Snowy Nights at the Lonely Hearts Hotel: A heart-warming feel-good romance

by Karen King

  She heard the murmur of voices from the kitchen and tried very hard not to eavesdrop. Then she had a WhatsApp from Hannah.

  I can’t get a flight until Friday, so sorry. We’ll be home about two. I hope you can still stop to see us.

  Damn, she wouldn’t have long with them. She wanted to get back for Robbie and Duncan’s party on Saturday. Still, she could come down another weekend.

  I can stop overnight but I’ll have to go back early Saturday morning. I’ll come down and see you again, soon. I promise, she messaged back.

  That’s okay, I know you have things to do. So sorry to have left you on your own like this. See you on Friday. Can’t wait to get home.

  There then followed a bit of a text conversation about the twins, and how people had been messaging her to say what a good time they’d had at the party and how wonderful Saffy was – which really pleased Saffy – and other chit-chat. Hannah signed off just as Logan came back into the room. He looked drained.

  ‘The snow’s cleared enough for flights to resume but there’s a backlog so Hannah won’t be back until Friday,’ Saffy told him. ‘I’m guessing Jade’s still picking up Chloe tomorrow as the roads are clearer now.’

  Logan sat down and took a long swig of his drink. ‘Yes and she’s hiding something from me, I know she is. She’s never taken Chloe overnight before; it’s come completely out of the blue and she hasn’t given me much warning.’ He looked at Saffy, his eyes clouded. ‘I don’t trust her.’

  ‘What do you mean? Do you think Jade won’t bring Chloe back?’ Saffy asked. She’d heard of cases where parents had split up and one of the parents had run off with the children. But that was usually when the parents were arguing over who would have custody of the child and Logan had said that Jade had never bothered to see much of Chloe.

  Logan seemed to be considering her question for a moment, then he shook his head. ‘No, it’s not that. I mean, she walked out and left Chloe with me so I don’t think she’s going to suddenly decide she wants custody of her, but I wonder why it’s suddenly so important she has Chloe overnight.’ He drained his mug. ‘I guess I’ll find out soon enough.’ He got up. ‘I think I need something a bit stronger now. How about you?’

  ‘Wine would be good. A rosé, if you have it. Actually, I could go and get some from Hannah’s, we’ve loads left,’ she said, suddenly feeling guilty that she seemed to be making a habit of drinking Logan’s alcohol.

  ‘I’ve got a fabulous French one. He returned a few minutes later with an opened bottle and two glasses – and yes, it was a very nice wine. Saffy savoured the rich liquid as it slid down her throat. After the brandy in the coffee she was starting to feel very light-headed, but in a nice way. ‘What will you do with the whole day to yourself tomorrow? I bet it’s not often you get a Chloe-free day and night,’ she asked, in an attempt to show the positive side of the situation.

  ‘No it isn’t. When did you say Hannah is back?’ He took a sip of his wine and turned his head so that their eyes met. Saffy thought that she had never seen such mesmerising eyes. It was as if time stood still as their gazes locked. Neither of them even blinked. She was sure he was holding his breath, as she was too. Finally, she released her breath and licked her lips.

  ‘About two on Friday afternoon.’

  ‘In that case, what are you doing tomorrow?’

  Still their eyes were locked and as if in unison they were both moving their heads closer, closer until their noses were almost touching.

  ‘I thought I’d take Oscar for a walk along the harbour and the beach, if dogs are allowed on the beach, that is. ‘

  ‘They are in the winter.’ Deep blue eyes held hers. ‘Fancy company?’

  ‘That sounds good,’ she replied softly.

  She wasn’t sure who reached for whom but suddenly they were both kissing, hugging, caressing as if they never wanted to let each other go.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  ‘Daddy!’

  Logan and Saffy sprang apart as Chloe’s voice drifted down the stairs. Saffy quickly rearranged her jumper as Logan stood up, tucked in his shirt and buckled his belt. ‘Coming, poppet.’ He stopped at the doorway to mouth ‘sorry’ then shot out of the room.

  What was she thinking of, making out with Logan when his daughter lay sleeping upstairs? This could have been a really embarrassing situation. It was time she went home. Saffy picked up her bag, called Oscar to her, then went out into the hall, slipped on her coat and boots and fastened Oscar’s lead to his collar. She stood at the bottom of the stairs wondering what to do. She could hear Logan talking to Chloe and didn’t like to interrupt but it seemed rude to just go, as if she’d bolted and run. She paused, then shouted, ‘I’m off now, bye, both of you!’ and was out of the door before Logan could come down and change her mind. Not that he probably would. She was sure he was just as embarrassed as she was.

  She trudged through the icy mishmash of snow covering the ground, over to Liwus Helyk. Back to an empty house again. Not that it usually bothered her; she lived alone and enjoyed her own company the odd nights she was in, but it was different in someone else’s house. It was hard to settle. She longed for Hannah to come home, to chat to her and Lee, to cuddle the twins, then return home to her normal life. A life without Logan and Chloe. Without complications.

  She would miss Logan, though. She felt so comfortable with him, as if she had known him for ages. Too comfortable. She slotted in with him and Chloe as if she was part of the family and that wasn’t the way she wanted to feel. She was pretty sure Logan didn’t either. He’d emphatically told her that he had no intention of introducing another woman into Chloe’s life just for them to walk away, as Jade had done. She reckoned he’d be pretty annoyed that Chloe had almost caught them making out on the sofa.

  ‘Never mind, I’ve got you to keep me company, haven’t I, boy?’ she said as she rubbed Oscar down. He licked her face affectionately then went over to his basket and started chewing one of his new squeaky toys.

  Saffy poured herself a glass of wine then reached for the phone as it rang. It was Logan. ‘Sorry about that,’ he said, when she answered. ‘Chloe had a bad dream.’

  ‘That’s fine. I understand. It was time I went, anyway.’

  ‘Do you still want me to come for a walk with you and Oscar tomorrow?’

  No, warned her mind but she ignored it. ‘Sure. I guess I’m going to need Hannah’s wellies and duffle coat again?’ Honestly, the last few days she hadn’t exactly looked the height of glamour.

  He chuckled. ‘Only for the walk. Then how about we go for lunch at a dog-friendly pub? You can come home and change into your posh coat and boots for that, if you want to.'

  ‘Deal. Shall we meet about eleven?’ she suggested. ‘I’ve got a couple of things I need to do first thing.’

  ‘Me too. Eleven’s fine. I’ll call for you.’

  So much for keeping away from him and Chloe. Still, Chloe wouldn’t be there, and it was better than spending all day on her own.

  She showered and changed into her pjs, then settled down with her laptop to write up a proposal for the two creatives she’d met at the local shops the other day – the Christmas gift maker and a craftsman who made gorgeous jewellery from silver and natural gemstones – outlining their potential and what they would bring to buycreative.com. But for once she found it hard to concentrate. It seemed empty in Liwus Helyk, as if the house itself was missing Hannah, Lee and the twins. Pictures of them were everywhere, visual records of the love they all shared, the family days out they’d had. As Saffy looked at them she felt a stirring of longing for the cosy life her sister had. She shook off the feeling. It wasn’t that cosy, was it? Not with the twins ill and not being able to come home for Christmas. And never being able to go out without a babysitter – like Logan and the other single parents she’d met on Christmas Day. No, family life wasn’t all it was made up to be. She was free to live her life as she pleased; she didn’t need a partner or a child.

  No
t that she had a choice about having a child. The consultant had been very clear about the fact that her remaining ovary was so scarred she was highly unlikely to ever conceive. Saffy had felt a momentary pang of regret then shoved it firmly to the back of her mind. She’d only been twenty-four and settling down with a family was the last thing on her mind. She was so grateful to be without the regular pain she had endured over the last decade that the possibility of not being able to have a baby if she decided she wanted one in the distant future didn’t concern her. She’d thrown herself into her career, working hard and playing hard and was happy with the way her life was. Still was happy. She reached out for her phone as it buzzed to announce an incoming text. It was from Robbie.

  How’s it going, hun? You will be back for our engagement party, won’t you?

  She wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’m travelling back early Saturday morning so I’ll deffo be there, she replied.

  She then messaged Meg to ask her if she was going to the engagement party.

  You bet! was Meg’s reply. By the time they’d exchanged a few texts about what they’d been up to over Christmas, with Saffy briefly mentioning how helpful Logan had been, and Meg wanting a detailed account of every encounter, which Saffy skimmed over knowing that Meg would instantly be matchmaking, it was gone eleven o’clock. Saffy put away the laptop, made herself a hot drink and went up to bed. She couldn’t wait to go home now, to get back to her friends, her work, her life. The few days she’d spent in Cornwall had unsettled her and she didn’t like the feeling.

  * * *

  Checking Chloe was settled, as he always did, Logan stood watching his little daughter’s chest rise and fall as she slept. She looked so peaceful and innocent that he always felt overwhelmed with love, no matter how difficult a day he’d had with her. And there had been plenty of difficult days when she was a toddler. But tomorrow night she wouldn’t be here. She’d be miles away with Jade and Jade’s parents. He wouldn’t see her sleeping or be jolted awake by Chloe bounding onto his bed.

  Why did Jade suddenly want to play a bigger part in Chloe’s life? He knew he ought to be pleased, for Chloe’s sake. She needed to know that her mum loved her. It was good for him to have a break too, some time for himself to catch up with work, or go on the occasional date and be himself, Logan, for a few hours. Sometimes he longed for adult company, especially adult female company; even his work was mainly home-based and his life could be pretty solitary. He should embrace this new development with Jade. Yet he felt uneasy. He didn’t trust her. What if Jade had a new man in her life, someone she was serious about, and wanted to introduce Chloe to him? How would he feel about that? He knew Jade had had a few boyfriends since their split but Chloe had never met them. And to be honest, he didn’t want her to; he didn’t want her to ever call anyone else ‘daddy’.

  ‘Daddy!’ Chloe murmured in her sleep.

  Logan bent over and kissed her forehead. ‘I’m here, poppet. I’ll always be here.’

  He waited until she settled again before he went into his own room, walking over to the window and looking out over the road to Liwus Helyk, where Saffy was sleeping in the room opposite to him.

  He saw Saffy’s shadow at the window opposite and wondered if she could see him. Then she waved and he knew she could. He waved back and watched as she drew the curtains. He imagined her undressing and climbing into bed. Did she wear that onesie to bed? he wondered with a smile. He imagined waking up beside her, her face being the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes, make-up free, her hair tousled. He imagined slowly unzipping that onesie, to reveal her naked body underneath…

  He shook his head. Saffy was going home on Friday. Attracted as he was to her, there was no future in it. And even if she lived closer there would still be no future in it because Saffy had made it clear that she didn’t want children. So there was no way she would be interested in a relationship with a man who had a child.

  Tomorrow he would have a few hours’ time out with Saffy, then it was back to his normal life, just him and Chloe.

  That’s the way it had always been and that was the way he wanted it to stay.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Saffy let Oscar off the lead and he bounded off along the snow-speckled beach. Here and there, patches of dark brown sand peeped through the white, a tantalising glimpse of better weather. In the middle of the beach was a lone snowman, his arms already melting – built by someone when the snow had first fallen, she thought, imagining a young family going for a stroll along the beach and stopping to scoop the snow up into balls, laughing as they formed the snowman’s body, then his head. Beyond the beach the icy ocean was still, as if frozen, only the occasional white wave, stiff as whisked egg white, breaking the surface. ‘It looks… spectacular,’ she said in awe.

  ‘You should see it when it’s really frozen over,’ Logan told her. ‘That really is something.’

  ‘It was summer last time I came down but I didn’t have time to go to the beach,’ Saffy said. ‘I expect you and Chloe go a lot in the summer.’

  ‘Every day after school. I surf a lot and I’m teaching Chloe too. She’s great at body-boarding, rides the waves really well.’

  ‘I can just imagine you both, clad in your wetsuits, boogie boards under your arm,’ Saffy said, then wished she hadn’t because the image that flashed across her mind of Logan in a very tight wetsuit was a little too enticing. ‘Can you surf properly? You know, upright on the board? Riding over foamy, high waves?’ she asked.

  ‘Sure. You’ll have to come down in the summer and we’ll take you surfing with us,’ he said.

  ‘Maybe I will. I’d like to come down more often. It’s a beautiful place, even if it does look more like a ghost town right now.’ The wind blew her hair across her face and she swiped it away. ‘Hannah adores living by the sea. She said she takes the twins to the beach every weekend. I can see why. It’s so vast and awesome. I prefer it in the summer though,’ she added.

  ‘Me too, but whatever the weather there’s something about the sea that makes everything slip into perspective.’ Logan looked thoughtful. ‘Whenever I feel bogged down with work, or life in general, I take a walk along the beach, gaze out at the ocean, and I always feel better.’

  ‘Nautical therapy, that’s what Hannah calls it,’ Saffy said. ‘But I guess you already know that.’ It suddenly occurred to her that Logan probably knew a lot more about her sister, and her family, than she did.

  Logan nodded. ‘She’s a kind woman, your sister. A lot of people in this village are really fond of her. She’s got a heart of gold and is always willing to help.’ He bent down to pick up a shell and hurled it into the ocean, where it disappeared without trace. Oscar ran over and barked at him, as if asking him to throw another one.

  Saffy scooped up a shell too, studying the intricate pattern, running her thumb over the smooth surface before tossing it into the half-frozen sea. ‘Whenever something awful happened on the news, you know like a train crash, Mum used to say that we should look for the helpers – there are always helpers. That’s what Hannah is, a helper.’

  ‘Your mum’s a wise woman.’ Logan shoved his hands in his jeans pockets and stared out at the sea. ‘Sometimes I think that people who have tough lives turn out better than those that are given everything on a plate. Chloe’s mum, Jade, was completely spoilt. Sharing or considering anyone else’s point of view is completely alien to her. I don’t want Chloe to grow up like that.’

  ‘What about you? Do you have brothers and sisters? Are your parents still together?’

  He nodded. ‘A brother, Callum, two years older than me. My parents have been married thirty-five years, childhood sweethearts, they’ve retired to Scotland now. They’ve had their arguments, but they adore each other. That’s what Chloe deserves, two parents that love each other. I should have been more careful.’

  She frowned. ‘It takes two to make a baby, but only one to cause a break-up,’ she reminded him.

  ‘I know.
I love Chloe to bits and am so glad I’ve got her in my life, but she was the result of me and Jade getting drunk one night and forgetting to use our usual precautions. If I’d used a condom, as I normally did, it would never have happened. I knew me and Jade weren’t forever, we were just dating casually. I owed Chloe more than that.’

  ‘Mum always felt guilty about her marriage with Dad not working out, and him not wanting to bother with us. She was always trying to make up for it. But we didn’t blame her. She wasn’t responsible for how Dad acted. She loved us and took care of us the best she could, that’s what mattered.’ She turned to Logan and saw the pain in his eyes. ‘All kids need is someone to love them, they can cope with anything else. And Chloe has you.’

  Logan put his arm around her shoulder and hugged her to him. ‘You’re sweet-natured too, like your sister, only I reckon you’re a bit tougher, not so much of a homebody.’

  Saffy giggled. ‘Hannah’s the tough one. You cross her at your peril! Me, I walk away from conflict. I can’t stand falling out with anyone so avoid arguments at all costs.’

  ‘Is that why you’re still single? Because you walk away when the going gets tough?’ he asked. ‘It’s obviously not lack of male attention because you must get plenty of that.’

  He was smiling but she sensed something in his tone. Did he think she was like Jade? She considered her answer. ‘No, but I don’t think relationships should be hard work, although of course there needs to be give and take. And I’m not into changing anyone. People are who they are and I accept them for that or leave them alone. I expect others to do the same for me.’ She took a breath to calm herself as memories of how Joe had treated her came flooding back. ‘It doesn’t seem right to me that you’re attracted to someone and then as soon as you get with them you spend the whole time trying to change them.’