Page 21 of Christmas at the Scottish Lodge
‘Oh thank goodness you made it,I’ve been frantic. Even your da’s been on the phone, Jed,’ Effie gasped, coughing as Mairi and Jed walked into Holly Berry Lodge the following morning. Mairi was carrying the puppy and Bear trotted alongside Jed. She was tired and her eyes felt scratchy. ‘I was so relieved when I got your message this morning. How’s the ankle?’
‘It’s okay after the rest and ice – the swelling’s gone down,’ Mairi admitted. It was still sore, but it hadn’t stopped her from walking to the lodge. She’d wanted to get away from her feelings for Jed. It had been difficult spending the night with him. Especially when he’d refused to talk again despite her barrage of questions.
‘Aye, I checked her over before we came,’ Jed said, sounding embarrassed. Mairi swallowed, it had been an intimate moment – one that had sent her pulse sky rocketing.
‘So, who’s the wee angel?’ Effie moved closer and leaned down so she could peer at the small dog – the sparkly snowmanon the front of her green jumper glittered under the overhead lights.
‘A stray. Bear found him near the old bothy up on the mountains,’ Jed told her. ‘May I?’ he asked Mairi, taking the fluffy black ball and giving it to his aunt. The dog whined. He’d bonded with Mairi during the night and clearly wasn’t keen on being parted from her now. She didn’t really want to let him go either. But she needed to shower, to take a few moments alone.
‘Ach, I think it might be one of the missing pups I heard about. One of them turned up, but looks like this lad went further afield,’ Effie said, snuggling the small dog in her arms. ‘I’ll let the shelter know, see if they want to part with the wee chappie. We’ve always got room for another bairn here.’ Bear barked his agreement, and she grinned at him. ‘Does he have a name?’
‘I was thinking Midnight,’ Mairi said. She’d thought of it while she’d been staring into the fire. ‘Because he kept us up for most of the night.’ Not that she’d have slept anyway – not with Jed in the same room. He’d been so close but had never felt further away.
‘I like it.’ Effie nodded. ‘I’ll keep an eye on him and let you know what the shelter says.’
‘I hope you can keep him,’ Mairi said, surprised by the surge of pure longing. She hadn’t let herself get close to anything since Jed – losing things she cared for was too painful, but the puppy had burrowed into her heart.
Bear came trotting over to rub himself against Effie’s heels and she stroked the small clump of hair on his head, then coughed, rubbing her chest.
‘Everything alright, Effie?’ Mairi asked. On closer inspection the older woman didn’t look well: she was a little stooped in the shoulder and her Brillo pad hair was bent out of shape.
‘I’m fine,hennie. I didn’t sleep, what with the storm and wondering if you and Jed were okay. Plus, I think I might have a wee cold starting.’ She tapped her chest. ‘I’ve been drinking extra peppermint mochas this morning and I’m sure I’m feeling a little better already.’ She tried to smile. ‘I can’t be ill; Douglas found the piece of paper that he wrote the guests’ names on, and it turns out there were two. We’re expecting a Greer Abernathy and Margo Green.’ She pulled in a breath. ‘I’m hoping neither are the mystery reviewer.’
‘Why?’ Jed asked.
‘The woman I’m thinking of can be critical. She called one of the hotels she stayed in last year inhospitable.’ Effie coughed again.
‘I can’t believe she’d have anything bad to say about this place,’ Jed said, looking around.
Effie frowned. ‘We’re not exactly at our best at the moment. It’s not very Christmassy. There are still no decorations in the sitting room or upstairs – there aren’t any lights outside the lodge either. When Rhona’s here, we’re more on top of things.’ She sighed.
‘I can decorate,’ Mairi offered. Her head was still too messed up for her to consider writing. The deadline might be advancing at an alarming pace, but until she’d sorted out what was happening with Jed, she wasn’t going to be able to tackle the ending of her book.
‘I can too,’ Jed said. ‘And I’m sure Douglas could put lights up outside.’
‘Aye. I can ask. But we won’t get it done before our new guests arrive.’ Effie glanced towards the entrance. ‘If we’re lucky, the roads won’t be open because of the storm, so they might not get here until later.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘I’d best get a stew on – I need to make sure the beef dissolves in the mouth. Just in case one of them is here to write a review.’ She looked unhappy.‘Oh, I almost forgot, lass, you had a delivery yesterday, right before the storm started.’ She glanced at the reception desk. ‘It’s under there.’
‘I’ll get it,’ Jed said before Mairi could offer. When he returned, he was carrying an extravagant bouquet of pink flowers with a large heart-shaped card with bold lettering that read, ‘I MISS YOU. H XXX’. Jed frowned as he handed it to her. ‘Looks like it’s from your boyfriend,’ he said, his voice taut.
‘Boyfriend?’ Effie boomed, brightening. ‘You have a man in your life?’
‘Aye, well. It’s all a bit new at the moment.’ Mairi felt her cheeks warm as she took the flowers. It was a sweet gesture, but they smelled sickly and her chest knotted.
When she glanced up, Jed was staring at her. He broke eye contact when he realised she’d noticed and glanced behind him. ‘Where is Douglas?’
Effie sighed. ‘He’s clearing snow from outside the lodge. He does it every day – he talked about trying out some newfangled device he’s been working on. He was very excited.’ She looked worried. ‘You’d better go look for him, lad. Last time he tried something similar, he got so tangled in the cables and one of the guests had to rescue him.’ She checked her watch. ‘I shouldn’t have left the dafty on his own outside for so long.’
‘Leave it with me. I’ll check in on him on my way to my first class,’ Jed soothed.
‘Why don’t I put these in my bedroom now, then I’ll shower and after that I can start on the stew while you look after the puppy?’ Mairi asked Effie.
‘Don’t you need to write, lass?’ the older woman asked.
‘It can wait.’ She needed to stay busy. Sitting and staring at a blank screen wasn’t going to help.
Effie smiled. ‘Ach lass, I’m not sure how I’d have coped if you hadn’t been here. Thank you for finding time to see us and for staying to help. I’ve missed you.’ She sounded like she meant it.
Mairi cleared her throat. ‘I’ve missed you too.’ She heard the door of the entrance shut as Jed left.
