It turned out that sombre vibrancy was a delightful mixture of white hydrangea, blush pink roses, and a stunning green and white striped leafed flower whose name Liberty had no idea of. Fred must have been out here already as the garden was set up with tables and chairs. The exquisite flowers, mixed with wild grasses and arranged in glass jars wrapped in taffeta, were the centre piece of each table.
Liberty was stunned, and felt a lump in her throat at the boy’s kindness. Not only had he set up the garden, Fred must have also been up early and mown the lawn. Liberty had shouted at herself on the way across the lawn that morning for not getting around to mowing it or trimming the shrubs. The grass had poked between her bare toes, tickling her feet. The motel had been so busy over the weekend that she just hadn’t had the opportunity, and Wednesday had come around before she’d even taken breath.
But Fred was a secret saviour. The lawn, the shrubs, the flowers, the decorated tables, it all looked as though it was truly loved. Liberty wondered how a boy with no facial expressions and a vocabulary with even fewer words could love anything, let alone a workplace that offered him nothing but a backache. But he quite clearly did, and this fact alone made Liberty well up. She decided there and then that she would give Fred the benefit of the doubt. Although his people skills were abysmal, his heart was in the right place.
She felt a pang of guilt at how little she had trusted both him and Ginger to get things done, when actually they knew the running of the motel better than Liberty did. They had worked here for longer than she had. Liberty felt her cheeks pink at the thought of coming in to Pebble Cove and bulldozering her way into the business. They must have thought she was as rude as she’d thought they were, no wonder neither of them really liked talking to her. She knew that she would have to sit down with them and make amends, but that would have to wait until after the reception that was due to start in a few small hours. The guests would be arriving even sooner and, even though things had been sorted out here in the gardens, there was plenty still left to do indoors.
Liberty decided to make a start on the food. Luckily, there had been no request for a sit-down meal. They’d asked for a few bits to share around—sandwiches, sausage rolls, that type of thing. She thought she’d add in some of her mom’s old favorite cookies, too, she had the recipe etched in her mind and thought they’d go down a treat for hungry mourners. Nobody could resist a smile when they were tasting the most delicious, melt-in-the-mouth, buttery cookies, with a secret ingredient that made the taste buds tingle with a recognition they couldn’t quite place.
The kitchens were small and dated, but they had everything that Liberty could possibly need to rustle up a simple buffet. Her dad had never been able to throw things away, and the kitchen was no exception. It was slightly different to the kitchen Liberty had known growing up. That had been one huge, open room with a large range cooker surrounded by hand-built cupboards at one end, and the family table at the other. Now the kitchen cupboards were enclosed in a chipboard wall and the worn, wooden dining table had been replaced by a dozen, smaller tables. It wasn’t such a grand room now that it had been made into two, but it served a purpose that Liberty wasn’t going to argue with.
The supplies she’d ordered were waiting for her in the kitchen, and a few hours of hard work resulted in delicious platters of meat, fruits, sandwiches, cakes, and a healthy helping of secret recipe cookies. As Liberty put down the last of the plates, wrapped carefully in Saran wrap to keep fresh, the guest bell rang out from reception. Wiping her hands down her apron she tucked some stray curls out of her eyes and headed to greet her guests.
Oh!
The man was leaning on the counter like so many had done before him, weary and tired from a long journey, but Liberty’s breath was swept clean out of her body. She felt her stomach somersault and her heart leap up to her throat. He hadn’t seen her yet, so she had a moment to control her emotions, which she tried and failed to do. Liberty had never seen anyone so utterly perfect in all her life. He lifted his head and looked at Liberty, just as she was fanning her face to try and cool down her cheeks. The look he gave her sent them to a new level of Fahrenheit. There was nothing she could do but approach the counter and try to carry on breathing.
8
Nate leant on the front desk of the motel and pressed as gently as he could on the bell. He hated those things, they were always so loud, ringing at a frequency that wanted to make his brain shatter like glass.
The drive had been longer than he’d realized, but at least he’d managed to get out of flying with his dad. Tilly had gone in the chopper to placate the old man a little, but Nate guessed she secretly loved that way of travelling. They’d be arriving just before the funeral gathering started so they didn’t have to spend too long in the ‘back end of nowhere’, as his dad so politely referred to Little Norwich.
The sound of a door opening roused Nate from his lull, and he lifted his weary head so as not to appear rude to the front desk clerk. Although he wasn’t sure there would be a front desk clerk as he entered the building, it appeared to be as run down in real life as it was online—even more so looking at the rotting porch he’d walked over to get here. He was beginning to regret not cancelling the moment his dad had reared his ugly head. The motel was small, too small to escape from the rest of the Parker clan once the formalities were over.
As he lifted his head, Nate felt his breath catch in his throat at the sight that greeted him. Surely this wasn’t Liberty, the girl who had caught his attention with her voice and demeanour alone?
The girl stood in front of him, an apron covering her elegant black dress, flour all over the front of it, and a cute little smudge of flour on her button nose. She looked as though she’d tried to tame her hair in a band but it wasn’t playing ball, bits sprung out all over the place and Nate had to stop himself walking towards her and tucking the stray strands behind her ears. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. He felt drawn to her like a moth to a flame—only he hoped this fire would be less damaging. The thought reminded him why he was here at the motel, and he tried to reel himself in a bit.
Taking a breath, he managed a smile. When the girl smiled back he knew all hopes of being a normal sensible human being had just flown out of the old rickety window behind him.
“Hi, I’m…” His voice caught, unsure of what to say, not wanting to give anything away. He cleared his throat.
“Nate?” she filled in for him. Her voice was even better in the flesh. It sparkled like morning dew on wet grass. Hearing her say his name made his legs feel like saplings. He repositioned himself, so he could lean casually on the top of the front desk and avoid falling to the floor. Nodding, he recovered his voice.
“Yes, that’s me. Nate. Liberty?”
The girl nodded.
“It’s good to meet you. I’ve got some rooms booked for tonight and a function room for later today. But you know that already. Sorry.”
Come on, Nate!
“Everything is ready for you,” she said. “I’m sorry, again, for your loss.”
“Thank you,” said Nate. “The rest of the guests will be arriving shortly.”
The thought of the rest of the guests made Nate’s heart pace for reasons that he didn’t want to think about right now.
The girl had walked behind the front desk. Nate couldn’t help notice the sweet pink flush to her cheeks and he wondered if he’d interrupted her in the middle of something like cleaning or changing beds. But surely she wouldn’t be carrying out all the chores if she was the owner?
“I can take you to your room now, if you like?” Liberty said. “Then, whenever you’re ready, I can show you what I’ve organised for the funeral gathering, if that suits you?”
Right now, anything Liberty did would suit Nate.
“Perfect, thank you. Oh and please call me Nate, I feel a bit underdressed to be called ‘sir’.”
The pink in Liberty’s cheeks deepened and Nate felt bad when she avoided his eyes. She disap
peared behind the desk and Nate wondered if he’d said something to offend her. He hoped not, the last thing he wanted to do was offend this wonderful girl. Nate went to lean over the desk to check she was okay, just as she was standing up again, narrowly avoiding a clash of heads. Liberty jumped back, startled at his proximity.
“Sorry, sorry.” Nate said, holding his hands up in a surrender. “Was just worried about you there.”
Liberty held up her finger, on it swung a key on a large fob made out of a well-polished cut of wood. She raised an eyebrow at Nate which sent his heart rate tipping over the edge.
“Oh, I see. The key.” He’d lost all powers of speech. Clamping his mouth shut so he didn’t spout anymore obvious and pointless monologues, he picked up his carryall and nodded that he was ready.
She led him up the stairs to a large landing with numbered doors. The landing was littered with small steps and winding corridors, the polar opposite of his sleek, white-washed villa, and he loved it. His room was the furthest from the stairs, along a small passageway and up three further steps. Room one. Nate stood back as Liberty unlocked the door. Light flooded the small passageway as the door swung open and Nate could see the back of Liberty’s dress, a large flour hand print adorned her bottom and Nate couldn’t help but smile. She was perfect. Ever since she’d shouted at him when she’d answered the phone, he’d known she was perfect, now that he’d met her he had proven himself right. Why couldn’t he have met her in better circumstances?
He was so busy daydreaming that he hadn’t seen that Liberty was gesturing for him to enter the room. He realized he’d been staring at the handprint on her dress, and felt heat rush to his face, wondering if he needed to explain why he had been staring at her derrière. He shifted his carryall to the other hand and walked quickly into the room, hoping Liberty hadn’t noticed his faux pas.
The room was at the front of the property, facing the ocean. With his bags dropped on the floor beside the bed, Nate didn’t even bother looking around, he headed straight for the window. The view made his shoulders drop back down to their natural position, he’d not even realized how tense he had been until he heard them click. He let out a sigh, unlatching the window and pushing it open. The noise of the breaking waves was comfortingly familiar and he shut his eyes, breathing in the salty air.
“This was my parents’ old room.”
He opened his eyes to see Liberty standing right next to him, leaning her hands on the windowsill and staring out. She smelt of vanilla and freshly washed hair and, weirdly, tarragon. Nate’s stomach felt like it was dancing the tango and he couldn’t help but smile.
“Did you grow up here?” he asked her, unable, once again, to stop looking at her.
She nodded but carried on staring out of the window. Nate took another deep breath, relishing her scent. At that moment she turned to him, and it seemed to occur to them both at the same time just how close they were standing. Neither of them made any motion to step away. They stood for a moment, Nate gazing down at Liberty, Liberty looking up at Nate, their eyes locked, their breathing synchronized. Nate could feel every hair on his neck stand to attention, his sensations magnified by the electricity between them.
“Your key, Nate,” Liberty whispered, finally breaking the spell and holding out the fob for him to take.
Unwilling to look away from her face, Nate felt for the key with his hand. An electric bolt passed through his fingers and hit him straight in the heart when he brushed against her hand.
“Thank you,” he replied as he took the key, his eyes still on hers.
“You’re welcome,” she whispered back. “I’ll be in the lobby when you need me.”
As she spoke, Nate felt her hand retract. He watched her leave the room, shutting the door gently behind her. Unable to fathom what on earth had just happened, Nate flopped down onto the generous sized bed.
“Wow,” he said, breathlessly. “Wow.”
9
What was she thinking? Why had she followed him into the room?
That never normally happened. Liberty normally wouldn’t even show guests the way. She should have opened the door, handed Nate the key, and left. The thought of handing him the key made Liberty feel giddy. She unconsciously touched her fingers where he’d done the same only moments earlier, sending a shiver down her spine.
Why had she told him that was her parents’ old room? Guests didn’t need to know the history of where they were staying. Liberty, herself, knew that whenever she stayed anywhere she liked to think she was their first ever guest. Then she didn’t have to worry about things like finding stray toenail clippings, or wondering what the weird stains on the carpet were. Let alone who’s slept in the bed before her. But to go in all guns blazing and tell him that her parents used to sleep there, well that was just plain weird.
She didn’t know what had come over her. He had headed over to the windows without checking out the rest of the room, and that made her smile. She hadn’t been able to take her eyes off him, so she hadn’t even tried—she had watched him watching the waves, silhouetted by the sun streaming through the window.
When she was younger, and her parents had still slept together in that room, Liberty used to sneak in and spend hours watching the ocean from that window. The warmth she had felt all those years ago had come flooding back to her and somehow her feet had taken her into the room and over to the window without her head knowing. She had been drawn there again, not only by the nostalgia, but by the man standing in her old spot. There was something about him that made Liberty feel at ease, as though his obvious love of the ocean was a character reference that mattered.
It wasn’t hindered, of course, by how utterly drop dead gorgeous he was. Liberty couldn’t help but notice his muscles under the white T shirt he was wearing. As he’d stood in the window, the sun had highlighted the definition of them through his clothes. She’d seen his back flex as he’d sighed, and she’d wondered what he’d been thinking about, he’d looked so far away. At that point Liberty had remembered the whole reason for his stay and kicked herself. The poor guy was here to grieve, not to fall in love.
She hurried back down the stairs, trying to calm her wayward heart. There had been something between them, she’d felt it when they stood in the window together, despite her opening her mouth and spouting garbage. She’d felt like he’d looked at her. Really looked at her, something that Brett had never done. Nate’s eyes had made her feel naked in front of him but she hadn’t felt like she needed to cover up. It had been a different kind of nakedness, as if her soul was bared for him to see.
Liberty pottered about at the front desk, aware that she’d said to Nate she would be here when he needed her. She enjoyed the thought that he might need her. As silly as that sounded when she mulled it over in her head now. She really didn’t know what had come over her.
There were some letters from this morning’s mail delivery that needed attention, but Liberty didn’t like the look of the red stamps on the front of them. She knew her dad had been behind on some of the bills, and these looked like they might be final demands. One by one she ripped open the tops with the old bone-handled letter opener that had belonged to her grandad, and read what lay within. Each one demanded money from her, money that she just didn’t have. Her dad wasn’t just behind with a few bills, almost all of them had been unpaid for months. They were threatening to cut off the services and even repossess the property.
Liberty couldn’t deal with this right now, not when she had guests who needed her. She tucked them in the pocket of her apron and promised to look at them properly after everyone had gone to bed later that evening.
It wasn’t long before Nate came back down the stairs to join her. She knew she needed to plaster on a smile and pretend everything was fine, and the funny thing was that when Liberty saw him walking towards her there was no need to fake her happiness. The smile on her face felt completely genuine.
“Hi,” he said, running his hands through his wet hair. He
must have taken a shower while she’d been wrestling with bills. He smelt of spice and chocolate.
“Ready for your tour?” Liberty asked, glad to have the distraction.
“Sure thing. Show me what you’ve got.”
Liberty led the way quickly through the dining room and out to the gardens. Bees buzzed around the table decorations, birdsong filled the air. It was hot out and Liberty wished she could ditch her thick black dress and apron, but she’d changed from her usual summer dress to show respect for the person who had died and she would grin and bear it for a few hours more.
“I really am sorry for your loss,” she said.
Nate looked at her with a furrowed brow and Liberty hoped she hadn’t brought it up at an inopportune moment. But she went with it.
“You said on the phone the funeral was for a friend. Had you known them a long time? Have you got a picture or anything that you’d like to display for your guests?”
She touched his forearm with compassion, and another little shiver ran down her spine. He looked at her with an expression that made her want to hug him. She’d just met him, there was no way she was going to wrap her arms around him, so she clasped her hands tightly in front of her. His eyes spoke a thousand words, and they darted around Liberty’s head like an unwritten novel. His lips opened as if to speak what he was thinking, then he seemed to collect himself and his eyes glazed over and his lips snapped shut.
Nate let out a sigh. He’d been doing a lot of that since he arrived, Liberty thought, but then this was a funeral. Who could blame him for not wanting to talk about it, especially with a complete stranger. He didn’t answer her question, instead he took himself off into the garden, looking at the tables and the vases that adorned them. He walked slowly back to where Liberty stood and took her hands in his. The suddenness and boldness of the movement caught her by surprise.
My Bereaved Billionaire: A Clean Billionaire Romance (My Billionaire A-Z Book 2) Page 4
