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Of course, it probably helped that she was completely distracted with trying to build a new existence for herself here. She wondered about looking for other jobs, which she could do after Christmas. When she was in Cèic earlier that day, Cano told her his wife, Naza, hoped to go over to Glasgow in the New Year to help out with their daughter who was expecting a baby in January.
‘How exciting,’ Amelia said, as Naza came through from the back of the shop.
‘I know, a lovely way to start the New Year. This will be our fourth grandchild,’ she said, her eyes sparkling.
‘Will you manage without her?’ Amelia said to Cano, as Naza waved and went to greet a customer who had just come in.
‘Oh, it will be tough,’ he said. ‘I might take someone on to help.’
‘That’s a good idea.’ The thought swirled around in her mind all day, and she wondered if she could offer to work there. The website for the shepherd’s hut was almost finished, and she knew Edie should really be starting to advertise it soon to generate an income from it. Perhaps if she picked up some shifts at the café she could offer to pay rent until bookings started to come in. Then she would look for alternative accommodation. That’s if she decided to stay.
The thought of going back to live in London wasn’t at all appealing. Packed Tube carriages, busy roads, overpriced artisan soup, working all hours. What a different world to the simple one she lived in now. She knew which she preferred. Yet she did miss Suna and wasn’t quite sure what to do about the distance that was so obvious whenever they spoke on the phone.
At least she was being distracted from such things by Fergus, who was dropping in on Edie to keep an eye on her. He was good at coming up with a variety of excuses. He offered to fix the broken latch on her window for her, or he dropped off some more logs for her stove. Sometimes Amelia was there, and they would chat about the weather and he would try to persuade her to join him at the beach for the morning swim that had not yet happened. He had teased her relentlessly for her recent hangover, the reason she’d stood him up. He was so warm and likeable, yet guarded about his past, which she could understand as she was the same about hers too.
She wondered whether she should tell him about Edie’s sister. She knew he would offer to take her to the hospital in Glasgow in a heartbeat. Perhaps she should mention it to Edie first?
* * *
Edie watched the pair of them chat and laugh together, and saw how their faces lit up and their eyes danced. Now she understood a bit more about why Amelia had come here, she knew they were both vulnerable and she hoped they would take their time to nurture this friendship they were building. She constantly reminded herself she shouldn’t get involved and so said nothing to either one. Not after her faux pas with the latex comment, when she’d presumed they’d succumbed to a moment of passion. There was something about Amelia that clearly struck a chord with Fergus. Aside from being funny, smart and attractive, she intrigued him and, as far as Edie could tell, few women managed to.
Chapter Thirty-One
Amelia decided that she had to do something about Edie’s situation, so the following day she walked up to the other end of the beach where the outdoor centre was based. The sky was low and grey, and she watched as Fergus finished talking to a group of teenagers putting away their kayaks.
He smiled when he saw her. ‘Hello there.’ He was clearly surprised. ‘Is this part of your sightseeing brief? You should’ve let me know you were coming and I would have got the boys to leave the kayaks out. We could have gone out for a session. Or are you desperate to make sure that open-water swimming is ticked off your list?’
Amelia glanced over at the group of teens who were scrutinising her. She heard a few sniggers and felt herself blushing as she dithered for a moment. ‘No . . . Look, sorry if this isn’t a good time. I just wanted to talk to you about something.’
Fergus looked over at the group. ‘Right, boys, put these away and go and hose your stuff down, please.’ His voice was firm and he obviously commanded their respect as they immediately followed orders.
A gusty breeze made Amelia shiver and she pulled her scarf tighter around her neck. Fergus gave her a searching look and once again she couldn’t help notice the colour of his deep brown eyes.
‘I’m just about finished and could do with a break. Come on into the office and I’ll make you a cup of tea,’ he said. ‘It’s too cold out here to hang about.’
‘That would be great.’ Why was he so annoyingly charming and warm?
Fergus grinned, and she followed him into the office, which also doubled as a shop and visitor centre. ‘It’s a large, upcycled shipping container, clad in larch,’ he explained.
‘It’s actually surprisingly warm in here,’ she admitted.
‘Yes, people tend to expect it to be freezing. We’ve even got underfloor heating and running hot water!’
‘I think it’s great.’
‘Take a seat,’ he pointed at the chairs in the corner, ‘and I’ll put the kettle on.’
‘Hey there,’ said Grant. ‘How are you doing?’
‘Good, thanks. Much better than the other night. Thanks for taking me home.’
He laughed. ‘No worries. You and Thea certainly put a lot of booze away.’
‘Never again. That’s me off it forever.’
‘Famous last words.’ He laughed.
‘What a great place this is.’
