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There was so much at risk here, so much at stake. How would this affect Jill and Kristie if things didn’t work out? What if Jill reacted to something that Kristie said—the impact on both could be devastating. He was so torn. He wanted to fix this himself—but he wasn’t sure that he could. Maybe Jill would react better to a woman, particularly one who might understand her loss. Ahead of him was the closed door. It was symbolic really—demonstrating exactly how the young girl in there felt. He glanced from the panicked temporary teacher and the determined woman in front of him, his head juggling what was best for everyone. There was a hollow echo in his head.
* * *
Kristie straightened up. She’d had enough of this. Enough of waiting. He was trying to protect her—she got that. But she didn’t need protection.
On the ferry on the way over here today, all she’d thought about was how much she wanted to see Rhuaridh. How much she wanted to be in his arms. For the last four weeks she’d started to dream in Technicolor—and the dreams didn’t just include Rhuaridh, they also included this place. Arran, with its lush green countryside, hills and valleys, and surrounding stormy seas. Even though she’d had a dozen job offers now and enough money in the bank to pay the bills for a while, her love of TV was definitely waning. The book she’d started writing had taken on a life of its own. Rhuaridh’s encouragement had meant the world to her, and after that the words had just seemed to flow even easier. She’d shown it to Louie, who’d shown it to another friend who was a literary agent. The agent had offered representation already. It was almost like her world had shifted, shaping her future. And the one thing she’d been sure of was that her heart was leading the charge. Could she think about a life in Scotland? She hadn’t really considered things. Would she be able to walk away from her TV career, and her work with the helpline?
She swallowed and turned to both men. ‘I’m going to do this.’
She walked up to the door and stood close, trying to think of the best way to appeal to Jill. Kids were all over social media right now. Maybe she should try the you-might-know-me approach?
She gave the door a gentle rap with her knuckles. ‘Jill, it’s Kristie Nelson. You know, from the TV show? I’ve come to talk to you.’
She could hear sobbing inside the room. The kind that made the bottom fall out of her stomach. ‘I don’t want to talk to anyone.’
Kristie leaned her head back against the door, trying to think like a teenager these days. Her head was still in the social media zone. Their life revolved around social media. She pulled out her phone and did a search for Jill. Sure enough, it only took seconds to find her. Her online profile had a few selfies, and a few older pictures that showed a little girl laughing, sitting on her father’s knee. It made her heart pang.
‘How are you feeling?’ she started.
‘How do you think I’m feeling?’ came the angry shout.
Good. She’d had another reply. Her main goal now was to keep Jill talking.
‘I know about your dad, Jill. I know how sad you’re feeling. Do you want to talk? Because I’m here. I’m here to listen to you.’
The sobs got more exasperated. ‘How can you know how I’m feeling? How can you know what’s in my head? Have you lost your dad?’
Kristie turned around and slid down the door so she was leaning against it. She may as well get comfortable. She wanted Jill to know that she was there to stay—there to listen. ‘I’ve lost both of my parents,’ she answered quietly. ‘And I lost my sister three years ago. And I think about her every single day and the fact she’s not here. And sometimes it catches me unawares—like when I see something I know she’d like and I can’t show it to her, or when I hear something that makes me laugh and I can’t pick up the phone and tell her.’
There was silence for a few seconds then she heard a noise. Jill was moving closer to the door. ‘Three years?’ she breathed.
‘Honey, these feelings will get better with time. You won’t ever forget, and some days will be sadder than others, but I promise you, you can learn to live with this. You just need to take it one day at a time. You just need to breathe.’
