Chapter Twenty-Eight
‘Hey, sis!’ said Murray as he got out the hire car the next day.
Jessica flung herself at her brother. ‘I can’t believe you’re finally here!
’ she squealed. She looked over at Carolyn, who beamed at her.
Catriona and Angus rushed out the front door and hugged her and then their son, before anxiously hopping around waiting for the star guest to appear.
Carolyn leaned into the back seat and unclipped Lexi who was clutching a pale blue rabbit.
‘Hello, sweetheart,’ said Catriona, gently patting Lexi’s strawberry-blonde curls. ‘We are so excited to see you.’
Lexi buried her face in her mum’s neck. Jessica watched cautiously, not wanting to overwhelm her niece any more than she already was.
‘Come on, toots,’ said Catriona. ‘Shall we show you Primrose Cottage where you are going to be staying while you’re here? And your very special bedroom.’
Lexi looked up, seemingly intrigued.
‘That sounds exciting, doesn’t it?’ said Carolyn encouragingly.
‘Wait until you see what Reuben has done with this place. He has transformed it,’ said Catriona, grinning.
Murray walked over to his parents and gave them another hug. ‘It’s good to be home,’ he said. ‘But where’s Reuben? I thought he’d be part of the welcome party and giving us the official tour.’
‘He wanted to give you all some space to settle in. He knew you’d be tired,’ said Angus. ‘He’s a thoughtful lad. But I’m sure he’ll be over to see you soon.’
Jessica felt a strange pang of longing for Reuben and wished he was there too. It felt really strange without him and she resolved to text him to check he was okay. ‘Let me help you with your bags,’ she said, giving her brother a hand with the cases from the boot. ‘How’re you feeling?’
He yawned. ‘A bit weary, you know, but I’m sure I’ll be fine after a couple of days. Brr,’ he said with a shiver. ‘I forgot how cold and damp it gets here in the winter.’
‘The weather was one of the reasons you moved to the other side of the world,’ said Jessica with a smile. ‘I’m sure this will feel like a total culture shock.’
She and Murray followed their parents, who led the way towards Primrose Cottage, Lexi still holding tightly on to her mum but watching curiously.
‘Interesting wreath. Did Reuben make that?’ Murray said with a smirk.
Jessica threw him a look and tilted her head towards their mum.
‘No, I did. So watch what you’re saying,’ said Catriona firmly, her eyes amused.
‘Erm, it looks wonderful, Mum. Very artistic,’ said Murray smoothly.
Jessica waited until her mum had unlocked the front door and then followed the party in and put the cases in the front room.
She pulled a funny face at Lexi, who was peeking at her over Carolyn’s shoulder.
The little girl started to giggle. ‘I’m going to give you some space, too,’ Jessica continued, ‘and let Mum and Dad get you settled.’
‘There’s no need to rush off,’ said Carolyn.
‘It’s fine, honestly. I’ll catch up with you later. It’s a lot for the wee one to take in. I’ll see you later but shout if you need anything. I’m only two doors along.’
‘Okay, Jess, see you later on,’ called Murray as he disappeared into the kitchen after their parents.
She blew Lexi a kiss and then pulled the door closed behind her and trudged back up to Thistle Cottage. Slumping on the sofa, she sent Reuben a message.
Hey Reuben, how are you? Murray and fam have arrived and are asking after you. We would love to see you.
She chewed her lip for a minute and deleted the last line and instead added, It would be great to see you. J Then she pressed send.
He didn’t respond immediately and Jessica went through to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.
It was definitely the cosiest room in the house.
She loved the way her mum always decorated it with festive lights, which she hung around the windowsill, also making sure she had festive tea towels and oven gloves slung over the oven door.
Her phone buzzed. She walked over to the table and picked it up.
Glad they’ve arrived. Tell Murray I’ll be in touch.
That was it. Short and perfunctory. No, how are they?
Or how are you? They were nothing like his previous messages and she wondered why he was being so cold.
Especially as he had apparently been all set to drop by and see her at the inn yesterday.
It just fuelled her suspicions that she had done something to upset him.
She tried to think about her phone conversation again and what he might have overheard.
Or could it be that he was embarrassed to see her now that Murray was home?
After everything that had happened the last few days, things now felt a bit strange.
Jessica still liked him. That hadn’t changed.
But she was confused and now wondering whether he regretted it.
Shaking her head, she decided she had to stop thinking about it.
She couldn’t control what he did or thought and the last thing she needed at the moment was any extra hassle. She was meant to be at home to escape.