Chapter 37
Walking down the stairs, Robyn paused. She thought she heard two voices coming from the kitchen – Gayle’s and a man’s voice. She rounded the kitchen doorway to find two pairs of eyes on her.
‘David!’ Robyn stopped in the doorway. ‘What are you doing here?’ Come to apologise, she imagined. She slowly folded her arms.
‘Oh, he never left,’ said Gayle nonchalantly over her shoulder. She was standing at the Aga, cooking.
Robyn opened her mouth to say something, but the smell of fried breakfast stopped her in her tracks. Her mouth watered.
‘Come sit.’ Gayle beckoned at the table.
Robyn sat down in the chair furthest from David, aware she was being a bit childish.
If Gayle and David thought the same, they didn’t say anything.
David said, ‘I slept on the couch.’
‘I told him we had plenty of spare bedrooms, but he insisted the couch was fine.’
‘I didn’t want to inconvenience anyone.’
Robyn frowned. ‘I assumed that you’d left your van here, and Gayle had taken you home.’
Gayle set a plate down in front of him, with a full Scottish breakfast fry-up, and placed an affectionate hand on his shoulder. ‘Honey, you weren’t inconveniencing anyone. Stay as long as you like.’
Robyn’s eyes went wide. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Stay as long as you like? She frowned at both of them as though it was some sort of conspiracy.
‘You said yourself you’re not running a guest house,’ Robyn reminded her. That brought Nick to mind. He wasn’t there, sitting eating breakfast with them, and it was getting on now, almost mid-morning; she couldn’t imagine he’d still be in bed.
‘Well, I could be fast changing my mind.’
‘Oh, really,’ Robyn said, sarcastically. ‘Then why isn’t Nick here?’
‘He’s not here, because he left.’
‘Already?’ Robyn was so disappointed. ‘I thought he’d like it here.’
‘I do,’ said David.
Robyn shot him a look before she turned her attention to Gayle. ‘So, he only stayed one night?’
‘Ah, I think we’re talking at cross-purposes. He went jogging. That’s what I meant. He left the house about an hour ago in his jogging gear. I spotted him in the hallway, fiddling with his phone, before he headed out, sticking those little wireless earbuds in each ear. Personally, that’s the last thing I’d do on New Year’s Day – go jogging.’
‘Yep, me too,’ said David, reaching under the table, rubbing his knee.
‘So, wait, are you saying that he arrived yesterday, New Year’s Eve, and he’s staying on?’
‘Oh, yes. He turned up after you guys left for the Hogmanay in Grantown-on-Spey. It was a shame because I suppose he could have tagged along with you guys.’ She paused, her eyes focusing in on David’s bandaged forehead. ‘Or maybe not. In any case, he doesn’t really know anybody around here – his parents live miles away in Sussex. Or was it Surrey?’ She shook her head. ‘In any case, it’s a long way away, so he spent the evening with me and my mother, seeing in the New Year. We had a lovely evening all together. Then he went to bed just before you guys turned up.’
Robyn smiled. She was so pleased to hear that Gayle and her mum had had company on New Year’s Eve.
‘I’m afraid we all missed breakfast with him this morning. He has a key to the house. I told him to help himself to breakfast, whatever he wants. He had muesli, I think, and even washed up his own dishes. He’s such a nice young man – isn’t he, David?’
‘He’s okay, I guess.’
Robyn looked at him. ‘You met Nick?’
‘It was earlier this morning,’ said Gayle. ‘We both saw him getting ready for his jog. You emerged from the lounge as I was walking down the stairs to put the kettle on. Didn’t we look a pair?’
David rolled his eyes. ‘Don’t remind me.’
Gayle reminded him anyway. ‘’There Nick was, standing in the hall, jogging on the spot, setting up the music on his phone, getting ready for a run, all wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, raring to go, and you looked like you’d got out of the wrong side of the bed – oh, excuse me, sofa – with your hair wild and your clothes all astray.’
Robyn looked at him. He had slept in his clothes too.
‘And there I was in my bathrobe and fluffy pink slippers, trudging down the stairs, yawning my head off.’
Robyn saw David frown. ‘I used to be up with the lark, jogging, when I was training.’
‘Yes – he’s quite fit, isn’t he?’ remarked Gayle.
David said, ‘Is that what you think, Robyn? That he’s quite fit?’
Robyn stared at him. She knew what he meant when he said the word fit . Was that jealousy in his voice?
‘How do you know him, anyhow?’ David frowned some more. ‘I thought you didn’t know anybody round here?’
Robyn turned wide-eyed to Gayle, wondering what she’d told David. There had been an empty bottle of wine on the coffee table in the lounge; she’d noticed it when she’d glanced through the open doorway on her way to the kitchen. Just how much of that conversation could Gayle remember?
Gayle said, ‘She met him when we visited Rose, one of my hairdressing clients. He’s the site manager on the new housing development where Rose lives. Turned out he needed somewhere to stay while he works on the development, and Robyn knew just the place.’
Robyn winced. ‘I’m sorry about that.’
David looked from Gayle to Robyn. ‘Just the place?’
‘She invited him to stay here.’ Gayle smiled at Robyn. ‘I’m so pleased you did.’
Robyn realised that after the previous night, seeing in the New Year with her new house guest, Gayle had had a change of heart. Robyn was so pleased too. And there she had been, thinking that Gayle had turned him away.
‘Now, how about you, Robyn? Are you going to have a fry-up too?’
Watching David tucking into his breakfast, and wondering what he was still doing there, she realised she’d lost her appetite. She shook her head.
‘Really?’ Gayle looked at her. ‘I thought you were hungry?’
David looked up. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Yes.’ No thanks to you.
David pointed his fork at her across the table. ‘You look kinda peaky.’
‘I said I’m fine.’
Gayle turned to Robyn. ‘Perhaps I’ll take another look at that dressing, check things are still healing okay.’
‘Will you check mine too? It was kind of itchy and hot last night,’ said David.
‘Well, you’d better get in line.’
Robyn did not want any more jokes about their matching bandages.
‘I’ll check Robyn’s first, after breakfast.’ Gayle turned to her. ‘How about some toast?’
Robyn’s mouth watered as she stole a glance at David’s fry-up.
Gayle followed her gaze, and smiled. ‘Are you sure I can’t tempt you with something cooked? I have plenty. Even if it’s just a teeny bit?’
Robyn’s resolve crumbled. ‘Oh, all right, if you’re going to twist my arm.’
Gayle grinned, turned to a kitchen cupboard, picked out a large dinner plate, and put it in front of Robyn. She then reached for the frying pan and started filling up Robyn’s plate. ‘Just one slice of bacon?’
Robyn said sheepishly, ‘I might manage two.’
‘Would you manage a Lorne sausage and some haggis?’
Robyn licked her lips. ‘Yes, I just might.’
A moment later, Robyn’s plate was piled with mushrooms, baked beans, black pudding, and fried tomatoes too. She tucked in, catching David smiling across the table at her. He commented, ‘Guess you’re feeling better.’
‘Oh, do shut up,’ Robyn said with her mouth full.
Gayle stood with her hands on her hips, shaking her head and smiling to herself.
Robyn caught her expression. ‘What are you looking so happy about?’
‘Fairy godmothers,’ said Gayle.
David gave her a double-take. ‘Fairy – what ?’
Robyn rolled her eyes and willed Gayle not to tell him about their conversation in which Gayle had said she thought she was playing matchmaker.
Gayle just smiled and didn’t say anything more.
Robyn asked, ‘So, did Nick mention what time he starts work tomorrow morning?’
Gayle replied, ‘Ah, he’s not in work tomorrow.’
‘How come?’ Robyn asked.
Gayle and David exchanged a glance.
Robyn looked at them. ‘What?’
‘It’s a Scottish bank holiday the day after New Year,’ said Gayle.
‘Is it? I didn’t realise. Oh dear. I thought I could get a lift in with him to start my new job.’
David put his knife and fork together on his plate. He picked up his last slice of fried bread. ‘You’ve got a job?’
‘Yes.’ She looked at him. ‘Why are you grinning?’
‘I was just thinking that it’s great you’ve got a job.’
‘’Why’s that?’ Robyn made her best attempt at sounding uninterested.
‘Because that means you’ll be staying around.’ He pointed his fried bread at her. ‘And I’d like that – very much.’
Robyn looked at him. Had he meant that as some kind of apology for the previous night?
‘Yeah, well, don’t get too excited,’ she mumbled, ‘I probably won’t have one after tomorrow if I don’t turn up.’ She didn’t know how she would get to Rose’s house to start work the next day, like she promised. She couldn’t ask Gayle to drive her everywhere unless she could borrow the car. After her accident, she couldn’t imagine Gayle would lend her the prized old Bentley.
David bit into his fried bread and turned to Gayle, who had sat down at the table to eat a slice of toast. ‘Thanks, that was a great breakfast. There’s nothing like home cooking. You know, I think I could get used to this.’
‘Why – are you thinking of moving in?’
‘Hmm, well … with breakfasts like this, I might just do that.’
Robyn looked at him. Was he having a joke?
David continued, ‘I think you’re on to something with the idea of a guesthouse. You’d do a roaring trade as a bed-and-breakfast.’
‘But you haven’t seen the state of the bedrooms,’ Robyn butted in.
Gayle frowned. ‘You said you liked the bedroom you’re staying in. And you did a tour of the house. Your bedroom is no different to the others.’
Robyn pursed her lips and looked at Gayle sheepishly.
Gayle stared at her for a long moment and narrowed her eyes, shaking her head at Robyn as if to say, I know what your game is.
‘I don’t mind if the rooms are old-fashioned – if that’s what you mean.’
‘There are sinks in the room,’ said Robyn.
‘Really? What a good idea. That saves traipsing to the bathroom to clean your teeth.’
Robyn rolled her eyes. She was trying to put David off, but it wasn’t working. She said, ‘Haven’t you got a home of your own to go back to?’
‘Yeah – sure. Of course I have.’
Gayle said, ‘I bet it’s really nice – not like this dump.’
‘It’s not a dump!’ cried Robyn, feeling quite protective of the old house all of a sudden.
‘But I thought you just said …’
Robyn frowned at Gayle. ‘Never mind what I just said.’
Gayle grinned. She was just having some fun with Robyn.
‘I don’t think this place is a dump either, Gayle,’ David chimed in. ‘Far from it. Okay, it might be a little … dated. But hey, it’s got character, and it’s in an enviable spot. And you’ve got famous neighbours.’
‘Famous?’ Robyn looked from Gayle to David.
Gayle said, ‘Oh, you mean the wealthiest family in Scotland, with their holiday home in the next street.’
David nodded. ‘That’s right – the Rosses.’
‘So sad, what happened to their daughter.’ Gayle shook her head.
Robyn looked at them both. ‘What happened to her?’
‘Skiing accident, apparently. Up in the Cairngorms on Christmas Day. Very sad.’
‘Skiing accident.’ Robyn recalled that news bulletin she’d seen in the hospital soon after her own accident. She suddenly came over light-headed, as though she was going to faint.
‘Are you okay, honey? You’ve come over awfully pale.’
‘Yeah, I’m okay, I just feel a little heady. I have no idea why. May I have a glass of water?’
David darted out of his seat and poured her a glass of water from the tap. He passed her the glass and sat down opposite her, watching her intently as she gulped down the water.
Robyn put the empty glass on the table and wiped her mouth dry with the sleeve of her jumper. ‘Sorry, I don’t know what happened.’
‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ David asked, concern in his voice.
Gayle stared at her intently too.
Robyn nodded. She looked at David. ‘Are you okay?’ He was running his fingers along the bandage over his eye. ‘How’s the …’ Robyn pointed at his bandage.
‘Gayle did a good job.’
Gayle sighed. ‘I’m afraid you might be left with a small scar.’
‘Hmm.’ David thought about that. ‘You know, I’d like a scar just above the eye.’
‘Why?’ Gayle and Robyn said in unison.
‘Now, what I’m about to say mustn’t go beyond …’ he circled his finger to indicate the three of them, ‘but you know those girly magazines I bring along for you, Robyn?’
‘Which I don’t read cover-to-cover, you know. I’m not shallow.’ Robyn had no idea where that thought had come from. Reading women’s magazines didn’t make her anything of the sort.
David gave her an odd look, smiled and shook his head. ‘Well, I wonder what that makes me. You see, I read in one of those magazines …’
Robyn laughed out loud. ‘You mean to tell me that you’ve been reading those magazines too?’
‘Sure, you know, just to pass the time while I’m waiting for the van to be loaded, and deliveries to arrive.’
She started to giggle.
‘What’s so funny?’ David said in all seriousness. ‘It’s surprising, what us blokes can learn from those glossy pages – there’s some good tips about women.’
‘Oh, really.’ Gayle turned and smiled at Robyn, raising an eyebrow. ‘This I’ve got to hear.’
‘Like the scar thing,’ David continued. ‘They say women find guys more attractive if they have a scar – or two.’
‘I’ll have two now – one here,’ he pointed at his head, ‘and one down here.’ He lifted his leg, pointing at his knee.
Robyn and Gayle looked at each other and burst into a fit of giggles.
‘What?’ David held out his arms palms up on the table.
‘Er, David,’ Robyn reached over and clasped one of his hands. ‘I suggest you stick to the guys’ magazines.’
Gayle shook her head, smiling. ‘Yeah, I agree. Who knows what sort of trouble you’ll get yourself into otherwise.’ Gayle got up from the table. ‘Stick to sport or something,’
‘I’m not much into sport at the moment,’ David said quietly.
‘What was that, honey?’ Gayle said in a merry tone as she washed up the dishes.
David replied, ‘It’s nothing.’
Robyn stared at David as he turned her hand over in his, examining it.
She withdrew her hand slowly and put her hands together in her lap, leaving David’s empty hand outstretched on the table.
‘So,’ David said, withdrawing his arm, ‘what’s this about you losing your job?’
She hesitated, not wanting to involve David in her problems.
‘You don’t have to tell me a thing,’ he added.
Robyn looked at David, unsure whether he was being sarcastic, alluding to their row in the early hours of the morning. She decided to let it go; she didn’t want to dredge all that up again. Especially not the cliff thing; not in front of Gayle.
‘I was meaning to ask Nick to give me a lift to Rose’s tomorrow morning.’
‘So, you need a lift to work?’
‘Uh-huh.’ Robyn didn’t expect any offers from David; he’d probably be out on deliveries for this father.
Gayle said, ‘Don’t worry about tomorrow. We’ll sort something out.’ She turned to David. ‘So, if your house is so nice, what are you wanting to stay here for?’ She cast a gaze over towards Robyn. ‘Oh, stupid question.’
David shook his head. ‘It’s not stupid at all. It’s just that I have a permanent house guest.’
‘You rent rooms too?’ Gayle asked.
‘No, nothing like that. It’s my dad.’
‘You live with your dad?’ Gayle looked surprised.
‘No, he lives with me. It was okay when I was off travelling all over the place for tournaments, just returning home to touch base. But now I’m there twenty-four seven, it really doesn’t work.’
Robyn wasn’t surprised in the least after she’d met him at the Hogmanay party. He was a horrible old man. ‘So, tell him to go back to his own place.’
David sighed. ‘Yeah, that would be a great idea if he had a place of his own to go back to. He got himself into a heap of gambling debts. Too proud to ask for my help, he lost the house. Then, of course, he had nowhere to go.’
‘So, he came knocking on your door,’ said Gayle. ‘Couldn’t you just buy him another house?’
‘That was the plan. Then this happened,’ he slapped his knee, ‘and my career and my income went south. Now, all I’ve got is the house, and investments which pay me an income. Nothing like what I used to rake in, but it keeps my head above water while I figure out what I’m going to do next. I won’t cash in that money just for him to gamble it away.’
‘Good for you,’ commented Gayle.
‘So, I’m afraid I’m stuck with him.’
Now Robyn understood why he didn’t want to go home. She wouldn’t either, if she had to go home to someone like that.
She was staring at David, thinking of his predicament, when something suddenly came to mind – what Dr Jamieson had said about her memory loss and the possibility it was more likely psychological. She’d called it selective amnesia; the memories of her past, the people she knew, experiences she’d had were temporarily closed off to her, the theory being that the mind was choosing not to remember.
She recalled the doctor saying that it was more prevalent in children, but it was possible that adults could protect themselves in the same way a child could from some traumatic event.
Robyn thought of David’s father and shuddered. She’d suddenly had a change of heart. She didn’t want her memories to come back if there was someone in her past, like a boyfriend, just as mean and unlikeable as him. She blurted, ‘I don’t want to leave either!’
‘Well, who says you have to?’ Gayle said, smiling.
Someone out there , thought Robyn.
‘Yes, don’t leave,’ David said, reaching for her hand across the table again.