Lake closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them the women of Invertary were glaring at him. They already knew that they weren’t going to like his answer. Betty pursed her lips.
“It’s between me and Rainne,” he told the boy tightly.
“No, it’s not. It has to do with all of us,” Betty said.
“Betty,” Lake warned.
“Lake here,” Betty said, ignoring him, “told Rainne that he plans to put the shop on the market come Monday.”
Lake shook his head as shock rippled around the room. Although Kirsty still held him, he could already feel her put distance between them. Under his breath, he cursed Betty.
“It’s not settled,” he said.
The truth was that he didn’t know what he was going to do yet. All he knew was that his plans to leave Invertary weren’t as pleasant as they’d been months earlier.
“He’s leaving us,” Betty told everyone. “He’s leaving all of us.”
Kirsty dropped her hand from his waist.
Kirsty took a step back from Lake. He was leaving? He’d been planning to leave and he hadn’t told her. She looked at her mother. There were tears in her eyes.
Alastair’s eyes flashed and his fists clenched. It looked like he wanted to hit Lake. Kirsty looked up into Lake’s concerned eyes.
“You’re selling the shop?” Kirsty said. “But it’s a success. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
He shook his head softly.
“I never meant to keep it,” Lake told her. “I was going to tell you, but then things changed.”
“When were you going to tell me?” she said. “When you were packed and ready to go?”
Lake started to speak, but Alastair strode forward and poked him in the chest. It took serious courage on the boy’s part. Lake raised an eyebrow at him.
“Why are you selling Rainne’s shop?” he demanded.
“One, it’s not Rainne’s shop. And two, I wasn’t helping her,” Lake said. “I was only doing what our parents did. She needs to learn to stand on her own two feet. And I need to get on with my life too.”
“Selfish bastard,” Alastair said.
Lake nodded - that was probably true.
“You mind your language,” Betty told Alastair. “Lake here has bent over backwards to help Rainne and all he’s gotten for his trouble are complaints and problems. You’re just angry because the lass didn’t want to stay with you.”
The fight went out of Alastair. He snatched the note from Lake. He read it again, with obvious hope that the words would change, that there would be a hint in the note as to why she ran out on him.
“I love her,” he said softly.
Kirsty’s mum patted him on the back and cooed soothingly.
“It’s always hard,” she said, but her eyes were on her daughter.
Kirsty couldn’t look Lake in the eye anymore. He took a step towards her.
“We need to talk about this,” he said. “Alone.”
She shook her head.
“What will you do?” she asked him.