by Lynsey James
I squared my shoulders and put my hands on my hips. ‘No, but I’m a quick learner and you can teach me everything you know. That way, I can cover for you if you need to be at the garage and you won’t have to cancel any bookings. What do you think?’
There was a pause that grew increasingly awkward the longer it went on. While I hadn’t exactly expected a burst of enthusiasm, I’d hoped for some sort of reaction at least.
Finally, Rose spoke. ‘You know, that’s not a bad idea! The whole reason you’re here is to buy Sunflower Cottage, so you’ll be around the place anyway. And at least you’ve got some experience of the industry too. Yes, this could work out quite nicely! If it’s not too much trouble for you, of course.’
‘No trouble at all,’ I replied, flashing a quick grin in Noah’s direction. ‘I’m more than happy to help out.’
‘Who knows,’ Rose said with a chuckle, ‘it might help you two to stop your bickering!’
Noah rolled his eyes and murmured ‘that’ll take a bloody miracle’ as he tried to look happy about the fact he’d have to work alongside me.
I couldn’t help but agree with him.
Chapter 9
I’d always secretly fancied running a B&B. When I was a little girl, I’d dreamt of owning a lovely little place by the sea – much like Sunflower Cottage, actually – and greeting my guests with toasted bacon sandwiches and lots of fresh towels. I’d serve them humungous breakfasts on the terrace overlooking the beach and would show all my favourite films in the living room for them (at the time, Beauty and the Beast and Spiceworld: The Movie).
Now, here I was, years after abandoning that dream, with the chance to see what following it would’ve been like. So much had changed since then: my heart was now firmly fixed on climbing the corporate ladder instead of running a hotel. However, the tiny part of me that hadn’t quite let the dream go couldn’t help but be excited. The only problem was the stony-faced Yorkshireman who’d made it clear he’d rather eat his own foot than work with me.
‘What the hell were you thinking?!’ he blustered as we walked through the doors of Sunflower Cottage. ‘We can’t run a guesthouse together; we can’t even be in the same room for five minutes without ripping each other’s heads off!’
I sighed and folded my arms. ‘There was a problem and I fixed it, simple as that. You need someone to help round here so you can be at the garage, so I volunteered. I know it’s not ideal, but we’ll just have to suck it up and try to muddle through as best we can. Landing Sunflower Cottage is really important to my company, so I’ll do whatever it takes to do that. How hard can running a guesthouse for a few weeks be, after all?’
Noah spun on his heel to look at me, a thunderous expression clouding his features. ‘Spoken like a true corporate machine! You just see Sunflower Cottage as an addition to your company’s portfolio; you don’t give a damn how much it means to Rose or me or anyone! This is all just a numbers game to you; how much you can buy the B&B for, how much it’ll cost to turn this into the umpteenth Stepford Guesthouse. If you had a conscience at all, you’d bugger off back to Scotland and leave me to it. Sunflower Cottage deserves to be run by someone who actually cares about it.’
He turned his back on me and headed towards the kitchen. As I watched him go, I considered doing what he’d asked: packing my bags and heading back to Glasgow. I could go back to my old life, the one I loved and was comfortable with. The one with my job and Frankie and all the green smoothies I could drink. The green smoothies alone were enough to make me take a few steps towards the staircase and think about throwing my stuff into a suitcase as quickly as possible so I could high-tail it back up north.
But just as I began to taste the kale and spinach on my tongue, I stopped myself. I had a job to do and a mysterious father to find out about; no way could I leave now! I’d volunteered to help and I wanted to honour that commitment. I stomped off after Noah, slamming the kitchen door behind me. Dixie jumped in fright and ran outside. He was standing over the oven, facing away from me. His breathing sounded ragged and laboured, like he was trying to hold his emotions inside.
‘Listen, you can be a miserable bastard if you want, but you need help to run this place and I’m all you’ve got in that department. I came here to buy this place and I’m not leaving until I’ve done that. And I’ve…’
I trailed off before I mentioned anything to do with my mum’s letters. That was nothing to do with him and I hadn’t even come up with a plan for how to approach Derek.
‘And you’ve what?’ He turned round and I could see his dark eyes sparkling with tears he was trying to suppress. His facial expression had softened; he didn’t look consumed with anger now, just incredibly sad. It was clear to see that the imminent sale of Sunflower Cottage plus Rose’s accident was taking its toll on him.
‘And I’ve… I’ve got an interest in seeing Sunflower Cottage do well. Believe what you want about me, but I actually like Rose. You don’t have to be a genius to see what this place means to her and to you. While I’m here, I want to do my bit to help out. You don’t have to like me, but the least we can do to help Rose is try not to kill each other. Look at it this way: if I’m here to help you run the B&B, you’ll have more time to fix my car. Then I can leave as soon as the deal’s complete; how does that sound?’
Noah nodded and sighed, catching his bottom lip in his teeth. ‘You’re right. Rose does love Sunflower Cottage and, much as I hate to admit it, I probably couldn’t do it all on my own. We don’t have to become best friends or anything, but we should at least try to be civil while we’re responsible for Sunflower Cottage.’
Our eyes locked for a moment and, for the first time since we’d met, I didn’t see anger or irritability in them. I couldn’t put my finger on what was there, but it unsettled me a little. As far as I knew, Noah only had two modes: angry and angrier. I couldn’t imagine him being any other way.
‘Did I just hear you say I was right about something?’ I asked with a smile. I wasn’t sure if he’d appreciate my attempt at humour or brush it off and go back to being his crabby, cranky self.
‘Don’t get used to it; it won’t happen again.’ A grin played at the corners of his full mouth and he looked at me for a brief moment before heading to the fridge. ‘Are you hungry? I haven’t eaten all day; been too busy worrying about Rose.’
I shook my head. ‘No, thanks: I’ve got a ton of work that needs doing, plus I’ll have to phone my boss and tell him what’s happened. Can’t see him being too pleased.’
Noah looked a little disappointed as he pulled a huge ham joint from the fridge, along with some lettuce and tomatoes. ‘OK, well there’s food there if you change your mind. I’ll make sure and leave some for you. This ham is Dixie’s favourite; she’d eat the whole joint if I let her!’
I stood and watched him cut up the ham for a moment. It was pleasantly surprising to hear him speak in a voice that wasn’t a snarl for once. I knew it probably wouldn’t last, given our propensity towards squabbling, but it was nice all the same. He caught me looking at him and flicked his gaze upwards.
‘What?’ He rubbed the back of his neck, which was now turning a lurid shade of red.
I shook my head and smiled. ‘Nothing. Enjoy your lunch.’
*
As predicted, Paul wasn’t a happy bunny when I delivered the bad news.
‘What the fucking fuck? I authorised your annual leave to close a deal and sort your family shit out, not to take over the bloody place yourself. I thought you wanted this bloody promotion; instead, you’ve run off to bloody Yorkshire!’
I tried not to laugh. Whenever Paul was angry, he channelled Malcolm Tucker from The Thick of It and swore a lot more than was strictly necessary.
‘Relax,’ I said. ‘Rose won’t be laid up for long. If I don’t help run the B&B, they’ll have to cancel bookings and you wouldn’t want that, would you? We need this place to stay open and you know it. Think of all those missed opportunities for repeat business.�
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‘So you get to play at Hotels while I’m stuck here holding the bloody fort? Nice one, Emily. Thanks a bloody bunch.’
I rolled my eyes and held the phone away from my ear as a torrent of abuse streamed down it. Paul wasn’t usually an angry or aggressive man; in fact, he was usually pretty calm about most things. However, he was a man who kept his emotions simmering just below the surface and exploded at random intervals about the tiniest things.
‘Paul, if I’d known I was such a valued member of staff, I’d have gone for promotion ages ago,’ I joked. ‘You know I haven’t left you on your own; you’ve got Tara and Frankie and the rest of the team. I’ll be back as soon as I can; I’m booked in here for a month anyway to sort the deal out. Try not to miss me too much.’
‘Emily—’
I quickly hung up before my boss could have another nervous breakdown. So that was it; I was definitely staying to help run Sunflower Cottage. Not only that, but I’d be doing it with a man I was pretty sure hated my guts and finding out about my long-lost father in the process.
So much for a trip to a sleepy seaside village.
*
A little while later, I worked up the courage to walk to the Moonlight Café, fully intending to go in and ask to speak to Derek. After all, that was one of the main reasons I’d come to Luna Bay. He was the only one who could give me the answers I was so desperately craving. However, taking the first brave step was a lot harder than I’d anticipated.
I willed my feet to walk towards the door, even just take a tiny step forward, but they were rooted to the ground. From where I was standing, I could see the café bustling away, packed with hungry customers. Diane expertly managed things from behind the counter, handing out coffee, tea or cake to her patrons with ease. She looked so happy and at home; how could I just go in and ruin that? Her perfect life would be left in tatters and for what? Because I’d embarked on a selfish quest to find out more about a man who’d made a point of excluding me from his life beyond a letter every year on my birthday.
I heaved out a sigh; obviously today wasn’t the ideal day to announce myself as Derek’s long-lost daughter. Instead, I decided to make the most of my unexpected free time and explore Luna Bay a bit more. It was going to be my home for the next month, after all.
And what better place to start my appreciation than the outside terrace of the Purple Partridge? As sunlight bounced off the impossibly blue sea and the cries of seagulls curled round from behind the jagged black cliffs, I sat back on my chair to survey what lay in front of me. I thought of the task that lay ahead: running Sunflower Cottage with a man I’d continually butted heads with since I’d met him. Our earlier row ran through my head: If you had a conscience at all, you’d bugger off back to Scotland and leave me to it. Sunflower Cottage deserves to be run by someone who actually cares about it.
With a heavy heart, I realised he was right. I’d sounded so selfish, talking about how important the B&B was to Walter Marshall Hotels. It wasn’t just bricks and mortar, though; people cared about it, and I’d treated it like it was property on a Monopoly board. I really was a corporate machine, wasn’t I?
A voice behind me interrupted my wallowing.
‘Hiya, it’s Emily, isn’t it? Thought I saw you out here!’ Lucy stood above me, an uncertain smile on her face.
‘That’s me! Or if you ask Noah, the Wicked Witch of the West. I go by either,’ I replied with a grin.
She shook her head, sending her long brown waves flying around her shoulders. ‘Noah can be a bit prickly sometimes, but he’s a lovely bloke really. He’ll just be devastated that Rose is selling Sunflower Cottage, that’s all. The place means a lot to him.’ She tentatively pulled up a free chair. ‘Mind if I sit down?’
I shook my head. ‘No, go right ahead.’
She dragged the chair into a suitable position and plonked herself down on it. ‘Thanks. I wasn’t sure if you’d want company or not, but you looked a bit lonely out here by yourself. Jake said I should leave you to it because you’re probably working, but I thought I’d at least come out and say hello. I’m babbling, aren’t I? I always do when I’m nervous. Or break out into song. I sang ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ at my nana’s funeral—’
I put up my hands to stop her and laughed. ‘Why are you nervous? I know I don’t exactly have the best reputation, thanks to our old pal, Noah, but I’m actually quite a nice person once you get to know me.’
Lucy bit her lip and I could see her choosing her next words carefully. ‘It’s not that, it’s just… Well, you look like that one off Dragons’ Den – what’s her name, the one who wears the massive shoulder pads? Only younger and blonde, obviously. You look a little bit scary, if you don’t mind my saying so. We don’t get a lot of sharp city types in Luna Bay; we’re all pretty relaxed here.’
I instantly looked down at my favourite grey trouser suit and felt a twinge of sadness.
‘I was trying to look professional,’ I admitted. ‘Since I’m here on business. It’s a bit too corporate, isn’t it?’
Lucy smiled. ‘You can be professional without looking like a female version of Lord Sugar. Why don’t you go to Whitby, get yourself some nice summer dresses and tops? Ooh, we could go together one day next week if you like; go for lunch, make a day of it? If you’re not too busy, that is.’
My heart did a somersault and a large, bright smile worked its way onto my face. ‘I’d love to! Now, tell me about singing ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ at your nana’s funeral.’
*
Lucy and I ended up spending a lovely afternoon getting to know one another. As she flitted around behind the bar, serving drinks and chatting to regulars, she told me all about how she’d grown up in Luna Bay, left and then come back eight years later.
‘That’s the short version anyway; I’ll tell you the longer one when we have our day out next week,’ she’d promised with a wink.
So it seemed I had my very first – and hopefully not last – friend in Luna Bay. I walked back to Sunflower Cottage with a sense of contentment surrounding me. I breathed in a lungful of Yorkshire coast air and let my shoulders relax for the first time in what felt like forever. It was like the feeling you get when you crawl into bed after a hard day. The dad bombshell still lurked on the periphery of my mind, demanding to be dealt with, but I resolved to simply enjoy the moment I was in. The sun was just starting to set, creating a cascade of colours across the early summer sky. Hues of pink and purple were streaked like an artist’s palette as the sun gave way to jagged cliffs. As far as sunsets went, Luna Bay’s was pretty spectacular.
Diane was just locking up her café as I walked past it. She caught my eye and waved hello. I froze with fear, but managed a tentative wave back. Worry gnawed at the back of my mind: what if she could see right through me and knew who I really was? I knew that was utterly stupid, but rationality and logic hadn’t been my strong suits lately.
The truth about me would come out eventually. And when it did, nothing would be the same.
*
Noah was hunched over the kitchen table when I got back to the B&B. I approached him with caution, not wanting to ruin the peace we’d managed to broker earlier in the day.
‘Hey,’ I said with a nervous smile, ‘what are you up to? Planning world domination or something?’
He looked up for a moment and shook his head. ‘Nah, I’m saving that for tomorrow! I was having a root around for some of Rose’s recipe books to help with breakfast tomorrow and I found this. It’s nothing really, just something I scribbled down ages ago.’
‘Can I see it?’ I asked.
He paused for a moment, holding the paper in his hands like it might break at any moment. ‘Nah, I’m just going to throw it away actually—’
I plucked it out of his hands and took it to the opposite side of the table. When I looked at it, I saw it was a list of some kind that included ‘breakfast club’, ‘cookery demonstrations’ and ‘weddings’.
‘What’s this?’ I asked
, peering at it with my head cocked to one side.
I saw a crimson tinge creep into Noah’s cheeks. ‘They’re ideas I had for the B&B, that’s all. They’re a load of rubbish really.’
He made a swipe for the paper, but I managed to deftly flick it out of his reach. ‘They’re not rubbish! A lot of them could actually work here. Tell me a bit more about this breakfast club idea.’
After giving me a cautious look to see if I wanted to make fun of him, Noah cleared his throat and began to speak. ‘Well, I thought it might be nice to make the B&B a bigger part of the community. We’re a bit closed off up here on the hill and I thought a breakfast club might get some of the village residents to pay us a visit. They could have a slap-up breakfast cooked for them and spend a bit of time at Sunflower Cottage. Like I said, it’s complete rubbish and probably wouldn’t work anyway.’
Before I could respond, Dixie started barking loudly. Noah got up from his seat and walked towards the door.
‘I’d better go and see what she wants,’ he said, his cheeks reddening. ‘Just chuck that paper in the bin; it’s useless.’
As I watched him go, I sneaked the paper into my pocket. He might’ve switched back to the mean and moody routine, but his ideas were good, even if he didn’t know it.
Chapter 10
It’s fair to say that my first morning running Sunflower Cottage didn’t get off to the best of starts. This was mainly down to Noah.
First, he turned on the hot water downstairs while I was having a shower, turning my nice warm water into droplets of ice.
‘HOLY HELL!’ I shouted, jumping out from under the freezing jet as quickly as I could. I stumbled backwards and almost tumbled out of the cubicle, bringing my head dangerously close to the radiator.
There was a knock on the bathroom door. I didn’t have to open it to know who was on the other side. I threw a towel around myself and was confronted by Noah, who looked absolutely shattered but highly amused nonetheless.
