Page 125 of A Secret Scottish Escape

I had got as far as the carved wooden sign and illustrated map that welcomed visitors to Loch Harris and boasted of our network of mysterious caves, population of red deer and oak woodland, when I stopped to let a truck slide past me with a pyramid of logs piled up in its rear trailer.

It was as I was standing on the grass verge, appreciating the beauty of the place, that I realised that even if I had physically moved away from Loch Harris, my heart never would have left.

Chapter Sixty-Six

I stretched out my shoulders and smiled down the phone. “So, all set for your hot date tonight with the luscious Molly?”

“You bet I am. She wants to go and see this new Ryan Reynolds romantic comedy at the cinema.”

I laughed. “I didn’t think romcoms were your thing.”

“They’re not,” confessed Dad darkly, “but I’ve made her promise that she’ll come with me to see the next Star Trek.” He paused. “And talking of matters of the heart, how are you?”

My hand hovered over my mouse. I knew Dad was alluding to Rafe. “I’m doing OK. Why do you ask?”

Dad’s hesitancy made me turn away from the flickering screen of my computer.

“You’re not too upset then? I thought you might be when you heard.”

I swivelled my chair to glance out of my sitting room window. “Upset about what, Dad?”

It sounded like Dad swore under his breath. “Oh. You haven’t heard then? I mean, it might not be true.”

I moved a little further away from my desk. “Dad, what is it? You’re talking in riddles.”

“It might just be idle gossip,” he assured me. “You know what the folks round here can be like.”

My curiosity was piqued and my frustration was growing. I was about to push him when he blurted, “Victor Prentice the estate agent, was in the newspaper shop at the same time as me this afternoon.”

“Yes. And?”

Dad’s words came out in a sympathetic rush. “He said Rafe Buchanan is considering selling up.”

A stab of shock hit me in the chest. “Sorry?”

Dad repeated what he said and I sat still for a moment. A whirlwind of emotions caught me off guard. “Oh. OK. Right.”

My initial surprise gave way to pain and hurt. So Rafe was thinking about selling Coorie Cottage and moving away from Loch Harris.

Then I had been right. That kiss we had shared – that intimate moment, the fact that he showed his scar to me – it all meant nothing to him. I had honestly thought there was something growing between us.

“Layla. Layla? Are you still there?”

My dad’s concerned voice made me start. “Yes. Sorry, Dad. I’m here.”

There was a weighted silence from his end. “Are you all right? I thought you might have heard already.” I heard him mutter “Shit!” to himself.

I blinked back tears and raised my chin in a defiant gesture. Pity I didn’t actually feel it. “Don’t worry about it, Dad. Honestly.”

I reached for my water and watched the cube of ice nudging against the side of the glass. But was it such a shock? Was it really so unexpected? He was the next big thing in the music world. His alter ego, Mask, was slaying social media and creeping up the charts.

Rafe wanted to leave Loch Harris behind. After the Hazel Jennings incident, he had probably decided that this rural living wasn’t for him after all. Maybe he had come to the conclusion and finally realised the truth; that he wasn’t responsible for what had happened to Emily and wished to move on somewhere else, with someone else.

That someone else obviously isn’t you, hissed a voice in my head.

I took a gulp of water and put it back down on the coaster on my desk.

“Layla, talk to me,” said Dad into my ear. “I know how much you liked him.”