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‘I did.’ He tapped on the excavator door and spoke to the driver before returning to Rhona, who was on her hands and knees. Her relationship with dirt was almost intimate.
‘Look at this.’ Her voice chimed with excitement. ‘It might be the remains of a hearth. I really hope it is.’
‘Why?’ Calum crouched beside her again.
‘Because the hearth is the heart of a home. This could be a homestead of people from hundreds, possibly thousands, of years ago. People who looked out on this same landscape but used it so differently.’
‘Keep trying. I’m not with you yet.’
She twisted around and sat cross-legged like a schoolkid, resting her elbows on her knees. ‘You’re hopeless.’ Her gaze travelled from his face, down his bare arms and towards his backside. ‘And you have a dirty butt.’
‘Ok, that’s just a cheap point.’ He stretched around, rubbing at the seat of his jeans.
Rhona giggled and leaned towards him. He froze. Was she about to butt him over with her head? Nope. Worse. She rested her forehead on his shoulder for a second and laughed. The earthy aroma of her hair, mingled with floral conditioner caught him deep. ‘Sorry.’ She peeked up. ‘This is just such an amazing discovery.’
‘What is?’ He stumbled again, trying to get away. ‘This wall thing or the mud on my backside?’
She smirked and glimpsed back at it. ‘Do you want me to wipe it off for you?’ Her tone was teasing, but the thought of her attempting it made him leap to his feet.
‘No, I don’t.’
Rhona rocked onto her knees again and put her hands on the ground, examining the soil, still giggling and shaking her head.
Was she laughing at him? Like she used to at school? She hadn’t been the only one. Her brother, his supposed best pal, had laughed himself silly at Calum’s acne and his refusal to join sports clubs.
‘You’ll never get a girlfriend, mate,’ Arran had teased. ‘Not with those craters on your face. Except maybe Hannah McDonald.’ He puffed out his cheeks and chunked out his arms.
‘Hannah’s ok.’ Calum’s neck had burned.
‘No way.’ Arran almost fell to the ground laughing. ‘You like big Hannah.’
‘Why not?’ She was bright, cheery, kind. So what if she wasn’t stick thin and plastered in make-up?
Maybe she would have dated him but Calum didn’t get the chance to find out. Arran asked her out and made a big deal of snogging her in front of Calum whenever he could. Arran’s motives were suspect, but Hannah seemed happy so Calum didn’t say anything… at first. Sneaking away to the mainland for karate on Saturdays was his escape. He couldn’t face the football team or the golf club with Arran stalking around like a peacock.
‘Calum.’ Rhona was watching him. ‘I’m sorry. That was totally unprofessional. It’s just with you being you.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, I feel like I know you because… You were my brother’s friend.’ Her voice trailed off and her thick eyelashes fluttered. ‘Though technically I don’t know you at all. So, I shouldn’t be laughing at your… butt.’
‘Right.’
‘Because it’s actually quite a nice butt.’
‘You’re making it worse.’
She dragged her fingertips down her cheeks. ‘I really am, aren’t I?’
‘Yes.’ He nodded, ‘And you’ve just covered your face in mud. Now you look like one of your prehistoric people getting ready for battle.’
‘Ha! I’ve always been a dirty girl.’
‘You sure have a way with words, don’t you?’
‘No. That’s your filthy mind, not me.’
‘Hardly.’
