Chapter 41
Bea
Minutes later, after a subtle swipe of Autumn Rose lip gloss, a spray of face mist and a few dabs of perfume on her pulse points, Bea was set for the mystery Scottish road trip Cal had insisted they go on, en route to his family’s party.
All she needed now was for the man himself to arrive.
Bea imagined sitting in the passenger seat next to Cal, watching his hair caught by the sun.
Then she remembered she wasn’t in the States and that there would be no top-down in the crisp Scottish fall.
She’d have to settle instead for the heat of his company.
As she was pacing around the flat, waiting for Cal, Bea’s phone rang. It was Amira.
‘Hey, babe,’ she said. ‘What’s up?’ It was the middle of the night in New York. Why would Amira be calling now, unless something was wrong?
‘Hey, Bea.’ Amira sounded choked, like she’d been crying.
‘What? What is it? What’s wrong?’ Bea’s nerves spiked. She’d hoped Amira might be calling her tipsy and excited, perhaps after meeting a cute guy on a night out, but this didn’t sound right at all. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Yes, yes.’ Amira sounded like she was trying her best to keep her voice calm. ‘Oh, Bea, I’m such an idiot.’
‘What? Ams, tell me what’s happened. I presume no one has died?’
‘No, no one has died. Apart from half my brain cells. I’ve been such a complete and utter dumbass. Oh, God. I’ll explain. I was seeing this guy. It was going somewhere; I was sure of it. We were going to go on vacation over Christmas, to Puerto Rico.’
‘Uh-huh,’ said Bea, feeling ominous.
‘So, he said he would book it all, but could he borrow my bank card to do so. He would pay me back as soon as he got paid. He said he was expecting a big payment from a job he did for someone.’
Oh no! Bea could see where this was going already. Amira was a wonderful friend but she could be awfully na?ve.
‘You gave him the card?’
‘Yep, and tonight I walked home from Uptown because I had no money for an Uber because my whole account has been cleared out.’
‘Oh no! Oh, Ams. I’m so sorry. Are you sure it was him and not a clerical error or something?’
‘Well, considering he isn’t answering his phone and is blanking my messages, despite them being read, then, yes, I’m pretty sure it was him. It’s too much of a coincidence.’
‘Oh, babes, I’m so sorry. You have to go to the police about this. And if there’s anything I can do from this end, please let me know. Do you need some money?’
‘Oh, Bea, I don’t expect you to give me any money.’
‘I know you don’t, but you need money, right? He cleared you out. You to eat and get to work and pay your bills. I’ll transfer you as much as I can this minute. Have you cancelled all the cards he has access to?’
‘Yes, but, babe, you don’t have to do that.’
‘Yes, I do. Of course I do. You’re my best friend and I love you. My rent is paid for this month and I’ve some put aside for the road trip I’m going on. I can afford to help you out. You need it more than I do.’ Bea put the phone on speaker as she logged into her online banking.
‘Please don’t leave yourself short.’ Amira sounded weak and too defeated to argue.
‘I’ll be fine.’ Bea’s bank balance wasn’t exactly high, but she could spare enough to help her friend out. She clicked the send funds button and just as the money had gone through someone rapped at the door. That would be Cal. Damn! She’d wanted to catch him before he came up to the flat.
‘Ams, listen, I’m going to have to go. My ride is here. But the money is sent and I’ll check in with you as soon as I can, I promise.’
‘Of course, thank you, honey. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can. And I’m so sorry for being such a doofus.’
‘You’re not a doofus. It could happen to any of us. Remember, I love you.’ Bea wished her friend goodbye and ended the call. Poor Amira. She loved to be in love and got carried away by the promise of romance.
Speaking of which, Bea flattened her palms down her hips and headed to the door.
She opened it to see Cal, resplendently morning fresh in jeans and a crisp white t-shirt which encased the swell of his biceps perfectly (lucky for Bea that he didn’t notice the cold) and made his emerald eyes sparkle even greener.
His usual woody, lemony scent wafted to Bea’s senses and made her want to bury her face into his neck.
‘Morning, M’lady.’ His smile was as warm as a California sunrise. ‘I believe you’ve a trip to Kintyre booked. Can I help you with your bags?’
Bea laughed. ‘I do and absolutely. I’ll get my holdall from the bedroom.’ But before she could tell Cal to hang on, he was moving past her into the flat.
‘Oh, Cal, you don’t have to… I can get it, it’s not that heavy.’
But it was too late. He entered the bedroom, stopping for a moment to take in his surroundings.
Light perspiration broke out on the side of Bea’s nose as she saw the room from his perspective.
The paintwork with scuff marks on it, the threadbare patches on the dirty carpet, the faded and grotesque artwork that she would never have chosen for a place of her own.
Cal must wonder why on earth she lived here.
Did he feel sorry for her that she had to, even for a temporary period?
But his face didn’t show any sign that he was thinking these things. In fact, he only commented on one aspect of the room.
‘Nice bed.’ He clocked Bea’s bag on the floor. ‘This it?’
‘Um… yes,’ Bea said. ‘And the bed is pretty comfortable.’
‘That’s important,’ said Cal, knowingly. He lifted Bea’s compact but well-filled overnight bag, seemingly oblivious to its weight or Bea’s concern over her accommodation. And for that she liked him that little bit more.
Half an hour later and they were coasting out of Edinburgh, over the gleaming Firth of Forth and into Fife from where Cal said they’d head into Perthshire then west to embark on his mystery itinerary.
All he’d said was to pack for the same weather as Edinburgh – temperate yet sunny – but with a bathing suit, although he’d also said that was optional if Bea was comfortable naked, and she’d tingled with anticipation.
She was more than comfortable naked with Cal.
They stopped for lunch at a little farmhouse café – Cal said he’d earmarked it especially for her – where they dined on wholesome farmhouse broth with soft bread and Scottish butter followed by steaming rich coffee and a luscious chocolate brownie.
It was all so comforting and homely and Bea reflected how thoughtful it was of him to bring her here.
She also reflected that if he was going to continue to be this nice to her, she would have trouble keeping her feelings in check.
‘Are you having a good time so far?’ Cal drained the last of his coffee. ‘Think you’ve seen anything that you can put into your writing?’
‘I’m having the best time ever.’ Bea resisted the powerful urge to reach for his hand. That was something a girlfriend would do. ‘I’ve seen so many things this morning that I can write about. Thank you for continuing to show me Scotland.’
‘My pleasure. I want you to love it as much as I do.’ He held Bea’s gaze a fragment longer than usual before interrupting his own contemplation. ‘I’ll get the bill and we can head off.’
‘Oh, let me.’ Bea reached for her purse. ‘It’s the least I can do to thank you for showing me this place even exists.’
‘No, my treat.’ Cal’s tone was non-negotiable, and he left the table before she had a chance to argue.
Bea bit into her lip and looked around at all the other patrons.
To debate now would cause a scene. She would have to ensure that she paid for the next meal, and that he took the money she’d set aside for accommodation and gas.
Having him pay for everything was not something she was okay with, irrespective of whether they were in a relationship or not.
Bea never wanted to be accused of freeloading again.
They drove on through the Scottish countryside, zipping past fields dotted with cows, small stone farm-steadings, an endless curtain of foliage in shades of russet, gold and crimson dancing in the breeze.
During a break in the trees, Bea gasped at the snow-capped peaks surging out of the landscape beyond.
She had wondered if coming to Scotland at the tail end of summer was injudicious, but today in the warm apricot sunshine it felt like the best choice ever.
And, even if the whole of Scotland was drenched in rain, nothing could erase the magnificence of the scenery on offer, including the man in the seat next to her.