‘It’s a great spot,’ she said, parking the car just beside the cottage and turning off the ignition. ‘It’s completely tucked away. You shouldn’t get anyone bothering you here. And the neighbours are great. Quiet and keep themselves to themselves. Not at all crazy in any way.’
Luke laughed. There was something enchanting about Rosie especially the fact she was so self-deprecating. She made a refreshing change from the women who had been throwing themselves at him since his marriage breakdown. She was so authentic and normal. No wonder he had been attracted to her when they were younger. If only he could remember the details.
‘So much for my wishful thinking that the cottage would be empty for the summer.’ She shook her head in bemusement. ‘And nowyou’rehere. You couldn’t actually make this up.’
They both got out the car and Luke walked over to the key-safe by the front door, painted in a pale lichen shade, and lined up the dial with the code. The box opened and he retrieved the key, opening the front door. ‘Here, let me get that,’ he said to Rosie who was unpacking his bag and golf clubs from the boot.
‘Are you sure about this?’ she said again doubtfully, looking around. ‘It’s very quiet here. Island life is a bit different. Will you not be bored? Especially when you’re used to living the high life in London. There really isn’t so much to do here in comparison.’
Luke shook his head. ‘It’s perfect. It is quiet, not to mention the stunning scenery and that’s all I need. And thanks for giving me the lift round. Ireallyappreciate it.’
He smiled at her and she blushed.
‘No problem at all,’ she said nonchalantly. ‘Well, I will leave you to it. And, remember, if you need to borrow a cup of sugar or anything else when you are here, then you only need to knock on the door.’
He regarded her for a moment as she stood looking at him pensively. She was rather beautiful and the way she kept tucking her hair behind her ears was quite endearing. ‘Um, well I suppose the only thing I need to ask is . . . well, I’d be really grateful if you could keep it to yourself that I am here.’Which was so not what I was thinking. Why did I just say that?He could have kicked himself, especially when he saw how unimpressed she looked.
‘Of course,’ she said curtly. ‘Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.’ She tapped her finger to her mouth and whispered, ‘Sssh.’
‘Thanks,’ he said. ‘You’ve been so kind to me. Especially when I turned up out the blue.’ He paused. ‘I just hope that Bella is okay. She’s a good kid.’
Rosie grimaced. ‘Mm, we shall see. Watch this space. I’ve a feeling there is more to come. But I’m sure it will all be okay. That’s as long as Isobel hasn’t dropped any huge clangers while I have been out.’ She pulled her bag tighter on her shoulder. ‘Right, I’d best be off. See you later. Enjoy!’ Giving him a wave, she jumped into the car and drove the few metres to park in the drive of her own cottage.
Luke took his things into the little house and dumped them in the bright hallway.What a day. He walked through to the welcoming lounge which had windows overlooking the sea. Immediately he relaxed. He had a feeling he was going to enjoy staying here regardless of the strange chain of events that had brought him to Arran.
Chapter Eighteen
The next morning, Rosie clipped Coisty’s lead onto his collar and they left the cottage to make their way down the lane to the beach for their usual walk. There was no sign of life at Beach Cottage. She still couldn’t believe Luke Giles was staying next door. Her fling from all those years ago. At the time, she thought she was head over heels in love with him when it was actually just lust. Although her younger self did think they had a genuine connection. But it was easy to imagine these things, she told herself, when you were young and having a brief fling with a pop star who probably had a girl, or several, in every town. Rosie had managed to move on very quickly afterwards with an Australian hunk called Brad. There were a few more flings after Brad and then she met Dermot, who she had thought wastheone. She hadn’t thought about Luke for years. Rosie wasn’t on social media and didn’t read magazines, unless she was at the hairdressers and even then, she preferred the gardening magazines. But when she saw him again she recognised him because he still looked gorgeous. It was Isobel who had told her last night that he had turned his hand to acting and had been in a successful police procedural series on Sky TV.
Coisty trotted alongside her at quite a pace and Rosie took in deep breaths of salty air. She didn’t think she would ever tire of that fresh smell which invigorated her every morning. They didn’t pass a soul and when they reached the sandy shore, she let Coisty run free. His tail was in full helicopter wagging mode, a sign that he was particularly excited by life and he ran along stopping to push his nose into the ground and smell new scents.
As she wandered along behind him, her mind drifted between thoughts of last night’s drama and her plans for that morning. Isobel and Bella were still fast asleep when she left and she wondered if she should give them some space to talkthings through. She could definitely find tasks to keep her busy. She wanted to finish the weeding at the bottom of the garden and then mow the lawn. There was just a small patch of grass outside and she had cut it back last week. But the good weather and the rainfall during the past few nights meant it had quickly sprouted again. She loved the look of a manicured lawn and her dad had been very particular about making sure it was neat and tidy. Then she laughed as she realised, she was talking to herself again. Normally she was surrounded by people at work — in the classroom and staff room — and would see Dermot at home and then friends at the weekend. It had felt a bit weird to only have Coisty to talk to lately and podcasts or the radio to listen to. Then she found her thoughts wandering again, this time to her mum’s old recipe book. She had been flicking through it and planned to make her traditional flapjacks at some point while Isobel was here. She missed having someone to cook for, so it would be nice to take care of Isobel for a change.
Looking at the ground at her feet, she saw a glint of blue glass in the sand. Bending down, she picked it up, smoothing the grains of sand away with her thumb. She had enjoyed collecting bits of sea-glass since moving here and had amassed a clean poo bag full of it. She unzipped her crossover bag, pulled out the small plastic bag and dropped the blue glass in with the other bits of what were mainly white and green shards. Then she whistled for Coisty. But when she looked up, she realised he was nowhere to be seen. He did quite often follow his nose and she wondered if he had got the scent of a rabbit or a dead bird and was now happily rolling all over it. As she scanned the beach ahead, she still couldn’t see him. Where was he? Her relaxed smile vanished as she started to panic.
‘Coisty,’ she called. ‘Coisty. Come and get a treat.’ But the beach was deserted and no matter how many times she called his name and offered him a piece of cheese or sausage, the little dogwas nowhere to be seen. She started to up her pace and lightly jogged over to the pile of rocks at the far end of the beach. As she neared them, she sighed in relief when she saw him lying on his back with his feet in the air. A man was crouched down over him, tickling his stomach. ‘Coisty, there you are.’ Coisty wagged his tail and looked beyond her as though he had no idea who she was.
‘Hey there, good morning.’
Rosie sighed. Of course, the man had to be Luke. As cute as Coisty was, she had to remember that not everyone liked dogs. ‘Oh, hi there,’ she said as casually as she could manage. ‘I’m sorry. I hope he wasn’t bothering you. As you can tell his recall is not very good. Naughty boy.’ She shook her head.
‘Is that me or the dog?’ joked Luke.
Rosie’s cheeks flushed and she felt herself fumble with Coisty’s lead. He jumped up and shook himself then promptly sat down again next to Luke.He was outrageous.Rosie was aware that Luke was gazing at her and she wondered if she had a piece of twig or something in her hair. She looked at him questioningly as she tried to subtly rake her hand through her hair in the hope of freeing any vegetation. ‘Lovely morning, isn’t it?’
‘It’s beautiful,’ he said, smiling at her and his dark eyes crinkled in the corners.
Luke was dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt which clung to his muscles. She felt something inside her shift and her legs actually started to feel a bit wobbly. She glanced again at his well-defined arms. He looked very strong andcapable. Up close she couldn’t help admiring his features. He had a few lines on his forehead and he looked very natural, so wasn’t a filler kind of man, which was a relief. In fact, he had grown into a really good-looking man which was unusual for popstars who had been teenage pin-ups. Usually, they showed clear signs oftheir misspent youth, or had so much work done, they no longer looked real.
‘This is a great spot,’ he said, interrupting her train of thought.
‘Yes, it is,’ she said, realising she was still gazing at him. She bent down to stroke Coisty’s head just as Luke bent down to pat him and their hands touched. Rosie almost gasped at the sensation.
‘Coisty’s an interesting name,’ he said, his voice gruff.
‘Um, yes, bit of a story there. I named him after Ally McCoist. The footballer,’ she said as way of explanation.
Luke burst out laughing. ‘You’re kidding, right?’
