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Arran shrugged. ‘I don’t remember.’
‘You were a bully.’ Heat stung her neck and burned her throat, but she ploughed on. ‘You used to be his friend, then he stopped being cool enough for you. Instead of leaving him alone though, you goaded him and teased him about his acne. You stole a girl you knew he liked, then dumped her and taunted her. And you hurt another of his friends. Calum could deal with you hurting him, but not other people. That’s why he did it. You didn’t want to press charges in case the truth came out and you were found guilty too. Guilty of hurting a lot more people than Calum.’
Judy’s cheeks glowed and her hand shook as she reached for her coffee mug. ‘Calum is still a dangerous man. Nothing changes that.’
‘Is that true?’ Alister zeroed in on Arran. ‘You didn’t bully him, did you?’
Arran rolled his eyes.
‘Arran? You weren’t bullying people, were you?’
‘Yes, he was. And you worked at the school, so no one dared say anything.’ Rhona looked back at Arran’s surly face. ‘They were scared you’d tell Dad and they’d fail maths or he’d have them suspended for something.’
‘Oh, for fuck’s sake. It was years ago. I was friends with Calum but he was the kid who had everything. He lived in that old house but he was an only child and his parents bought him whatever he wanted. He didn’t have to share between siblings. And Will Laird was his crony, always telling people to be nice and leave him alone. Ugh!’ Arran threw up his hands. ‘They annoyed me. I was here with three sisters always having to compete for something.’
‘Compete?’ said Judy. ‘We’ve always supported all of you.’
‘We didn’t raise you to be a bully,’ Alister said.
‘I told you, it was years ago. I grew out of it, so let’s just forget it,’ said Arran.
‘You’re right,’ Rhona said. ‘It was a long time ago. And what Calum did to you was a long time ago too. I’m sure he’s not proud of it. If he didn’t go back to school, it tells me he was ashamed. But he didn’t sit around and waste away. He’s successful because he took a gamble and it paid off. He’s not dodgy or shady. He told me how he got his first property and how that started him off. Jealous people have made the rumours.’ What reason did she have to doubt him? Her own insecurities had made her wary but her heart was right. She was sure.
Alister tapped his finger on the table.
‘I can’t tell any of you what to do,’ Rhona continued. ‘But I don’t want to stop seeing him.’ He might not want to see her after the other day but she was ready to take that chance. ‘I don’t want it to break up our family but that’s my choice. You can either be with me or against me, but I won’t change my mind.’
Judy looked at Alister, her eyebrows raised and her lips curved down. ‘I don’t know what to say.’
‘I can’t believe how you misled us.’ Alister shook his head at Arran.
‘Then why don’t we forgive?’ Rhona said. ‘Forgive both Arran and Calum.’
‘I’m not sure how we do that,’ said Alister.
‘That’s up to you.’ Rhona would have enough trouble convincing Calum she wanted him. But she had to, even if it meant rerouting her whole world.
Chapter 26
Calum
Throwing kicks at the grappling dummy was punishing. Calum lurched back, then reeled forward. Each time he caught it, he imagined Arran’s smug face and his crass words.Kick. Punch. Punch.
‘Oh, Christ.’ He threw himself onto the floor and lay on his back, rubbing vigorously at his temples.Seriously. I’m as bad as everyone says.He must be. Why else would he have the urge to crush Arran? Urges like this hadn’t hit him for a long time. But Arran was back and he was the obstacle blocking Calum’s path to Rhona.
He rocked into a sitting position and leapt to his feet. These workouts helped burn off some of the tension before he went to the office. He showered in scalding water, easing away the remaining stress in his body.
It was less than a mile from his flat in Tobermory but he took his car. Days rarely went by without a call to go somewhere. He had to be ready.
As he left, he pocketed his mobile in his blazer, recalling the first day Rhona had turned up here. Every day for weeks after, she’d dropped in to watch his practises and eat dinner. They’d spent hours kissing, cuddling and making love. His nerve ends fired up at the memories and he rubbed his chest; his heart was split clean in two.
He took his flask into the converted container with him, suspecting he’d be called out early. The Gruline tenants were still complaining about the slightest thing. He dumped the flask on the spare desk and set the kettle to boil. His long-term plans had included getting an admin assistant to work here alongside him but that hadn’t happened yet. There was work enough and he could afford to pay for it but he wasn’t sure he wanted someone here with him. Solitude was his friend – for the most part. He unpacked his laptop and opened it on his desk, facing the glass doors with the view of the trees. His temples pounded. Had he been unfair like Will suggested? Should he give Rhona a chance? And if he did, could he trust himself?
An urge to call her fired inside him and he grabbed his phone. A car pulled up outside, a door banged and Calum dropped the phone on the desk. What should he say?
He clicked open an email, scanning down, taking nothing in. A knock reverberated from the door. He raised his eyes over the screen. No way. His whole body tensed, only his blood was moving, making its presence known by thundering in his ears. The face staring through the glass was one he never wanted to see again. He leaned back, clenching his fists until his nails gouged his palms.
The French door opened slowly and Arran Lamond peered around. ‘Can I, er, come in?’ His gaze darted from Calum’s face to the floor.
