10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Maeve

I took the train to see my parents and my youngest sister for Sunday lunch.

Next best thing to having a driver.

The two hours of uninterrupted time were the perfect occasion to set up my new phone. Switching to new tech was always difficult for me. Once I’d done it, I usually got on okay, but the transition was something I dreaded .

Until this morning, both Tiff and Vaughn had pestered me about finally opening the little box.

I kept it on the kitchen sideboard and tried my best to ignore it.

It sort of worked. My brain just glossed over it after a while. But I brought it with me and took the plunge.

Shit, it’s so fancy.

I extracted the sim card, slid it into the slot, and powered it up.

Woah.

Maeve: I finally got around to setting up my new phone and decided you deserve the first message

Maeve: Thank you again! I really love it.

His reply followed promptly.

Taran: I’m glad you do!

Taran: They told me it’s the best smartphone on the market.

Maeve: It sure is! It feels so high-end.

Maeve: What are you up to today?

Taran: I am on a walk around the loch. What about you?

Maeve: Oh that sounds lovely (as long as it’s not raining). Can I see?

Maeve: I’m on my way to visit my parents.

Taran sent a picture of a dramatic Highland loch with a gorgeous castle on the far left.

Taran: I hope you’re not driving !

Maeve: Nope, I don’t have a car. I always take the train, it’s not too bad.

I snapped a quick photo from the window and uploaded it in our chat.

Taran: Oh yes, that doesn’t look too bad.

Maeve: Doesn’t beat a Helix and a driver lol

Taran: Next time you can tell me and I’ll have Stuart take you to your family.

Maeve: I appreciate it but I don’t think that’s a good idea. My parents would have heart attacks.

Taran: Why?

Maeve: I come from a working-class family. People like us don’t have drivers.

Taran: Well, you should. I’m sure your family would need Stuart way more than I do.

Maeve: Running errands would have been a lot easier when I was a kid.

He went on, asking me about how I’d grown up and sharing stories from his own childhood. My siblings and I hadn’t had it easy but for no castle in the world would I have wanted to swap with Taran. There was nothing wrong about growing up with a single parent, but having that single parent leave when you were thirteen, and being raised by your driver?

Ugh, poor baby.

Maeve: I’m off to lunch now. I’ll text you later !

Taran: Enjoy the time with your family,

Maeve: Thanks!

I exited out of the conversation and walked a few minutes from the station to my parents’ flat through a steady drizzle.

“Hen!” my dad greeted me when he opened the door. Tiny and balding, he looked the same as ever.

“Hi, Dad.” I pressed a kiss on his head, took off my shoes, and went to wash my hands.

There was never a big fuss when I arrived. My family dealt with big emotions behind closed doors.

Well, everyone but me.

“Hey mum, Gwyn.” My little sister, who was about to set the table, paused and gave me a quick hug. “How are things?” Without needing to be told, I helped her with the plates and cutlery, poured glasses of water for each of us, and then waited for Mum to put the lasagna dish on the table.

“Oh, same old, same old. School’s fine.”

“I just had a long week,” Mum sighed, looking tired as ever. Then she ranted about one of her colleagues and whatever she had done to offend her. Ugh, it had been so hard to get rid of the habit of gossiping about random people. I still caught myself having these nasty thoughts but made sure to counter them with my own immediately afterwards.

“How is your…school?” she eventually asked when she’d vented enough.

“Uni, Mum,” I reminded her gently. “Well, I’ve mostly given up on my studies, to be honest. I got promoted to manager at the cafe. It has a new owner, a Dragon. ”

Immediately afterwards, I wished I hadn’t mentioned Taran.

My mum barely managed to conceal her sigh of relief.

“You’ve given up on it? For a job at the cafe?” Dad asked me cautiously. “Why don’t you at least finish your last year before you start working full-time at the cafe?”

“Stop it, Jack. She wants to do something with her time, let her. She’ll earn good money as a manager, right? I hope that Dragon isn’t one of those greedy people who tries to get rich at your expense?” She surveyed me over a forkful of lasagna.

“I’m trying to get my degree but the cafe’s going to come first, Dad,” I explained. “And no, he isn’t, Mum.”

Don’t engage, Maeve. Just let it go.

“I hope so. Gott, I remember how much Oma always hated Dragons.” And she was off again, talking about my stern German grandmother who, let’s be honest, never liked anything much.

When Mum was like that ignoring her was the best strategy, and it gave me the opportunity to talk to my sister. Gwyn was about to turn eighteen and would finish school at the end of summer.

They weren’t the perfect parents, but they had always been supportive of my decisions. I could appreciate them for it, and besides, I was far from perfect myself.

Nonetheless, it was good to be back in Kirkmuir and in the peace and quiet of my own room.

Yeah, my family was great, but I loved them best from afar.