“Ooh!” began Isla, a cheeky look on her face.
“All right, all right, you can gossip when I’ve gone,” said Flora. “But you should know, I thought they’d broken up.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s almost like Friends has finally made it to Mure, only twenty years after everywhere else.”
She glanced around.
“Right. I’m taking all the bannocks.”
Joel might not fancy me, she thought, and I don’t know if I can face mentioning the potential bad news about Fraser Mathieson. But they can’t not welcome a warm, crusty bannock on a chilly morning.
Colton had sent the boat for her, as the boys had taken the Land Rover to tow the protesting yearlings to the airport. It was a nasty, messy business and none of them ever enjoyed it, especially on such a horrible morning.
In the dining room at the Rock, though, everything was spotlessly cleared away, the fire was lit, and all was warm and cozy. It looked lovely.
Colton glanced up as Flora entered, bearing a tray.
“I’ve forgotten,” he said. “Are we mounting a legal challenge or launching the MacKenzie Catering Company?”
“Legal challenge,” said Flora, just as Joel said, “Can’t it be both?”
But she didn’t look at him, didn’t raise her head, and he felt a little tawdry and embarrassed.
Flora concentrated on spreading local honey on the bannock from the Café by the Sea. It was delicious, and with coffee from Colton’s expensive machine, utterly perfect. Outside, it was now blowing an absolute hooley. The sea was almost completely white and gray, the sky still filled with infinite clouds. Flora frowned. It had been bumpy getting round the northern point of the island; she didn’t want to think about getting back.
Joel was on the other side of the table. They’d barely glanced at each other. He looked different; Flora couldn’t quite work out what it was. Then she realized: he wasn’t wearing a tie, just a simple blue shirt, with a sweater, of all things. Probably lost it tying up Inge-Britt during lots of athletic and hearty Icelandic sex, Flora thought bitterly. The image flashed across her mind and she shook her head to clear it.
“Well,” said Colton. “I think last night went rather well.”
He looked delighted, like a tall cheeky gnome, and was obviously expecting an enthusiastic response. Both Joel and Flora were extremely muted, however, and Colton’s face fell.
“No, it was great,” said Flora, trying to rally. “Everyone came, everyone had a great time. They were all grateful, you know. Did you really dance with everyone?”
“Everyone,” said Colton, “who wanted to. I think some of the church elders were a little stuffy.”
Flora smiled.
“That’s okay. They’re allowed to be stuffy, it’s their job.”
“Well, jobs I get.”
“I think it’s all going well,” said Flora. “I would propose carrying on with the pop-up—I mean the Café by the Sea. I think the girls can handle things there pretty well. Fintan can help out too.”
“Can he?” said Colton, smirking a little.
“You have to spend the rest of the summer just being visible, out and about, reasonable. Talk to the locals. Use local facilities. Enjoy the island. I think you’ll find everyone much more amenable by September. This is really working out well.”
Colton nodded.
“Actually,” he said, “I’ve already asked Fintan to come work with me full-time. Didn’t he mention it?”
Flora blinked. What?
“No,” she said. “He didn’t say anything to me.”
“Makes sense,” said Colton. “He could run the Rock’s catering for me. He’s got the skills; he’s got the feel. You saw what he did last night. He knows all the local suppliers.”
Flora shook her head.
“You don’t understand,” she said. “He can’t. He can’t leave the farm. He’s needed.”
Colton shrugged.
“That’s not really . . . I mean, I’ve already asked him.”
“Oh my God,” she said. “But my dad. If he doesn’t have anyone to work the upper field, he’ll have to sell it. We can’t afford to hire anyone new. Everything will go to pieces . . .”
She fell silent, thinking about how happy Fintan had been last night. How much he wanted—needed—to do this. And she knew too that she had absolutely no right to ask him to stay. Not after everything she’d done to the family. There would be no point in talking about loyalty now.
“What’ll happen to your farm?”
Flora frowned.
“Well. These things . . . I mean, there have been MacKenzies farming there for God knows how long. But times change, I suppose. Dad’s getting too old for it now. Innes is distracted half the time with Agot, and Hamish, well. Not so hot on the management side of things. Might eat all the stock.”
Colton looked out across the water. You could see the farmhouse quite clearly, its pale gray walls glinting in the early-morning sunlight.
He leaned forward.
“How much cheese does Fintan make again?”
“Not enough for mass production,” gabbled Flora. “Apart from the cheese, there’s seaweed if you wanted it . . . dairy, obviously, some sheep . . . I mean, it’s just a farm.”
Colton nodded thoughtfully.
“It could,” he said, “I mean, it would solve a lot of my import problems and get me in with the community even more . . .”
Flora looked at him, not sure what he was saying.
Joel understood, though.
“You’re not going to turn this into a conveyancing case.”
Colton smiled.
“Is that beneath my fancy London lawyer?”
“Yes!” said Joel.
Colton smiled even more.
“Well, that makes it totally worth my while to do it.”
“What do you mean?” said Flora.
“Isn’t it obvious? I buy the farm. Your father can live there, no problem. Fintan works with me, those other boys help him with the cheese and butter and so on, and everything I need that can come from you comes from you. And this place”—he indicated the room they were sitting in with an expansive wave of his arm—“will become world famous!”
Flora sat back.
“Are you going to employ everyone on the island just to get the wind farm scheme abandoned?”
“No, Flora,” said Colton crossly. “I want to employ you lot because you’re good.”
Flora let out a long breath.
“What? It’s clearly a win-win.”
“Yes, well, you’re not the one who’d have to convince my father to sell his farm.”
“He doesn’t have to move! He doesn’t have to go anywhere!”
“It’s not about that.”
Colton blinked.
“I’ll offer a good price.”
“It’s not about that either.” Flora strove to keep the annoyance out of her voice.
“It’s certainly one solution, Colton,” said Joel. “Let’s talk it over. Right. I need to get back to London. Flora, you have to stay here until it’s settled.”
Flora wanted to argue but didn’t dare. Instead she glanced out of the window.
“Um, Joel . . . I don’t think you’ll be going back today.”
“What do you mean?”
Outside, the waves were up to the seawall, and the clouds were scudding ever faster.
“They don’t land planes in this.”
“What do you mean?”