Page 26 of A Highland Family Affair

‘Okay, so the only thing to consider is Kerr.’

Innes nodded. ‘I’m afraid so.’ He fell silent for a few moments and then seemed to have a spark of inspiration as his eyes brightened. ‘Why not hire him? That way he’s salaried and works for you, meaning any issues or gross misconduct and you can terminate his employment.’

That idea sat more comfortably with Olivia. And as much as she felt guilty about being unable to fully trust Kerr with the business, it was a good way of resolving the matter. And in the back of her mind, she knew she could always sign it over to him if it came to the point where he proved beyond any doubts that he was capable of making it work.

‘You can leave me to negotiate with Ali if you’d prefer. I’m happy to take that on. That way you’re not the bad guy if Kerr takes umbrage at the decision.’

Concern niggled at her mind. ‘That’s not fair, Uncle Innes. I’m not afraid of being the bad guy. I’ll speak to Kerr, but I’d certainly appreciate you taking on the negotiations with Ali Gordon, if you wouldn’t mind.’ Relief flooded Olivia’s veins, knowing it would all be handled properly by the one person who knew the funding regulations inside and out, seeing as he had been instrumental in acquiring it in the first place.

‘Consider it done. There’s another thing I’ve been wondering about. Another possible business avenue.’

Olivia tilted her head. ‘Oh? I’m intrigued, go on.’

Innes held up his hands dramatically and simply said, ‘Whisky.’

Olivia couldn’t help the laugh that escaped. ‘Drinking it or selling it?’

His eyes widened and he grinned. ‘Making it.’

Olivia crumpled her brow. ‘I thought it took years to make proper whisky.’

‘Aye, but only three years for a blend. It’s single malts that take upwards of ten years. But in the meantime, we could produce our own gin. Gin is big business these days.’

Olivia nodded. ‘I do love a G&T. Where could we fit a distillery, though?’

‘The old barn.’

Olivia cringed and shook her head. ‘Sorry, no, that’s earmarked for artists’ workshops.’

‘The other barn along the loch from the chapel then. It’s not like we’re short of potential locations, Olivia. We have acres of land to utilise. There’s another old structure past the nursery that could be converted too,’ he said with a matter-of-fact shrug.

Olivia smiled. ‘Wow, we’re really putting the MacBain name and Drumblair on the map, aren’t we?’

Innes seemed pleased with her positive response. ‘Right where it should be. Let’s think on it further and I’ll do some more research.’

‘Sounds good to me.’

10

Kerr was excited when Olivia told him she was going to push ahead with taking the nursery on and, as suggested, he had been working with Ali for the weekend and had arrived home on both Saturday and Sunday with ruddy cheeks and a wide smile on his face.

‘It’s exhilarating, Liv. It’s exhausting too but in a good way. And I love being outdoors all day in the fresh air but knowing I have somewhere warm to come home to…’

She had almost forgotten about his stint of living on the streets of Glasgow. ‘I’m so glad you’re enjoying it. But the question is, do you think you’ll carry on enjoying it? Or will the novelty wear off?’ As the words fell from her lips, she regretted them, realising they were rather patronising. ‘What I mean is, it’s totally different from anything you’ve ever done.’

He warmed his hands in front of the drawing room fire. ‘I think this is what I’m supposed to do. I never realised I was an outdoorsy type until now but I’m loving it. And I’m sleeping so much better too.’

His enthusiasm was evident in his smiling, bright eyes. He hadn’t looked this well for a while. ‘That’s really great. Innes and Ali are putting the finishing touches to the sale details on Monday so at the end of the Christmas season we’ll take over the business.’ She frowned as realisation began to sink in. ‘It’s all happened so fast.’ She blew air through puffed cheeks. ‘I can’t quite believe it.’

As if trying to divert her thoughts, Kerr asked, ‘Will I start officially as an employee when the castle takes ownership?’

Olivia nodded. ‘I think that’s the plan. You’ll be the one managing it and we’ll see if you need to employ any other staff in addition to Judd from there. Ali says he’s great with the plants and that he’s a conscientious worker, but if we’re going to look to expand the business in the future, we may need extra people.’

‘He seems like a nice guy. The female customers seem to like him.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘Ruggedly handsome and all that.’ He chuckled. After a brief pause, he continued, ‘I remember when we were kids and we used to go to choose our trees and me and Ali’s son, Stewart, would chase each other around the rows playing hide-and-seek. I’d have been around nine at the time, so you’d have only been wee. Who’d have thought back then that we’d be taking it over?’ He paused a moment, lost in thought. ‘Thanks for taking me seriously on this, Liv. It means the world to me. Oh, and I’ve signed up for the tree surgery course. Innes said there was funding available because I can work on the trees in the grounds so it can be part of the sustainability grant.’

‘Brilliant. You’re really making some positive things happen,’ Olivia said, thinking how proud she was of him.

He stared at the flames, deep in thought for a while. ‘There’s something I’d like to ask you, while we’re talking.’