Page 86

“For you, maybe, but not for the bed springs.” Jamie grins.

Scowling, Ally snatches up a piece of tablet and chucks it at his brother, but Jamie ducks out of the way. The rest of the table bursts into laughter.

I should be mortified, but it occurs to me I need to learn to hold my own around Ally’s siblings. That’s why I lean forward and say, “Jamie, seeing as you like to make things awkward for everyone, why don’t you tell us all when your bed springs last saw some action?”

David gasps with delight. “Oh! Good one, Emily!”

Aidan wolf-whistles, and Iona, Grace, and Cat all giggle. Jamie suddenly becomes very engrossed in his coffee, but a small smile plays on his lips, so I know he’s not offended. Besides, if you dish it out, you have to be able to take it, right?

“Okay, everyone!” Elspeth holds up her hands, trying to restore some order. “Jamie deserved that, but could we please all try to be civil at the table?”

Still chuckling, Iona turns to me. “How much longer are you here for, Emily?”

“Er . . .” Again, I glance at Ally. “I’ve got a little over a week left.”

I smile in what I hope is a genuine way. Ally and I haven’t discussed things since he told me he wouldn’t “kick me out” if I wanted to stay longer. I’m still not ready to make a decision about that, and in any case, a large family meal isn’t the right forum for that conversation.

Before I have to field any more questions, Lewis rescues me. “I was going through some old stuff yesterday, and I found something I think you’ll all find interesting. Let me go get it.”

He isn’t away for long, and when he comes back, he’s carrying a photo album.

“Oh, lovely!” Elspeth says. “I like old pictures.”

Her reaction is more positive than Jamie’s. He groans and says, “Lewis, do we have to look through childhood photos of you gazing forlornly at Iona? She’s got a boyfriend now, remember?”

Lewis glowers at Jamie then passes the album to me. “Could you hold this, Emily? Everyone else, crowd around!”

I’m not sure why I’ve been entrusted with the album, but as everyone gathers around me, I open it to the first page and see a picture of the four McIntyre siblings: Ally, looking about twelve, and Lewis, Jamie, and Cat.

“Oh, you’re all so cute!” Grace exclaims.

On the next page are a couple of photos in which the children appear with their mum and dad.

“Aw, Mairi and Angus were such proud parents,” Elspeth says. “You kept them on their feet, so you did, but they loved you so much.”

Overleaf are several snaps taken in this very restaurant. They show one of the weekly meals Elspeth mentioned earlier, when the McIntyre and Stewart families would eat together. I recognise a younger Elspeth, plus a young Aidan and Iona, and a man who must be their dad. I’m not sure whether he has passed away or is separated from Elspeth, and since everyone is happily commenting on the photo, I decide it’s not the right time to ask.

I flip the page to find several shots of Lewis and Iona together, posing with a cocker spaniel.

“Aw, Molly!” Cat leans over me and touches the picture, as if she might feel the dog’s fur through it. “I miss her so much!”

The brothers mumble their agreement.

“Me too,” Iona says. “Da never let us have a dog—he said they were too much work. But in a way, I felt like Molly was my dog too. She had a lot to do with me wanting to become a vet.”

“Aye,” Jamie agrees. “She was the only reason you hung out with Lewis all the time, wasn’t she? Ow! Lewis, that was my shin! You can’t kick my shin. We’re trying to have a civil conversation here!”

Lewis ignores his brother’s protests. “Wait till you all see what’s coming next.”

I take this as my cue to turn the page, and when I do, a gasp escapes my lips. I’m looking at a large photo of young Ally, grinning from ear to ear, and beside him is . . . me.

“Oh my God!” David glances between me and Ally. “Is that . . . ?”

“The first photo of Ally and Emily together, taken seventeen years ago,” Lewis announces.

I’m so shocked I don’t know what to say. I have the memories, of course, but I’d forgotten a picture was taken. I didn’t realise there was any physical proof of the time Ally and I met as kids.

“You’re both so cute!” Cat says.