Starcross Manor: Feel-good summer 2020 romantic fiction from the bestselling author of Love Heart Lane (Love Heart Lane Series, Book 4)

by Christie Barlow

  ‘Don’t take this the wrong way, but Flynn sounded very convincing to me and Jack thinks he’s wonderful…’ Eleni stared at Julia who looked like she was about to combust. ‘It’s just… to stand there and lie like that takes some bottle, and why would he need to? It was years ago with Anais and maybe he isn’t out to ruin all local businesses?’

  ‘Oh Eleni, I feel like I’m going mad. I just don’t know what to think about him any more. You’re right, he seemed so convincing that I’d got it wrong about him and Anais, but I was there… In fact, I’m going to FaceTime Anais right now and get to the bottom of this.’ Julia reached for her phone, desperate to get answers to the muddled thoughts racing through her head.

  ‘Are you sure about this?’ Eleni didn’t sound convinced. ‘Does she really need to know that Flynn has turned up in Heartcross?’

  ‘Absolutely sure, then at least you can hear it straight from the horse’s mouth that I’m not going mad.’

  The phone only rang out a couple of times before it connected and Julia was met with Anais’s smiley face. She was lounging on a sunbed with a cocktail in hand at the side of the pool.

  ‘Julia! How lovely! How are you? Are you enjoying the sunshine? We are hanging by the pool in this glorious weather.’ Anais barely came up for air.

  ‘Anais, hi! It’s all good here, just working as usual and maybe grabbing a cocktail very soon too.’

  ‘So to what do I owe this honour, why the video call?’ Anais took a sip of her drink.

  Julia took a deep breath before speaking. ‘I’m not quite sure how to say this, so I’m just going to come out with it. Flynn Carter is here in my village.’

  Anais adjusted the sunglasses on top of her head and pulled them down over her eyes, then lowered her voice. ‘Flynn Carter is in your village and you thought you’d ring me… why? His name is one I never want to hear again.’

  Julia could hear the anguish in Anais’s voice. ‘I know and I’m sorry, but he’s saying things that make no sense to me.’ Julia felt awful now that she’d rung Anais, who appeared to look a little unsettled.

  ‘I don’t need to hear this, I’ve moved on. I’m happy. That man… I’ve got no words for that man after what he did to me,’ Anais’s voice wobbled. ‘You know how untrustworthy, not to mention dangerous, he is, and my advice to you would be to stay the hell away from him. Julia please forgive me, I don’t want to talk about this any more.’

  ‘Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.’ But Anais had already ended the call.

  Julia slumped back in the chair, her mood plummeting to an all-time low. ‘I’ve gone and wrecked Anais’s day too,’ she muttered, letting out a long shuddering sigh. She looked up towards Eleni. ‘But Flynn had me doubting myself for a second. He’s got a nerve telling me to get my facts straight. I wasn’t losing my mind.’

  Eleni gave Julia a quick squeeze. ‘I didn’t think you were losing your mind. Maybe he’s changed. People can change you know; maybe he wants to put the past behind him. Everyone deserves a second chance, don’t they?’ Eleni placed an iced drink of lemonade on the table in front of her then pulled out the chair next to Julia. ‘And whether he’s telling the truth or not about what happened with Anais is really neither here nor there. What matters is he’s opening up a five-star hotel and he has the funds to make it work. And where will that leave you?’

  ‘So what are you saying?’ Julia looked up and held Eleni’s gaze.

  ‘What I am saying is, we need to come up with a plan B.’

  ‘Which is?’

  ‘I have no idea yet, but let’s crack on with the cleaning and have a think.’

  Julia nodded.

  ‘And tonight, how about a change of scenery?’ Let’s go over to Glensheil, there’s a new restaurant opening up near me. We can grab some food away from everything,’ suggested Eleni.

  ‘Sounds like the perfect plan to me,’ replied Julia, wanting some time out from Heartcross. Following Eleni along the hallway towards the staircase, Julia stopped for a minute and picked up the photograph on the dresser of her and her grandad fishing. She blinked back tears as she remembered how happy they had been then, how worry-free her life once was.

  As Eleni carried on chatting as she climbed up the stairs, Julia was oblivious to anything she was saying; all she could think about was Flynn. She felt confused about why he would so strenuously deny that he had jilted Anais, when Julia had been there. And he should have come clean and been open and honest with the community about his plans for Starcross Manor before they discovered them for themselves. All Julia knew was that she’d made an enemy of Flynn and maybe that wasn’t the way to go. Once more she thought back to her grandfather. ‘Always keep your friends close and your enemies closer.’ His words echoed around in her head. Maybe she was going to have to change her approach when it came to Flynn Carter? She just didn’t know how she was going to.

  Chapter Ten

  All afternoon Julia felt dispirited, and the hot weather didn’t help. As it was changeover day, new guests could arrive at any time of the day, which meant Julia needed to be present at the B&B all day, which meant she couldn’t get away to speak to Flynn even if she wanted to.

  Andrew had returned early afternoon and checked out, explaining that his room was now ready up at Starcross Manor. A small part of her was worried that her actions had caused Andrew to leave but thankfully he was his usual friendly self, which was a relief to Julia as she really couldn’t face a second confrontation today.

  Finally, around four o’clock Julia and Eleni managed to sit down for the first time that day. The pair of them were both exhausted. ‘On the plus side, at least we don’t have 110 bedrooms to clean and change,’ joked Eleni, lightening the mood.

  ‘There is that,’ smiled Julia. ‘And thank you.’

  ‘What for?’

  ‘For putting up with me today, I know I’ve been like a bear with a sore head,’ admitted Julia, knowing she wasn’t in the best of moods.

  ‘It’s understandable; you’ve worked hard to build up a brilliant business. It’s your home, your independence, and it’s under threat. Anyone would feel the same way.’

  Julia tilted her face up to the sun and closed her eyes.

  ‘Jack texted me before. Flynn is still trying to find someone desperately to finish the ballroom on time so that the wedding can go ahead as planned.’

  Julia did feel guilty that the innocent couple getting married at the manor had been caught up in the line of fire. ‘The community of Heartcross is definitely a force to be reckoned with.’

  ‘I’ve no intention of ever getting on the wrong side of anyone here,’ chuckled Eleni.

  They enjoyed another five minutes of glorious sunshine before the final guests arrived, and once they were all checked in Eleni headed home while Julia jumped in the shower. She was looking forward to checking out the new bistro over in Glensheil, and the change of scenery would do her the world of good.

  A couple of hours later Julia was standing at the impressive entrance to the bistro. It reminded her of a time she’d visited Paris. Outside was a selection of well-worn tables and chairs, a chalkboard menu and a bustling ambience due to the glorious weather.

  Julia spotted Eleni walking up the pavement and gave her a wave. ‘This place looks amazing, good choice,’ she said as she perused the menu on the outside board as the waiter approached them.

  They opted to sit outside on the street and enjoy the summer evening. Once the waiter took their drinks order, he disappeared back inside.

  ‘This is the life,’ exclaimed Julia. ‘It’s nice to get out somewhere different.’

  ‘It is after that busy day.’ Eleni thanked the waiter as he placed a bottle of wine on the table alongside two glasses and handed them a menu each.

  ‘Cheers!’ exclaimed Julia as they clinked their glasses together.

  ‘How are you feeling after today?’ asked Eleni tentatively.

  ‘Confused. I just don’t know what to think,’ admi
tted Julia.

  ‘I agree, it is very strange, but I was talking to Jack whilst I was getting ready… he’s going to pick us up by the way and drop you back over the bridge to save you getting a taxi home.’

  ‘He’s a keeper,’ Julia interrupted.

  ‘And off the record, he’s been chatting to Flynn about the hotel situation and can see where he’s coming from.’

  ‘In what way?’ asked Julia, not quite understanding.

  ‘He thinks that Starcross Manor will bring in more tourists and that can only be a good thing for Heartcross. Everyone has their own budget, think of it like a car…’

  ‘A car? You’ve lost me.’

  ‘Some people can afford Lamborghinis whilst others can only afford second-hand cars…’

  ‘Great! Now you are telling me Starcross Manor is the Lamborghini and my B&B is the rust bucket that will hardly start in the morning!’ Julia chuckled. ‘But I know what you are saying.’

  ‘And then there’s Foxglove Camping and Isla’s campervans. Some people enjoy the great outdoors, they prefer to wake up to the smell of cow dung and cook their breakfast on a BBQ. We are all different.’

  When Eleni put it like that maybe she had got it all wrong and Starcross Manor wasn’t such a threat to business. But there was still a niggly feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  ‘And I’m intrigued to know what you are going to do with your raffle prize, Jack was telling me that the Boathouse is opening in a couple of weeks’ time.’

  ‘I don’t even want to think about that at the minute,’ Julia said. Spending time alone with Flynn sounded like her worst nightmare.

  The waiter came back and took their food orders, and their conversation turned towards Julia’s upcoming fortieth birthday. Julia had agreed to leave it in everyone’s hands apart from her own, which she was beginning to regret a little now.

  ‘It’s all in hand,’ grinned Eleni, taking a piece of seeded bread from the wicker basket on the table and dipping it into the oil.

  ‘I dread to think! I spoke to Callie a couple of days ago and as far as I know she’s coming,’ said Julia, moving her knife and fork to one side as the waiter placed down a creamy courgette and bacon pasta in front of her, which looked amazing.

  ‘There’s just a few little things to tweak but it’s going to be fun.’

  ‘I honestly don’t mind just going down to the Grouse and Haggis…’

  ‘Nonsense! We can do that anytime of the week,’ remarked Eleni, tucking into her plate of lasagne. ‘Oh my, this is delicious. Just what I needed.’

  ‘This place is packed to the rafters, it’s so popular,’ Julia glanced around at the diners and spotted Jack’s van travelling up the road towards them. ‘Is that Jack?’ she asked looking at her watch. ‘What time did you ask him to collect us?’

  Eleni looked towards the road, her fork poised in mid-air. She narrowed her eyes and focused on the number plate. ‘It’s definitely Jack,’ said Eleni confused, ‘but he’s way too early.’

  A continuous frantic beep of the van horn caught every diner’s attention. All heads turned towards Jack’s van as it screeched to a halt on the edge of the pavement outside the bistro.

  ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this,’ exclaimed Eleni, placing her knife and fork down on the table.

  They watched Jack jump out of the van. ‘Julia, you need to come with me.’ He looked stricken.

  Julia’s heart was suddenly pounding fast. ‘What is it?’

  ‘I’m honestly not quite sure. I was driving past the B&B and all your guests are outside on the grass verge, and there’s a fire engine parked outside.’

  ‘There’s a fire?’

  ‘I couldn’t see any flames, I just don’t know. Felicity and Rona are there rallying around the guests.’

  Eleni flagged the waiter down and paid for their meal before they both climbed into the van.

  ‘Surely it can’t be a fire?’ She swallowed down a lump in her throat. ‘I can’t see what would catch on fire.’

  Eleni looked across at Julia, all the colour had drained from her cheeks. Julia’s head was swirling. What about the guests, were any of them hurt, and where the hell were they going to sleep? She couldn’t think straight. They travelled back in silence.

  As Jack turned into the road and slowed down, Julia couldn’t believe the sight before her. All her guests were sitting on the grass verge clutching their belongings. Jack had been right, there was a fire engine parked at the gates of the B&B, but she couldn’t see any flames and couldn’t smell burning. Uncertainty gripped her stomach and she clambered out of the van. All she could hear was the continuous alarm ringing out from the B&B. A distressed Julia was mystified as she glanced towards her guests, who all looked wet – in fact they were drenched to the core. What the hell had happened here? She’d only been gone for under an hour.

  She ran towards the B&B followed by Jack, whilst Eleni hurried over towards Felicity and Rona who were currently handing out towels and cups of tea.

  As Julia reached the gate the alarm finally stopped ringing.

  ‘Excuse me, Ma’am, you can’t go in there. It’s not been declared a safe zone yet.’

  Julia met the eyes of a burly fireman. ‘But I’m the owner,’ said Julia, feeling herself crumbling. She just needed to get inside.

  ‘Julia… Julia Coleman?’ he asked.

  ‘That’s me. Please can someone tell me what is going on?’

  ‘It seems your sprinkler system has been activated… somehow.’

  ‘The sprinkler system?’ Julia wasn’t expecting that. ‘You’re joking me, right?’

  ‘I’m afraid not, the fire service are working to shut it down.’

  ‘But that means everywhere will be swimming with water.’ An uncontrollable shudder swept Julia’s entire body. ‘That system activates in every room. Everything will be ruined.’ The tears began to freefall down Julia’s face as Eleni appeared at her side and slipped a comforting arm around her shoulder.

  ‘I’m so sorry, Julia.’

  ‘What about my guests? Is anyone hurt?’ Julia spun round to see the guests looking forlorn with towels draped over their shoulders, feeling completely helpless. ‘They are soaked through to the bone,’ she noticed.

  ‘Everyone is out safely, maybe a little wet, but all unharmed,’ the fireman confirmed.

  Julia felt paralysed to the spot. All the guests abandoned on the side of the lane, all their possessions saturated and most probably destroyed by the water. ‘Where the hell are they going to sleep tonight?’ Julia couldn’t think straight, the uncertainty of it all gripping her stomach. ‘All the bedding and mattresses will be soaked, the curtains, the sofas.’ Julia felt like she couldn’t breathe. Her eyes were glued to the B&B.

  Eleni put on her best encouraging smile. ‘We’ll think of something. Won’t we Jack?’

  Jack raised an eyebrow. ‘Of course, we’ll come up with a plan.’

  ‘I need to go inside.’ Julia’s voice was urgent.

  ‘I appreciate that Julia, but I’m just waiting for confirmation that we’ve managed to disconnect the gas supply, electricity – and thankfully we’ve just managed to turn the water off at the mains supply.’

  Julia was at a loss. ‘How has this happened? Why would the sprinkler system be activated if there was no fire? I just don’t understand.’

  ‘That’s the million-dollar question, but we could hazard a good guess.’

  ‘And that guess is?’ Julia was staring at the fireman.

  ‘Usually each individual sprinkler stem head is triggered automatically when the air rising to the ceiling reaches a fire-specific temperature of around 155 degrees. The systems installed these days are more advanced and reliable; the system you have installed in here is unreliable and doesn’t even meet the new regulations.’

  ‘But why would it be activated?’ asked Julia.

  ‘My guess is today’s heat. It’s been the hottest day on record for years. In the second storey of the house,�
�� the fireman pointed up above, ‘you have skylights, the first sprinkler that was activated was located near that skylight… from what we can tell. Most probably the heat activated a faulty sprinkler…’

  ‘And once one is activated, they are all activated.’

  The fireman nodded. ‘That’s correct. Aside from deliberate sabotage, I would say that would be the cause. But obviously your insurance company will investigate further.’

  Julia hadn’t heard the rest of the sentence. ‘Sabotage?’ she said out loud.

  ‘Do you know of anyone who would want to put you out of business?’ the fireman was looking directly at her.

  In Julia’s mind there was only one person who would want to put her out of business… Flynn Carter. Her chest hitched as she snagged a glance towards Eleni.

  ‘I know exactly what you are thinking, but that’s just ridiculous. I mean this in the nicest possible way, Julia, but you are small fry compared to Flynn Carter. He wouldn’t need to put you out of business this way,’ confirmed Eleni in a whisper.

  Before Julia could answer a voice bellowed from inside, ‘It’s all safe now boss.’ Another fireman appeared at the entrance to the B&B. ‘However, it’s swimming in water.’

  ‘Are you ready for this, do you want me to come inside with you?’ offered Eleni.

  Julia nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Deep breaths she told herself, trying to be braver than she felt. Wiping a tear from her eye she followed the fireman inside. Her anxiety levels were off the scale as she took in the sight of the damage in front of her. Reality struck hard: how was she ever going to get this place back to any sort of normality? Julia felt suddenly helpless.

  ‘I’m afraid it’s not a pretty sight inside,’ said the fireman, propping open the front door of the B&B. ‘Those shoes may not be suitable.’

  Julia gulped, she didn’t care if her shoes got wrecked, her whole B&B was wrecked. Feeling devastated, she saw that everything she had worked for lay under a tidal wave of water. The desolation was all-consuming, like a scene on TV. The reception was soaked through, the paint on the walls a darker shade than before, where it had soaked up the water. The reception diary sodden, the writing illegible.