A Sky Full of Stars

After an amicable divorce, Euan Holmes follows his retired parents to live on the Isle of Lewis. His daughter, eight-year old Billie, unhappy in London, comes to join him in the new house he has designed. An architect, specialising in eco-homes, Euan has set up his own company to create homes on small developments across the Highlands and islands. When Billie arrives, the first thing she needs is a school.

Murdo MacIntyre has lived on Lewis all his life. He’s gay, but has never had a relationship—his sister, then his niece, and his work, have always come first. He’s taught at the local primary school for eighteen years—his whole teaching career and has spent eight years as headteacher. He is also guardian to his eight-year-old niece, Fion. Fion and Billie hit it off immediately, and become fast friends.

One night, Murdo and Euan overhear the girls discussing how lonely the two men are, and that perhaps they could be boyfriends. Murdo, embarrassed, apologises, although he might wish for the same, and Euan finds he can’t stop thinking about the idea. Are the girls right, after all?