Page 63 of Christmas at the Scottish Lodge
‘You’re talking about Boyd?’ Quinn looked angry. ‘You were in the news, making money and suddenly he got in touch.’ His forehead tightened signalling irritation.
‘Aye,’ Jed said and then he’d failed at that. ‘He was proud of me.’ He cleared his throat battling with emotion. ‘He gambled on me because of that.’
‘You think that means something?’ Quinn put his elbows on his knees and leaned forward.
‘It meant something to me,’ Jed said, his voice rusty. ‘It meant he believed in me.’ It sounded stupid now he said it aloud. His mind drifted to Adam and Scott. The boy made his da proud just by existing. He didn’t need to prove himself.
‘So…’ Quinn scratched his chin. ‘Let me get this right. You married my sister and then when you had the accident, you decided that you weren’t good enough for her. So you what, left? If it was that easy, that’s not love.’
Jed shut his eyes; this was mortifying. ‘That’s not the whole story. Da lost money on the event in February.’ He grimaced. ‘I’m trying to pay it off. If he knew about Mairi then…’
‘Ach.’ Quinn jerked his chin. ‘You’re worried she’d get caught up in the situation.’ For the first time, his friend didn’t soundannoyed. He scratched his chin. ‘You know your da made his own choices,’ Quinn said. ‘He gambles, and if he lost money, then it’s his fault. If I bet on a horse and it lost, would you blame the horse if I lost money?’ His eyes flashed.
‘No, but…’ Jed sucked air between his teeth. ‘I want to put things right. Fault or not, I still feel bad about it.’ He clicked his teeth. ‘I don’t know.’ He sighed pressing his fingertips into his eyes. ‘Today was supposed to fix everything…Mairi and I were going to tell you after the championships finished.’
Quinn stared at him for a moment. ‘You love her, don’t you?’
‘Aye, I always have.’ Jed gulped. ‘Isn’t it obvious?’
His friend laughed. ‘You really are an eejit, aren’t you?’
‘I could have told you that,’ Jed sighed.
Quinn got up and wrung his hands. ‘It helps, knowing that. But I’m still mad at you.’
‘I don’t blame you,’ Jed said softly.
‘Not because you married my sister, you idiot. Because you lied to me.’ Quinn’s voice was low. ‘You took what I said when we were practically kids and decided to carry that in your heart and use it as an excuse for—’ He waved his hands. ‘You’ve focused on why you’re not worthy without truly looking at the people who care for you, the ones who’d stick with you no matter what.’ He sighed. ‘And I’m furious that your da is so stupid that he doesn’t recognise what he has in you.’
‘Aye, well…’ Jed cleared his throat as emotion filled it. ‘That’s a lot of mad.’
Quinn frowned. ‘You made my sister feel like she had to lie to me. You made her unhappy.’ Quinn swallowed. ‘As far as I’m concerned, that’s the only thing that makes you not good enough for Mairi. Now I want you to think about what you’re going to do to fix it.’ With that, he strode out of the room, leaving Jed staring after him. Wondering for the first time if he really could put this right.
28
MAIRI
Mairi’s head throbbed, her right side too – but no matter how much they ached, she knew the pain was worse in her heart. She lay back on the hospital bed and closed her eyes trying to shut out the world. After all this time, it was hard to accept that things were finally over between her and Jed. But they had to be. It was time for her to give up on their marriage. Time to stop chasing a relationship with someone whose feelings clearly weren’t as strong as her own. After her experiences with Mike, Harry and then Jed, she’d realised she was better off on her own. Love didn’t offer security – all it promised was more pain.
‘Is your head hurting,hennie?’ Effie asked, taking Mairi’s hand and squeezing it gently. ‘I know the doctor told us that we shouldn’t stay for too long.’ She glanced at Kenna, who was sitting in the high back grey chair beside the bed, scrolling through her phone. ‘I need to get back to the lodge in a moment.’ Effie pulled a face. ‘I’m not sure what Douggie will get up to without me there. He promised he’d wait, but he gets itchy feet if he has an idea…’
‘You might want to invest in a few more candles,’ Kenna said dryly.
‘Aye, I’ve got two dozen on order.’ Effie chuckled and her cheeks went bright pink. ‘At least there’s never a dull moment with him around. The good news is I heard from Rhona this morning.’ The older woman turned her attention back to Mairi. ‘She’s feeling much better, and she said she’ll be able to come back to the lodge tomorrow. That means no more helping out for you.’ She stroked her hand. ‘Why don’t you stay on for a few days and rest up? Let me take care of you. I’ll keep your peppermint mochas topped up, which means you’ll be back on your feet in no time.’ She smiled kindly and Mairi felt her insides lurch.
‘Thanks.’ She swallowed a gulp of air. ‘But I think I might head back to Edinburgh.’ The idea of leaving Holly Berry Lodge filled her with longing. But she couldn’t stay in Aberlinnie any longer – she wouldn’t be able to avoid Jed for long. And she didn’t want to see him. She’d spent too long waiting for him to show her how he felt – now he had, it was time to go.
The older woman gave her a long look. ‘Whatever’s happened between you and my lad, you both need to put it right.’ She scrubbed a frustrated hand over her Brillo pad hair, flattening it before it bounced back. If only Mairi’s love life was as indestructible. ‘He might be an ass sometimes, but you matter to him and whatever’s happened, I know you’ll be able to fix it.’
Quinn walked into the room and stood for a moment gazing at them, his expression thoughtful. ‘Jed’s in the waiting room, Mairi, he’s refusing to leave until he sees you. I told him to go, but…’ He shrugged. ‘I think he’s got some things he wants to say.’
‘He’s said everything already,’ Mairi said bitterly, trying to sit up. ‘I don’t need to hear more.’ She already knew he didn’t want them to be together – what else did she need to know?
‘What do you mean?’ Effie asked, taking a step away from the bed and glancing between them. ‘You need to tell me what’s happened, lass. It can’t be that bad.’
The room fell silent.
‘Jed and Mairi got married in Vegas just before his accident in February,’ Kenna announced, putting her mobile on the table beside the hospital bed and rising to her full height. ‘I’m sorry, but someone’s got to tell her,’ she said sharply when Quinn glared. ‘Keeping this a secret has brought nothing but heartache.’
