The Cornish Hotel by the Sea

by Karen King

  Or any control.

  The contract said that as manager Mum would be involved in any decisions regarding Gwel Teg but the final say would be up to Reece, apparently he had assured Sue that he wasn’t planning on making any major changes and intended to run Gwel Teg exactly how it was run now. But Ellie knew things could change. Reece was an achiever. He’d want to make changes, to make the hotel more efficient. So she’d voiced her doubts.

  “Why don’t you phone him yourself then you can put your mind at rest,” Sue had suggested, handing Ellie Reece’s business card – he’d included it with the contract. “Here’s his number. I doubt if you’d have kept it.”

  No she hadn’t. She’d tucked the card in her pocket, wondering if she should phone Reece. She never wanted to see him again. Never wanted to hear his voice. But she had to look after her mum’s interests and she didn’t trust him.

  “What have you got to lose?” Kate asked when Ellie explained her dilemma as they chatted later that evening. “And at least you can find out what he has in mind for the future.”

  “If he tells me. He’s not exactly Mr Up-Front.”

  “Better to ask than not to. If things go wrong some way down the line you’ll be beating yourself up for not checking things out when you could. You know what you’re like.”

  Kate was right. She would never forgive herself if she didn’t at least try to find out what Reece’s intentions were.

  Ellie glanced at her watch. 10.30pm. It was too late to phone him now. She’d do it in the morning.

  She spent a restless night, dreaming of Reece, finally waking at 7.30am exhausted. Was this too early to phone him she wondered. She couldn’t leave it much later, she had to get to work – and Reece would be going to work too. She expected he had a posh office all to himself with a plaque saying Chairman or the like on the door. How stupid was she thinking he was the manager.

  She made herself a cup of tea, took it into the bedroom, took a deep breath and dialled Reece’s number.

  He answered on the second ring. “Hello, Ellie.”

  Her heart stood still. He knew it was her. He still had her number in his phone. What did that say? That he still cared about her? Had been hoping she would ring? For a minute she couldn’t find any words. Images were slide showing through her mind, Reece kissing her, whispering tenderly in her ear, his hands caressing her body.

  “Ellie?”

  Get a grip! “Hello, Reece.” She paused.

  “I’m guessing this isn’t a social call?”

  He sounded in control, as usual, and slightly amused. Damn him.

  “Too right it isn’t,” she snapped. “I see that you’ve still trying to persuade my Mum to sell Gwel Teg to you.”

  “I am and I presume you’ve gone through the contract with a fine tooth comb and seen it’s a good deal.”

  “On the surface of it, yes, but you – and your business partner - will be the owner. You will have the final decision,” she pointed out. “What I want to know is what plans you have to change the hotel. Because I’m sure you don’t intend to keep it exactly as it is.”

  There was a pause before he replied. “I intend to make Gwel Teg more financially viable, yes, but I have no plans to change anything major about the hotel. I’ve already assured your mother this.”

  “Yes well Mum is trusting, like I used to be before I realised what a cheating slime ball you were.”

  “Did you phone up to give me a character assassination?” he retorted curtly.

  “No. I phoned up to ask you not to do anything that will upset Mum. She’s been through enough and Gwel Teg is her home. Her and Dad, they’ve always liked to keep an informal, family atmosphere. So people feel at ease. So please don’t buy it then transfer it into a cold, clinical hotel like all the others you own.”

  “I have no intention of doing that. Although none of my hotels are cold or clinical. You really should get your facts right before throwing accusations.”

  “And you should try being honest, if you even know what that word means,” she shot back.

  She heard him draw in his breath then his voice became softer, gentle. “Look, Ellie, I didn’t mean to hurt you. If you’d just let me explain…”

  “There’s nothing to explain, I understand completely what was going on and am not in the least hurt,” she retorted. “That would suggest I have feelings for you, which I don’t. I was disappointed yes, because I trusted you and you deceived me.” She swallowed. “Well you’ve got what you wanted, Reece. It seems like Mum is prepared to sign Gwel Teg over to your company. Please don’t walk over my mum in the process, remember that hotel has been her home for over twenty years.”

  “I wouldn’t do that. Look, Ellie…

  “Goodbye, Reece.”

  She finished the call before Reece could say anything else. She didn’t want to talk to him, to remember how close they’d been, how much she’d come to care about him.

  Still cared about him.

  It was ridiculous to feel like this about someone she had only recently met. She needed to pull herself together and got ready for work.

  It had been good to hear Ellie’s voice again, even though it was curt and laced with suspicion. He’d wondered if she’d phone. He knew that she cared about her mother too much to not want to make sure the contract was in her best interest.

  He walked over to the window. Ellie had sounded upset. He remembered how determined she’d been to get Gwel Teg all ship-shape before she went home, willing to do all the hard work herself if necessary. She was a worker. Feisty and determined. Sue had told him she’d been promoted and was now a Senior PR consultant. She’d be travelling all over the country, maybe even abroad, representing her company. If he hadn’t stepped in and saved the hotel she might have missed out on that. She’d probably given up her life to help run a hotel that would have gone under no matter what she did - because although Gwel Teg had potential it needed a serious injection of cash to make it a success. Cash that Ellie and her mother didn’t have.

  He wondered if Ellie would then have slipped back into her old life and started dating Lee again. Lee was certainly interested in her, that’s for sure.

  And why should that bother him. Ellie was nothing to him.

  He swiped the screen on his phone, opened up the photos folder and selected the ones of Ellie. There she was paddling in the sea, fooling around down by the harbour, eating an ice cream – she’d even got a blob of ice cream on her nose. He moved onto the next picture, Ellie with her head back, laughing. He loved how she laughed, how her eyes crinkled at the corner.

  He loved her.

  The knowledge brought him to a jolt.

  He reflected on the words for a moment and finally acknowledged that they were true. He’d fallen hopelessly in love with Ellie Truman. He wasn’t sure how that had happened or what was so special about Ellie that she touched his heart where others hadn’t. His best friend, Lucas, had told him once that he could keep trying to avoid commitment but one day he’d meet a woman and that would be it. Game over. He’d be in love and there was nothing he could do about it.

  Well it looked like that day had arrived but Lucas was wrong. There was something he could do about it.

  He could make sure that he never saw Ellie again.

  Reece was pleased and not totally surprised to receive a phone call from Ellie’s mother in the week, wanting to discuss the terms of the contract and his future plans for the hotel. It was obvious Ellie had discussed this with her, and warned her to be cautious. He spent half an hour on the phone answering Sue’s questions. She sounded interested but unsure if she could trust him. That stung. He’d always prided himself on being honest, a man of his word. He could be ruthless in business yes, but he wasn’t in the habit of ripping off anyone. This distrust was all thanks to Cindy turning up like that. An hour later and he’d have had chance to explain everything to them.

  And what? Would they have understood, believed his reasons for not telling them about
his intentions earlier?

  “Please get your solicitor to look over it,” he said. “He’ll assure you that there are no hidden clauses.”

  “I have and he’s assured me that it’s above board,” Sue replied. “I’ve a few questions though so wondered if you would mind coming down to discuss it further with me.”

  Reece hesitated. Would Ellie be there?

  “If you could come down this weekend Ellie won’t be here, if that’s what you’re worrying about,” Sue said as if she’d read his mind.

  He didn’t want to see Ellie again so why did he feel disappointed?He quickly checked his diary and told Sue he’d be down Saturday morning. “I’ll stay in another hotel in the locality,” he told her. “I think it would be best. It’ll keep things neutral.”

  On Friday night he drove down to Cornwall, he’d booked himself into a hotel in Truro for the night. The next morning he made the short drive over to Port Medden.

  It was a beautiful sunny day, the sort of day that would make Ellie want to go down to the beach and run barefoot across the sand. Like she had with him that day when she’d showed him the private cove.

  He remembered how they’d paddled in the sea. How her skirt had got soaked, revealing her shapely legs and stirring the first feelings of desire in him. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her. She was beautiful, fun and completely unaffected. She’d been honest with him right from the start, confiding in him about her worries over her mum. There was nothing false or complicated about Ellie. She was like no other woman he’d ever met and he’d found himself wanting to help her, to ease her worries, to see the frown lift from her forehead. That’s when things had got personal.

  He was still trying to help her, even if she didn’t believe him.

  As he walked through the entrance into the hotel he half-expected to see Ellie there, standing behind the counter, her rich brown hair tumbling over her shoulders. She wasn’t, of course.

  “Hello, Reece,” Mandy glanced at him. “Sue’s waiting for you in the lounge if you care to go through. You know the way.”

  He nodded and set off, taking it as a good sign that Mandy had called him by his first name, even if she didn’t follow it with a smile. He guessed he wasn’t Mr Popular but that Mandy realised he wasn’t quite the ‘con artist’ they’d thought. He just wished Ellie did too.

  Ellie’s presence was everywhere. He could feel her, smell her. If he shut his eyes he could imagine her.

  Get a grip!

  Reece walked into the lounge, sat down opposite Sue, accepted the coffee she offered then calmly answered all of the questions she asked him. The main thing she seemed to be concerned about was the staff. “Most of my staff have been with me for years, especially Mandy and Harry,” she said. “I need to know their jobs are safe.”

  “You’ll be the manager. It will be up to you to hire and fire the staff, just as you do now. That will be nothing to do with my company. You keep on whoever you want. We’ll be hiring new staff too, you could do with more here, and that will be your department too. You can interview the staff and take on who you like. I’ll add a clause stating that in the contract if you want.”

  “Yes please. That will put my mind at rest.” Her eyes probed him sharply. “It’s a very good offer.”

  “I know.” He didn’t believe in false modesty. “I thought about it very carefully and had my solicitor go over it with a fine toothcomb.”

  “So I can sell Gwel Teg to you, be employed as the manager and remain in the private quarters as long as the hotel is solvent, to be reviewed after five years. And as long as I remain capable of doing my job,” she added, referring to another clause in the contract. He was sure he saw a twinkle in her eye.

  He grinned. “I have to cover my interests too. I’ll be investing a lot of money into Gwel Teg. If you end up going ga-ga and terrorising the guests then we could go bankrupt and I’ll be the one out of pocket.”

  To his surprise, Sue chuckled heartily. “A good point lad.” She patted his hand. “I wish you’d been upfront about this at the beginning. It would have saved a lot of hassle. And hurt.”

  “I know but I’ve explained my reasons. I truly had no intention to deceive or hurt anyone.” He levelled his eyes to hers. “How does Ellie feel about it? I’m guessing that as she hasn’t been in touch again that she still hasn’t forgiven me.”

  “Ellie wants me to do what’s best for me so she won’t interfere with my decision over this. She knows I’ve taken legal advice and will take my time to think it over. But as for forgiving you …” Sue gave him a sharp look. “Ellie has no time for two-timers. She’s straight and honest and likes people to be that way with her.”

  “I was not two-timing!” Reece snapped, then instantly regretted it. “I’m sorry but not guilty as charged. Cindy is someone I dated yes, but we finished weeks beforehand. I pride myself on being straight and honest too. I didn’t deceive either of you. I simply wanted to get everything in place before I presented my offer to you.” He stood up. “Let me know if you have any further questions at any time. Obviously, I know you want to think about this, and you should. It’s a big decision. However, I can’t keep the offer on the table indefinitely as if you don’t want to sign there are other hotels that do. So shall we say I’ll keep it open for a month?”

  “That’s very fair.” Sue stood up and shook his hand. “I appreciate it and I’ll be in touch with my decision, one way or another, before the month is up.”

  As he drove home, Reece’s mind turned back to Gwel Teg. Sue’s interest had been obvious and her questions focused and thoughtful. The sort of questions people asked when they were considering things. He wasn’t expecting to hear from her for a week or two, she’d take her time, she wouldn’t find it easy to let go of ownership, but he was almost certain she would sign.

  How would Ellie feel about that? Sue had said Ellie wouldn’t interfere with his decision but Gwel Teg was Ellie’s childhood home. Would she resent him owning it? Things could be awkward if she ever came down when he was there. Not that he’d be going down much. As Steve lived nearer he would be the one dealing with the day to day issues. Reece would only visit if Sue specifically asked to see him. There was no reason for him and Ellie to bump into each other.

  But he’d love to see her again.

  He daren’t risk it. He needed to keep away from Ellie until he’d got her out of his head. And heart.

  Ellie reached for the phone, her forehead creasing in concern when she saw Mum flash on the screen. “Mum are you okay?” she asked anxiously.

  “I’m fine, dear. I phoned to let you know that I’ve had a meeting with Reece tonight. We’ve gone through the contract with a fine toothcomb and it’s watertight. I’m going to sign. I’m going to let Reece – and his business partner - buy Gwel Teg.”

  Even though she’d been expecting it, Ellie felt as if she’d been punched in the chest. Reece was going to own her home. The hotel her Mum and Dad had loved so much.

  “Are you sure about this, Mum? Really sure? I’ve told you I’ll help you. I’ll give up my job and move back in. We’ll run Gwel Teg together.”

  “It’s really kind of you dear, and don’t think I don’t appreciate it because I do.” There was a pause before her mum continued. “I don’t want you to do that. I don’t want you to give up your life for me. This is the right thing to do, I know it is. I just want to check that you’re okay with it.”

  No she wasn’t, she hated the idea. Ellie took a deep breath. She was being selfish. It was a good contract and Mum had every right to do what she wanted with her own home. She was letting her feelings for Reece influence her.

  “If that’s what you really want, Mum, then it’s fine by me.” She said. “I’ve told you that I want you to do whatever makes life easier for you. And I really mean that.”

  “Thank you dear. The flat will still be my home and Reece has made it clear that you’re welcome to stay any time. You’re still to regard the attic as your room,
this as your family home.”

  “Thanks, Mum.” As Ellie ended the call she thought that she would never be able to think of Gwel Teg as her home again.

  “Everything okay?” Kate asked, coming in carrying two mugs of hot chocolate. “I thought you might need this,” She placed the mugs down on the coffee table and sat in the chair opposite Ellie. “I gather your Mum is going to take up Reece’s offer.”

  “Yes.”

  Kate gave her a sympathetic look. “Is that such a bad thing? You’re worried sick about your mum doing too much and you don’t really want to move back in with her, do you? At least this way you’ll know that she’s being taken care of.”

  Ellie thought about this carefully. No she didn’t if she was honest. “I guess not, especially now I’ve got this promotion. But I would do it – if only to stop Reece getting his hands on it.”

  “Is he really that awful?” Kate asked, dunking a cookie into her mug of chocolate.

  “He’s a lying, conniving, cheating rat.” And sexy, charming, funny, kind…

  “I see,” Kate took a bite out of her biscuit as she considered this. “Well, he’s not likely to be there when you visit is he? You don’t have to see him.”

  Too true she didn’t. And she’d make sure that she never did. She never wanted to see Reece Mitchell again as long as she lived.

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  Ellie was kept so busy at work that it was almost two months before she found the time to go down to Gwel Teg again. And what a transformation. The outside of the hotel had been given a lick of paint, there were pretty window boxes hanging from all the windows, new seating in the reception area and a slick modern desk.

  Her mum came to greet her, looking glowing and animated. “Hello darling.” She gave Ellie a kiss on the cheek. “Did you notice we’ve tidied up the outside? What do you think?”

  “It looks good, Mum.” Ellie looked at her sparkling eyes and glowing cheeks. “So do you. You look really well.”