Sunshine & Secrets

by Daisy James

  Millie had tried her best to urge Fitz to increase his work rate but with Vic missing in action there was never going to be a sudden spurt of activity. They had also spent most of the morning gossiping about what had happened the previous day at the Purple Parrot until Millie had snapped and asked them to concentrate on the job in hand. However, she had felt so guilty about her uncharacteristic outburst that she had promptly baked a batch of cherry-and-almond scones, delivered them with a cafetière of Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee, and spent a precious hour appeasing them.

  Ella had tried to intervene too, explaining to Fitz the importance of adhering to the deadline, even mentioning her friendship with his aunt, but it did not have the desired effect. In fact, the men had just downed tools for their mid-morning break and were reclining in the back of Fitz’s white van, drinking the coffee she’d made and taking a snooze.

  Millie was about to escape for a shower when she noticed a glint of sunlight against the sink tap, which now, thankfully, had been fitted in the central island unit. However, her eyes had also snagged something else. She approached the marble top of one of the workstations with caution, unable to compute what her brain was telling her.

  ‘Oh, God, no!’ she groaned.

  A crack ran the whole way across from the corner of the sink to the other side of the workbench – a distance of fifty centimetres. Not just a crack, a ravine! She slumped onto one of the bar stools, placed her head in her hands and wept. The game was up. No way could they source a new marble countertop by Monday. How could the clients be expected to knead the dough of the hops bread, prepare the peppery paprika cornbread, and mould the coconut rock buns on a damaged surface?

  She pulled herself together, dried her eyes and grabbed her phone. It was time to speak to Claudia, to confess that she hadn’t been up to the job and to apologize for making such a mess of things. She cringed when she thought of the course being cancelled and a swirl of guilt threatened to overwhelm her, not only towards Claudia but also to the wedding guests whose prenuptial party would be ruined. The call went to voicemail and she left a message for Claudia to phone her back as soon as possible. She had to speak to her before she left for the airport to save her making a wasted journey out to St Lucia, especially with her leg in plaster.

  Millie slotted her phone back in her pocket and as she crossed the courtyard she heard the familiar sound of the straining engine of Clavie’s taxi ascending the driveway. Ella heaved her bulk from the back seat, but Millie was surprised to see that Lottie was with her, her hair flying high in the breeze, her silver chains jangling around her neck.

  ‘Thanks, Clavie!’ Lottie called, slinging her bag over her shoulder and skipping towards Millie to give her a hug. Clavie tooted his horn in response and disappeared back down the hill. ‘The Parrot is closed today whilst the police do their thing so I thought maybe you could use an extra pair of hands up here. I’m happy to muck in and do anything you want – especially on the taste-testing side of things.’

  ‘That’s really kind of you, Lottie, but I’m not sure it’s…’

  ‘I’ve told Lottie she can help us with the chocolate tiramisu recipe we’ve been struggling with,’ said Ella, making her way towards the studio. ‘Today’s our last chance to get the recipe perfected, and I think I have an idea that might just work. Come on, the sooner we get started, the sooner we can eat the results!’

  The enthusiasm in both Ella and Lottie’s faces made Millie feel even worse. She had to come clean with both of them that she was about to inform Claudia she had no option but to cancel the very first Paradise Cookery School course – except she just didn’t know how to. Ella was another person to add to the list of people she had failed and a spasm of distress shot through her veins because she knew how much Ella was looking forward to presenting the classes with Claudia and how she was hoping to make this her new career.

  ‘Ah, I just know that the Paradise Cookery School is going to be the best cookery school in the whole of the Caribbean – the recipes that you and Ella have devised are awesome! Claudia’ll be booked up until next summer as soon as the reviews go up and she’ll be able to open her boutique hotel sooner than she thought, not to mention get the plantation sorted for the tours. I’m going to be the first to put my name on that list – I lurve chocolate!’

  Ergh, thought Millie, someone else to add to her list. She just couldn’t bear it.

  ‘Why don’t you both go up to the studio kitchen and I’ll be with you in a minute. I just want to talk to Fitz about something.’

  She saw Ella’s brow crease, but her friend wisely decided to keep her own counsel. Lottie grabbed the numerous carrier bags Clavie had deposited in the courtyard and followed Ella up the stairs to start baking, chatting about how amazing Dylan was and how they planned to manage the Purple Parrot until they knew what was happening with Andrew.

  Millie thought her head was going to explode. Her heart thumped in her chest when she rehearsed the enormity of what she had to say to Claudia. She meandered down to the pool terrace and sat under the shade of a lemon tree, her toes tickling the surface of the water, searching her brain for a solution that wouldn’t mean disappointing so many people. She checked her phone to see if Claudia had called her back as she hadn’t heard it ring, but there was nothing.

  ‘What’s up? Has Messy Millie been banished from the kitchen?’

  Millie couldn’t be bothered to rise to the task of challenging Zach over his name-calling. She knew how much he wanted to arrange activities for the cookery-school attendees, and how upset he was going to be when she confessed how she had failed, but she needed to confide in someone or she would be looking her sanity in the rear-view mirror.

  ‘The first Paradise Cookery School course is being cancelled,’ said Millie, her throat tightening against the words.

  ‘What? Why? I thought you and Ella had everything planned? Every recipe triple- and quadruple-tested, every detail ironed out, every ingredient sourced and ready to be delivered for Monday. Ella told me that you’ve even got a whole host of backup recipes just in case some of the ingredients aren’t available…’

  ‘It’s not the culinary side of things,’ said Millie, lowering her voice and tossing a look over her shoulder to the veranda where Alph was smoking a cigarette and contemplating an unopened tin of white emulsion as if he had never seen one before in his life.

  ‘What is it then?’

  ‘Well, as you can see, there’s no way everything will be ready in time to receive paying guests. We’ve lost Vic for some reason that’s not entirely clear, and the kitchen needs to pass certain standards for health-and-safety reasons. Claudia would never run a course bearing her name that posed a potential risk to a guest’s well-being.’

  Unexpectedly, Millie was ambushed by a burst of sobbing. All the stress of what had happened the previous day, coupled with the delays she’d fought so hard to keep on top of, and the discovery of the crack in the countertop, was suddenly all too much. Zach sat down beside her, waiting until her tears ceased and she turned to meet his gaze. He smiled and reached out to tuck a loose curl behind her ear, a gesture that sent a sparkle of attraction through Millie.

  ‘You know, Millie, this isn’t your fault. When Fitz was hired to do the kitchen renovations he told Claudia that three weeks was the absolute minimum he needed to complete the work to the standard she required. He was ready to start on time, but as you know, Claudia had her riding accident and there was a week’s delay. It was always going to be a tight timescale to get everything done. Claudia knew that, but of course her mind was on other things, and who can blame her.’

  Millie stared at Zach. What he had said was true, but it didn’t make her feel any better. She had wanted the project to be a success so much. For her own peace of mind, she needed to know that she was still capable of delivering results, and had dared to hope that her sojourn in St Lucia would help her to turn the corner on her crisis of confidence, not only emotionally but professionally. She had even sta
rted to toy with the idea of looking for a head chef’s position when she got back home.

  ‘Thanks, Zach.’

  Zach produced a pristine cotton handkerchief from the pocket of his shorts and handed it to her.

  ‘Now, you might be lots of things, Amelia Harper, but you don’t strike me as a quitter, so let’s take a look at the kitchen and see what’s left to be done before we throw the towel in the pool! Not everyone is going to let you down, you know. You have lots of friends here who will be only too pleased to offer you their services in return for a cold beer and one of your chocolate brownies!’ Zach sprang to his feet, leaving behind a delicious tang of citrussy cologne. ‘Come on, show me the plans.’

  Millie followed him, surreptitiously storing his damp handkerchief in her pocket, not wanting Fitz to know she had been about to call it a day and tell him to go home. She unearthed the torn and paint-splattered plans from beneath a pile of vivid artwork, and together she and Zach scrutinized every aspect of the renovations, before cross-examining Fitz on what there was left to do. Millie scribbled everything on a notepad, making a list of the outstanding tasks as Alph looked on with an expression of scepticism and not a little trepidation.

  Next, Zach disappeared into the courtyard where he paced backwards and forwards, his phone clenched to his ear, snippets of animated conversation floating through the air.

  ‘Great! Thanks, Anisha, and round up Travis too, will you?’ And, ‘Yes, Dylan, Lottie is here. She and Ella are on cooking duties. It’ll be the best barbeque you’ve had all year, I promise! And tell Ryan the beers are on me.’

  Zach slotted his phone back into his pocket and strode back to the veranda.

  ‘Okay, Millie. Prepare yourself to be amazed. You are about to experience what can be achieved when a bunch of friends pull together to help another friend out. Now, I don’t want to hear one more word about cancelling the course next week. Why don’t you spend the next hour prioritizing the remaining jobs so that when the cavalry arrives you can set them to work straight away?’

  An upsurge of gratitude grabbed her unawares and, despite their slight awkwardness since she had spent the night crashed out on his sofa at the lodge, she flung herself at Zach, hugging him to her, only just managing to grip on to her emotions by her fingertips. To her surprise and delight, he picked her up and spun her around, depositing a kiss on her cheek when he set her back down. It wasn’t a patch on the embrace they had shared on Wednesday night, but the connection still sent waves of desire running through her veins. She briefly wondered what would happen if she wasn’t leaving for the UK on Sunday.

  However, there was too much to do to dwell on what ifs. Millie spent the next hour going through her list with a pencil behind her ear, a tape measure around her wrist, making detailed notes and issuing instructions. Fitz and Alph scampered around like lambs under her firm but friendly direction, making their own contributions and suggestions for improvements.

  Ella and Lottie appeared an hour later with a platter of fried-fish-and-mango-chutney sandwiches and a pitcher of freshly squeezed lemonade.

  ‘I’ve spoken to Henri,’ said Ella, her multicoloured bangles tinkling at her wrist as she poured out their drinks. ‘He’s just finishing a piece on illegal rum production for the weekend issue of the Tribune and he’s promised to present himself for inspection on the drill line first thing tomorrow morning. Leon doesn’t think he can get away from work, but has offered his services on Saturday night and Sunday. I’ve also left a message for my brother Byron and I’m sure he’ll be delighted to be roped in for a bit of painting.’

  ‘He will if he wants to taste my cookies!’ exclaimed Lottie.

  At six o’clock, Ella and Lottie discarded their Paradise Cookery School aprons and squeezed into Henri’s little Fiat for the journey back to Soufrière.

  ‘I’m so happy that you’re about to experience how the St Lucian community can pull together and make good things happen,’ smiled Henri as he stowed his mother’s oversized bag in the boot and gave Millie a farewell hug. ‘See you tomorrow, bright and early.’

  Millie saw that Ella had tears in her eyes. She watched her friend extract a delicate lace handkerchief from her sleeve and dab them away, whilst she swallowed down her own. She truly felt as though she was part of an extended Caribbean family and a curl of regret that her visit was so short-lived wriggled through her stomach.

  ‘Thanks, Henri. Ella, Lottie, see you tomorrow.’

  Millie watched the car trundle away down the hill and disappear around the bend. She went in search of Zach but couldn’t find him so she retreated to her studio above the garage for a good cry. The release was satisfying and afterwards, she fell into an untroubled sleep until she was woken by a knock on her front door.

  ‘Miss Millie?’

  Dusk had started to ripple over the horizon, spreading a wave of cerise and pink over the distant sea as she dashed down the stairs to meet Fitz and Alph who were busy loading up the van for the day.

  ‘We’ll be off now, but we’ll be back for the seven-thirty roll call.’

  ‘Erm, I think it’s seven,’ said Millie with a grin, knowing that he was trying it on. ‘You are still in charge of operations, Fitz, but now you will have ten more willing workers under your direction, all looking to you for leadership. What will we all do if you’re not here to crack the whip?’

  Millie watched as Fitz straightened his spine and shoved back his shoulders. ‘Seven a.m. on the dot, it is. See you then.’

  Millie smiled and waved as he jumped into the cab of his dilapidated white van next to Alph and reversed down the driveway to the road, their favourite reggae music blasting forth. A feeling of pride invaded her chest. She had never had the confidence to speak to Fitz in that way before. Yet when she had done so he had responded with enthusiasm, with pleasure even, at the authority and responsibility she had bestowed upon his shoulders. Maybe if she had been able to do that from the start they wouldn’t be facing the uphill challenge that was ahead of them now.

  Another lesson in life for her to dwell on.

  Millie slumped down on one of the sunloungers and took stock of the last few hours. If all the offers of help materialized, she had every confidence that the kitchen would be finished by the time Claudia arrived on Sunday afternoon. That would give her and Ella a few hours to talk through the culinary side of things and the Paradise Cookery School would go ahead on Monday morning as scheduled. The Chocolate & Confetti course would be a tremendous success and Ella would get her coveted job as a guest presenter and Zach would be able to continue with his plans for extracurricular activities which he could proudly pass on to Jake when his stay in the Caribbean came to an end.

  She pushed herself up and slotted her feet into her sparkly flip-flops. It was time she went to the lodge to thank Zach for everything he had done to save the day.

  Chapter Twenty

  Despite Millie’s last-minute doubts, all three tradesmen turned up the following day at seven a.m. just minutes before Henri, Ella and her brother Byron, and Travis and Anisha, who had negotiated a rare day off to be part of the team. Dylan and Lottie floated in with Ryan and a friend of theirs, Connor, at seven-thirty. The couple were bug-eyed from lack of sleep, having spent the night celebrating their new relationship. Lottie reported that although she had wanted to keep the Purple Parrot open, Leon had requested that it remain closed until the following weekend at least to allow their investigations to take place.

  Before she had retired to bed the previous night, Millie had tried to call Claudia again. She knew she was due to arrive the following day, but she still needed to speak to her and couldn’t understand why her calls kept going to voicemail. However, she had enjoyed a long chat with Poppy who had suggested that she should consider asking Étienne for a week’s unpaid leave so she could take advantage of being part of the very first of Claudia Croft’s Paradise Cookery School courses, as the experience would be invaluable for any future dreams she harboured of sharing her own k
nowledge with a group of students.

  Millie had brushed her friend’s suggestion aside, keen to return home to normality, eager to indulge in an extended session of gossip. Poppy had casually dropped into the conversation that her date with the guy at the Italian deli across the road hadn’t worked out, but that she now had set her sights on a tall, dark, handsome chef from the bistro at the end of the street. They had already been out on a couple of dates and she couldn’t wait to introduce Millie to his friend, Charles.

  For some reason, Millie did not reciprocate by sharing with Poppy her feelings for Zach as she couldn’t put them into words. Yes, they had shared a stomach-churning kiss that night in his lodge, and yes, being with him sent her emotions haywire, but she was leaving the next day, so there was no point in pursuing their connection any further, even if Zach had shown such an inclination – which he hadn’t. However, she had a great deal to thank Zach for, not least the fact that talking to him about what had happened with Luke had put the whole episode into perspective and she hadn’t thought of her ex-fiancé once since their conversation.

  Why couldn’t she have met Zach earlier? But she knew she might not have appreciated his unique brand of down-to-earth advice if it had been presented before she was ready.

  Nevertheless, a part of her did wish she could stay in St Lucia, to spend more than just an hour with Claudia, to take part in the Chocolate & Confetti course, to see where her friendship with Zach would take her. And she had to admit that Zach wasn’t the only person she would miss when she went home. She couldn’t get her head around the fact that she would never see Ella again, especially when the Caribbean chef had told her the previous day that she was like the daughter she had never had. But before she could stroll too far down her life’s highway of regrets, Millie was called upon for her advice.