Chapter Eleven
‘Wow, what a beautiful morning.’ Flora pulled open the curtains and looked out at the blue expanse of water shimmering in the sunshine.
She stretched her arms up above her head and grinned.
It was Monday and she had been at her gran’s for exactly a week now and felt as though she was on holiday.
It was as though her senses had been woken up properly as she’d started to notice and appreciate colours and sounds and smells.
As well as lying in the sun, she had been sketching some textile ideas in her pad and the pages were now splashes of vibrant colours inspired by the shades in her gran’s garden.
She had managed to go for a couple of runs and had also been enjoying swimming in the loch most days, which had been a novelty that hadn’t yet worn off.
Perhaps it would if the weather turned. The water was definitely nippy but she was quickly acclimatising and loving the fact that she could take a dip from the jetty at the bottom of the garden.
She had allowed herself a week of unwinding and relaxation, and a bit of sorting of books in the study, but she had promised her gran that the decluttering project would start in earnest today.
She pulled on her robe. First of all, she was going to have a quick dip and get her cold-water fix.
‘Good morning, Gran,’ she said cheerily as she walked into the kitchen.
Iris sat at the table on her iPad. ‘Morning, dear.’ Her brow was furrowed in concentration as she did her daily Wordle puzzle.
‘Good morning, good morning,’ screeched Sidney who was perched on the chair next to her gran.
‘Oh aye,’ squawked Scrumpy fluttering down to join Sidney. Both parrots were similar with their bright green feathers, but Sidney had a few red feathers on his head which helped distinguish him from his pal. ‘Love you.’
‘Love you, too,’ said Flora automatically, smiling at the birds. Flora noticed her gran’s empty mug of tea and went to make her a fresh brew.
‘Oh, thank you. It’s a tough one this morning. I think I’m getting old.’
Doing Wordle was part of her gran’s daily ritual.
While the rest of the village woke up, Iris was already up and focused on using her six guesses to work out a five-letter word.
Flora had tried it but found it infuriating, especially as she seemed to completely lose her train of thought whenever she was put under any pressure.
It made her feel thick, so she preferred to avoid it.
‘There you go, Gran.’ She placed the mug of tea next to her. ‘I’m just off for my wee dip.’
Iris was absorbed in typing out a word and grumbled when she realised it was wrong.
She reached for her mug and had a sip of tea and then tried again.
Flora chuckled quietly. Her gran was a woman on a mission.
She quietly left the kitchen and picked up her swimming shoes and neoprene gloves from the utility room.
Then she opened the door and padded across the grass, enjoying the feel of the morning dew against her bare feet.
Flora loved these quiet mornings when everything seemed to be still, apart from her gran and the birds chirping as they flitted from branch to branch.
When she reached the jetty and admired the view, she spotted a grey heron watching and waiting in the reeds, its neck stretched out as it searched for food.
The surface of the water was still like glass and mirrored the blue sky.
It looked so inviting. Flora slipped off her robe and sat down, dangling her legs over the end of the jetty and enjoying the feeling of warmth from the sun on her shoulders.
It was such a quiet and still morning that she felt as though she was the only person up and about.
She’d heard somewhere that swimming naked was good for the brain.
So, after a quick glance around — and with a grin — she slipped off her costume and eased herself into the water, gasping at the contrasting chill of the water.
Her body soon adjusted as she rolled onto her back and floated with her arms outstretched.
Everything else felt distant and muted and she stared at the cloudless blue sky.
A few geese flew overhead and honked. It was the only sound in peaceful and perfect surroundings.
Flora was in her element, suspended in time as she drifted gently on the open water, her mind in the moment.
Then her idyllic state of solitude was interrupted.
‘Flora . . . hello . . . are you okay?’ called a muffled voice.
Her ears were submerged in the water and she tensed for a moment.
Then she flipped over onto her stomach, splashing in the water as she looked around wondering where the voice was coming from.
She looked back at the jetty where someone stood watching.
It was Brodie and he was frowning. Seriously?
This man definitely knew how to pick his moments.
Was he some kind of pervert who was following her or something?
He waved. ‘I’m just checking that you’re okay. You weren’t moving.’
She started to tread water where she was, feeling irritated that he’d interrupted her blissful start to the day.
And also mortified that she was completely starkers.
‘I’m fine, thanks,’ she said, curtly. ‘I was just having a quiet moment.’ Please go now.
Flora didn’t want to swim towards the jetty even though she was starting to grow cold, so she stayed where she was.
Brodie had his work gear on — navy shorts and an orange T-shirt — and both his hands were pushed into his pockets.
‘You seem to be making a habit of catching me unaware,’ she said drily.
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt,’ he murmured not quite meeting her eyes. ‘I just saw you lying there in the water and . . . well, I get a bit concerned when anyone is in the loch and they’re not moving.’
Flora knew she should thank him for his concern — once again — but she was now trying to work out how she could get out the water without giving him an eyeful.
Although, with dawning mortification, she realised it was perhaps too late.
He had most probably seen everything. She hadn’t realised he would be starting work in the garden quite so sharp this morning, otherwise she would have kept her swimsuit on.
At this moment, the water was hiding her modesty but she was starting to feel rather cold.
‘Um, don’t worry,’ she said trying to sound as grateful as she could in the hope he would take the hint and go away.
‘I appreciate you checking. It’s very kind of you. I’m just about to get out.’
‘So you don’t need any help?’ he asked sounding relieved.
‘No, no, thanks, honestly, I’m fine. I’ll manage.
’ What she really wanted and needed him to do was turn round and bugger off.
Pronto. She let herself sink a bit further into the water so that the surface was touching her chin.
Now please go, she said to herself while smiling as brightly as she could, feeling her teeth start to chatter.
‘Maybe you could ask Gran to pop the kettle on. I could do with a coffee.’ She hoped a clear directive would get him moving otherwise she would have to be rude and actually tell him to do one.
He nodded his head and then turned and quickly strode off.
Flora waited until he disappeared round the corner of the garden.
Then she very quickly grasped the edges of the jetty and hauled herself out the water, grabbing her robe.
The water had been so pleasant just a few moments ago and now she felt as though she’d been plunged into ice and her skin felt raw.
She dried herself off as best as she could and then wrapped the robe tightly around herself and walked briskly towards the house.