Page 22 of A Highland Family Affair

‘No, Friday’s good for me.’

‘That’s great. It gives me a couple of days to get organised and for Ellen at the florist’s to get one of her other helpers in.’

‘Right, well, we’ll see you on Friday,’ Olivia said.

‘I’m really looking forward to it. See you then,’ Charlotte replied.

Once the call ended, Olivia breathed another sigh of relief, safe in the knowledge that her trip to Skye with Brodie could go ahead without delays.

By Wednesday lunchtime, Olivia had been stuck in the office all morning going over the initial plans for the Christmas Countdown Fayre and she was missing Bella terribly. Her best friend’s organisational skills had been second to none and Olivia was at least grateful for the copious amount of notes Bella had left, although her brain still ached with figures, suppliers, entertainment, who would be Santa this year, etc, etc, etc. She decided she needed fresh air.

Mirren was out with Dougie and Brodie was busy going over paperwork pertaining to the roof repairs and the logistics of getting the work done without disrupting the running of the castle. She wrapped up warm and headed out, making sure to pull up her thick knitted scarf against the icy breeze that was rattling the bare tree branches. The dark grey clouds above the castle threatened rain so she knew she didn’t want to get caught in that. A quick circuit of one of the paths through the grounds would give her time to clear her head and gather her thoughts. As she walked, she watched a buzzard hovering overhead before diving to the ground, no doubt to catch its lunch.

She greeted some members of the public as they passed her, walking their little black dog on an extendable lead. It still felt a little bizarre to her that complete strangers were wandering around her garden.

As she made her way along one of the paths that had been added as part of the public access, she saw Kerr coming towards her in the opposite direction. He was wearing that same beanie he had been carrying on the day he returned to Drumblair and he still looked skinnier than she was used to. Of course, his loyal companion trotted along beside him, his long fluffy tail wagging merrily as he did so.

As he got closer, Kerr called, ‘Olivia! Just the person! I need to talk to you about a brilliant business idea I’ve had.’

This wasn’t something she was particularly happy to hear. Her brother had been known for his brilliant ideas in the past. Many of which had taken place when he worked in stocks and shares after university, and equally as many had ended in huge financial losses for all concerned.

She decided, against her own better judgement, to humour him on this occasion, however. ‘Oh, really? What idea?’

‘How about I join you on your walk and I tell you all about it?’

So much for time to collect my thoughts. She nodded. ‘Okay, but I’m not making any promises.’

He fell into step beside her. ‘So, you know the Gordons?’

Olivia scrunched her brow. ‘The family who run the plant nursery?’

‘Yes, that’s them. Anyway, I was speaking to Mr Gordon when I was out walking with Lancey yesterday and he’s said he’s going to retire after Christmas.’

This was news to her. ‘Oh, right. Are you sure? He hasn’t mentioned anything to me about giving up the land.’

Kerr blurted, ‘I want to take it over.’

She wasn’t sure if he meant what she thought he meant. ‘You want to take what over?’

His eyes were wide and verging on manic, she thought. Although his hollow cheeks and pronounced cheekbones didn’t help his appearance.

‘Think about it, Liv, it’s the perfect solution. The business is up and running. It’s already on castle land. And instead of just receiving the tiny amount of rent Dad charged the Gordons, it could be another string to the castle’s bow. There’s virtually no risk at all.’ His enthusiasm wasn’t lost on her but his ability to run a plant business definitely was.

She curled her lip. ‘And you know all about growing and caring for plants and trees, do you?’

He cringed and stopped walking. ‘Not a thing, but I could learn. Dougie could give me some pointers. I could do it, Liv, just give me a chance.’

She held up her hands and carried on walking ahead of him. ‘I’m sorry, Kerr, but forgive me for not jumping at the chance. Am I the only one who remembers your many other business ideas? The ones that cost tons of people to lose thousands? Pardon me for not throwing wodges of cash at you to buy out a bloody nursery business that you have no experience of.’

He caught up to her and tugged her sleeve, so she stopped and faced him. ‘The thing is, Liv, I need a project, something to keep me occupied. I can’t just carry on sitting about all day like I’m doing at the moment. I’m struggling with the reality of sobriety and even though I’m fighting temptation and I’m determined to stick with it, I feel like being busy and having a focus would really help.’

She sighed. ‘But wouldn’t it be too stressful, learning new skills and running a business on top of new sobriety? And aren’t you supposed to steer clear of anything that might tempt you on that score?’

He shook his head. ‘Not at all, Liv. I’m not intending to make a quick buck. Nor am I expecting to keep the money. I’m thinking you could buy him out, he doesn’t want much, just enough to cover the goodwill. Mr Gordon owns his own house in the village and has a good private pension from what he told me. It’s not the biggest business in Scotland, granted, but I think it has such potential. My head is buzzing with ideas, Liv. The land is ours… erm… yours already.’

When Olivia didn’t speak, he continued.

‘I could work for meals and board. I’m thinking of getting more tenants for the town house, it’s too big for just me. And I don’t think living alone is a good idea at the moment anyway. The rent would give me a wage and some money to invest in the business too, so you can see I’m serious about this. And maybe, if you’d allow it, I could live indefinitely at Drumblair, in my old room. I wouldn’t get under your feet, I promise. I could be useful.’ He put his hands together in a praying motion. ‘I want to be useful. I want to make something of my life for once.’