Page 12 of From Scotland with Love

“Almost, just give me a minute!” Jean groaned.

Lori continued thinking of Callum and immediately tried to clear him from her mind. She was a successful woman, not a silly teenage girl lusting after some schoolboy. “Callum might have been fit... Yeah, OK, he was hot! But he served a purpose, and I don’t think he had much going on in that head of his anyway - God this dress! - I mean, he was great to look at, but not the sharpest tool in the box!”

“I’m ready!” called Jean.

The two girls threw open the curtains to a giggling Tammy, a shocked Alan, and a very angry-looking Callum Macrae. Lori froze on the spot like a deer caught in headlights. She wanted to be swallowed up by the world, dress, ponytail and all. If the walls could have opened up and taken her at that very moment she would have been more grateful than words could express. Her cheeks burned, and she let her eyes fall to the ground, unable to make eye-contact with Callum.

“Cal - you remember my sisters, Lori and Jean?” Tammy said politely, very obviously trying to suppress her laughter.

“Callum…. hi...?” Lori was still praying for a distraction, for some kind of lightning to strike her down; anything to take her out of her current situation.

Callum nodded, his lips tight. “Yeah, hi.”

The silence that ensued was unbearable, and Lori wondered when the much-needed, sorely wished-for lightning was going to strike. Luckily Alan took pity on her, and broke the tension. “You asked who my best man was Lori, well - it’s Callum!”

Callum gave a small smile. Lori groaned internally at how she must look, and oh god what she had just said. She hadn’t even meant it. She just wanted her sisters to stop teasing her so mercilessly. Oh, how she was going to murder Tammy when she finally got a hold of her. Lori yanked up her tight sack-style dress, conscious of how low cut and strained the fabric was over her cleavage. “I – I don’t like this bogey colour!” she announced to the room, feeling dizzy and hot.

The shop assistant shimmied over. “It's called chartreuse!”

Lori looked over to Jean, who somehow seemed to look acceptable in her dress, unlike herself. Her eyes then met Tammy’s, with a threatening look. “It maybe chartreuse, but it’s not happening!”

“You maybe just need a bigger size, that’s all!” Tammy’s finger tapped her mouth, scrutinising the dress.

“Nope! This is the worst dress in the world!” Lori dashed back into her changing room and pulled the curtains closed with a gasp. How was she to face him again? Would Callum now be stuck watching her try on each dress? Lori buried her head in her hands, mortified, but glad to be behind the curtain, hiding from her past. To her relief she heard Callum say his goodbyes to Tammy and leave the shop, and immediately after the tinkle of the shop bell, she wanted to cry with utter humiliation.

The journey home was silent. The dresses they had selected were in a royal blue silk, which Lori and Jean had insisted on paying for, and which Tammy had grudgingly accepted. Lori looked out of the car window, seeing the trees dart past. She avoided talking to her sisters in her current grumpy state, unable to see the funny side of the situation. Every bit of her felt humiliated; why had she said that awful thing about him? She didn’t mean it of course, he wasn’t dumb, that was the drink talking. What must he think of her? Callum had looked so furious, but even worse: he looked exactly the same as he had in high school; life in the Highlands obviously suited him. She leant back in her seat, welcoming the gentle rocking of the car, as the image of Callum and the memories of their nights together came flooding back.

7

Lori pulled open her bedroom curtains to greet the bright morning sunshine. She closed her eyes and bathed in its warm light, trying to forget the events from the previous day. She creaked open the window and a gentle sea breeze floated in with the scent of fresh beech trees. She had a very long luxurious shower, making sure she washed her hair this time, and went out in search for breakfast. Her gran had left a note on the counter top stating that she was away at a coffee morning over in the next town, so Lori walked out barefoot onto the veranda and sat on the wooden step, mug of tea in one hand and notepad in the other. In little time, she had drafted up the wedding table plans, making lists of potential guests and then moved onto dinner menu ideas, the photographer, table decorations and transport options. Where was Tammy anyway? Lori picked up the kitchen phone and called her sister’s mobile phone, but there was no answer. Oh, of course there would be no answer; no one has signal here, Lori thought, her patience already waining. The perks of having a mobile phone, or cell phone as she was used to saying in New York, were all but lost in the Highlands of Scotland.

Lori ventured out along the harbour front in search of phone signal, and took in the familiar surroundings. Passing by the old bookshop, she had to resist the urge to peruse the basket of old classics outside its door, and focused instead on the task at hand: to find her sister. She continued strolling past both familiar and new faces, thinking how different she must now look to the young girl who had left Arlochy all those years ago. A quiet, shy, almost insecure girl. Now she was in an impressive job, working for a multi-million-dollar company, and able to do whatever she wanted with her life – aside from the occasional panic attack, admittedly. She loved the freedom that having money afforded her, perhaps she might buy an apartment, or maybe a house, and settle somewhere in the suburbs in the next couple of years. She had achieved everything herself, with no debt worries hanging over her like so many her age, and to top it all off - a possible future position as Managing Director of Costners, which sure had a nice ring to it.

Lori's phone bleeped, making her jump. She squinted at the device: it was a message from Michael:

“Thanks for letting me know you arrived safely. Remember what we spoke about. Just focus on your sister, and we’ll talk when you get back. M”

Lori reread the text message again; the words seemed strange to her. Suddenly, her phone erupted into a series of constant bleeping and vibrations showing all the missed calls, voice mails and texts she had received. Realising she must be near the hotspot for signal, she stopped in front of the bakery and scanned her phone for any real emergencies. Mainly the communications were from Julian, asking her for help and advice. Poor Julian, her heart went out to him. It was the middle of the night in New York just now, so she’d call later. She made a mental note to herself that when she got back she would give him something special, some treat to say thank you. Then it occurred to Lori, she didn’t really know Julian; what his likes and dislikes were. Much like her colleague Alex, they hadn’t spoken about personal things, because there was no time for that when the job brought such a demanding schedule each day. Should she know her own assistant more?

“Lori!” called a cheery voice behind her. It was Tammy, waving from behind a bakery counter, serving a long line of customers. “Do you want a tea bun too?” she asked a customer, gesturing with a paper bag and tongs. “Hey everyone, this is my big sister Lori!” she announced to the queue as Lori walked in shyly. “Sis, can you help a girl out?”

Lori could feel all eyes on her, and felt a little on display in her black wedge sandals and short cotton dress. She was certainly not in the get up to be dishing out bread and cakes. And - oh no! look at all the flour on the counter! Lori grimaced, but went to wash her hands; rolling up her loose sleeves reluctantly as Tammy tied an apron around her waist. Millionaire shortbread, glazed donuts, empire biscuits and rainbow cupcakes were on display under a glass counter, shining invitingly. Everything looked scrumptious, and Lori’s stomach started to rumble in response; the jet-lag was making her hungry all the time! She dismissed the noises emanating from her and started packing up treats upon each customer’s request. Pink and yellow French Fancies were proving very popular, and as Lori scooped another one into a bag she saw that at this rate they would be sold out soon. Her mouth watered, but she suppressed the temptation to pick one up and bite into the thin, glassy layer of icing. Just the promise of fluffy white sponge and sweet cream was enough to make her dizzy. She remembered her mum had always loved them; it would be her absolute treat, especially when money was tight, and on the odd occasion when special visitors would call to the house, she would offer them out on a beautiful blue flower plate: “French Fancy for madame? Oh yes, don’t mind if I do!” Lori chuckled to herself. She had all but forgotten that memory of her mother, enjoying the little things in life, like the unadorned sweetness of those small pastel cakes.

“You’re doing well, keep it up!” Tammy encouraged her sister as she typed up orders on the till. The bakery was tiny, consisting of a counter, a display and a small preparation area behind them, which lead onto an even smaller kitchen in the back. But as small as it was, it didn’t seem to deter the mass of customers, as soon as one towns-person left, one more joined the queue outside.

“Do you have more stock?” Lori whispered.

Tammy looked down to see they were running bare. “Oh jeez! Yes!” She immediately left Lori to man the till.

OK... it can’t be too hard...? Lori scanned the tiny buttons with numbers and words of various cakes, some of which she didn’t even know. She saw 'scone', 'iced' and 'shortbread', but was unsure about the other price codes, so she edged away, apologising to the customers and waiting awkwardly for her little sister to return.

Tammy came back carrying a large box, and rolled her eyes at her sister. “It’s not hard! OK you unload these, and I’ll finish serving.”

After an hour, the queue finally calmed down and only the odd customer popped in at a much less hectic pace. Tammy placed a bottle of water in Lori’s hands. “Thanks for all your help!”

Lori leaned against the counter top, somewhat drained. “I didn’t know you worked here?” She gratefully accepted the bottle and gulped the cool water, but drank too much too quickly, choking a little and wiping her mouth with embarrassment.

“Yeah, been here a few months, trying out the season. The bar work is good, but I’m trying to ease off the shifts there. Especially if there’s a wee one coming!” She looked around to see if anyone was looking, and gently rubbed her stomach.