Chapter 30
Jamie
Jamie downed tools in the garden, wiped the sweat off his face and admired his handiwork. He was proud, both of the work he’d done and the way he’d distracted himself. Although in many ways it wasn’t a distraction at all. Was it over the top? Foolish? Either way, he needed a practical task to keep himself busy, and something that one day might convince Alicia how much she meant to him.
After he’d showered, Jamie ventured into the spare room for the first time since Alicia left twelve days ago. The first time he’d been able to face Alicia’s art. Seeing it was too painful but there were demons he must confront.
When Jamie saw Alicia’s paintings, he momentarily forgot to breathe. Her ability to capture his beloved Scotland was mind blowing. Pain crushed him that she hadn’t understood him in the same way that she understood the Scottish landscape. Every nuance dear to his heart, she noticed: the subtle curl of the waves, the sculpted grooves of the sand, the varying shades of charcoal in the forebodingclouds. Most people thought the sky in Scotland was grey, but Alicia saw the subtleties others overlooked.
In total there were five landscapes. Jamie had hoped for more, but obviously things hadn’t worked out. There was the beach at Kinshore, the Dunrock lighthouse, Inchfallon Falls, the standing stones, and, of course, Ben Corrin. Each was exceptional and he’d lost feeling in his hands on several occasions from sitting on them to stop himself calling Alicia to tell her. Now was not the time. Now was the time to visit his father and see if he could get some good news first.
Jamie slid each of the canvases into a large portfolio case and grabbed his jacket from the hall.
‘Your dad’s having a lie down,’ Jamie’s mother informed him when he arrived at the family home for Sunday lunch. ‘What’ve you’ve got there?’ She motioned towards the portfolio he held under his arm.
‘Just some stuff I wanted to run by Dad, and you, of course, although you’re easier to please. Ideas for the labelling.’
‘Ah, yes. This is your flash of inspiration?’
‘Aye kind of. They are stunning, though, and they’d work brilliantly on the bottles.’ Jamie was aware that his excitement was one thing, but even if he convinced his dad, there would be redrafts and scaling, and he didn’t even want to think about what would happen if he asked Alicia and she wouldn’t give him permission to use her art.
‘C’mon, let’s see, then?’
Swinging round, Jamie was met by his younger brother Sean, who also lived in the village and worked at the cooperage making barrels for Butler’s whisky. They saw each other frequently.
‘Hey.’ Jamie clapped Sean on the arm. ‘You alright?’
‘Aye, thanks. No sign of wind down even before Christmas. This bloody whisky company is demanding more barrels.’
‘Sorry about that, bro. Just planning a new expression or two.’
‘So, is this for public viewing?’ Sean nodded to the portfolio.
Jamie was overcome by an enormous sense of protectiveness over Alicia’s art. So far, the paintings had been private between him and her. Revealing them in public was like wearing your pyjamas to the shops. You made yourself vulnerable. But Alicia’s work was special, and if he wanted it on the bottles, people would have to see it, eventually.
‘Well, not public viewing yet, but family is okay.’ He placed the portfolio on the kitchen table. ‘These are important to me so go easy if you don’t like them.’
‘Och, I’m sure we won’t need to pretend.’ Amanda moved to the table. ‘You’ve always had good taste, Jamie.’
‘Aye, apart from in women,’ Sean joked.
‘Whatever.’ Jamie unzipped the portfolio, took out the art and laid the pieces side by side. Each of the settings held personal significance for the Butler family: Ben Corrin was in the background of many a family holiday when Jamie and his siblings were younger; Inchfallon Falls a private oasis for splashing about; the lighthouse a source of role play as a lighthouse keeper, as well as a Kintyre icon; the standing stones a frequent family day out when Amanda wanted the kids to let off some steam, and chasing each other round the stones was a great way to do it, and the beach was similar as they had all grown up building sandcastles there, and learning to become the hardiest of surfers in the less than temperate waters of Kinshore.
As they soaked up the paintings for the first time, Amanda and Sean were silent and Jamie was reminded of revealing a new whisky expression to investors, except this felt far more important. He looked around the kitchen as his mother and brother formed their thoughts. How could two people he’d sat at ease with countless times in this space now make him feel so nervous? Eventually, Sean broke the silence.
‘These are bloody brilliant, J,’ he said. ‘I had no idea you could paint.’
‘I can’t.’ As usual, Jamie couldn’t work out if Sean was kidding around or not. ‘I commissioned someone to paint them for Butler’s.’
‘Ah, right. Who was that then?’
‘Ach, nobody.’
‘Ach, nobody?’ Sean raised a wry brow. ‘A woman, then?’
‘Aye, alright, a woman, yes.’
‘Was it Alicia Jansen?’
