The Skye Collection, page 84
‘No, me neither.’ There was a long pause in the conversation where Dexter appeared deep in thought. ‘Come on, Dex, I can sense you have something to say.’
He pursed his lips and rubbed his beard. ‘I was just thinking… You and Archie would make such a cracking couple.’
Caitlin rolled her eyes. ‘Ugh, not you as well?’
‘Aye, I know our Jetty has hinted at it too. And so have Ruby and Morag but… I think they’ve got a point. He’s dead fond of you, you know?’
‘And I’m fond of him, but he has Rosabeth now, so it makes no difference how I feel. If I felt anything, which I don’t,’ she blustered. ‘Anyway, I think Rosabeth’s coming to the barbecue on Saturday, and it’ll be the first time she meets Sophie, so I hope it goes well.’
‘Hmm. Archie was telling me she was a little angry about the news that he had a daughter. She says she was never interested in having kids, but that she’ll give things a go seeing as she likes him so much. So, that’s good, I suppose.’ Dexter’s words didn’t match the uncertainty in his eyes.
‘You don’t seem convinced.’
He sighed and scrunched his brow. ‘I… I just don’t get it… the not wanting kids thing. I’d love to have a family of my own. I see our Jetty with Evin and you with Grace, now Archie with Sophie… Yous are all so lucky. I can’t understand anyone who thinks having kids is a bad idea.’
‘I know what you mean,’ Caitlin agreed. ‘But I suppose not everyone feels that way. And it wouldn’t do for us all to feel the same. I just hope she doesn’t hurt him. He doesn’t deserve that.’
‘No, you’re right, he doesn’t.’ Dexter eyed her in that suspicious way again. She could tell he was making more of her words than she had intended. As if reading her mind, he rapidly changed the subject. ‘So, this Bram fella is coming on Saturday too?’
Caitlin felt her face heating substantially. ‘He is, and you’d better be nice.’
Dexter held up his hands defensively. ‘Hey, I’m a nice bloke, me! But I’m also a dickhead radar, so I’ll tell you exactly what I make of him. I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t. And it sounds like my radar might have come in handy with old Barmy Budge.’
Caitlin almost choked on her drink. ‘Loony Lyle, Barmy Budge. Honestly you should be on a stage.’
He winked. ‘Aye, I might just enter the talent show at the Glentorrin Highland Games this year.’ He chuckled.
‘Hmm and I’ll be ready with my stock of rotten tomatoes.’
The sun was high in the sky on Saturday and Caitlin was relieved for Archie’s barbecue plans. The one thing that was certain on Skye was the uncertainty of the weather.
She dressed in a floaty, long summer dress in a rich green that complemented her hair. Grace wore a T-shirt and shorts as there had been a mention of a water fight.
Caitlin had made a fancy tray bake with toppers that spelled out the words Welcome Sophie. She had decorated the chewy, chocolate squares with edible glitter and tiny stars made from white chocolate.
Caitlin’s nerves had kicked in at the thought of her date. At five o’clock, there was a knock on the door and Caitlin glared at the clock. ‘Shit! I hope that’s not Bram! He’s way too early.’
Grace giggled. ‘Shall I answer the door, Mum? You look too scared.’
‘No, no, love, it’s okay. I’ll go.’ She took a deep, shaking breath and opened the door. ‘Oh! Cora!’ Grace’s friend stood there on the doorstep with puffy red eyes. Caitlin immediately panicked and wondered if the girl had run away. ‘Wh-where’s your dad?’
Cora sniffed. ‘He’s staying in the car. We’re on our way to the hotel by the airport. We fly out tomorrow, but I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye.’
Grace appeared behind Caitlin. ‘Cora?’ She rushed past her mum and flung her arms around her best friend. ‘You came!’
The two girls hugged tightly, both sobbing, and tears stung at Caitlin’s eyes. She was partly angry that Lyle had left things so late, in his usual way, but partly relieved that he had seen sense. At least she hoped that’s what had happened… she would need to speak to Dexter after their conversation earlier in the week.
Cora pulled away from Grace and handed her a wrapped gift. ‘I got you a present.’
Grace took the small package and ripped off the paper to reveal a small box. Inside was a pendant in the shape of half a heart. Caitlin lost it at that point, tears streamed down her face as she watched Cora fasten the necklace on Grace.
‘Look, Gracie, I have the other half,’ Cora said with a wide smile as she held the pendant around her own neck.
Grace sniffed. ‘I love it. I’ll never take it off. Wait there though, I have something for you.’ She dashed off up to her room and returned moments later with the scrapbook. ‘I haven’t had a chance to wrap it yet, but I made this for you.’
Cora wiped at the tears on her cheeks and took the book. She opened the first page to see a photo of the two of them when they first became friends. Her face lit up with a bright smile as she flipped the pages. ‘Oh, wow! This is brilliant, Gracie, thank you so much.’
‘Cora! C’mon, we need to go,’ came Lyle’s stern voice from the car with its engine still running.
Cora glanced back at the car and nodded. She turned her attention back to Grace. ‘I’ll email you all the time. And I’ll phone when I can too. I’m going to miss you so much.’ The two girls hugged again and then Cora pulled away. ‘Don’t forget about me, will you?’
Grace sobbed, ‘Never, you’ll always be my best friend. Forever, just like it says on the necklace.’
‘Forever,’ Cora repeated as she turned to jog back to the car.
Caitlin and Grace stepped outside and watched as Lyle turned the car around and drove away towards the bridge. Cora waved and Grace did so too until she was out of sight.
‘I’m so glad he brought her,’ Caitlin whispered as Grace flung her arms around her and sobbed into her shoulder. ‘Shh, it’s okay, sweetheart, it’s okay.’ She kissed the top of her daughter’s head and led her back into the house.
Jules, Reid, Evin and Chewie called for Grace and Cleo at five forty-five in order that Caitlin could meet Bram by herself at six when he arrived.
‘Dex is already at Archie’s. I think he might be the one supplying the water pistols.’ Jules laughed. ‘He might live to regret that! Anyway, we’ll see you up there. Good luck,’ Jules said as she hugged Caitlin in the doorway.
‘Thanks. After Lyle, all I can think of is things going wrong.’
Jules chewed her lip and glanced over her shoulder. Grace, Evin and the dogs were standing over by the inlet, but she lowered her voice, nonetheless. ‘Speaking of the intense Mr Budge, I heard on the grapevine – and by that, I mean Evin – that they have packed up and gone. Cora and Lyle. They fly to Canada tomorrow, but they’re staying a hotel tonight. All their stuff was put in storage and the house is up for sale.’
Caitlin nodded. ‘He brought Cora by earlier to say goodbye to Grace before they headed off to the hotel. Thinking about it makes me want to cry again. They lost so much bloody time and I can’t help blaming myself.’
‘No! It’s his fault, not yours! You weren’t the one who went all stalkery. But I’m glad he saw sense after D— I mean after all,’ Jules said and swallowed hard, her expression startled.
Caitlin’s eyes widened. ‘I knew it! I’ll bloody throttle him!’
Jules cringed and shook her head. ‘Please don’t be mad with Dex. He just wanted to do the right thing. And it worked, didn’t it?’
Caitlin huffed. ‘I suppose so. But I want to know what he said.’
With a quick glance over her shoulder, Jules insisted, ‘Don’t worry, he was very calm and polite. Just told him that he was being selfish if he didn’t let the girls say goodbye. Apparently, Lyle was quite decent about it. Apologised and even said the break-up was all his fault but he couldn’t bring himself to visit you in case he made it worse. That’s why he was keeping Cora away – so he said anyway.’
‘Hmm, well I suppose he did the right thing eventually. Maybe I won’t throttle Dex after all.’
Jules sighed in evident relief. ‘Thank you. He only did what he thought was right.’
‘Aye, well, I’ll let him off. I’ll see you up at Archie’s.’
Jules hugged her. ‘You will, honey. Good luck with Bram.’
Jules and her family left with Grace in the direction of Archie’s house and Caitlin spotted a vintage, two-seater sports car, with the top down, pulling into the village from the direction of the pub. Her stomach knotted.
Bram parked up outside the bakery and climbed out of the car. He looked smart in dark blue denim jeans and a turquoise polo shirt with shades atop his head. He was carrying a bottle bag with what looked like a bottle of wine and a bottle of cola. He struck a great first impression and her nerves subsided a little.
‘Hey. Caitlin, right?’ He held out his free hand.
Caitlin smiled and took his hand to shake it. ‘Yes, nice to meet you, Bram. I hope you’re hungry because Archie loves to barbecue, and I’m told he pretty much cleared out the butcher’s van when it came around earlier.’
Bram laughed lightly. ‘I love a good burger. Are you ready to go? I’m sorry. I’m a little early, I think.’ He glanced at his wristwatch.
‘I’m ready, yes. We can have a wander up. I just need to get the tray bake I’ve made.’ She nipped back to the kitchen and slipped her handbag over her shoulder before picking up the large, weighty, flat box.
Bram’s eyes widened. ‘When you said tray bake, I was expecting something a little smaller. Here, let me,’ he said as he handed the bottle bag to Caitlin and swapped her for the cake. ‘This smells incredible.’
‘Thanks. I just hope wee Sophie loves it.’
As they walked towards Archie’s house, Bram asked, ‘So is this a barbecue for your friend’s little girl’s birthday?’
‘In a way. He’s just taken guardianship of her after her mum sadly passed away. She’s been through a lot and he’s trying to help her settle in.’
‘Ah, that’s sweet. And your daughter, she’s thirteen, is that right?’
She laughed. ‘I see Morag has been filling you in.’
‘Just a wee bit, aye. I have to say I’m pretty rubbish with kids, but a teenager I think I can manage.’
Caitlin smiled. He seemed warm and not too intense which was a good sign. ‘She’s a great girl. My pride and joy.’
‘I look forward to meeting her.’
When they arrived at the house, Archie greeted them with a wide smile. He shook Bram’s hand and hugged Caitlin, then apologised to Bram for doing so. Typical Archie, Caitlin thought. Bram was evidently oblivious to the issue, another good sign.
He took the tray-bake box from Bram and told them, ‘Go on through. Everyone’s in the back garden. Dex is soaked already. The kids thought it would be fun to gang up on him with the water pistols. Sophie’s having the best time.’ The pride he felt was clear in his expression. Caitlin had never seen him looking so happy and it warmed her heart.
When they arrived in the back garden, they were greeted by the sound of laughter and the tantalising, smoky aroma of barbecued burgers. The garden was decked out with balloons and bunting and a home-made sign that said Welcome Sophie! Just like the tray bake she had made.
For a moment, they watched Grace, Evin and Sophie running around firing streams of water at each other as they squealed, and Dexter went running after them, reciting the giant’s line from Jack and the Beanstalk. In amongst all the chaos, Cleo, Chewie and Bowie raced around as if they were having the time of their lives.
Archie came from the house and made a beeline for Caitlin. ‘That cake is incredible, and I can’t thank you enough for making it. You need to let me know what I owe you though, it’s huge and I wasn’t expecting you to go to so much trouble.’
‘Archie, you know me, I can’t go anywhere without bringing sweet treats along. And after Grace’s party, let’s just call it quits.’
Archie grinned. ‘You’re a star. Oh, hey, let me get Rosabeth and I’ll introduce you.’ He jogged off to where a tall, slim brunette was standing chatting to Jules and Ruby. She wore a slinky mini dress and strappy sandals, and had that perfect, shiny hair that fell in natural waves down her back. Something about the look of her made Caitlin bristle. Archie whispered something and she turned to Caitlin’s direction to wave. The couple walked over to where she stood with Bram.
‘Guys, this is Rosabeth. Rosabeth, this is Bram and my good friend Caitlin.’
Rosabeth held out her hand. ‘Lovely to meet you. This one can’t stop talking about you. If I didn’t know better, I’d be so jealous.’
Caitlin shook her hand. ‘Great to meet you too. And you’ve no need to be jealous, Archie and I are just good friends.’
‘Really good friends,’ Archie added.
‘So, how long have you two been a couple?’ Rosabeth asked with her gaze firmly fixed on Bram.
‘This is our first official date,’ Caitlin replied.
Rosabeth’s eyes were still narrowed on Bram. ‘You look ever so familiar.’
He blushed. ‘Aye, I was at the singles mixer, up in Broadford.’
Rosabeth’s eyes widened. ‘Oh yes! That was the night that poor woman fell flat on her face, wasn’t it? I think I would’ve wanted the ground to open up and swallow me if that happened to me.’ She threw her head back and laughed. ‘She looked so utterly ridiculous there on her hands and knees. I know I shouldn’t laugh, but it was hilarious!’
Bram scrunched his brow. ‘Oh, I missed that. Poor lass. I bet she was mortified.’
As her face almost spontaneously combusted, Caitlin wanted Archie’s garden to open up and swallow her. She lifted her chin and made eye contact with a panicked-looking Archie, pleading with her eyes for him to keep his mouth shut. The last thing she needed was to be outed as the ‘poor woman’ Rosabeth had just been ridiculing.
‘Come and get food!’ Archie blurted.
And Caitlin exhaled, grateful that he had understood her unspoken plea, but still a little hurt by the callousness of Rosabeth’s amusement.
Rosabeth ran her red-painted nails down Archie’s arm. ‘Oh, he’s so demanding,’ she said in a sexy purr that made Caitlin feel physically sick – although it could still have been the ridicule.
‘Aye, I’m starving,’ Bram replied as he followed in the direction Rosabeth and Archie walked.
Before Caitlin could take a step, she was stopped by her friends Ruby and Jules.
‘We have to get rid of her!’ Ruby stated with determination.
Feeling incredibly sorry for Sophie, Caitlin gasped. ‘You can’t say that!’
‘We bloody can. She’s awful! And he just can’t see it,’ Jules said. Her face in a crumple of disgust. ‘She’s using him.’
‘She’s only just got here, give her a chance,’ Caitlin pleaded.
Jules shook her head and pursed her lips. ‘Look, you weren’t here earlier for her display. I’m telling you; she is going to make Archie’s life a misery.’
‘But… But…’
Ruby folded her arms across her chest. ‘Seriously, Cait, we’re not joking. She has to go. I’m not prepared to give her a chance. Not after what she did earlier.’
Caitlin was perturbed. She thought her friends would be willing to accept Archie’s new position as a dad. And although it was going to take Sophie a while to acclimatise, they were being unnecessarily harsh about the child in her opinion. ‘Whatever she did earlier, I think you need to consider her age and what she’s been through,’ Caitlin replied with a scowl.
‘I’m not ageist in the slightest and, to be honest, the fact she’s four years younger than him means nothing. But she’s already flirted with Reid, and she basically fawned all over Mitch,’ Ruby said indignantly.
The penny dropped and Caitlin covered her eyes with her hand. ‘You mean Rosabeth.’
Jules frowned and shared a confused glance with Ruby. ‘Who else would we mean?’
‘I thought you meant little Sophie.’
Jules’ eyes widened. ‘Oh god, no! She’s adorable! Rosabeth, on the other hand, is a disaster waiting to happen. You’ll have to say something, Cait. You’re the closest to him and he’ll listen to you.’
Caitlin scoffed. ‘Not a chance. He’s an adult and he’ll make his own decisions and mistakes, thank you very much. I am his friend, but I have no intention of interfering. Imagine how that would look!’
The other two women shared another disgruntled look. ‘He’s going to get hurt, Cait.’
‘Ruby’s right,’ Jules agreed. ‘She’s a massive flirt. Look!’
Caitlin glanced over to see that Rosabeth and Bram were huddled in a corner chatting. Rosabeth was eating a hot dog rather too seductively for her liking and Bram appeared to be hanging on her every word. Luckily, Archie appeared and dragged Rosabeth away.
Her friends were right, Caitlin decided, Rosabeth looked too good to be true and evidently was. And what kind of influence would someone like that be on little, impressionable Sophie? She shivered at the thought but knew she couldn’t really interfere… could she?
Caitlin made her way across to Bram. ‘Sorry I got collared by my friends. I hope you’re okay. It’s not typical first-date stuff this, is it?’
Bram smiled. ‘Don’t worry. I’m having a great time. Although that huge beardy bloke tried to arm me with a water pistol, and I had to decline. Not my scene really.’
‘Ah. Dex is all about fun and he’s pretty much a big kid himself.’
‘So I see. I hope you don’t think I’m boring. I just… I’m an only child and I grew up on a farm, so I’m more at home with cows than kids.’
His comment niggled at her, but she tried to push it aside. ‘It’s fine. Although don’t mention that to Dex, he’s likely to go and hunt down a cow for you to befriend.’
‘Your friends seem nice. Archie’s a great guy. Very warm. How long have him and Rosa been a couple?’
