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Smiling, Emma turned in the opposite direction and started to walk home.
Chapter Ten
The guests from the past couple of days were gathering their things, preparing to leave. Trudy and Chuck were now finally heading to Edinburgh and Kirsty was almost tempted to get out the bunting and farewell streamers. It felt as though they’d been there for weeks. But she would miss the other guests who she had grown fond of. Neil was a retired teacher from Hove and Alice was a repeat customer from Inverness who loved walking and always made it her mission to try and spot a golden eagle on one of the many hikes she embarked on during her stay.
Alice had found Meadowbank Cottage after an online search following the death of her husband five years ago. When she arrived that first time, she was clearly shy, and Kirsty did her best to put her at ease. After a few days she had opened up to Kirsty and told her about the plans she and her late husband had had to visit Arran. Sadly, they hadn’t managed to before his sudden death and Alice promised herself that she would go. She had loved the island so much, and Meadowbank Cottage, that she’d started to visit at the same time of year every year since.
‘Same time next year?’ said Alice, smiling.
‘I’ve already got you in the diary. Don’t worry. It will be great to see you.’
Kirsty noticed Neil, the retired teacher, hovering in the background. She hadn’t missed the cosy chats the pair had been having these past few days. They sat at the same table for breakfast and Neil had also offered to go walking with Alice yesterday. Kirsty had thought he looked pale and withdrawn on arrival but now he definitely had a skip in his step and his cheeks were a healthy pink.
‘Do you know, Alice, I might just book for next year too. That is a great idea.’
Kirsty paused, her eyes flicking to check Alice’s reaction. However, she needn’t have worried as Alice clearly also thought it a great idea given the huge grin on her face.
‘No problem at all,’ Kirsty said. ‘I’ll pop you in now too and email you a confirmation. It would be lovely to have you back again.’
‘I hope the wedding goes well, dearie, and that your sister has a fabulous time,’ she said sincerely. ‘Do let me know, won’t you?’
‘Of course I will.’ Kirsty gave Alice a hug. ‘I promise to send you some photos.’
Alice’s eyes twinkled. ‘I would love that. Please do!’
Just then, Steve arrived in the hallway, keen to get the guests to the ferry terminal in time. There was no way they were going to let Trudy and Chuck miss that boat. ‘Come on,’ he called to Alice. ‘Let’s get your luggage in the car.’
Trudy and Chuck were already outside sitting on one of the wooden benches positioned to catch the morning sunshine. A light breeze had started to pick up, but there was a lovely warmth in the air. ‘This is such a calming view, isn’t it? Thank you so much. We have loved it,’ said Trudy.
Chuck nodded in agreement. ‘It’s one helluva place,’ he said. ‘We will definitely need to come back. And we’ll tell all our friends in California about it too.’
Kirsty was slightly taken aback at his chatty enthusiasm. It had been the most he’d said throughout his stay at Meadowbank. ‘It’s been a pleasure and I hope you come back soon.’ Kirsty crossed her fingers behind her back. She wasn’t sure that she ever wanted to see them again.
Trudy nodded. ‘It is a beautiful island. Full of magic. We aresosorry to leave. All being well we will be back.’
Kirsty wasn’t quite sure what to make of their cryptic comments and she frowned, bemused.
‘Well, there is plenty more magic to go and find,’ said Steve, swinging the car keys and winking at his wife. ‘Let’s get you to that ferry. We can’t have you missing out on the next leg of your journey.’
Kirsty waved as Steve drove the guests away in the people carrier. She stood for a moment enjoying the view. Trudy was spot on when she said it was calming. It certainly was and even just a few minutes looking at the sparkling waters were enough to soothe her busy mind when she was in her most emotional state whether annoyed, sad, angry or frustrated.
Normally, Kirsty would rush inside the minute guests left and strip the beds and get the sheets bundled into the washing machine then out on the line to dry. The worktop was also stacked with dirty breakfast dishes. However, she decided this morning she would sit on the bench in the sun and remind herself of a guest’s perspective. Wasn’t it important to remind herself why people came here? It was all too easy to take things for granted and to underappreciate what was right in front of you. She had a bit of time before the next guests arrived later that afternoon and so was going to make the most of it.
As she sat there, she became aware of the sounds around her. Birds were singing, the gentle breeze rippled through the tree and a lazy bee buzzed overhead. The air was salty, and she took in a few deep breaths, trying to settle her busy head. Closing her eyes, she smiled and she enjoyed the feel of the warm sun on her face. She could taste the salt on her lips and hear the swell of the waves. Moments like this made it all worthwhile. She had never regretted this move home, not at all. Yet sometimes the days felt mundane with never-ending chores such as laundry, scrubbing toilets and shopping for groceries yet again.
When she wasn’t attending to the needs of guests, she felt as though she was running after Steve and the kids, always picking up wet towels from the bathroom floor. Steve was very hands-on, and she was grateful for all that he did. But Kirsty felt like she was starting to forget who she was, as though she had lost a part of herself these past few years. She could easily present a smile to people she met in the village or at the shops but there were times when keeping up appearances was exhausting. It felt like she was wearing a mask.
She thought of Steve and the way he still followed his passions with his trail running, hiking and now the paddle boarding. She still had to work out who she was and what she wanted. Before the kids were born, she loved writing and had tried to keep this up when they were little but then she became so involved in their lives and juggling that she was too exhausted to even try. She had volunteered at the local primary school as a reader helper when they were younger. Perhaps she could do some more volunteering? Helping and connecting with the community was supposed to be good for your mental health. Maybe she could think about that. The problem was right now she just wanted to curl up in a darkened room and go to sleep for a very long time. She sighed. There was no chance of that anytime soon because everybody wanted a piece of her. She needed to make sure her sister had a magical wedding and then after that she would take time out for herself.
But worry gnawed inside her. Her problems were greater than that. No matter how much she tried to bury it, Kirsty knew that sooner or later she would have to deal with the huge secret she had uncovered only a few months ago. Because it wasn’t going away, and she needed to tell her sisters about it. And soon.
Chapter Eleven
‘Did you have a good swim?’ asked Ross, as Amy let herself into the house and quietly closed the door behind her.
She was cold, a good mixture between still feeling the adrenaline rush from the water and the pressing need to go and warm up in the shower. She shivered slightly as she stood there considering her options. ‘Yes, thanks. I’m just going to go and have a quick shower. It was cold.’
‘Take your time. I just had a call from Caleb a while ago. Guess what? He’s been invited to a sleepover with Danny, so there’s no rush to go get him. It’s just you and me for the rest of the evening.’
