Chapter 4
4
A few days later, with a leather-handled market basket hooked over her shoulder, a rolled-up blue and white striped towel under her arm and one of Logan’s hoodies over her swimming costume, Cally had just disembarked the riverboat after a long discussion with Clive. They had chatted away about this and that and Clive’s loose plans to possibly go away to warmer climes for Christmas. Cally hadn’t been sure what to think about that. Christmas dinner around a swimming pool, the weather hot and the smell of sunscreen in the air had never been part of her trajectory. Hmm. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. Or not. Cally wrinkled her nose as she walked in the direction of the beach and thought about it. She’d stick with hot mince pies, the notion of snow in the sky, and a Christmas movie after a way too big lunch.
Earlier in the day, Cally had been up early for a chatbot shift, Logan had gone off to work, and that afternoon, she was meeting Birdie in the deli for the discussion about the promotion. As she strolled along, she listed the pros and cons of the job in her head, went around in circles a bit and came to not much of a conclusion at all. Walking along the promenade, taking in the view of the sea and the sound of the waves, she decided that she’d have the chat with Birdie, look over the documents and make a decision then. To be quite honest, she was leaning heavily in the direction of taking the promotion and being done with it.
The part of her that felt as if taking the job was the easy route and that she should do something more exciting with her life was drowned out by the stability. Better the devil you know and all that. Did she really need excitement? Was a career path something she wanted? The more she thought about it, the more she didn’t think it was. Who needed power suits and heels when she could have a nice, cosy little life in the third smallest town in the country without any worries? Who needed the aggro of offices, glass ceilings, profit and loss, and having to perform week in, week out? Not that she wouldn’t need to perform working for Birdie but somehow it felt different; comfy, uncomplicated, and moreover, she knew precisely what she was doing. There was a lot to be said for that.
As she made her way down the steps to the beach alongside a breaker, she deliberated for a few moments on a good spot, laid out her towel and bag, and then sat with her back against the breaker and let the sun warm her face. Tucked up out of the wind, it wasn’t long before the hoodie came off and her sunglasses went on. She watched a grandma with a little girl in a pink frilly swimming costume and matching sun hat potter along on the shore. They pootled by picking up shells and popping them in a red bucket. Just along from her, a dad with a couple of teenagers fussed with camping chairs and fishing rods. Cally exhaled and thanked her lucky stars for the nice day and living in Lovely Bay. The third smallest town in the country was on form, and she was milking it to the hilt.
After a little lunch for one and a carton of blackcurrant, she spent a long time just watching the sea and small soft waves crashing over and over again onto the beach. As the waves tumbled, her mind released, and she felt thoughts about the job drift away. With the sun-toasted timber from the breaker warming her back, she thought about going in the water and whether or not it would be too cold. In the end, deciding that it wasn’t every day of the week, she was able to sit on the beach contemplating a dip in the sea, she got up, stripped off, and headed to the shore. As she tiptoed across the pebbles onto the sandy slope to the sea and walked by the water, she let waves tip over her ankles and wriggled sand in and out of her toes.
Wincing as the chilly water lapped at her calves, she grimaced at going for a swim. She'd known it would be cold; this was not the Mediterranean, but the reality made her catch her breath and shudder. Taking a deep breath, she waded in further, the sand under her feet giving way to stones and pebbles here and there. As the water reached her thighs, she steeled herself, plunged forward, kept her chin high and head out of the water, and submerged herself fully. Going for gold, she gasped as the shock of the cold water swallowed her. Flapping around a bit, she tried to think about minerals, vitamins, and good things in the water and pretended she wasn’t cold. Somehow, despite the temperature, the sea against her skin, the salt on her lips, and the motion of the waves felt just right as she pondered further the job with Birdie.
After a few minutes of treading water and getting used to the temperature of the water, Cally turned away from the horizon and gazed up at the clear blue sky and the lighthouse, standing tall and proud. Lines of little white houses snaked away into the distance and she could just make out the harbour and boats to her far right. The whole scene was so quintessentially Lovely that it made her eyes prick at the place she now called home.
Attempting to swim for a few minutes, she then just stood for a while watching a couple of children jumping off the breakers, and then, too cold to stay in, she waded out of the sea, shivered, and started an odd fast-walking-not-quite-jog in the direction of her stuff. With water streaming off her body, a breeze coming in off the sea raised goosebumps on her skin, and she hurried back in the direction of her towel and bag. Once the towel was wrapped around her shoulders, she waited for a minute and then rubbed vigorously to warm up, settled back against the breaker, reached for her bag, and pulled out her phone to see a message from Logan.
Logan: Hey. Just having a tea with Mum. She told me to remind you that you need a cocktail dress for Scotland.
Cally groaned inwardly and rolled her eyes at her and Logan’s upcoming trip to Scotland. Like other social events she’d been to with Logan, she’d been invited to Scotland for a get-together that was a family tradition. It hadn’t taken her long to work out that going to the estate in Scotland, just like the races had been before, was a non-negotiable part of the Henry-Hicks family’s calendar. One she’d quite happily give a miss.
While the trip hadn’t completely slipped her mind, she’d attempted to put it on the back burner and hadn’t put too much thought into it at all. It wasn't that she wasn't looking forward to it; more that she couldn’t be faffed with the weight of expectation that came with it. It wasn't just a casual weekend away, oh no, not at all. It was, rather, a Henry-Hicks family tradition, part of their social calendar that was fixed each and every year. Logan had explained that the family had been going to the Scottish estate for generations. It was a big deal, with a formal dinner, days of outdoor activities, and family outings.
No longer full of doubt around Logan’s family, Cally was fine with the actual event itself, but the thought of spending days navigating their customs and traditions didn’t fill her with utter joy. She shook her head and tried not to be mean. Logan’s family had been nothing but welcoming to her; even if their world sometimes felt alien to hers, they hadn’t put a foot wrong. There were definitely irritating members - entitled Alastair and his badly-timed comments sprang to mind, but overall, they were nice. She needed to suck it up and be more grateful.
Sighing as she looked out at the sea again, she thought about how far she'd come from when she'd arrived with nothing much other than the hope that Birdie extending her a lifeline would give her a fresh start. Now, here she was, rolling her eyes that she had to go on a trip to a Scottish estate with her boyfriend's family. She chuckled at the absurdity of it all as she rubbed her towel up and down her arms. If someone had told her a year before that this would be her life, she would have thought they were mad or drunk or both. Yet here she was, and despite her lack of enthusiasm, she was curious to see the estate that Logan had told her about.
Cally: Thanks for the reminder. Really looking forward to it. Yes. I have a dress sorted. Xxx
Sitting and pondering, Cally thought about the practicalities of the trip. From what Logan had said, she needed to pack for both warm and cold weather, lots of walking and outdoor clothes, and to be prepared for rain. Part of her wished they were jetting off to Spain. Sunbeds, cocktails, blue skies, and parasols or soggy walks in wet woods? Tricky one.
After popping Logan’s hoodie back on, pulling off her swimming costume’s straps and rolling it down, she hoisted her bag onto her shoulder and began to make her way back up the beach. As she walked along the promenade, her mind drifted back to the conversation she'd had with Logan when he'd first mentioned the Scotland trip. A few months before, they’d been enjoying a quiet evening at the cottage curled up on the sofa, half-watching a property show. Logan had casually dropped the trip to Scotland into the conversation as if it was nothing. He’d been nonchalant, but Cally had immediately registered that the Highlands was yet another non-negotiable part of family life. She supposed if she and Logan were going to continue to be an item, she’d have to get used to popping a smile on her face and getting on with things she didn’t always want to do. It was a tough life.
She nodded to herself and decided to open her mind. Maybe the Scottish trip would be good. She’d soon find out.