Page 79 of A Scottish Country Escape

I eased open the shop door. ‘Come on,’ I smiled. ‘It’s time to get back to work.’

Chapter Forty-Eight

The next morning saw a deluge of rain that slid over the cobbles and chased down the windows of Paper Roses.

Grandma had insisted on helping me out in the shop. ‘My book club has been cancelled and I’m not in the mood to meet up with Muriel McTaggart. All she talks about is her grandson becoming a surgeon!’

The short journey from my car to the shop had still been a miserable experience, so we shook the rain from our umbrellas and stuffed them into the stand by the door.

I spent the next couple of hours emailing the marquee hire company about the quotes they had supplied me with, ringing contacts at the Woodland Friends organisation for guest speakers, and garnering local interest from artists.

It was so gratifying to know that there was so much enthusiasm and passion for what I was trying to do.

Gran encouraged me to focus on plans for what I had labelled the Nature Reserve Knees-Up. ‘I’ll look after things in here. If I need you, I’ll tell you.’

The dank grey weather had delivered a few more customers than I had anticipated, which was good. I had a feeling it was more the comfort of escaping from the Scottish weather, rather than a burning desire to buy a glittery paperweight or a stationery set.

I was just draining the remnants of my tea while I crouched over my laptop in the back of the shop, when I heard the doorbell ding. Gran’s voice drifted through to me from the counter.

‘Hello, young lady. And what can I do for you?’

Whoever gran was talking to, didn’t reply. I heard her feet tap across the shop floor. ‘Are you lost, sweetheart? Where’s your mummy?’

I scraped back my chair and made my way out, my curiosity well and truly piqued by the conversation.

In the middle of the shop floor stood a little girl, hunched in a buttercup-yellow waterproof jacket slick with rain. Tufts of dark hair were poking out from under her hood.

As I got closer, I could see she was wearing sparkly jeans and a pair of pink trainers. My grandmother was bent over, encouraging her to talk but without success.

‘Hello,’ I smiled, crouching down in front of her, so I was at eye level. ‘I’m Elle. What’s your name?’

She blinked her saucer-like corn-blue eyes back at me.

Gran and I exchanged glances.

The little girl finally pushed her hood back from her head, revealing her hair to be tied up in a curly ponytail. ‘I’m five.’

‘Wow!’ I grinned. ‘You are a very grown-up girl.’

She puffed out her little chest at the compliment. ‘My favourite colour is purple and I like unicorns and glitter.’

‘I love glitter too,’ I grinned at her.

‘Where’s your mummy and daddy, sweetie?’ questioned Gran again. ‘Have you been shopping with them and got lost?’

She considered the question and shook her head. ‘I didn’t come shopping with my mummy and daddy.’

‘Well, who did you come out with?’ I asked with a smile. ‘You didn’t come out on your own, did you?’

She cocked her head and listened to the soft tones of the panpipes playing from my iPod. ‘No, I’m not allowed to go to the shops on my own.’

‘Nadia! For goodness’ sake! You mustn’t run away like that!’

Elsa, Dexter’s housekeeper, barrelled through the door, puffing and red-faced. Nadia? My eyes grew as I realised who the little girl was.

Elsa waggled her wet umbrella at the child. ‘I only turned my back for a moment to buy a newspaper and when I looked around again, the little mite was gone.’

Grandma sympathised with Elsa’s panicked state, but I couldn’t drag my eyes away from the cute little girl gazing back up at me.