Where Have All the Boys Gone?(33)

“And toast,” added Louise helpfully.

“Come on, let’s go try and save tomorrow’s pieces,” said Katie, putting her arm around her friend’s shoulders as the car pulled away. “By the way, did you tell Craig the Vet he was on a promise?”

“Yeah yeah yeah,” said Louise. “Craig the Vet thinks he has the local sheep on a promise, horny old devil. Believe it or not, I don’t particularly feel like sleeping with anyone at the moment.”

She stuck her tongue out at Katie’s astonished look.

“Far too busy being the femme fatale of a generation.”

“Boy, am I glad we didn’t waste money sending you into therapy,” whispered Katie as they crept up to their attic room.

Settling down to sleep, it felt almost comforting to hear the rain starting up, bouncing loudly off the old eaves.





Chapter Eight


Three days later, the rain finally stopped.

“Let’s go for a walk,” said Louise to Katie after work.

Katie looked at her. “What?” she said.

Louise looked embarrassed. “You know . . . that thing you do where you put one foot in front of another and stuff.”

“You know this isn’t one of those northern towns they’ve built a Harvey Nichols outpost in, right?” said Katie.

Louise nodded.

“How long have we known each other?” said Katie.

“Ten years?”

“Have we ever just gone for a walk?”

“There was that time we strolled past the lido trying to catch the lifeguard’s eye.”

“I’m not sure that counts.”

“Well, no then.”

The two girls looked at each other.

“This better get me foxy-looking rosy cheeks,” grumbled Katie, lacing up her boots.

LOUISE HAD BEEN out exploring the area—and the men—quite a lot, so had quite an appreciation of the local charms and was eager to sample them once more, whereas Katie had been stuck in a deadlock with Harry over how to go about the project for days now. Yesterday, she’d seen the planning report—the developers wanted a big golf course all right, plus a clubhouse, a bar, a hotel, and a new road cutting straight through the forest that was, quote, “wide enough for 4×4s.”

“Yuk,” she’d said.

“It’s worse than yuk,” Harry had replied.

“What about getting the local MP onside?”

Harry had snorted. “He’d sell his own grandmother for a lift in a Jaguar. I’m afraid,” Harry had continued, “we’re on our own.”

Katie had looked at him. “You have to let me do my job, you know, the proper way. The noisy way.”

“Yes, yes.”

“We’ve got to get out there and start shouting our heads off.”

“Read the papers again,” Harry had answered. “There must be a quieter way.”

KATIE AND LOUISE walked out past the boats on the shore and up onto the headland, following an old, ploughed-over track.

“You almost look like you’re having a good time,” said Katie sternly, watching Louise swinging her arms enthusiastically.

Louise looked at her. “I know,” she said, suddenly serious. She turned around, indicating the glorious view out to the Western Isles.

“This . . . I think this has been really . . . I think it’s quite good for me up here. Given me room to think.”

Katie nodded silently. It had taken Louise a long time even to get to the point where she could talk about the Max situation, and Katie hadn’t been convinced that she was making much progress back home, especially if her choice in one-night stands was anything to go by, yet here she seemed content, almost happy.

“I’m sorry,” Louise blurted out.

“What do you mean?”

Louise looked awkward. “I think I . . . you know, kind of blamed you for what your sister did.”

“That’s OK,” said Katie.

“No, I just . . . I’ve been a bit of a pain in the arse.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” said Katie. “It’s been very entertaining watching you . . . no, I don’t mean that. I mean, I’m sorry too. I really am. And I’m sorry there’s not more I could have done.”

“You took me in,” said Louise, biting her lip. “And I dragged a lot of pond life in my wake.”

“Don’t worry about that,” said Katie. “In fact, you gave me hope. That a sex life was still possible for the single London almost-thirtysomething female.”

Louise made a face, remembering some of her less desirable conquests. “Well, that’s over.” She looked around again at the amazing landscape. “I think I’m getting better.”

Katie smiled at her. “Must be something in the water.”

“Oy! YOUSE!”

Turning back from the headland, the girls were shocked to see a bent-over figure, carrying a stick, marching towards them.

“Get off!”

“Who’s that?” said Katie.

Louise shrugged.

The figure waved his stick at them.

“Is he going to hit us with that stick?” asked Louise, preparing to run. “Maybe he’s a crazed hermit and we’re encroaching on his land.”