Page 15 of Game Changer

Chapter6

Buckie

The open road ahead of us is quiet. It takes no time at all to reach Loch Lomond. Zara has had her arms wrapped around me the whole journey, and if I could, I would keep driving so that she wouldn't let me go. As we reach the little village of Luss, I stop the bike in a layby. We both get off and stretch our legs.

“God, I forgot how beautiful the drive up here was.” Zara takes her hair down and rubs her scalp, the blonde strands blowing in the breeze.

“Yeah, me too. It's been so long since I've been able to actually enjoy the view. When we were filming in Scotland last year, the schedule was very tight. The work was so demanding that I didn't even get a chance to go touring for myself. Remember we used to come up here all the time? What was the name of that hotel we used to go to?”

“The Boat House, but it's not there anymore. I'm pretty sure it closed down a long time ago. It was a lovely place.”

“That’s a shame, we made some good memories there.” I wink at her and her cheeks flush.

“Right stop that, you’re embarrassing me. Want to grab a bite to eat? I'm starving and I should have had lunch by now.”

“I know just the place.”

* * *

After a beautiful mini fish tea at a tiny cafe in Luss, we head back down the West coast towards Ayrshire. I take us the scenic route through all the little towns and villages. The weather has stayed nice too.

As we reach my parents’ village, I start to feel a little nervous. Being the open family that we are, I told my parents about my relationship with Zara. As I expected they didn't even bat an eyelid. All they told me was to be careful that we didn't get our hearts broken. My mum and dad are some of the most laid-back people I've ever known.

I take the turn towards the gates of my parents’ driveway and I’m thankful they're open. We ride up the tarmac driveway flanked by thick trees and emerge in front of the house. I bring the bike to a stop next to the fountain in the courtyard and Zara and I take off our helmets.

“Oh my God.”

“It's a lovely home, isn't it?”

“You bought your parents a Castle? This is the best thing I've ever seen in my life.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool. They call themselves Lord and Lady Buchanan now. I'm pretty sure if they used those titles in public, they'd get arrested.”

Zara laughs. “I love your parents. I can't wait to see them again.”

“Let's get in. They’ll be finishing packing up the campervan right now anyway, so we've caught them at a good time.”

We make our way into the house and find my mum in the kitchen sitting at the table surrounded by fabric. She's hand sewing a couple of pieces of material together and has them right up at her face. Her reading glasses on and her seeing glasses on top of her head. I smile at her funny ways. She's always done that with her glasses.

“Hi mum.”

She looks up and takes her glasses off pulling the others off her head and putting them on. “Owen hello. And oh my goodness Zara. It's been so long since I've seen you. Come here and give me a hug.”

“Hey Karen,” Zara says, a wide smile spreading across her face.

Mum stands and give Zara a tight squeezing hug.

“Let me look at you,” she says leaning back from Zara. “You look amazing darling. Owen tells me you've got yourself a great little business going. I'm very proud of you sweetheart it sounds wonderful.”

Zara smiles at her and takes a seat at the table. “Thanks so much, I’m rather proud of myself. I decided one day that I was better off owning the places I was bursting my backside to run for other people. And now I have three pubs, a wine bar and a club in Glasgow.”

I take a seat next to Zara and listen as they chat to each other. My parents are very easy people to talk to, and it doesn't surprise me when half an hour goes by without us even noticing.

“Where's dad?”

“Fishing today. He found an angling club and decided he needed something to do with his time, so he joined them. Gets him out of the house and doing stuff. You know he gets bored so easily.”

“Well since he's not here, I can tell you about the surprise I've got organised for him. He mentioned to me yesterday that he wanted to take up woodworking and furniture making. I've ordered him a whole load of machinery and materials to go in that big shed he was using to do my bike. He'll have every tool he'll need, and I've set an account up at the local timber merchant. He can get all his materials whenever he wants them.”

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