The Little Gift Shop on the Loch

by Maggie Conway

  Lily copied Jack’s actions as he went on. ‘Most of the flavours you taste are related to smell. Keep your mouth slightly open and you’ll realise you’re actually tasting the aromas. This lets you get used to it, tells you if it’s heavy or light.

  ‘Take a small sip but let it stay in your mouth for a moment and then take a second sip. This time your palette has grown used to the complexity of the spirit and you should begin to notice the overall flavour. Now try to tell me what you can taste.’

  Lily closed her eyes, her taste buds trying to evoke the flavour.‘Woody, I think. Or perhaps smoky?’

  He nodded. ‘I’d agree. You could also say peppery and there’s a definite touch of citrus.’

  She took another experimental sip. ‘Yes, I think I can taste that. Oh, and vanilla?’ She sampled another mouthful, beginning to quite enjoy this. Her glass was almost empty now so with a final swig, Lily tipped her head back to finish it off resulting in a rather inelegant coughing fit.

  ‘You might want to slow down,’ Jack said looking both alarmed and amused.

  ‘So,’ Lily squeaked, patting her chest. ‘Are you something of a whisky expert?’

  ‘Not at all.’ He pulled a face. ‘Thought it might be interesting to do some reading that’s all – Adam is hoping to launch a new malt whisky at the distillery at some point.’

  ‘Wow, that’s quite ambitious.’

  ‘Not for the faint-hearted, that’s for sure,’ Jack agreed.

  Lily bit her lip deciding to put some of her knowledge to the test. ‘A single malt is produced using only malted barley whereas a blended is a blend of two more malt and grain whiskies, is that right?’

  Jack nodded, looking impressed. ‘That’s correct. Most connoisseurs would regard a single malt superior to a blended whisky. And they can certainly command a premium price which is why Adam is keen to give it a go.’

  Lily smiled to herself, pleased she was able to talk with at least some understanding about a topic Jack was interested in. ‘But it can take a long time before the whisky is actually bottled and ready for sale though?’

  Jack’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. ‘It can take years,’ he said. ‘But Adam’s got a long way to go before that. At the moment his priority is getting the distillery back on track. His father Jock is the nicest man you’ll ever meet but well, he’s let things slip over the last couple of years and maybe not made all the best business decisions. But it’s not been easy for him, he was due to step down and Adam was all set to take over when the car crash happened.’

  Jack took a second. ‘When Maria died, Adam just couldn’t face it and took himself off for a couple of years. After that, I think some of the heart went out of the place. Jock held on until Adam came back but the place has become a bit run down. To be honest we didn’t even know if Adam would come back.’

  Jack lifted himself from the sofa and went to the sideboard, rolling his shoulders and Lily could see how difficult and raw it still was for him to talk about what had happened. He picked up the bottle and brought it back over.

  ‘But he’s back now,’ he said in a brighter voice, replenishing their glasses. ‘He’s got plans for the place and that’s why he’s so keen to be part of the festival this year. It’ll be a chance to showcase the distillery and raise its profile.’

  ‘I guess quite a few local people must depend on the distillery for work too?’

  ‘Quite a few, yes.’

  ‘So tell me more about the event,’ Lily prompted.

  ‘There’s loads of things. Tours and tastings, masterclasses – even live music. Each distillery is hosting different events over a few days. You can go behind the scenes, see how the distillery works. Let me see, what else is there? I know, do you fancy a bit of speed-dating?’

  ‘Speed-dating?’ Lily spluttered.

  ‘Yeah, apparently there’ll be people from different distilleries and they each get ten minutes with at a table to present their whisky. After you taste it, you score it and choose your favourite.’

  ‘Novel idea,’ Lily commented. ‘Although I don’t think I would ever try speed-dating, for a partner I mean.’

  She told Jack about her friend Erin who had tried it once. ‘She said there was nothing like making you realise just how long five minutes can last.’

  Jack laughed. ‘Not my thing either, I have to say. What about a nighttime walk then, how does that sound?’

  ‘Intriguing. What does that involve?’

  ‘You’re taken on a guided night time walk through the hills, retracing the steps of whisky smugglers in days gone by. Whisky under the stars, they call it.’

  ‘Sounds romantic.’ Lily tilted her head, visions of her and Jack under the stars floating pleasurably into her mind. Where on earth had that come from?

  ‘What about Dallochmore?’ she asked clearing her throat. ‘What are they doing as part of the festival?’

  ‘There’ll be a few masterclasses running throughout the day, tastings and a tour of the distillery obviously. I’ll be there to help Adam out with anything I can and my sister Isla, she’s really into cooking and she’s organised this food and whisky pairing thing so I’ll have to go that or I’ll be in trouble.’

  ‘That sounds great fun, I’d love to go,’ Lily enthused.

  ‘Come with me, if you like,’ he said easily. ‘It’s tomorrow.’

  ‘Really, you’re sure?’

  ‘Of course,’ he shrugged.

  ‘All right then,’ Lily said just as a sudden ferocious gust of wind rattled against the window. Even above the noise of the wind Lily could still hear the rain, making her feel blissfully warm and cosy.

  ‘I’m glad I’m not out in that anymore,’ Lily shuddered, sudden goose bumps sweeping over her skin.

  Jack looked concerned. ‘Are you all dry now? I can get you a blanket if you want?’

  ‘I’m okay, honestly. It’s my own fault anyway, I should have put on proper clothes.’ She frowned, words from another time filtering into her consciousness. ‘I remember my mum used to say there’s no such thing as bad weather—’

  ‘—only the wrong clothes,’ Jack finished with a grin. ‘Very true living here.’

  Jack waited a couple of moments and then spoke again, his voice tentative. ‘You must miss your mum?’

  Lily nodded mutely, the unexpectedness of the question making her throat tighten.

  ‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.’

  ‘No, its fine.’ She gave her head a little shake, picking at a loose thread on her jumper. ‘I miss her very much,’ she said simply.

  ‘You never came to see her here in Carroch though?’ His voice was gently probing, not judgemental.

  Lily glanced down, the usual cocktail of regret and grief swirling uncomfortably around inside her. She and Jack had talked a lot recently, their conversations covering a lot of ground. But Lily had always managed to neatly swerve the topic of her mother and why she hadn’t been to Carroch before now. Coming from a family like Jack’s, it probably appeared strange to him but she knew now that she wanted to try and explain to him.

  Gazing into the fire, she gathered herself. ‘You told me once your mum was overprotective? I guess you could say mine was the opposite. I loved her very much – everyone did and that was understandable, she didn’t have a bad bone in her body. I’m not sure she had a maternal one either. At least that’s what it felt like at times.’

  Lily paused. ‘We spoke on the phone and she came to see me occasionally in Edinburgh but we didn’t live in each other’s pockets. She wasn’t the type of mum who wanted to know my every move or want me to know hers.’

  Jack sat back and took a sip of whisky and with his eyes fixed on her, Lily started to talk. Suddenly it felt imperative to her that Jack understood, and she talked for what seemed a long time as she attempted to explain her relationship with her mother, her rush of words only occasionally punctuated by Jack’s occasional comment.

  ‘Then after she died, it all became too p
ainful. My job was full-on which suited me, allowed me to keep putting it off. It was only after I was made redundant that I finally knew I had to come and deal with everything.’

  When there was nothing more to say and with all her words spent, Lily curled her legs under herself and looked at Jack, his expression sombre. He laid his hand over hers for a moment. ‘I’m so sorry Lily. And that you had to face it all alone.’

  Lily gave him a grateful look.

  ‘I used to see Patty and Iris around the village,’ Jack remembered. ‘Always looked as if they were up to something, always laughing and enjoying life, that’s for sure.’

  Lily smiled at the image, feeling lifted and lighter in some way. In fact, she was suddenly feeling extraordinarily relaxed. She glanced over at Misty who hadn’t budged an inch and was still purring contently; Lily thought she might be beginning to feel the same way herself. The pain in her head from earlier had dulled. Everything had in fact, including her thinking and she thought perhaps the soup hadn’t provided much of a lining for her stomach.

  Her eye caught a selection of films on one of the shelves. ‘That’s quite a collection you have there,’ she commented.

  Jack followed her gaze. ‘Yeah, I went through a stage of watching films a lot plus the nearest cinema is a hundred miles away.’

  For some reason Lily found this amusing. She had the choice of two cinemas within walking distance of her flat and she giggled asking, ‘So do you have a favourite film?’

  ‘Easy. The Godfather.’

  Lily rolled her eyes. ‘What is it with that film? People rave about it and I’ve never even seen it.’

  ‘You’ve never seen it?’ Jack sounded rather offended. ‘Do you want to watch it now?’ He jumped up, pleased by the idea. ‘There doesn’t seem much point in you going back out in that yet.’

  ‘All right then,’ she agreed as Jack organised putting the film on and dimming the lights before re-joining Lily.

  Lily wasn’t sure of the exact moment but at some moment over the next two hours, as her rather woozy brain tried to keep up with the politics, the betrayals and the business-talks, she had fallen asleep, waking up in time for the finale soundtrack to find her head had made its way onto Jack’s chest, his arm draped loosely around her shoulder.

  With something of an effort she lifted her head, looking aghast. ‘Gosh, sorry, I fell asleep. But I was enjoying the film, honestly.’

  ‘Don’t worry about it.’ Jack was looking at her, a smile on his lips.

  Admittedly he didn’t seem too perturbed that she’d slept through most of his favourite film, his long legs stretched out in front of him. She flicked her gaze sideways at him, meeting his green eyes. They really were very dreamy. She almost wondered if she was somehow still asleep and in the middle of a dream herself. She gave her head a small shake which proved to be a bad idea, the room momentarily spinning.

  Sitting up to the best of her ability, she stifled a yawn and stretched her arms out in front of her. ‘I’m just so sleepy for some reason.’

  Jack inclined his head towards the almost empty bottle sitting in front of them, raising an eyebrow to indicate that might have something to do with it. ‘Perhaps that’s why they call it a lullaby in a glass.’

  Lily was delighted with this analogy. ‘I really didn’t expect to like whisky so much.’

  ‘Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it.’

  ‘I really did,’ she sighed. ‘And it was much nicer than the herbal medicine thing I took.’

  ‘You took medicine?’

  She waved away his startled expression. ‘Not medicine, just a herbal thing Iris gave me.’

  His eyebrows were still furrowed together as he spoke. ‘Think perhaps it’s time to get you home,’ he said, pushing himself up from the sofa. He took Lily’s hands and gently pulled her up, the slight roughness of his fingers against her skin feeling worryingly good. She took a moment to steady herself, pretty sure that if Jack let go she would fall backwards.

  They were standing very close, so close Lily could feel the heat of his body. She tilted her face up to his, her hands on his chest. Lily wasn’t sure exactly who moved first but somehow their lips met for the briefest moment and then Jack pulled back and looked at her.

  His finger traced her jawline and his gaze dropped to her mouth, then back to her eyes. His body was solid against her and she could feel it respond as they fell into another kiss, this time deeper, more urgent. It had been so long since she’d been in a man’s arms and Lily was lost in the moment as their mouths and bodies came together, the muscles on his back beneath her fingers, his hands tangled in her hair …

  But just as quickly as they had come together, they broke apart at the sound of a deep throaty rumble coming between them – literally – in the form of Misty purring profusely between their feet. There was a moment of silence, both of them looking equally shocked and slightly breathless.

  ‘Sorry I—’

  ‘I should—’

  Jack laughed awkwardly. ‘Think we might have had a touch too much of Dallochmore’s finest.’

  ‘I should probably go,’ Lily said, suddenly feeling a lot more sober than she did a few moments ago. She flushed, wondering if Misty had turned up just in time … Another minute more and she didn’t think either of them would have been able to stop.

  ‘Of course.’ Jack took a step away, running a hand through his hair. ‘Let’s get you and Misty back.’

  Chapter 16

  Lily had woken the next morning with a dreadful hangover. She’d spent the day nursing a pounding headache and shuffling about the flat. But as the day wore on and painkillers and countless mugs of tea began to do their work, her head had started to clear and she’d been grateful of the time to be alone with her thoughts. She still had a decision to make about the job and time was running out.

  Thoughts and ideas had swirled around her head like the fast spin cycle of a washing machine with the dizzying conclusion that in the space of a few weeks she’d managed to go from not wanting to come to Carroch to now not being sure if she wanted to leave at all. She felt as if a new life was being offered to her and part of her wanted to embrace it, grab it with both hands. Perhaps she wasn’t so unlike her mother after all; perhaps she could find happiness here the way she had. But she was afraid too. She knew that’s why she hadn’t turned down the job because it was her safety net. It represented her old life the city, everything that was safe and familiar to her.

  She thought back to the previous evening with Jack. Some of the finer points were slightly hazy but she remembered he’d walked her home, one arm guiding her and the other carrying Misty. He had insisted on waiting in the living room while Lily got ready for bed which had basically consisted of scrambling into PJs and falling into bed. She’d fallen asleep within seconds.

  She could be wrong but she was sure at one point Jack had come into the bedroom, tenderly brushing her hair from her face – and perhaps to check she was still breathing – but he had been so quiet and gentle, she thought it must have been a dream.

  She’d almost forgotten about the whisky festival until she received a text from Jack. She had the mildly uncomfortable notion she might have invited herself to go with him and he’d only agreed to take her out of politeness but his text said he’d be here this afternoon in taxi to pick her up.

  Now she was ready, pacing around nervously and checking the time every few seconds. It wasn’t a formal occasion and obviously Lily didn’t want to look as if she’d tried too hard but even so, she’d enjoyed some pampering. She’d spent ages blow-drying her hair so that it sat in shiny waves below her shoulders. She’d only brought a single dress with her, a green vintage-style tea dress and she’d slipped it on, completing the outfit with rose gold low wedge sandals.

  She looked at her reflection in the mirror, and her skin and eyes shone back at her. Whether it was due to the make-up she’d carefully applied or because she was going to be seeing Jack, Lily couldn’t be sure. Realising the ta
xi would be here soon, she decided to wait downstairs and so grabbing her bag, skipped down the stairs.

  The shop was a different place when it was closed; quiet and still. Lily walked around, letting the silence wrap itself around her. She thought about arriving in Carroch all those weeks ago, feeling scared and unsure. She’d viewed the shop through the eyes of a grieving daughter and in some respects, even as an accountant. But since then, it had become so much more. She felt as if the shop had become part of who she was, almost part of her own identity.

  She ran a hand along the counter thinking how much she’d enjoyed opening the shop for those few weeks. She loved that moment of turning the sign to ‘open;, of unlocking the door and never knowing who would come in. Suddenly it was as though she could remember every single customer she had served, every item they had purchased.

  And it hadn’t just the customers that had made it so special, it had been all the times she’d enjoyed with Iris, Angus and the knitting club ladies.

  Since that very first day she’d felt a connection to her mother through the gift shop. Lily had felt an attachment to it grow within her, a feeling that her mother had started something that she now somehow needed to finish. Patty might have bought the shop as a way of life more than anything else but Lily was certain the right person could run it as a profitable business and she found herself wondering if that person could be her.

  The shop was capable of making a healthy turnover, she was sure of it and she’d done some loose projections, calculating that eventually she’d be able to draw enough of a salary to live on. In the meantime, she could use her redundancy money to use as capital until she was up and running. There’d be loads to think about – staffing, marketing, social media … but none of it put Lily off. Instead she felt a bubble of excitement growing within her.

  Her mind had gone into freefall, ideas coming thick and fast. She could expand the range of merchandise, sourcing good-quality local products, not just for tourists searching for souvenirs but for local people too. After all, giving gifts was something everyone did for so many different occasions, and being the only shop like it in the village should place her in a strong position. She could have themes, creating different displays and stock special gifts for Burns night, St Andrews day, Christmas and Hogmanay. And now she knew how well they had sold, Lily imagined the thrill of being able to place a large order with Beth at Highland Aromatics.