‘Hello there.’
Alicia spun round to see a middle-aged man and woman dressed in anoraks, hiking pants and hiking boots watching her intently, expectation in their stare.
‘Oh, hello.’ Distracted by the view, Alicia forgot for a moment that she was in a robe and frazzled from the sauna.
‘Gorgeous, isn’t it?’ said the woman.
‘Spectacular,’ Aliciaagreed. ‘I plan to paint it.’
‘Of course.’ The woman spoke as if she knew Alicia’s plans all along. ‘Lovely clear day for painting.’
‘Yes, it is.’ The couple kept staring as if waiting for change from a cashier. Alicia figured that they recognised her and – forgetting that she didn’t know them – were waiting for her to strike up conversation, as if they’d been friends all their life. It happened quite often but, funnily, she hadn’t seen the look on Jamie’s face.
‘Well, I’d best be getting on.’ She backed towards to her lodge door.
‘We’re heading out for a walk,’ the woman said, not taking the hint. ‘We could wait for you, if you’d like to join us.’
‘That’s very kind, but I wouldn’t want to hold you back at all.’
‘Och, you wouldn’t be holding us back, would she, Dean?’
‘Not at all, Di. Not at all,’ the man piped in.
‘Again, thank you.’ Alicia felt for the door handle. ‘But I’m going to have a little nap after my sauna.’ She had to learn to say no to people who wanted to spend time with her because of her fame, rather than anything else. If she hung out with them all, she’d have no time for herself or her friends. Also, there was something unsettling about this couple.
‘No bother at all,’ said the man. ‘Maybe we’ll catch you later for a wee dram? We’re in Heather Lodge.’
Alicia now recognised the couple as the people who were checking in when Jamie had been at her door. Oh great, they knew where she was living and seemed insistent on her spending time with them.
‘That sounds lovely.’ She offered a non-committalpleasantry and mentally noted to avoid these two if she could. It wasn’t that she minded making friends, but she hadn’t come here to do that and if she did, she wanted it to be on her own terms.
‘Ta ta, for now,’ said the man. ‘Oh, in case you didn’t catch it, I’m Dean, and this is Diana.’
‘Alicia,’ said Alicia. ‘Nice to meet you. Enjoy your day.’
The couple peered over their shoulder and waved as they headed down the path towards the hotel. Alicia nodded back. She didn’t have it in her to be rude if people weren’t rude to her, but her spirits had dipped significantly at not feeling completely alone.
Once in her lodge, instead of showering immediately, Alicia lay on her towel on her bed and let thoughts of Jamie drift back to her. She’d had only fragments of time with him in the sauna, but it had been long enough to register that he was built like an oak tree: strapping and strong. And he was polite, too. It was she who had made the mistake of using the wrong sauna and he had apologised to her. Maybe she should have stayed and got to know him a little more. That downstairs heat began to radiate again.
No, no, no.Alicia put her foot down on her thoughts.Stay away from unfamiliar men. Stay away from men you can’t be certain you can trust – like ones you met in a hotel, as polite as they may appear. And stay away from men from big successful families with egos the size of those mountains out there. They might pretend they don’t have a sense of entitlement, but they all do. Stick to things that won’t ultimately cause more distress, because you do not need any more upset.
So, safe, healing, solitary pursuits it was for Alicia, starting with a walk, to explore vantage points from which to paint. The view from inside her lodge was stunning, but she was always on the hunt for the optimal spot, although inthis weather, the chances of setting up the easel outdoors were low.
Alicia showered and pulled on jeans and a lambswool sweater. She dried her hair, raked her fingers through the tresses and popped on her pale pink beanie. Jamie hadn’t recognised her with her real hair, so she felt safe here without the wig. And, what the heck, she’d go make-up free as well. Revel in the naturalness and freedom.
The air was biting, so much colder than LA. The scenery, though – incredible! Everywhere Alicia turned, there was a photo opportunity and she kept thinking her camera would run out of memory.
By three thirty, as the light was fading, Alicia was heading back to the hotel with a camera bursting full of photographs. In her lodge, she transferred them to her laptop and selected a few favourites. There were some incredible images of the imposing, craggy face of Ben Corrin, layered with thick velvet snow. Scottish mountains might not be as huge as those in Canada or Norway, but they were every bit as magnificent. And there was something about the size of the mountains in such a small country that was comforting. It was like she was truly hidden away in a little place behind an enormous protective peak and nobody could find her.
There was a knock at the lodge door. Glancing across from the desk, Alicia saw in the porch light Diana, the lady she had met earlier, waving through the glass. She sighed and went to see what the woman wanted.
‘Hello, love. Sorry to bother you,’ said Diana. ‘I just popped over to see if you would like to join Dean and me for some drinks this evening. We’re having a few cocktails in our lodge and thought you might appreciate the company.’
Alicia didn’t need the company at all, but she feltimpolite saying no to this couple again. Plus, she supposed, if she was hanging out with them, then she could avoid any temptation to talk to Jamie.
‘Sure,’ she said to Diana. ‘A cocktail would be lovely. I’ll come round after dinner, say nine?’
Chapter 7
