‘You’re more than welcome.’ Cal wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. ‘Thanks for letting me spoil you. You know, I’m worried. You don’t seem your usual vibrant self.’
Bea forced herself to look happy. ‘I’m good.’ She hated that the ordinarily divine experience of being held in Cal’s arms was making her sad and low. She tried to tell herself that she could easily be an earning woman and still let a man treat her for the weekend, but it was no use. Josh had inflicted damage too many times. Damn him. How was she going to get over this?
The best thing, she decided, was to remind herself that this thing with Cal was short-term. It wasn’t like they were laying the groundwork for the future. When pay day came round, she would have some money. All she had to do right now was hold it together for the rest of the weekend.
Chapter 47
Bea
Two hours later, following a scenic drive along a coastline adorned with lush moss-covered crags and a shimmering blue expanse of sea, Cal drove past a small white sign that said, ‘Welcome to Kinshore.’
‘As the sign says, welcome to Kinshore. The distillery and house are up there.’ Cal gestured to the left. ‘But I’m going to swing into the village and show you around, if you’d like to see my wee toon?’
‘I’d love to see your wee toon.’ Bea genuinely couldn’t wait to see Cal’s home village. To understand more about the man and what shaped him.
‘Well, let’s start with the beach to your right.’ Cal nodded to the grassy dunes which partially shielded a wide expanse of sand leading down to a shoreline where foam tipped waves tumbled in. ‘We all learned to surf there, taught by our dad. It’s looking like good conditions today.’
‘Oh, it’s beautiful, Cal. No wonder you don’t feel the cold. Growing up surfing in these waters could not be for the faint of heart. And it goes on forever.’
‘Aye, it’s about five miles long. There are longer beachesin Scotland, though. Right, let’s go to the high street. I’m not going to bore you with my life history or anything, but if you want to go home saying you saw a quaint Scottish village then this is one of the best.’ Cal swung left at a roundabout with a cross in the middle into a street lined with an array of shops and cafes. ‘And this is Kinshore’s central business district,’ he said.
‘Really?’ Bea thought of central business districts as places like Wall Street.
‘No, it’s the high street with a few local businesses. We’ve got the usual fare of a grocer’s, a fishmonger’s, a florist, etc. There’s a nice wee coffee shop that does incredible cupcakes that I can take you to tomorrow. And I might even show you the secret garden, if it’s not raining.’ He reached out and squeezed her hand.
‘Ooh, that sounds enchanting.’ Bea was entirely charmed by Kinshore already. ‘Is the secret garden where you used to get drunk as a teenager?’
Cal laughed. ‘No, I just did that at home. Perks of living next to a distillery. I’ll take you past my old school so you can see where I used to hang out in shorts when I was young.’ He turned off the high street into a narrow street. Bea noted all the small stone houses with colourful painted doors and delightful little gardens. It would be an absolute dream to live somewhere like this. But she wouldn’t mention it to Cal, in case thought she was hinting that she’d like to settle down with him.
When they reached his school, Bea could hardly believe the size of the building.
‘How many children went there?’ she asked.
‘About fifty of us,’ he said. ‘It’s since expanded to a new building. And the high school in Campbeltown was much bigger. There was at least two hundred of us there.’
‘Incredible! My high school had over 1000 students.’
Cal laughed. ‘As I said, welcome to Kinshore.’
Moments later, they were heading back the way they had come and Cal turned the car onto a wide driveway. Bea tapped her knee, nervously. This was it now. No more preliminaries of looking at shops and schools. Cal was bringing her to his family home and business: to the heart of something hugely successful, which, Bea realised, only enhanced the seeds of failure germinating inside her. He came from such a prosperous and high achieving family. No matter how she tried, she hadn’t attained anything near those levels of success. Sure, she’d written books and some people liked them, but she had zero money and her self-esteem was low. She admired Cal, thought he was an amazing businessman and that he deserved the fruits of his labour, but being around his success all the time only reinforced how far she hadn’t come.
The trees lining the driveway to the Butler home were lush and copious in their autumnal canopy, and there were bright pink fuchsia, too, still blooming before the autumn frosts set in. Bea opened the window to inhale the fresh air.
‘This is beautiful,’ she said, entranced. ‘What an enchanting place to live.’
‘Aye.’ Cal slowed down to let a rabbit bound across the road in front of the car. ‘It’s not bad. I sometimes can’t believe I was so desperate to leave.’
The driveway to the distillery house went on forever. There was a deer standing by the side of the road that darted off when it heard the car approaching, then they drove onto a little bridge which ran over a delicate stream. Bea fell instantly in love. How she would adore, in another universe, to be part of this world.
Eventually, after what must have been a quarter of amile, the abundant foliage dissipated, and the drive widened into an expansive courtyard in front of a sizeable stone house.
As soon as she heard the car, Cal’s mother emerged from the front door: she was a vibrant lady with a warmhearted presence who moved with an air of efficiency, no doubt borne of raising seven children. Her ash blonde hair bounced in waves around her shoulders, and her long floral dress billowed at her ankles, drawing attention to her French pedicure. That she lived a good life without wanting for money was apparent, although Bea wondered if she was being extra sensitive on this front.
‘Hello, sweetheart.’ Cal’s mother enveloped Cal in a generous hug as soon as they reached each other. ‘It’s so lovely to see you.’ She turned to Bea. ‘And this must be Bea. Oh, you are as beautiful as Cal said you were. Hello, I’m Amanda.’ She hugged Bea, and Bea cheered a little at knowing Cal had told his mother she was beautiful. ‘It’s wonderful to meet you,’ Amanda went on. ‘We are all delighted you could come to Jimmy’s celebration. Cal, everyone else is here. Come in and introduce Bea.’
‘Okay.’ Cal glanced through the open front door. ‘I’m going to take our stuff to the room and show Bea the place first before inflicting that on her.’
‘Inflicting?’ Amanda lightly pulled on her son’s ear. ‘Those are your family, young man.’
