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Ben Douglas stood on the doorstep, holding a carton of eggs and a bag of courgettes.
‘Good morning.’ He smiled brightly.
‘Oh. Hi.’ She was immediately aware that her hair was straggling around her shoulders and needed a wash; she took the hair band from her wrist and twisted her hair up into a quick bun. She cleared her throat. ‘I mean, good morning.’
‘Not a morning person, eh. Not to worry. Me neither.’ His eyes twinkled as he looked at her.
Who knocks on their employees’ doors without warning at ten thirty on a Saturday morning? I might have had a man here.
Yeah, right,she thought. Liz wasn’t looking for any romantic entanglements in her life right now: she wanted to throw herself into her new job and find the old Liz. Find that old spark she used to have, before everything had gone wrong.
‘Um… well, I am, but I was just doing some reading,’ she replied, thinkingat least this is a thick robe. Nothing revealing.
‘Ah. Well, I wanted to drop you round these.’ He held out the groceries. ‘From the house. Housewarming present.’
‘From your house?’ Liz took the eggs and the bag of courgettes. ‘Thank you. That’s kind of you.’
‘Yes. I’ve got a smallholding. Nothing fancy, just some chickens and a veggie patch. Oh, and a goat.’
‘A goat? Really?’
‘Aye. Mae. I’d have brought you some goat milk but she’s been wilful lately.’
‘I see,’ she said, pushing her fringe out of her eyes. ‘I’ve heard that about goats.’
‘Mae thinks she’s queen of the village.’ Ben held out his hands in an apologetic gesture. ‘Who am I to argue?’
‘Just to be clear: your goat’s called Mae?’ Liz couldn’t help but laugh.
‘Yeah. Like Mae West. Wilful, but beautiful.’
Liz snorted, imagining a goat wearing a revealing evening gown.Revealing what, though? Hooves?
Despite being in her dressing gown, and the unexpected segue into talking about stubborn goats, Liz found that she was starting to enjoy her conversation with Ben. She hadn’t realised how lighthearted and fun he could be.
‘Hey. Don’t make fun of Mae. She could have had it all, but she chose to live with me and eat all my grass,’ he added, a smile at the edge of his lips.
‘Well, it’s important that Mae lives as authentically as she can, I guess.’ Liz made a serious face. ‘Did you want to come in? I can make you a cup of tea. And maybe a courgette omelette, now.’ She stood aside as if to welcome him in.
‘Ah, that’s a nice idea. But I was wondering if I could tempt you to a little tour of the village, and then maybe lunch at Myrtle’s Café? It’s the best Loch Cameron has to offer. As an official welcome. And, to apologise for the fact I wasn’t here on your first day,’ Ben explained, a hopeful and optimistic look on his face.
‘Oh. Err… well, I have some reading to do, so…’ Liz demurred.
‘Oh. What’re you reading? I love a good book. Crime, mostly, but I’ll read anything.’ Ben seemed a little nervous; Liz could swear that he was talking to fill the time.
‘Nothing like that. The company business plan, if you must know. I had a brief look when I started, but I really wanted to get into the detail,’ she explained.
‘You’re… reading the business plan? On a Saturday?’ Ben actually took a step back from the doorstep.
‘Yeah. Why not? It pays to be prepared,’ she said, a little defensively.
‘No, no… it’s just…’ He blinked a few times. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever done that – not on a weekend. And it’s my company.’
Liz fought the impulse to say anything as churlish asand it shows, and just smiled instead.
‘Well, I like to be thorough,’ she replied, crisply.
‘I’m very pleased to hear it, don’t get me wrong.’ Ben smiled. ‘But it’s a lovely day. Why don’t you leave the business plan at home and come out? I was thinking I could take you to a couple of local stockists and introduce you.’
