Flora had been pleased to hear from Kai during the week. He had sounded nervous.
“What?”
“Well. Good news and bad news.”
“Um,” said Flora. “Okay. Good. No, bad. No. Good. No. Bad.”
“Stop it,” said Kai. “Okay, two bits of good news. One—I’m coming to visit.”
“You’re coming up here?!”
“For some stupid meeting thing that’s happening.”
“The town council. Of course. Oh my God, why are you . . .?”
“That’s the rest of the news,” said Kai.
Flora felt a deep weight in her stomach. She didn’t want to hear what was coming.
“I’ve been promoted, Flors. On to the account.”
“Of course you have.”
“Because Joel has . . .”
“He’s taken Colton’s job,” said Flora dully.
Kai didn’t answer.
“L.A. or New York?”
As if it mattered.
“New York, I think,” said Kai. “He’s passed it on to me. Sorry. But still. Good chance to get over him, yes?”
Flora hadn’t been able to tell anyone what had happened. Not even Lorna. Best if everyone could assist her in still thinking he was an arsehole and that she was better off without him. Which she was, absolutely.
“Of course,” she said. “And it’s brilliant that you’re coming!”
It was too; she’d missed Kai while she’d been up here.
“It’s Lughnasa.”
“That sounds fattening.”
“It’s not! It’s a big pre-Christian festival, with lots of fire and dancing. Trust me, you’ll like it.”
“Will it be a load of drunk Vikings carousing around the place?”
“Hmm, a bit.”
“That sounds tremendous! I shall pack something super wenchy.”
They were all set for the meeting, then the party would start. The Café by the Sea would be shut, but the Harbor’s Rest would be doing a roaring trade. There was a firelight parade around the village, followed by music down on the Endless Beach as they lit a hawthorn bower—meant to represent the green man of summer, and how his time was ending—and sent him off out to sea.
It was mild and clear for the time of year, with the scent of autumn everywhere. Flora went to collect Kai from the airport dressed in a tweed skirt and a Fair Isle sweater with green stitching that turned her eyes green again.
Kai stepped down onto the tiny windswept runway, waving madly. Flora was delighted to see him.
“Oh my God, this place!” he said. He looked like an exotic creature in his expensive tailored suit. He strode out and looked around at the towering crags, the sheltering town, the clattering harbor. “Oh my God, look at it.”
Flora smiled. “Um . . .”
Kai shook his head.
“Seriously,” he said, “this is the place you’ve done nothing but moan about since I met you?”
Flora ushered him into the Land Rover, where Bramble greeted him with massive licks and a batting of his tail against the seat.
“Shit, Flora,” said Kai. “I grew up in Tottenham. And I can’t even afford that now.”
It was, admittedly, the perfect time to show Mure at its very best. As the sun started to dip, the equinox tide made the waters recede so that the beautiful beaches were full of birds. Kai gasped and exclaimed to see a stork take off, its huge wings pink with the lowering sun. Then he became very overexcited at the sight of a seal grabbing some rays on a rock.
“I just want to take him home,” he said. “That’s all I ask.”
“He’ll give you a nasty bite,” said Flora. “Doesn’t taste good either.”
“Flora!”
Next he exclaimed madly over the Café by the Sea and how adorable it was. Though he never normally ate carbs, he ate an entire slice of Bakewell tart, then closed his eyes. “I’m moving here,” he said. “I think you’re mad.”
More ecstasies followed as Flora took him to the Rock—finally ready for guests—to unpack, and showed him, with a faint trace of sadness, into a bedroom that was just as beautiful as she’d always suspected they would be, with deep sofas and driftwood furniture, and those extraordinary views. Innes was in the parking lot, dropping off a load of produce, and Flora brought him over. Kai perked up immediately.
“I don’t think so,” said Flora. “Just the one MacKenzie boy. I think.”
“Yeah, like you’d know,” said Kai pertly.
“This is Innes, director of MacKenzie Farms Limited,” said Flora, introducing them. “This is Kai, who’s going to be my new boss.”
Kai waved her away. Innes smiled shyly. They’d only signed the papers a couple of weeks ago, and it still felt like a novelty.
“Are you coming to the Lughnasa later?” said Innes.
“I should think so.”
“Braw,” said Innes, and Flora grinned.
“Agot’s going to like you,” she said to Kai.
“Who?” said Kai.
They convened in the village hall at 6:30. Anyone was allowed to sit in on council meetings, but very few people did. Tonight, however, the hall was nearly full, as people came to see what would happen to Colton. Would he withdraw everything he’d brought to Mure if he didn’t get his way? Or would everything be all right?
Flora sat nervously with all the paperwork between Kai and Colton, with Fintan on Colton’s other side. The council filed in. Her father; Maggie Buchanan, face giving nothing away; Mr. Mathieson, Jan’s father, who scanned the crowd and, when he caught sight of Flora, frowned. Flora sighed. That didn’t bode well. The reverend, who appeared to still have pie crumbs round his mouth. That was a better sign. Eck’s old friend Gregor Connolly; Elspeth Grange; and, of course, Mrs. Kennedy.
Flora touched Colton lightly on the shoulder. There was a lot of dull business to get through until it got to them.
Joel sat in his immaculate apartment. He couldn’t settle down. He knew the meeting was tonight. This was ridiculous. In his career he’d won great victories, triumphed for small companies over big ones, many times. This case had been absurd, about the concept of a place, rather than a point of planning.
It was still steaming hot and damp in London. He didn’t want to walk. Too many people everywhere, shouting into their phones, making noise, blasting music, staring at screens, bumping into you, showing off. Everywhere. He didn’t want to go out. Sit in some ridiculous bar, have the same conversation with the same type of woman, surreptitiously checking her own gorgeousness out in the bar mirror, grabbing her phone for another selfie.
He checked his watch. Kai was going to phone him with the result. He thought about how hard Flora had worked, everything she’d wrought. She’d be fine. She was probably there with that big guy right now.
He ran his hands through his hair. Why was it so hot? He had the air conditioner on, but he still felt so constrained, like he couldn’t breathe. He paced about like a leopard in a zoo.
“And finally,” said Maggie Buchanan, who was chair, “we come to the planning proposal for the North Mure offshore wind farm.”
Colton jumped up.
“I oppose this!” he said.
Maggie looked at him over her spectacles.
“All in good time, Mr. Rogers.”
She glanced through the paperwork in front of her.