Page 78 of A Summer of New Beginnings
Shonagh held out her hand andZara shook it. ‘Lovely to finally meet you, Zara.’
‘And you too.’
‘|Now, what can I order for you ladies? The pastries are to die for. And, Shonagh, would you like tea or coffee?’ Loretta waved over the waitress.
‘Coffee would be good, thanks.’
Loretta placed an order for more coffee and some breakfast pastries and when the waitress had gone Shonagh turned to Zara.
‘Now, I just want to saythat I appreciate you coming to meet me on a Sunday morning, especially after such a late night. But I wanted to make sure I got my offer of a publishing contract on the table before Loretta works her magic and you’re snapped up by another lucky company.’
Zara shook her head in bewilderment. ‘I still can’t quite take all this in.’
Shonagh smiled warmly. ‘Well, hopefully we can come to a mutualagreement and you’ll be able to relax in the knowledge that your books will be safe with us. I’ll give you plenty of time to discuss the offer with Loretta if you need it, and you may also discuss things with your solicitor if you prefer.’
‘Sounds great. Thank you.’
Two hours later, full to the brim withpain au chocolatand cinnamon whirls yet somehow still floating on air, Zara hugged Lorettaand promised to be in touch soon. She had already made the decision to sign on the dotted line, however, but didn’t want to seem overly desperate to say yes right away. The offer of a three-book deal and a hefty advance had shaken her to the core and she needed time to let everything sink in.
When she got back to the hotel she gathered her friends and family and relayed the sordid details ofJosh and his lies. There were gasps of horror and in turn each of them expressed their honest opinions. Obviously Marco had hated him all along. Her dad was going to set the lads on him, Shelley was speechless, which was a first, and her mum cried. Once the bad stuff was out of the way she relayed the conversations she’d had with Loretta and Shonagh and how it had come to light that Lachy hadn’t cheated.As always their unwavering support was immediate and she was hugged and congratulated on the exciting career developments. They were thrilled and so very happy for her.
She hugged her parents and said goodbye as they were going off sightseeing to make the most of their extra few days in the city. Then she was left with her friends. She asked if she could have a private word with Shelley and Marco.They shared worried glances but agreed to follow her to her room.
Her friends sat on the bed. ‘What’s wrong, Zee? Why all the secrecy? Is everything okay?’ Shelley asked as Zara paced the room.
‘No, everything isn’t okay. It’s almost okay, but there’s one thing missing from this whole scenario.’
‘Lachy?’ Marco asked.
‘Lachy,’ Zara confirmed.
‘So, are you going to call him?’ Marco asked.
Zara shook her head as sadness tugged at her heart. ‘I have no way to do that. He gave me a business card, but I lost it on my way back to Inverness.’
Marco looked sheepish all of a sudden. ‘Erm… I might be able to solve that problem.’
Zara and Shelley turned to him in unison with, ‘Oh?’
He cringed. ‘I saw you speaking to him last night and I guessed it was him. I pretended to be interestedin crofting and got his business card. You can have it if—’
Zara launched herself at him. ‘Oh, my goodness, Marco, I love you so much. Thank you, thank you.’
Shelley scrunched her brow. ‘But… why did you do that when last night you thought he’d cheated?’
He shrugged. ‘Something just didn’t add up. And I knew she lost the original card. I had a feeling she’d end up regretting having no way tocontact him.’ He fumbled in his wallet and pulled out the card and handed it to Zara.
‘Look, guys, I’m going to pack my stuff. I’ll drop Lachy a message and ask him to call me. He once told me to text first, as he might be out on the quad if he’s even left Inverness. I’m hoping he’s still here though.’
Her friends hugged her tight and asked her to keep them posted before they left her room.Once alone she slumped onto the bed and began to compile an apology. She made several attempts to put her feelings into words, but each time deleted the inadequate ones. Eventually she came up with something she was fairly happy with, although it spanned several text messages.
Lachy, this is Zara Bailey. The strong independent woman with Silver Dickhead the bike. Aka, the stupid woman who believedsomeone who had a track record of being deceitful. I feel I owe you an explanation, so here goes. After leaving the Highlands on completion of my bike ride, I heard something which led me to believe that you weren’t single when I was at your croft, which meant that the special time we shared was tainted. I’m not someone who agrees with cheating and so to be with someone who appeared to be doingjust that I was angry and disappointed; not only in you but in myself for being a victim of this twice. When you showed up at my hotel that night I was only just in possession of what I thought were the facts of your relationship with Saskia, i.e., your engagement. Today I discovered the truth however which means I owe you a sincere apology. Today I’ve discovered that I was completely wrong. Ishould have listened to you when you showed up at my door. I should have let you in and given you a chance to tell me in your own words. I didn’t and I’ll regret that forever. I know I’ve ruined whatever chance there was of us being anything, let alone friends, but I wanted you to know that you were right. I felt that connection between us too. It wasn’t just lust. I felt something when I lookedinto your eyes that night that I’ve never felt before. And it’s stayed with me ever since. I’ve missed you like I miss home when I’m away, which I know probably sounds crazy but it’s the truth. So yes, to answer the question you asked me that night, we could have been something. Something very special. And now that I’ve lost that chance I’m a little bit broken. It turns out that you were the one whosubmitted my book to the competition and that you were instrumental in Loretta signing me. Josh said it was all him. That’s why I forgave him. I know now that it was all lies. I hope that someday you can forgive me and look back and think of me with a small amount of fondness. But know that I will forever feel like I’ve missed out on the most wonderful relationship with a very special, caring,loving man. I know you probably won’t reply and I honestly don’t blame you after how I acted. But I’m still at the Kingsman. If you haven’t yet left Inverness perhaps we could meet? I want to tell you how sorry I am in person. I owe you that and so much more. I should’ve known better. With much love but more regret, Zara xx
She hit send and stared at her phone.Please reply, Lachy, please forgiveme.She packed her things away but kept her phone within earshot just in case. An hour later there was a knock at the door and Zara’s heart skipped. She checked her reflection and inhaled deeply before opening it.
‘Zara, don’t slam the door in my face,’ Josh said as he wedged his foot in the opening. ‘Just let me in to talk. Please?’ He looked terrible. His hair was untidy and he was still inlast night’s clothing. Although his once pristine tuxedo now looked as if it had been rolled around in the dirt.
‘I have nothing to say to you.’
