Page 40 of Snowy Surprises in the Highlands

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‘I can’t believe we’re about to celebrate Granny’s wedding,’ Bella said as she tied a knot in the pearlescent white balloon she had just finished blowing up. The main communal lounge area of the Pabay View residential home was a light and airy, if a little bland and functional, space and Dorothy was helping them move the furniture around to create a small area for dancing and create a better ambience.

‘Although we’ll hopefully not be needing any ambulances this time,’ her mum said as she and Bella’s dad carried a table to the corner where the wedding cake would be placed.

Bella shivered as she remembered the incident to which her mum was referring. It had been a tea dance Isla had attended at the day centre she used to visit back in Inverness. During the dance, Isla had fallen and bumped her head, knocking herself unconscious, but the worst part was she had broken her hip too. It had been a scary time and had been the catalyst for her relocation to Skye.

Bella snorted. ‘I know, I thought that too. What is it about my granny and scaring us half to death? Anyone would think she was doing it on purpose.’

‘Never a dull moment with Isla Douglas,’ her dad said with a laugh.

‘Isla Guthrie now, Dad!’ Bella said.

‘Oh, aye, Isla Guthrie. That’s going to take some getting used to.’

Her mum placed a pristine white cloth over the table. ‘It was so kind of your friend Caitlin to make a cake at such short notice.’

Bella smiled. ‘She’s a star. And it will no doubt be lovely, even though I insisted she not go to too much trouble with so little time.’

‘Right, that’s all the invites posted through the doors of all the residents,’ Jules said as she appeared with her stepson, Evin, from the doorway that led to the internal units. Evin had designed the invites on his iPad, and they were really sweet – he was clearly taking after his dad in the artistic talent department – and Dorothy had printed them off in her office.

‘What can we do now?’ Evin asked, clapping his hands and rubbing them together.

‘You can help me blow up some more balloons, please, if you don’t mind,’ Bella said as a loud pop echoed around the room and Bertie yelped before scooting under a table to hide. ‘Especially seeing as my daft pup keeps bursting them.’