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‘I’m dreading the twins leaving,’ admitted Kirsty. ‘You’re going to need to mentor me through it all when they go.’
‘You’ll be fine. Keeping busy is important and you are very good at that. And we can go for visits together and have wild weekends in Dundee.’
Kirsty smiled and rolled her eyes. ‘We’ll see about that.’
‘Now promise me you’ll call the surgery and make an appointment to bring your dad in?’
‘I will. I promise. Thank you.’
‘Any time. You’re not alone. I know how independent you are and how stubborn — you clearly take after your dad — but I am here to help.’
Kirsty bit her lip and managed a small smile. If only she could tell Nicola everything. But she owed it to her sisters to tell them the truth first.
Chapter Fourteen
Amy yawned, realizing just how tired she was. The journey had been long and although she had only left Vancouver the night before, it felt as though she’d been on the go for days.
She had sobbed when Andy and Josh had embraced her and said their goodbyes at the airport. She still felt teary when she thought about leaving her dear friends.
When she’d landed at Heathrow, she collected her hold bags and checked in separately for her connecting journey to Glasgow. The flight had been delayed from Canada and she was anxious she would miss the connection. But somehow luck was on her side, and she just made it.
Now as the flight began its descent to Glasgow she gripped her seat, her eyes unexpectedly welling up as she saw the patchwork of green and yellow fields below. She was almost home.
She disembarked, feeling giddy with excitement. Everything was so familiar, yet she felt as though she was looking at it with a fresh perspective. There was something even homely about the airport that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Perhaps it was being surrounded by Scottish accents again. She had forgotten just how friendly people were.
When she’d retrieved her luggage, she followed signs for the shuttle bus to the city centre and waited behind some tourists to get on the modern double-decker. It had been a while since she’d been on one of these and she felt like a child who had seen snow for the first time. She wanted to tell people to hurry up and board. She was now desperate to get home. She hoped Kirsty wouldn’t be annoyed that she hadn’t shared her exact travel itinerary and would be happy to be surprised.
Twenty minutes later she was in Central Station buying a coffee and croissant to have on the train to Ardrossan. She smiled at the gaggle of school kids who looked like they were heading for the same train and quite possibly a day out to the beach at Ayr. Then she stopped to listen to the pianist who was playing a version of the theme song toGame of Thrones. The polished mahogany piano sat right in the middle of the concourse and was surrounded by a small picket fence and some fake grass. When the young guy finished his piece, people began to clap and then when there was a lull, an elderly lady sat down and launched into ‘FürElise’. Amy smiled at her as she narrowed her brow in concentration. She was almost tempted to have a go herself but then when she looked up at the departures board, she realized her train would be going soon, so she picked up her bags and briskly made her way to the platform and onto the train.
The sun was shining which definitely improved passengers’ spirits. Amy settled herself on a carriage near the front and became aware of a woman watching her. ‘Hello, hen,’ she said. ‘You been somewhere nice?’ She was gesturing at Amy’s luggage.
Amy took a sip of her oat-milk latte. ‘I’ve been in Canada but that’s me on my way home now.’
‘Oh, how lovely. I’ve got a cousin who lives in Canada. In Toronto.’
‘Ah. It’s a great city but I’ve been on the other side — in Vancouver.’
‘That’s on the west coast, isn’t it?’ she said.
Amy nodded. ‘How about yourself? Where are you off to today?’
‘Nowhere very exotic,’ she joked. ‘Just off to see my grandkids in Dalry.’
That was the last stop before Ardrossan Harbour, so Amy settled in for an interesting chat with the woman who shared her life story with her. The woman introduced herself as Lisa and seemed glad of the company. She was delighted when Amy told her she didn’t look old enough to be a grandmother. Lisa used to work in the bar at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow and kept Amy entertained with her funny tales.
‘You should write a book,’ she said, wiping away tears of laughter.
‘Aye, well maybe one day I will. Och, will you look at that. It’s almost my stop. Thanks for listening to me, dearie,’ she said.
‘It’s been an absolute pleasure.’
‘You make sure you enjoy your sister’s wedding.’
‘I will.’
‘Here — you never said what your dress is like?’
It suddenly dawned on Amy that she had no idea either.Oops.Was she supposed to have sorted her own bridesmaid dress? She felt mildly terrified at Emma’s reaction when she told her she had forgotten one of her few main tasks. ‘It’s a . . . surprise,’ she said, trying not to laugh hysterically at the panic she was now feeling.
