Chapter Twenty-Four
Sam
The following day, Sam lugged the picnic bag out of the boot, dodging Mina’s attempt to grab at it. The sun was shining brightly over the park behind the tennis courts. Perfect weather for his birthday.
‘Hang on, munchkin.’ He sidestepped her. ‘This bag’s bigger than you. Let’s not flatten you before we even start.’
‘I’m strong, Uncle Sam. I could totally carry it.’
‘Not as strong as me.’ Kaleb flexed his arm. ‘Look at these biceps. I’m fully ripped.’
‘Oh, please.’ Claire rolled her eyes. ‘What kind of silly word is that?’
‘Try working in a high school.’ Sam threw her a look. ‘Believe me, ripped is mild compared to some of the stuff we hear.’
Jacob laughed and shot Kaleb a look indicating they could both whip out a lot more colourful language if needed.
Sam checked around the park, his eyes searching for any sign of Clara. The way his soul ached without her was not a good omen considering the strong probability that he’d be torn away from her in a few month’s time.
They reached a shady patch of grass under a wide oak tree, and Sam dumped the bag down.
‘This’ll do.’ He pulled out the picnic rug and gave it a shake. His mum and Claire helped spread it out.
Kaleb flopped down, propping himself up on his elbows. ‘I’m starving.’
‘You’re always starving.’ Sam moved the bag out of his way. ‘But we’re not eating until Clara’s here, so hold your horses.’
‘When’s she coming?’ Alisha asked.
‘She’ll be here soon,’ Sam replied. ‘We’re a bit early.’
‘I thought you said we were running late.’ Kaleb frowned.
Sam gave him a pointed look. ‘It’s the only way to get you out of the house in time.’
Claire shielded her eyes from the sun, looking out over the glen. The River Briar snaked through the hills, and Loch Briar gleamed in the distance. ‘This place is stunning.’
‘That’s where we were yesterday.’ Sam pointed to the far side of the loch. He’d happily settle here forever, though that wouldn’t be in his power for quite a few years yet.
‘The whole area is just stunning.’ Claire’s eyes looked like they were feasting on it.
Moira put her hand on Sam’s arm. ‘I know things are uncertain, but I’ve got a good feeling.’
‘What about?’
‘Your future here.’
‘I wish I had your optimism.’
‘You’ve moved before, and it worked out fine,’ Claire said.
‘But he didn’t have Clara then,’ Moira said.
‘Listen, Clara and I are just really good friends. We both know the score. I’ve always been upfront with her.’
His mum gave him a little hug. ‘I know what a lovely friend she is. But I think we all know she could be a lot more if you allowed it.’
Claire raised an eyebrow. ‘It’s kind of obvious how much you two like each other.’
He sighed, glancing away. ‘I’m not denying that. But her life is here, and mine might not be. I don’t want to inflict my lifestyle on her.’
His mum swept her hand in front of herself like she was sweeping his words away. ‘How does she feel about it?’
‘She doesn’t feel anything about it. She and I are friends. There are other things going on too. Things I can’t tell you about because they’re not mine to tell. But Clara isn’t looking for anything else from me.’
He’d been there for her through the Kerr business, and he’d stand by her through the other issues she was having if she wanted to confide in him – and even if she didn’t.
He’d always support her. When they both wanted an outlet for physical love, they’d been there for each other.
Of course, if they put that together with their friendship, it made a great base for a romantic relationship, but he couldn’t allow himself to think like that.
His mum tilted her head. ‘If you say so.’
‘I do.’
She didn’t push further, instead bending down and lifting one of the picnic bags to pull out a container of sandwiches. ‘Well, let’s get this all set up for your birthday treat.’
‘There’s Clara.’ Kaleb pointed, and Sam looked over.
‘Hello, everyone.’ Clara waved enthusiastically. Her smile was radiant as always, and everyone waved back and called out to her.
‘Hey.’ Sam bent over and tickled Skye. ‘You’d think I hadn’t seen you for several years.’
When he straightened up, Clara grinned at him.
‘Hello, sweetheart.’ Moira stepped forward and hugged her. ‘Come and join the fun.’
Skye plonked herself down in the middle of the blanket, and Mina and Alisha instantly converged on her with pats and cuddles.
Moira opened a box that had a large cake in it. Sam’s eyes met Clara’s, and she flashed him a warm smile; his heart skipped a little.
‘Let’s eat, then we can do the candles,’ Moira said.
‘Candles too.’ Clara prodded him and flicked him a tiny wink.
Everyone tucked into the quiche and the salad. The sandwiches disappeared so fast Sam wasn’t sure he’d even remembered to pack them. His gaze landed on Kaleb, whose would-be innocent expression spoke volumes.
Sam raised an eyebrow at him, then turned to Clara, hoping she’d be thinking the same thing. But when his focus landed on her, she wasn’t looking at him but somewhere over his shoulder, and her face had gone pale. With a slight frown, he turned to follow her gaze.
His breath caught in his throat as he spotted Kerr Halley and Georgie, his fiancée, strolling towards them across the grass. They were both wearing tennis clothes, and Kerr had clearly seen them and was making a beeline for them.
Sam held his breath, glancing back at Clara. He saw the conflict playing out on her face. Would there ever be a time when seeing this man wouldn’t give her this discomfort? Perhaps she wished he was the one sitting here with his family sharing the picnic.
And not me.
‘Hey, I thought it was you guys.’ Kerr had reached them and was standing at the end of the rug behind the kids.
Georgie had her hand entwined with Kerr’s and beamed at the group.
‘We were just having a match, which means Georgie using me as cannon fodder,’ he went on. ‘Hope you don’t mind us saying hello.’
‘Of course not.’ Sam got to his feet, and Clara did the same.
‘Don’t get up.’ Kerr held up his hand. ‘I don’t want to interrupt. I just didn’t want to walk past without saying anything.’
‘You’re fine,’ Sam said.
‘It’s so good to see you.’ Clara hugged Georgie, then Kerr, though she looked a little awkward. Kerr only returned it briefly.
‘Are you Georgie Porter?’ Moira asked.
Georgie nodded. ‘Yeah, that’s me.’
‘Oh, goodness.’ Moira pressed her hand to her chest. ‘I’m feeling decidedly star-struck. You’re my absolute favourite.’
‘Thank you so much,’ Georgie said.
‘I was gutted when you retired. Is this what you do now?’
‘Yeah. I live in Glenbriar and do some coaching work. Kerr and I are engaged.’
‘And, Kerr, you work with Sam and Clara?’ Moira beamed. ‘I’m Sam’s mum in case you’re wondering who this random woman is.’
Kerr grinned, his eyes roaming over the others on the rug. ‘Nice to meet you. And, yeah, I work with Sam and Clara. We’re all teachers, for our sins.’
‘It’s Sam’s birthday,’ Moira went on. ‘We’re having a picnic and some cake.’
‘Sounds great. Happy birthday, man.’ He clapped Sam on the shoulder, then gave Clara an almost questioning look – one that seemed to say: and why are you here?
‘Thank you,’ Sam said.
Clara fidgeted with the cuff of her lightweight cardi, perhaps wondering if she should explain herself.
But why? It was none of Kerr’s business really, especially as Kerr spent a lot of time out of school with Eddie – friendships with colleagues outside of work were fine.
But Sam was painfully aware that this must look like a lot more than that.
‘Well, have a great time.’ Kerr gave them all a broad smile.
‘It was nice to meet you,’ Georgie said to Moira, who gazed on in awe.
‘And you, dear. It’s made my day.’
‘That was unexpected.’ Clara gave Sam a little smile as Kerr and Georgie walked down the hill towards the tennis club.
‘Yeah, it was.’ They shared a look for a moment before he sat back down beside his mum. She put her hand on his arm.
‘I can’t believe that was Georgie Porter for real.’
After Moira had bounced back to earth, she spent a while trying to light the candles in the breeze before they all sang happy birthday to Sam.
Feeling slightly hot in the cheeks, Sam cut the cake. The kids wolfed theirs down before running off with a frisbee. Alisha had Skye on the lead beside her and looked like she was trying to explain the rules to her.
‘They’ll be asking for a dog next,’ Sam said to Claire.
‘Oh don’t. With our crazy working patterns, that’s not possible.’
Sam smiled. He’d like to get a dog again. He’d often felt he wouldn’t have the time because of his work, but Clara managed. She hired a dog walker during the week, and that seemed to work well for her. Maybe that was what he needed for companionship.
‘This has been a lovely afternoon,’ Moira said, checking the time on her phone. ‘Such a shame you don’t have the rest of the week off.’
‘You can enjoy exploring on your own.’ Sam leaned back on the tree.
‘My sister visited Dairvin Castle at Easter,’ Clara said. ‘It sounds nice. I really should make the effort to go. It’s not far from my house really.’
‘Let’s put that on the list,’ Moira said. ‘I love Scottish castles. I read all the books I can about them.’
‘She means romance books set in castles,’ Sam said, ‘not factual ones.’
‘Sounds good to me,’ Clara said.
When the kids started to flag, the adults packed up the picnic things, and Sam walked with Kaleb to the car while Clara and Jacob were still talking to Moira.
‘You might see Grandma again before she goes back to Somerset,’ Sam said to the boys. ‘Depends on what your mum says about her plans for Friday night.’
Kaleb smirked. ‘She’s got a boyfriend, so she’ll definitely want us out.’
‘Does she?’ Sam frowned.
‘Yeah. She obviously didn’t want you outdoing her.’
‘Seriously.’ Sam narrowed his eyes at him. ‘Clara and I are—’
‘Just friends,’ Kaleb said. ‘When are you going to admit that you fancy her?’
Sam shook his head. ‘I can’t. We can’t have anything like that. You know how it is with Mum’s job. If we have to move on, I couldn’t do that to Clara.’
Kaleb gave a little shrug. ‘Thing is, I don’t think Mum’s that keen to move on anymore. Not now that she’s met Gareth.’ He waggled his eyebrows.
A tiny flicker of hope sparked in Sam’s chest, though he barely dared to acknowledge it. It was so insignificant that the tiniest breath could extinguish it.
‘And is Gareth nice?’ Sam asked.
‘He seems ok,’ Kaleb said.
‘Good.’ Sam ruffled his son’s hair. He hoped Olive had grown more honest in her dealings with partners – for Gareth’s sake.