced at his watch. ‘I think I might try and see her before I head back to Glasgow. I’ll go to the inn now and then head back to my flat from there.’
Catriona nodded. ‘Don’t be a stranger, Reuben. I know you want to give Murray some space but he’ll be excited to see you. You’re always welcome here.’
‘I know. I’ll give them a few days to settle in and recover from the jet lag and I’ll be in touch,’ he said, standing up. ‘Thanks for the cuppa and cake.’
‘Any time, dear,’ she said, showing him out.
It didn’t take him long to drive to the inn, and as he pulled the car into a parking bay, he was lost in thought. He was thinking about Jessica again. She was smart and funny and beautiful. But plenty of women he had previously dated ticked all those boxes. Was it that familiar connection? Or that there was something else? Something that made him feel as thoughhe wanted to protect her? Thinking back, perhaps he had always felt it, even when they were younger. Even though he’d teased her, he had always kept an eye on her to make sure she was okay.
As he walked through the door and into the hotel’s entrance, he looked towards the reception, which was unmanned. But he was aware of someone sitting with their back to him in one of the chairs by the fire, talking into their phone. Then he realised it was Jessica. He was about to let her know he was there and would wait in the bar, but he paused at the tone of her voice. It didn’t sound like she was having a friendly conversation. In fact, the tone of her voice sounded quite serious. He started to back away before he became privy to what was clearly a private conversation and found himself partly hidden by the hotel’s large Christmas tree, though he could still see her. As her voice rose, he could hear every single word she was saying.
‘We have already been through this. What is it you want from me?’ She leaned forward in her seat and pressed her forehead into her hand. ‘If I could go back in time, I would. But I can’t and I’m sorry. I have tried to be understanding.’ She sighed. ‘The last thing I would do is get involved with someone who is married.’ She shook her head as she listened. ‘Orseparated. There are clearly a lot of unresolved issues here and there’s not much I can do about that for obvious reasons. Married men are not my thing.’
Reuben’s eyes widened. It was as though she was talking about him. For a moment, he wondered if she could even be talking to Belinda. Surely not. But what did it matter? He had just heard how she really felt. She didn’t believe in getting together with someone who was married or separated, which he was. Hadn’t he made it clear enough to her though that he and Belinda were over? He racked his brains trying to remember. But he couldn’t recall any specific conversation with her in which he’d told her they were getting divorced. As thethoughts and questions crowded his mind, he decided it would be better if he left her to it. He certainly didn’t want to get caught eavesdropping this way. He had no idea what was going on and wasn’t quite sure he wanted to. Surely life shouldn’t be this complicated. And whatever she was talking about was none of his business. Except it was, he told himself. Shehadto be referring to him. It sounded exactly like his own situation. It was too much of a coincidence. He had clearly misread the signals from her. When would he learn that his own judgement with women was not to be trusted? He quietly backed away so she wouldn’t see him and went back out to his car.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
When Jessica arrived home later, her mum was folding laundry at the kitchen table.
‘Hi, dear, how was your meeting?’
‘All fine thanks.’ She picked up an apple from the fruit basket and bit into it, chewing absent-mindedly and thinking about the earlier phone call at the inn.
‘Everything okay, dear? You’re miles away.’ Her mum looked at her curiously.
‘Sorry, Mum, yes fine. I had to deal with a call earlier which is on my mind.’
She tutted. ‘You’re supposed to be off work though?’
Jessica shrugged. ‘It wasn’t really work.’
‘Oh, did Reuben catch you?’
‘What do you mean?’ She was now over at the sink, her back to her mum.
‘He said he was going to pop by the inn to see you.’
‘When was that?’ she said in surprise.
‘Just a wee while ago.’
‘And he definitely said he was going to come by the inn?’
Her mum nodded. ‘Yes, he said he was keen to see you.’
