Jenna shook her head. ‘No, it’s not impossible to believe. Not at all, and I didn’t mean to sound rude, but she’s just so—’
‘Glamorous? Famous? Gorgeous?’
‘Yes. Not that you – aren’t ...’
What was Jenna going to say? Cam wasn’t sure he wanted to know ...
‘Any of those things?’ His wry smile was back in place, trying to keep his tone light and jokey.
She shook her head. ‘Now you’re fishing and I’m not going to bite.’
‘I hope not, with all those germs swirling around you. I might catch something.’
‘You almost certainly would have last week ... not now, I hope. Um, should we get on with the business in hand? – i.e. your amazing coup with Carly.’
Cam realised he’d crossed a line. He’d moved a millimetre the wrong side of banter and into flirting and he could kick himself.
‘Yes. Um. Anyway, Carly said she’d love to send a reporter to do a feature. Obviously she won’t come out of the studio herself.’
‘Obviously.’ Jenna rolled her eyes good-naturedly.
‘She’d like to do a Start Line piece, then a Welcome piece at your end. Maybe have Sholto back in the studio after it’s over and has gone well.Whenit goes well. Obviously, the more money he can raise the better, and she also said, “the more he can suffer the better”. The kilt clinched it, if I’m honest. Or rather the hint of what might be, or not be,underthe kilt.’ Cam waggled his eyebrows and then wanted to punch himself – he’d crossed the line again ... ‘Though it is a family show, so we won’t be going into details,’ he mumbled.
‘That’s ... definitely too much information.’ Jenna started laughing again and they moved on to finalise the details, promising to email minutes of the meetings and their action list. They had almost finished when Jenna heard rattling and nagging noises from behind Cam.
‘Is that Lachlan chucking stones at your windows?’
Cam glanced at the gunmetal sky outside. ‘I’m afraid it’s hail. The sunwasout earlier for an hour, then this storm blew in.’
‘But it’s still June.’
‘Actually, it’s July. Just.’ Cam nodded over her shoulder and she twisted around.
The calendar behind her had moved to a background of sea pinks and two black birds with red feet and a red beak. Cam knew they were choughs, a rare type of crow found in very few places in the UK and one of Jenna’s favourite birds.
They were very lucky to live in such wild and beautiful locations, even if they were so far apart. Perhaps, he thought, 874 miles would seem like nothing to someone living in a big country rather than on a small island ... His spirits sank as he reminded himself that it wasn’t just the physical distance keeping them apart.
‘Time flies,’ Jenna said, returning her focus to Cam with a weary expression. ‘I knew it was July – I’m just having troubleaccepting it. I’ve already made appointments at a couple of boutiques to try on dresses. Apparently, if I want a summer wedding next year, I’m supposed to have everything booked by now! Planning a wedding isn’t for the faint-hearted.’
Cameron’s stomach turned over again but not in the pleasantly painful way it had previously. This was a sick feeling plunging him into an instant gloom deeper than any Atlantic storm could ever produce. A gloom he had no right to feel because he ought never to harbour a shred of hope where Jenna was concerned. She was getting married to a man she loved, someone who had supported her and her family in the aftermath of the worst of circumstances.
Circumstances he knew only too well could destroy the strongest character. What Jenna didn’t know – would never know, now – was that he had also lost someone in sudden and tragic circumstances.
He’d been planning to propose to Rachel. He’d had the ring in his pocket, but she’d died crossing the road in Edinburgh. It was the main reason he’d had to move away from the city, change his job, his entire life. The long hours, the corporate grind and the city buzz had no longer held any appeal, not when compared to being present for his family and friends – and them being there for him.
‘Earth to Cam?’
‘Oh. Yes. Sorry. You froze there for a couple of seconds. Probably the – er – environmental conditions my end.’ He checked his watch, even though he had the time at the bottom of his screen. ‘I should wind things up, if you don’t mind. I have to do the school run today. My sister, Hannah, is on shift.’
‘Oh ... have fun. I expect you’ll be seeing Iona tonight?’ Jenna said, and for a second he wondered if she was sad to see him go. ‘Isn’t it your bird-watching club night?’
‘Oh, er – yes. Maybe. Though maybe not with this storm.’
She laughed. ‘You definitely don’t want to be out for a walk in that.’ She lifted her eyebrows as the rain lashed Cam’s window.
‘Aye, that’s true. We won’t.’
‘But then again,’ Jenna added wistfully, ‘it could blow over and the sun could come back out. It always does, eventually.’
