A lovely warm glow of muted orange light filled the café as the sun began to sink behind the mountains across the way. Kate looked through the windows and thought she would never tire of the view, or the feeling of contentment that settled around her. She felt a rush of love for her son, and for the old fisherman who had done much to bring peace to their lives.
3
From his position on the bench outside the local shop he had a clear view of the school gates. If they followed their usual routine, then Joe would come rushing out of the school gates and Kate would be there waiting. He knew he needed to time his approach carefully. Too soon and all his plans would be for nothing.
He couldn’t believe his luck at first. Having abruptly left Leeds to return home a couple of weeks ago, it was only by chance that he’d overheard barmaid Janice gossiping with the locals. He’d quizzed her afterwards and was convinced they were talking about Kate and Joe. A few days of snooping and he was 100% certain that it was, in fact, them. He hadn’t given either of them much thought since the court case. He knew she’d moved away, and he had no idea where, but he also had no feelings either way. Their affair had been brief, and a massive mistake, but it had all worked in his favour in the end.
What were the chances of them turning up in his home village? He knew Kate had holidayed there as a kid; she’d told him one day when they talked about their past. They’d laughed at the coincidence, Kate believing it was a sign, one that he quickly dismissed.
Right now, the biggest question he had was what to do with this piece of good fortune. That he would profit from it there was no doubt. He had enough over Kate to ruin her new life, and he wouldn’t hesitate to use what he knew to his advantage. But Kate was smart, so he knew that he had to think carefully.
He watched closely as Joe came running across the playground, waving a piece of paper above his head. He saw Kate take his hand and turn to leave the school grounds. His eyes followed them as they headed back towards the harbour and into the café. Flicking his cigarette into a nearby puddle, he left the bench, mind working overtime, convinced there was a way to manipulate the situation he found himself in.
Back at The Kingfisher, his family home until he’d left at 15, Ryan let himself into the rear entrance and had hoped to sneak upstairs without attracting his dad’s attention. Too late, Len was stood there waiting for him.
“Where the hell have you been?” he demanded.
“Out,” said Ryan, offhandedly. He was sick of his father already. He’d always been a bully, and despite his age and ill health he still thought he was the big man. When Ryan had phoned up out of the blue and asked if he could stay for a while, it had worked out well for Len. He was due in hospital for a knee operation and had been fretting over what to do with the pub whilst he was out of the game.
“You were supposed to help with the beer delivery,” snapped Len, following his son as he headed upstairs to the flat above the pub.
“Yeah? You should have said.”
“I did say, you useless piece of shit. I knew it was a mistake letting you back here.”
“Whatever.” He paused. “I’ll sort it out in a bit.”
“Do it now. The barrels are off.”
‘Oh for fuck’s sake,’ he thought. All he wanted to do was figure out how to approach Kate but he knew his dad wouldn’t let up so he turned and pushed him out of the way, heading for the cellar.
Len limped along behind him. Years of bar work and standing on his feet all day had taken its toll on his knee and he would be glad when he’d had the op. Ordinarily, Ryan would be the last resort he would ever turn to for help. Their relationship had always been strained. Ryan’s mum had died when he was 13 and his behaviour, which had never been perfect, went from bad to worse. His older sister Molly had been a breeze to raise and though losing their mum had been hard on all of them, Molly had stepped up and taken on much of the work that she used to do. When Molly met Steve at 18 she’d moved out and now lived over in Inverness, only visiting occasionally and speaking to Len maybe once a month. Len had no worries about Molly. She was a sensible girl, a loving mother and though he thought her husband was a bit of a prick she seemed happy enough. He’d told her about the knee operation, but she was yet to learn that Ryan would be running the place. Len knew she’d disagree, but he really had no choice. He made his way to the top of the cellar steps and watched as Ryan rotated the barrels and moved the new stock.
“Keep the new stuff separate, and make sure you’ve connected the barrels properly,” he shouted down.
Ryan closed his eyes and muttered under his breath. He’d been doing cellar work since he was old enough to lug a barrel, he didn’t need constant supervision. And he was 27, not 15.
“Hurry up and get into hospital or I’ll put you there myself, ” he seethed under his breath. Once he’d finished, he headed behind the bar to grab a wee snifter out of Len’s view.
“Don’t be drinking the profits.” It was Janice, and Ryan inwardly flinched. He couldn’t stand the woman and had no idea why his dad still employed her. He had wondered if there was more between them than Len let on. He shuddered at the thought and totally ignored her.
“You’ll no be doing that when your pa’s out of the way.” Her thick Scottish accent, and whiny voice went right through him, setting his teeth on edge.
He turned and looked at her. ‘She would need bringing down a peg or two,’ he thought. As if she could read his mind, she backed away and made a show of cleaning the glasses.
Reaching for his jacket, he headed back outside for a smoke and some time to think.
His chance came a few nights later. After another blazing row with his dad, Ryan had set off walking to the local shop for some cigarettes. As he walked along the uneven grass verge, the weather had taken a turn for the worse, and with only a thin denim jacket on he had quickly been soaked through. He could hear an approaching car, and in the vain hope it was a local not some hapless tourist, he stuck out his thumb.
Lady Luck was definitely smiling on him.
4
The Highland weather never failed to amaze Kate. When she’d set off to drop Joe at Cubs it had been dark and overcast. Less than thirty minutes later it was like the end of the world was on its way. Dark, stormy clouds had advanced and descended quickly. She was grateful she knew these roads or she would have become disoriented and lost. Despite using her headlights on the Ford Fiesta she’d recently purchased, she could barely make out the road ahead. She switched to full beam and leaned forward to peer through the windscreen.
“What the hell,” she muttered. Some poor sod had been caught in the storm and was walking along the grass verge. She flashed her lights, slowed down, and pulled over. She beeped her horn, the sound somewhat lost in the melee but it was enough to attract the attention of the figure which stopped and turned, heading towards her.
Kate leaned over to open the passenger door. The wind was howling, it was raining sideways and although she could barely make out whether it was a male or female at the side of the road, she knew it would be someone local. It was a common enough occurrence for her not to worry about it being a stranger.
The grateful figure stepped forward and practically threw themselves into the car. “Good of you to stop. I thought I was stranded there for a minute.”
“It’s no bother. The storm came in pretty quickly. It’s like the end of days.” Kate indicated to pull away from the verge.
The stranger laughed. “Do you often pick strangers up from the side of the road?”
“Haha, no but I figured you might be a local. Are you from round here? Your accent doesn’t seem local?” Kate was seriously regretting her decision to stop.
“Erm, kind of...”
The passenger had brought in the rain and chill of the night with him and Kate shivered. She felt a sense of recognition but couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “Where are you from?” she asked.
Ryan couldn’t believe that she didn’t recognise him b
ut he played along. “I’m from here originally but I’ve been living in Leeds.”
“I thought I detected a bit of Yorkshire. Wait...” She glanced sideways. “Ryan?”
“Haha, I wondered when it would dawn on you.”
“What the hell... how...” Kate was speechless. She’d last seen Ryan on the final day of the court hearing, hanging around the court steps. As memories slowly clicked into place, her hands started to shake. Heart pounding, she moved from recognition to anger in a split second. She swerved violently and pulled haphazardly onto the side of the road. “What the actual fuck? What are you doing here?” She removed her seatbelt and despite the lashing rain, she opened the car door and got out. “Get the fuck out of my car now!” she yelled above the cacophony of noise that swirled around the hills.
Ryan leaned over into the driver’s seat and shouted something but Kate couldn’t hear for the pounding in her ears. Rage, shock, and fear took over.
“I want you out of my car now!” she screamed again, shaking with anger. Reluctantly Ryan did as she demanded and stepped into the monsoon.
“Come on Kate, don’t be like that.” He headed around the front of the car towards her but she backed away.
“Oh no you don’t Ryan, stay away from me.”
Ryan carried on forward, relentless. “Kate, what’s wrong with you?”
“Seriously? You seriously don’t know?” Kate fumed. “Tell me why you’re here? How did you find me? Why did you...”
Ryan moved closer to Kate and reached forward, pinning her arms to her side. She struggled furiously and lashed out, but Ryan was much bigger and stronger than Kate and he soon had her gripped to him. “You were always a bit of wild cat. Will you calm down and listen to me?” Ryan risked losing his grip and held her by the forearms. “And for God’s sake let’s get back in the car, we’re getting soaked.”
Reluctantly Kate shrugged free of Ryan’s grasp and sat back in the driver’s seat, slamming the door to vent her anger.
“Jeez,” said Ryan. “It knows how to rain up here, I’d almost forgotten.” He shivered as icy droplets found their way down the neck of his collar.
Kate was shivering too and not just because of the rain. Part of her past, the one she’d tried so hard to escape was sitting right next to her. She didn’t know what to think as she sat gripping the steering wheel and rested her head on the curve. The shock of seeing his face and hearing his voice brought back painful memories. Unbidden tears started to mingle with the raindrops on her face and merged to spill onto her soaking wet jeans. Next to her, Ryan was rooting around in the glove box looking for a tissue. His hand found an old crumpled pack at the back.
“Here, take this,” he offered, shifting around in his seat so that he was facing her as much as he could in the confined space.
Kate took the proffered tissue and wiped her face. Pulling herself together she looked at Ryan fully for the first time. “What do you want Ryan? Why are you here?”
Ryan went on to the explain that he had returned home at his dad’s request. “So whatever else you’re thinking I am genuinely here to help out at the pub.”
Kate listened but was skeptical. Part of her wanted to believe he was genuine. She had always felt a connection with Ryan that she hadn’t with Darren. Kate breathed heavily in and out in an effort to try and think straight. Ryan reached for her hand that had fallen into her lap. She let him hold her fingers lightly in his hand. “It’s just a bit much to take in Ryan. I don’t know what to think.”
Ryan, pleased that she didn’t pull away, gently massaged her freezing cold fingers. “I knew you’d be shocked, I’m sorry. Meeting you worked much better in my head.”
Kate’s head snapped up. “What does that mean?”
Realising his mistake, Ryan tried to backtrack. “I didn’t know it was you in the car.”
“But that doesn’t make sense. How long have you known I’m here?”
“Only a couple of days. I heard some regulars at the pub talking about a Yorkshire woman taking over Harbour Café, and though it was chance in a million I asked a couple of questions and thought it might be you. I saw Joe coming out of school and it all just clicked into place.”
“You’ve been watching me?” Kate was incredulous.
“Not watching exactly. I just wanted to make sure it was you.”
Kate pulled her hand away. “So you planned this?”
“No. Not like this I promise.” Ryan took her hand again. “I promise Kate, but once I knew it was you, I couldn’t just walk away. You know what we had together. Wasn’t it you that always talked about signs?”
Kate was slowly pulling herself together using the now-ratty tissue to wipe away the remaining tears. She looked up at Ryan, searching his face for... she didn’t know what.
“Look, why don’t we start again?” he said earnestly. “Why don’t you drop me in the village and I’ll give you my number? That way you can contact me in your own time, whenever you feel ready?” Ryan rooted round in his pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper that had miraculously stayed dry despite his jacket being soaked. He passed the piece of paper over to Kate and reluctantly she took it from him.
Without looking at what was written on it she shoved it into the back pocket of her jeans, restarted the engine and didn’t speak another word.
5
Kate pulled into the allocated parking space opposite the café and got out of the car. She’d dropped Ryan off in the village and her head was still spinning. She had so many questions, and a complete mix of emotions. She could see through the café window that the lights were still on and Jack was inside. She couldn’t face anyone just yet. She had to get a grip on herself and process what had just happened with Ryan.
She felt claustrophobic which, considering she was sat on a bench facing the vast expanse of the loch, made no sense but she could feel it. That familiar feeling; knot in her stomach, clenched fists, toes curling inside fur-lined boots. She tugged her hood up over her beanie hat and leaned forward, breathing deeply. The rain had abated to a steady icy drizzle, each drop feeling like a needle point on her face. The bench she sat on had been damp and her bum felt wet and numb. The wind still whirled around her, finding gaps in her coat, sending shivers down her spine. She shifted her position, turning her back to the café. Behind her, crunching footsteps approached and she knew who it was. Jack sat down alongside her, completely ignorant as to whether he was welcome or not. In truth, Jack wouldn’t have cared. They sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. After a while Jack made to move.
“Are you coming inside hen? You’ll catch your death if you stay out here.”
“Just five minutes Jack and I’ll be in. Just need to clear my head.” She was touched by her friend’s concern.
Jack slowly stood up, the icy wind playing hell with his arthritic joints. He gently placed a hand on Kate’s shoulder as he turned to walk away. “Whatever you’re looking for lassie, you’ll no find it out there.” He trudged back up to the café and Kate heard the door close behind him.
Jack pondered Kate’s mood. It was strange for her to be so distant with him. He admired Kate. She was a determined young woman who clearly adored her son. He didn’t know what had happened in Kate’s past, and it wasn’t really any of his business. She had made it clear that it wasn’t up for discussion and he respected that. Kate was a hard worker and he had never regretted offering her a job and subsequent share of the café. He knew she wouldn’t let him down. Offering her the upstairs flat had done them both a favour. A pub was no place to raise a young boy in his opinion and he’d been debating what to do with the place for a while so it had all worked out well. It helped that Jack thoroughly enjoyed the company of young Joe and he had found himself getting more attached as time went on. The three of them had formed a close bond and Jack felt protective of them both.
He shrugged out of his coat just as Kate re-entered the café. “Ah, there you are.” He helped Kate with her coat
and took her over to meet the stranger standing at the counter with a tape measure. “Kate, this is Adam,” Jack introduced the two.
“Hi Kate,” said Adam. “I think we’ve met before at The Kingfisher.” He reached forward to shake Kate’s hand. She started at the mention of the pub and felt the colour drain from her face.
“Ah, right. I thought you looked familiar,” she managed to reply.
“Me and Adam have been going through your list and he reckons it will only take a couple of weeks,” said Jack.
“Aye, there isnae much that needs doing though the electrics need a bit of an update. When do you want me to start?” He addressed the question to Kate but received no reply. He looked over at Jack. Jack shook his head. Kate had wandered over to the window. “Kate?”
“What? Oh sorry, I was miles away. What did you say?”
“When would you like me to start the work?” Adam asked again.
“Oh, erm... Monday?” She looked over at Jack for acknowledgment that was OK with him.
“Aye,” answered Jack. “That’s fine with me. Just let me know if you need anything.” He walked Adam to the door and they said their goodbyes. Jack went to stand by Kate at the window. “Not having second thoughts are you hen?”
“No. God no, not at all.” Kate felt guilty for not giving Jack her full attention. “I’ve just had a bit of a shock that’s all.”
“Oh right. Anything I can help with?” Jack wasn’t sure what or how he might be able to help but he was always willing to lend an ear.
“No, not really but thank you. I bumped into an old friend today and it’s taken me back a little. I’m not sure what to do or think.”
The Lie She Told: All Kate wanted was a peaceful life, all Ryan wanted to do was destroy it. (Thornes series Book 1) Page 2