Page 52 of On The Edge

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The days leading up to Halloween saw a flurry of customers come into the gallery. Jess had a huge box of Halloween decorations, with which, along with help from Cat and Andrew, she made the gallery look very festive.

“I love Halloween!” Jess placed the last pumpkin on the windowsill. “Voilà!” She clapped, and they looked around at the unseemly decorations of witches’ hats, broomsticks and even skeletons, which were perched on two chairs beside the door.

“Are you sure this looks OK?” Cat mused, looking dubiously at a skull grinning at them from the front desk.

“Aye, some of the locals will just come in to see the decorations.” Jess nodded with the side of her mouth curving up slyly. “Last year I sold a painting to James Riley, he came in with his son to see the place all ghoulified! Little did he know that I knew he was interested in different breeds of sheep, and hey ho - what do you know? I had some little oil paintings of sheep grazing on seaweed on the isle of North Ronaldsay!”

“You are a clever girl aren’t you?” Andrew walked up to her, grabbed her around the waist and kissed her.

“Oh get a room you two!” Cat looked on smiling, with a pinch of jealousy within her, that she immediately extinguished. “What are you planning to do for Halloween?” She asked, adjusting the fake spider’s web over the window.

Jess kissed Andrew goodbye as he went off to work, and sighed with a calm smile on her lips. “We were going to watch some scary films. Maybe some old gory ones, popcorn, wine all that. Fancy coming?”

Cat liked the idea of a movie night, but thought it best to leave the two love birds alone while they enjoyed these early days getting to know one another. The idea of being the third wheel didn’t sound very tempting.

“I thought I’d decorate the house, and maybe see if I get any guisers!”

“You mean trick or treaters?” Jess said in an American accent.

“No I mean guisers - if I get any kids who come to my house and don't give a decent party piece - a joke, story, song or poem then they are not getting any treats!” Cat wagged her finger.

“Jeez you’re so bossy sometimes! Just give them a treat! It’s the same thing anyway!”

“No I won’t do it, it’s tradition here. I won’t encourage lazy guisers!” Cat could feel herself getting annoyed as Jess started to laugh.

“Oh, you are funny with your little rules,” Jess chuckled.

“But we both had to do a party piece when we went guising!” Cat protested.

“Oh enough of the bloody good-ol' guisers!” Jess bellowed, and the two girls stopped bickering as a client came through the door.

That evening Cat had invited Billy and Jess over for dinner, and had prepared a lamb stew, and baked a cake. The aromas of the sweet buttery sponge, and the rich meaty gravy wafted through the house, making Cat hungry. Billy showed up in his yellow raincoat and wellies, as per usual on a stormy October night.

“No Jess?” She looked outside to see a car drive off in the darkness. Billy sheepishly announced as if instructed: “Jess sends her apologies, she was invited to a last minute dinner at Andrew’s parents.”

“The cheek of it! And I made loads of food!” Cat showed the old man in.

“She said she’ll not be too long, and will pop over later.” Billy looked around and smiled. “Nice place, lass”.

Cat took his jacket and made the old man welcome. They spent the evening eating, and drinking endless cups of tea.

“It’s really good to see you Billy.” Cat sat back full and sleepy at the kitchen table after finishing off the last morsels of cake.

“And you, lass.” Billy patted his belly. “I've no eaten sae much in a long time. Very kind of you to cook.”

“Of course, you did the same for me! You saved my life.” Cat poured more tea into their cups.

“Hardly!” Billy laughed, “I just gave you a place to rest for the night.”

“And you came to be with me in Glasgow, which meant a lot.”

He coughed gruffly and looked a little self-conscious, but Cat continued. “That day you rescued us off the hill, if you hadn’t been there I’m sure we would’ve been hiking those hills through the night! Either that or my weight would’ve killed Johnny in the end.” She laughed, and patted her own stomach.

“How is Johnny?” Billy asked.

“He’s good. He called me up a week ago and has asked if he and Mark can come up for Hogmanay.” Cat had spent most of her New Year celebrations at home sleeping through to the morning, but this time she wanted to embrace it.