Wildflower Bay (18 page)

Ruth had a sneaking suspicion that Jessie wasn’t going to be so keen to get back to long days on her feet after a couple of months off playing granny. ‘Well, we’ll
see.’

‘Ruth.’ Isla turned away from Sandra, smiling a greeting.

‘All right there, Mrs Mac,’ said Shannon, squeezing past her in the doorway, ‘you’re no’ in today, are you?’

‘No, just popping past on my way back,’ Ruth explained, ‘thought I’d say hello.’

‘Well,’ said Shannon, sliding Isla a mischievous look, ‘We were out last night, and Isla seems to be getting on like a house on fire with your Finn.’

Ruth watched Isla frown at Shannon in the mirror, but was interrupted as she opened her mouth to speak.

‘If I could just pay before this turns into a mothers’ meeting.’ Sandra stood up, preening herself like a fat hen, allowing Isla to slip her out of the gown and pick up her
handbag as if she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth.

Once the payment was completed Sandra bustled out of the shop, almost knocking Ruth over in passing. Edging aside with her stick, Ruth said, ‘Actually, Isla, I was wanting to have a wee
word with you. I’ve been thinking that a wee bit of gentle exercise would do me the world of good. Do you fancy a little stroll tomorrow afternoon?’

Isla, who still looked perplexed, gave her another smile as she brushed down her top, which was covered in a scattering of Sandra’s hair.

‘That would be lovely. We close at half past twelve.’

‘I’ll get the bus along to town, then,’ said Ruth, watching as Ethel was wrapped in a black salon gown by Jinny and bustled off to the sinks to have her hair washed. ‘See
you here tomorrow lunchtime.’

‘I’ll look forward to it.’

On the bus home, Ruth looked out of the window at children skimming stones on the beach and waited for the stop that was handily right outside her little cottage. Goodness knows what Shannon was
playing at – she was a right little minx, that one, always stirring up mischief.

Safely indoors, she sat down on the sofa, feeling a bit out of breath. These new pills didn’t seem to be doing a thing. Maybe a little snooze might help . . . Hamish hopped up with a
chirrup of approval and settled down on her knee. As she dropped off, she hoped that Finn hadn’t been up to his usual tricks. Isla was a nice girl . . .

Jinny flipped the
CLOSED
sign over in the face of a disappointed teenager, and her mum who was standing with hand poised to push the door open.

‘Sorry, we’re closed!’ Jinny mouthed, motioning at the sign dramatically. ‘And I’m off the island pronto, because I’ve got to get to Reiki training this
afternoon and if I miss that next boat I’ll be swimming across to the mainland, so tough luck, guys and girls . . .’

Shannon shook her head. ‘You do talk a lot of bollocks, you do.’

‘Well,’ Isla closed down the computer screen, ‘you guys need to have a think about what we’re going to do, because I vote we start opening full days on a Saturday.
We’re turning people away, and that’s crazy.’

Shannon and Jinny both groaned in unison. ‘Noooo, we need our Saturdays.’

‘You get more days off than anyone I’ve ever worked with. And think of the money. You’ll get a pay increase, of course.’ Isla hadn’t actually run it past Jessie,
but her aunt had been so vague on the phone the other day that Isla was sure it’d be fine. The salon’s takings were up, word seemed to be getting around, and it was ridiculous to be
closed on the busiest day of the week. Even in tiny Kilmannan people wanted to get dressed up on a Saturday night and head out to the pub, and not everyone could fit in – or for that matter
afford – the journey to Glasgow on a Saturday, not to mention the cost of a salon over there.

‘Ah well, if you’re talking money,’ Shannon perked up. ‘That’s a different matter.’ Jinny nodded.

‘OK, let’s have a chat about it on Tuesday when we’re back in. Meanwhile, have a good weekend, you two. Oh look, Shannon, someone for you.’ Outside, face scarlet, arms
full of flowers from the florist (which had turned out to be quite lovely, to Isla’s delight), was Shannon’s beau, the beleaguered Rab, who had been subjected to her determined study of
The Rules
.

‘Awwwww,’ said Jinny through a mouth stretched wide as she applied lipstick looking in the mirror. ‘You can’t say he’s no’ trying.’

Shannon looked cross. She pulled her ever-present handbook out of her bag.

‘Is that no’ due back at the library by now?’ Jinny peered over her shoulder.

‘Shut up. I renewed it.’ Shannon snapped it shut, blushing slightly.

‘There’s nothing in there about what to do if they turn up with flowers. He’s not supposed to be doing that bit yet.’

Isla burst out laughing. These girls. They’d made working here so much more fun than in any of the starchy, perfect salons back home. ‘I think if I were you, I’d go along with
it. There’s a man out there with half the florist in his arms. I think that’s a good sign.’

Shannon, by now as pink in the face as the hapless Rab, looked quietly delighted.

‘All right. If this all goes wrong, I’m blaming you two.’

She headed outside, where Rab leaned across and gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek before they walked off, hand in hand.

Isla gave the place one final, routine check-over. Jinny hauled her bag full of books and goodness knows what else over her shoulder. ‘Ready?’

They were closing the door when Isla felt something wet at the back of her leg, followed by a heaving, straining, panting noise. She turned around to see a scruffy-looking boy attached to a
hefty Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

‘Oh God, no, Leo,’ said Jinny, in despair. She looked across the road to the harbour where the boat was already backing into position, ready to disembark the passengers from the
mainland.

‘Dad’s had to go and fix a bike across at Jimmy Colhoun’s place, and I’ve got a football match in half an hour. It’s the tournament up at the school, I can’t
miss it.’ Leo looked anxious. ‘He says he’ll definitely be back, but can you take Mavis until then?’

Isla hid a smile. Only in Jinny’s world would a dog built like a brindled barrel, with a back broad enough to serve afternoon tea on, be called Mavis.

‘I can’t.’ Jinny tucked her hands behind her back.

Leo pushed the lead in her direction. Mavis, slobbering, grinned toothily at him.

‘Leo, I’m going on that boat, and there’s no way on earth I’m taking a bloody dog to a Reiki session! Tie her up at football, come on . . . someone will take her for
you.’ Jinny’s voice was pleading.

‘He’ll be back in half an hour. You can catch the next boat.’ Leo looked at the lead in his hand, sizing up his options. ‘I’ll just leave her here . . .’

‘She’ll run away and steal steak pies from the butcher’s if you don’t take her, and then she’ll get put down,’ Jinny said darkly. ‘And then Mikey will
be upset, and it’ll be all your fault.’

It was like listening to two children squabbling over a toy, only neither of them wanted it. Isla shook her head despairingly. ‘Look –’ she reached out a hand, taking the lead
from Jinny’s brother – ‘I’ll take her. I’m going for a walk anyway.’ How difficult could it be?

‘Have we got some extra bodies for our little walk, Isla?’

Ruth’s appearance seemed to create enough of a disturbance that Leo shot off, disappearing in a second. Ruth patted Mavis, who snorted a greeting before dribbling on Ruth’s handbag
and attempting to steal her walking stick.

‘Where are you going for your walk?’ Jinny, half an eye on the boat, which was now preparing to load passengers, turned to Ruth.

‘Well, Isla,’ Ruth looked at her, ‘I was thinking a wee stroll around the park behind the castle. Nothing too strenuous.’

‘Excellent.’ Jinny pulled her phone out of her bag. ‘Mavis loves it there. I’ll text Dad and tell him to pick her up there when he’s done in half an
hour.’

Leaning down to pat the dog, she hitched her bag onto her shoulder and hurtled off towards the boat, calling as she went, ‘Thanks, Isla, I owe you one!’

Walking Mavis turned out to be slightly less relaxing than Isla had imagined. Ruth, who seemed a bit wheezy, couldn’t manage anything more than a very slow pace with her stick. Mavis, who
was enormously strong, was clearly used to slightly less sedate exercise and consequently spent the whole time pulling like a train until the muscles in Isla’s arm were aching.

‘Hello, Mavis,’ said a woman being towed in the opposite direction by a huge, incredibly hairy German Shepherd. ‘Are you taking some new people for a walk today? Look, Petal,
Mavis has some new friends!’

Isla smiled politely as the dogs circled each other, their leads wrapping into a maypole pattern. She untangled it, and they moved onwards.

‘So I gather you met my Finn,’ Ruth began.

Isla opened her mouth to reply. Just then a brown and white spaniel, who wasn’t on a lead, leaped up to them. It bounced over the top of Mavis’s back, bounded around Ruth in a circle
and headed back towards its owner, who was waving and calling from the far side of the park.

‘Yes,’ Isla began to reply, cautiously, having checked there were no other dogs. Mavis had slowed her pulling a little now, meaning she could concentrate on what she was saying.
‘Well, you could call it meeting – he crashed his bike when I was out running.’

‘Oh yes, that was a nasty one. He didn’t hit you, did he?’ Ruth turned to look at Isla.

‘No, I was fine. He was lucky it wasn’t worse.’

‘Yes, well, as I said the other day when we were drinking tea, he has a habit of just getting by, that one.’ She tutted, fondly.

At that, Mavis gave a bark of excitement and started galloping on the spot, just giving Isla enough notice to gather her thoughts before she was towed halfway across the grass towards a tall man
with shoulder-length hair who was waving happily at her.

‘Wait there,’ Isla called back to Ruth, who had already made herself at home on a wooden bench. ‘I’ll be back in a moment.’ Ruth waved acknowledgement.

‘Hello, beautiful,’ said the man. Mavis rolled over happily, waving her paws in the air.

‘You must be –’

‘Paul. Jinny’s dad.’ He had a silver hooped earring in one ear. He reached out a hand that was streaked with some kind of engine oil, looked at it, and pulled it away in the
time it had taken Isla to wonder whether it would be polite to just nod a greeting instead of shaking hands.

‘Jin’s really loving working with you. She’s full of it every night. Lovely to see her so inspired.’ He took Mavis’s lead and wiped his hand on his jeans,
absentmindedly. ‘You’re a born teacher, from what I hear. She’s been soaking it all up, coming home, telling us all about how I can run my business more effectively. You’re
a bit of a hit, from what I’m hearing.’

Isla felt herself blush. ‘Well, she’s a lovely girl. And she’s determined to make something of herself, too.’

‘Glad to hear it. The world needs more sparks like Jinny, if you ask me.’ He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it out of his eyes.

‘Well, anyway,’ Isla turned, motioning to Ruth, who looked quite happy on her bench, ‘I’d better let you and Mavis get on.’

‘Thanks for taking her. Really appreciate it.’

‘No problem,’ said Isla, happy to have handed her over. She was definitely a cat person. Her skirt was covered in dog drool and fur.

Walking back over to Ruth, Isla noticed that from here you could see the wide sweep of Kilmannan Bay. In the far distance, Jinny’s boat was heading off to the mainland. The park was
beautifully kept, neatly cut grass surrounded by a row of towering oak trees, underneath one of which Ruth sat patiently.

‘I don’t think I’ll be in a rush to get a dog,’ called Isla as she approached.

Ruth’s infectious laugh rang out. ‘Well, not one like Madam, perhaps.’ She patted the space on the bench next to her. ‘Come and have a sit down.’

‘I thought you fancied a walk?’ Isla crossed one leg over the other, turning to face her.

‘Och, that’s enough of an exercise for me. I tell you what, though, I quite fancy a cup of tea at the cafe outside the castle, if you’d like to join me? My treat.’

‘I’d love to.’ Isla noticed Ruth was still a bit out of breath, even after sitting down for a rest. ‘Are you OK to walk, or do you want to give it a bit
longer?’

‘Oh, don’t worry about me, I’ve just got a bit of a wheeze.’ Ruth shook her head. ‘Look at that.’ She pointed with her walking stick to the edge of the bench,
where some tiny blue flowers were growing. ‘D’you see those?’

Isla peered down at them. They looked like miniature bluebells, but finer and more delicately drawn. ‘They’re pretty – what are they?’

‘Harebells. When I was a wee girl, this field wasn’t a park at all, but a big meadow – the secondary school behind you wasn’t there, of course, because we just had one
school in the town, where the little art gallery is now.’ Ruth looked thoughtful. ‘I used to sneak up here when I could get away with it – I had a lot of brothers and sisters, and
I was in the middle, so I always got stuck with all the worst jobs, looking after the little ones.’

Isla smiled. It was amazing to think that Ruth, at eighty, had lived her whole life here on this little island. Even though she had to grudgingly admit that the place wasn’t as grim as
she’d first thought, eighty years seemed like a long time to be stuck here.

‘I was a reader and a daydreamer,’ continued Ruth, ‘but my mother didn’t have a lot of time for that sort of thing. I used to bring my favourite books up here and lie
under that oak tree over there and pretend I lived somewhere beautiful. My favourite was
Anne of Green Gables
– I loved the way she renamed all her favourite places.’

‘Oh, I loved her too!’ Isla had suspected from the offing that Ruth was what Anne would have called a kindred spirit.

Ruth put her gnarled, age-spotted hand over Isla’s, looked at her and smiled.

‘Then I shall share a secret with you. I always thought Kilmannan was such a hard name for such a pretty place. When I sat here surrounded by harebells and daisies I renamed it Wildflower
Bay. I never told a soul that until now.’