The Lake House: A heartwarming and feel good novel about friendship, family and community! (Love Heart Lane Series, Book 5)

by Christie Barlow

  ‘What’s going on? Where’s Megan?’ asked Ella.

  ‘We aren’t quite sure. Flynn asked her to leave because she was causing a scene. Honestly, we weren’t aware she was your daughter, Roman. The boat was about to leave so Wilbur agreed to sail her back to Heartcross, but then she started shouting in the restaurant, staggering between the tables, and a couple of glasses were broken. Flynn was in the middle of an important business meeting when Megan started shouting about her dad working here, and that’s when we realised.’

  Roman exhaled loudly. ‘I’m so sorry Callie, I don’t know what to say, I really don’t.’

  ‘All I can say is Flynn’s not best pleased; he can’t have scenes like this in restaurant. We are trying to build up the reputation of The Lakehouse, not cause any more bad press. He wants to see you.’

  Ella looked towards Roman. ‘You go and see Flynn and explain the situation – and I mean the whole situation.’

  ‘What’s going on?’ asked Callie, looking between the pair of them. ‘What situation?’

  ‘Roman just needs to speak to Flynn first,’ Ella placed her hand in the small of his back. ‘You go.’ She looked back towards Callie. ‘So did Megan get on the boat?’

  Callie shook her head. ‘No, I got a glimpse of her literally a moment ago over the far end of the bay. I was about to go after her when I saw you arrive.’

  ‘I’ll go and see if I can find her, and Roman – go and talk to Flynn!’

  Roman hesitated. ‘Sometimes she may be a little aggressive, I’m not sure…’

  ‘I’ll be fine, honestly,’ reassured Ella.

  Ella watched as Roman and Callie disappeared back inside The Lakehouse before she set off walking to the far end of the bay. Feeling a little apprehensive, she didn’t know what she was going to say or how Megan was going to react. Ella had never been in a situation like this before. As she turned the next corner, she immediately spotted Megan sitting on a rock. She was leaning on her knees, hunched over.

  ‘Megan, hi. I’m Ella, I’ve just come to see if you’re okay,’ Ella said softly, slowly walking towards her.

  Megan looked up, startled. There was a pool of sick splattered on the rock in front of her and she started to heave again.

  ‘I’m here to help you, I’m a friend of your dad’s.’

  Megan didn’t say a word, just carried on retching. Her cheeks were blackened by her mascara, her eyes were bloodshot, and she really didn’t look in the best way.

  ‘Here.’ Ella handed Megan a clean tissue from her bag. Megan took it without making any eye contact with her.

  Ella crouched not far from the side of her. ‘I hear you’re not having the best of days. I’ve been having one of those years until recently. I think you and I have a lot in common. Do you mind if I sit?’

  Megan looked up for a brief moment. ‘If you want.’

  Ella kept her voice calm, but inside she was on tenterhooks and her heart was racing as she sat on a nearby rock. ‘I miss my parents,’ shared Ella, ‘every day, like you wouldn’t believe. Both of them died the same day. One minute they were here, and the next…’ Ella swallowed down a lump in her throat and noticed Megan looking over in her direction. ‘What I would give to see them one last time, have one more conversation with them. At first there was only one way to block out the pain, and that was drink.’ She took a breath. ‘One drink, turned into two, then three… and before I knew it, it just became the norm, until I met a man who I thought cared for me. I began to feel happier in my life because I had something… someone… to focus on, and I was lucky that the drink took a back seat. However, that’s only the start of my story.’

  ‘Why, what happened to you?’ asked Megan, engaging in the conversation for the first time.

  ‘Well, the man I thought cared for me was a crook; he stole my inheritance from my deceased parents. After he left I rotted away in bed for six months, I didn’t get dressed, didn’t bother to look after myself, and it was only when I knew I couldn’t keep on punishing myself and I swallowed my pride, that I got the help I needed.’

  ‘Help?’

  ‘Heartcross… Callie. I think you’ve just met Callie, she’s the restaurant manager. She brought me here for a fresh start, and so I moved miles, all the way from Cheshire. She gave me a home and a job and helped me to pick myself up. You moved too, didn’t you? That must have been difficult.’

  Megan nodded and tilted her face upwards. She didn’t speak but Ella noticed her eyes gleamed with tears. ‘It was,’ she said finally.

  ‘I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but your dad brought you here for all the right reasons. He loves you and wants to help you. Just think about letting him help you. You still have each other, and what I would give to have my parents still with me.’

  Megan looked over again and wiped the tears with the back of her hand. ‘I don’t even like myself when I drink.’ She retched once more and Ella moved closer and gathered up her hair as Megan vomited again. Ella gently rubbed her back and noticed movement behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see Roman walking towards them. Ella gave him a reassuring smile that said everything was okay and calm.

  ‘Here’s your dad now. I’ll leave you two alone.’ Ella stood up and took a step towards Roman. ‘How did it go?’

  ‘I told Flynn everything and he was really understanding. He’s told me to do what I need to do and my job is still there.’

  ‘See, I told you, being honest and open is always the best policy. I’ll meet you back at the restaurant. Megan is calm but feels a little sick. Take it easy on her.’

  ‘Thank you, Ella – I mean that.’ He touched her arm before walking towards Megan.

  Ella watched from afar as Roman bent down next to his daughter and opened his arms wide. Megan fell into them. Somehow she’d lost her way, but looking at the way they were hugging each other tight, Ella was sure everything was going to be okay.

  Chapter Eleven

  ‘How are you doing?’ asked Ella, handing Roman a cup of tea. ‘Did you sleep?’

  Roman sat down on the settee. ‘It’s the first night I’ve slept well in ages. When I woke, I felt a sense of calm – and that’s all down to you.’

  Flynn had given Roman a couple of days off work to get himself rested and gather his own thoughts. Roman was relieved at how understanding Flynn was when he’d shared his life story with him, and Roman wished he’d been honest from the start.

  ‘But what I want to know is, what did you say to Megan?’

  ‘Nothing much, I just pointed out the obvious.’

  ‘You mean you aren’t going to tell me? What happened to being honest and open at all time?’ he teased.

  Ella knew she’d struck a chord with Megan when she’d shared her own story. They had something in common, yet they were worlds apart. Ella had memories of her own parents which helped her to get through the grieving process. She could remember their smiles, their laughter, their scents – but then everything was taken away from her in an instant. She couldn’t have one last conversation, she couldn’t tell them how much she loved them, she was all on her own and she would do anything to spend one more day with them.

  Megan was hurting and though she didn’t have any memories of her mother to cling on to, her grief still tortured her every day. The only way she could find to block out that pain was to drink. Ella thought about Roman, how much he loved her but how much he was also hurting, blaming himself for the past, tormenting himself that he wasn’t a good father. What if something happened to either of them and they were the only one left in the world? Each of them needed to see their own self-worth. Roman needed to stop feeling guilty about the night Hattie died, and Megan needed to learn to love herself again. Both of them had agreed to have joint counselling, after Megan’s stay in the Oasis Lodge was completed, to help each other.

  ‘Sometimes, when someone who isn’t close to the situation gives advice, people listen.’

  ‘I just hope these next four weeks work their magi
c and the programme is successful.’

  ‘It will be – have faith,’ Ella said gently.

  ‘I just need to keep myself distracted, sail my boat, but I’ll be doomed if The Lakehouse doesn’t pick up business soon,’ Roman said with a weary sigh.

  ‘Well, I have the very thing to keep you distracted.’ Ella grinned. With everything that had happened last night, she hadn’t got round to telling Roman about the star-studded bash at The Lakehouse. And with everything Roman was going through, Ella was even more determined to make this event a success. He was relying on his job and what he needed right now was a break. Ella was just about to tell Roman all about ‘A Trip Down Memory Lane’ when her mobile rang.

  ‘Do you need to get that?’ he asked.

  It was only Callie. If it was important, she’d leave a message. ‘It’s fine – my voicemail will catch it.’

  The phone rang off then almost immediately rang again.

  ‘Someone wants you. Honestly, take the call.’

  Her conversation with Callie left Ella feeling breathless with a flutter of excitement. This week was really turning into a week of highs and lows. She closed her eyes briefly to digest the information.

  ‘What is it?’ asked Roman. ‘Is it good news?’

  Ella sucked in a huge breath. ‘Oh my God, it’s very good news. Nancy the TV director is coming back to The Lakehouse tomorrow to interview me.’ She was talking so fast, she was tripping over her own words.

  Roman looked puzzled. ‘Why?

  Quickly rummaging in her bag, Ella took out Dolores’ little black book and handed it over to Roman. ‘Take a look – go on, open it.’

  Ella watched his face as he opened it up. The book went back years, naming every artist that had ever performed at The Lakehouse, alongside nearly every famous person in the music industry.

  ‘Bloody hell, Ella, where did you find this?’

  ‘It’s Dolores’. She kept it for all these years and in two weeks’ time The Lakehouse is going to hold the most prestige event… “A Trip Down Memory Lane with Dolores Henderson and Guests”, and I am organising the whole event.’

  Roman looked as excited as Ella felt. ‘Tell me more.’

  Ella told Roman all about Dolores being discovered at The Lakehouse, and how it had launched her career. ‘Flynn is hoping, with the publicity regarding Dolores, he can turn The Lakehouse around, remind people about the history of the place and jog people’s memories about how fabulous the restaurant is, and fingers crossed, word will spread like wildfire. Everyone loves to star-spot whilst they’re out and about, and if Joe Blogs off the street thinks he might see his idol… well, hopefully they will book The Lakehouse.’

  ‘I think you are all on to something.’ Roman looked impressed. ‘This could put The Lakehouse back on the map.’

  ‘The locals are also going to get involved with their own memories, maybe a screen in the background with old photos etc. There’s just one catch, though…’

  ‘Which is?’

  ‘It’s in two weeks’ time.’ Roman let out a low whistle. ‘Good luck with that, it’s a huge job that’ll take some doing, but you’ll be great.’

  ‘I don’t want to be just great; I would prefer to be brilliant, but I could only see that happening if I had someone on board who actually knows what they’re doing.’ Ella scrunched up her eyes and put her hands together in a prayer-like gesture. Daring to peep through one eye, she saw Roman smiling back at her.

  ‘Is that a yes? Please tell me it’s a yes! It will be a very good distraction for you too.’ Ella tilted her head to one side and waited with bated breath.

  ‘This is a difficult event to pull off in such a short amount of time. These artists have busy lives, schedules etc. and some may need to reshuffle. There are sound checks, the dress rehearsal… I could go on.’

  ‘Most of them will be retired, if not all.’

  ‘And these are the artists’ direct numbers?’

  ‘I’m assuming they are… So is that a yes then? Will you help me? Please!’

  Roman flicked through the book and looked towards Ella. ‘This could be the greatest star-studded event ever. Have you seen the contacts in this book?’

  Ella was liking the sound of that. ‘I have… so…’ She circled her hand to hurry up Roman’s answer.

  ‘I’m in,’ he confirmed, with a wide smile.

  Ella squealed and flung her arms around him and hugged him tight. ‘Thank you, thank you. I can’t believe this. Eek! Where do we begin?’

  Roman rolled his eyes. ‘You won’t be this excited when the hard work begins. First things first, let’s celebrate. Have you got any lemonade?’

  ‘I have indeed,’ replied Ella, fetching a bottle from the fridge and two glasses.

  ‘Then let’s get to work, the clock is ticking. Firstly, we need to work out timings. What time will the first artist take to the stage etc., and what time Flynn wants the night to end? Have you eaten?’ Roman asked, thinking out loud and looking at his watch. ‘I skipped breakfast.’

  It was fast approaching midday and Ella shook her head. ‘I can prepare my signature dish and then we can get cracking. Let’s see if we can secure any names before my interview with Nancy tomorrow, that’ll help to create a buzz.’ Ella stood up and headed towards the door. ‘There’s a pen and pad over on the desk, grab those and we can start looking through the names and making a few calls.’

  Ella couldn’t believe this was happening. She’d literally only just arrived in Heartcross and now she was being given the responsibility of organising this event. Even though it was completely throwing her in at the deep end, she was going to take this opportunity with both hands and show everyone that Ella Johnson could pull this off. She was going to make sure this night would go down in history.

  ‘By the way, what is your signature dish?’ Roman shouted after her.

  ‘Beans on toast,’ she replied.

  ‘My absolute favourite!’

  They caught each other laughing as Ella popped her head back around the door.

  ‘Oh, and Ella…’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Thank you, this is just what I need to see me through the next few weeks.’

  As she disappeared back into the kitchen, Ella felt a kind of warmth flush through her body. She had one agenda for the next two weeks – organising the star-studded event and keeping Roman occupied as much as she could, to get him through his time without Megan. Hopefully then they could both get their lives back on track.

  Chapter Twelve

  Ella hadn’t wanted last night to end. After working all afternoon at her flat they’d headed over to Roman’s house and before they knew it, it was already past 9pm. They’d spent time talking with Gianni, discussing a possible menu and the overall timing of the food. As soon as they had that all worked out they set to work on the line-up of the evening.

  Like a pro, Roman had brought in a flip-chart from his office and Ella listened to all of Roman’s advice about what they needed to do to make this night a success.

  They scanned over each page of Dolores’ book and made a list of potential artists. Ella recognised a few names that Dolores had mentioned during their conversations. ‘Blossom Rose is a must.’ Ella twizzled the book towards Roman and tapped the name. ‘Blossom was with Dolores when she first got discovered. Fingers crossed she’s in good health and will be able to make it. And there’s Frank Divine, he was the one who pulled Dolores up on stage and got her recognised.’

  Flynn jotted the names down on the flip-chart alongside their numbers.

  ‘Who else?’

  ‘Gracie Davies was always a regular at The Lakehouse, put her name on the list too.’

  For the whole time Ella was working alongside Roman, she had a smile on her face that couldn’t be contained and warmth radiated through her body. She was enjoying every second of planning this event.

  After an hour they had a long list of potential names scrawled on the pad in front of them. ‘There’s wa
y too many names there, all those people would fill a festival,’ remarked Ella.

  ‘You’re right, but what we do is start at the top. I’ve tried to list them in some sort of order. We need to focus on the ones who performed with Dolores or had a connection to The Lakehouse in some way. We need to see the magic working between all these people. Some of these names may already have commitments, so we make the first call outlining the event, giving them all the details, when and where etc., and if they are available. Then we look back through the list. We have to decide how many songs they might sing, would they sing a duet with Dolores, what’s the meaning behind the song, what’s the relevance to the night? Everything has got to be right.’

  Ella’s head was whirling. She blew out a breath. ‘It’s like a military operation.’

  ‘Exactly. I have contacts, which means I can get my hands on all the equipment we’ll need, microphones… speakers. That won’t be a problem.’

  As Ella flicked through the book one last time, she saw a name she must have missed before. ‘And whoever Charlie Love is, there is a big heart around his name, so my guess is he’s a major player in this event. It looks like Dolores thinks very highly of him.’

  ‘Maybe it’s linked to his name: love… heart.’

  ‘Oh yes! Well put him down. If nothing else, he’s got a very cool name.’

  They both looked at the flip-chart again. ‘That’s it, I think we’ve got our first list.’ Roman stood back and placed the marker pen on the table.

  ‘I can’t thank you enough, I wouldn’t have had a clue where to start.’

  Roman tapped the flip-chart with his pen, then pointed at Ella. ‘Start at the top and get ringing.’

  Ella looked alarmed and immediately brought her hands up to her chest. ‘M-me?’ she stuttered. ‘I can’t go talking to any of these people. I just couldn’t, I’d be too star struck. And why are you grinning at me?’

  ‘Because you can and you will. I’m willing to help with all the technical stuff, but you’re in full control of organising the guests.’