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Amelia giggled and Fergus looked on in bemusement. Although she was mortified that she’d thought he was an intruder, she wasn’t too embarrassed to notice the triangle of skin where his shirt was unbuttoned.Oh God. She couldn’t stop herself from staring at him.
‘Hey, why don’t you tag along with Fergus and he can show you some of the island’s hotspots?’
That was the last thing Amelia wanted to do, especially as she seemed unable to string a coherent sentence together in his presence, but she wasn’t able to think of an excuse quickly enough.
Fergus shrugged. ‘Sure.’
‘Okay. I’ll go and grab my jacket,’ she said, hoping she could at least go and check her hair.
‘It’s here, dear.’ Edie unhooked Amelia’s jacket from the back of the chair.
‘Thanks.’ She attempted to give Edie a bit of a look but Edie grinned mischievously at her.
Amelia took a deep breath and stepped outside, waiting for Fergus to load the garden cuttings into the back of the van. She felt a bit childlike as she stood waiting and Edie fussed around her, giving her a list of things she should look out for.
‘I’ll leave you young ones to get on with things,’ said Edie, waving and disappearing back inside the cottage.
‘Jump in.’ Fergus opened the passenger door for her.
The pair drove in silence for a while, back along the road which took them to the ferry terminal. Amelia stared out at the CalMac brick-built ferry terminal and people milling around waiting for the arrival of a boat. Was it really only a couple of days ago that she had arrived here with all her belongings in one bag? It felt like such a long time ago.
‘So how are you getting on so far? What do you think of Arran?’
‘It’s beautiful, although to be honest I haven’t seen much so far . . . and Edie has moved me into the shepherd’s hut, which is amazing.’
‘She was so excited about making it a complete surprise.’
‘It wasn’t what I was expecting at all. It is even better.’
‘Yeah, she was pretty chuffed when she got it. Though it didn’t look anything like it does now. She has added her own creative twist.’
‘She’s got amazing taste.’
‘Yes, she does. I bet she’s put some of her own mugs in there too?’
Amelia thought about the lovely stoneware cup she’d drunk her coffee from that morning. ‘Wow. I didn’t realise that Edie had made them.’
Fergus laughed. ‘Yes. She’s made some amazing things and she sells them in The Wee Trove, the shop in the high street. She’s actually quite a well-known artist, although I would imagine she hasn’t told you that.’
She shook her head. ‘No, she hasn’t.’ Mind you, there was so much to learn about Edie. Amelia was intrigued to learn more about the woman she was becoming really fond of.
Amelia could sense Fergus’s gaze on her but couldn’t quite bring herself to turn and make eye contact. She was slightly embarrassed to admit to him that she hadn’t ventured out other than to walk on the beach. ‘That’s my plan tomorrow. The high street. Edie has told me all about it. The bakery and café and fishmonger and butcher. Sounds like you have everything you need.’
‘We’re lucky,’ he said with a shrug. ‘We do quite well with what we’ve got here. Some people hate the thought of island life and being away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Whereas others are quite content and the thought of the city brings them out in a cold sweat.’
Amelia knew he was talking about himself. ‘How long have you lived here?’
‘I came back two years ago.’
‘Did you grow up here?’
He nodded. ‘Yes. Then I left and went to explore the world.’
‘Oh, where did you go and what did you do?’
‘I spent some time in South America, then the States, and worked in a ski resort in Canada then went to New Zealand.’
‘Wow, that sounds amazing. My brother lives in Boston and he loves skiing in Canada. Where were you?’
