“Exactly!” Now he was finally understanding and Alice was relieved. “So the last thing I have time to do at the moment is organise a wedding or move out of Seaspray.”
“Ella can plan the wedding for us, love. It’s what she does,” Jonny told her.
Alice nodded absently. She was wondering whether was Emerald awake yet. What would she want for breakfast? Didn’t Americans eat pancakes? Luke, Issie’s boyfriend, always ate those with bacon and maple syrup, and grits too, whatever those were. Did Betty Jago sell them?
“Maybe,” she said. “We’ll see.”
“She’s in the middle of planning Georgie Angel’s wedding right now, so I think two pensioners who want a quiet do with just friends and family will be a breeze,” Jonny said shortly.
His tone was so unusually sharp that Alice was jolted.
“Unless you’re just looking for an excuse not to get married?” he added.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said.
“I’m not being ridiculous.” Jonny dropped her hand and rubbed his temples. “I’m offering solutions for how we can make this happen – and everything I come up with, you manage to find a problem with.”
“I just don’t think we need to rush it!” Alice was exasperated. “What’s the big hurry? It’s not as though we’re teenagers anymore. There’s plenty of time to get married once Emerald’s settled and the family’s taken care of.”
“I hate to break it to you, Ally, but I don’t think we’ve got forever,” Jonny replied bluntly. “We’re in our eighties and we’ll be lucky if we even have five good years. We can’t put off getting married because there isn’t plenty of time. If we don’t do it soon it might never happen.”
His voice wobbled, his body swayed and his hands clutched the kitchen table for support.
“Calm down, Jonny! Think of your heart,” Alice said, pulling out a chair – which he pointedly ignored.
“Why should I think of my heart when you don’t care about breaking it?”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake, you daft old man! Don’t be so dramatic!”
Alice was starting to lose patience with the men in her life. Why was it that everything always had to be about them? She’d been up until the small hours listening to Jimmy complaining about how none of the day’s events had really been his fault and how upset he was, and now all Jonny seemed bothered about was getting his own way with the wedding dates. What about how she was feeling? And, even more importantly, what about that poor young girl? It really did break Alice’s heart to imagine how Emerald must have felt arriving here so full of excitement, only to discover that Jimmy had been keeping her a secret and that the rest of the family had no idea who she was. She’d looked utterly crushed. The least the child deserved was some time to get to know her family – and Alice was determined to give this to her.
“I’m not being dramatic,” insisted Jonny. “We’ve waited years to get married!”
“Exactly. So a few more months will hardly matter,” Alice countered. “Now sit down before you fall down and let’s talk about this properly.”
“Fine, have it your way,” muttered Jonny, lowering himself onto the chair and glowering at Alice over the toast crumbs and plates left over from breakfast. Summer had been in the middle of clearing these away but had retreated tactfully when Jonny had arrived. Usually Alice would have busied herself finishing up while she chatted to him, but this conversation deserved her full attention. She took the chair beside his and reached out for his knotted old hands, marvelling that she’d first held them almost a lifetime ago. How was this even possible when it felt like yesterday?
“I still want to marry you,” she told him.
Jonny made a noise that was halfway between a sob and a laugh. “Strange way of showing it. You’ve been putting off setting a date for what feels like forever.”
“I know,” she said quietly. “It isn’t because I don’t want us to get married though, love. I just don’t think it’s the right time to leave my family. They need me here.”
“They’re adults!” Jonny couldn’t hide his irritation. “You’ve given them years of your life, Alice. Years! It’s time for you now.”
“And I will have my time but not at Emerald’s expense,” Alice said quietly. “She’s only just arrived and she’s going to need her family. She’s going to need me.”
“She’s Jimmy’s daughter,” Jonny pointed out. “That makes her his responsibility, not yours.”
But Alice shook her head. “You know as well as I do that it doesn’t work like that with Jimmy. Maybe I went wrong somewhere as a mother? Was I too indulgent? Too soft? Or perhaps Henry was too hard on him? I don’t know anymore but I do know that I have to see this through. I need to be here for Emerald and the others.”
“So that’s it? No wedding?”
“No wedding at the moment,” she answered. “Maybe later on, in the summer? Or perhaps even Christmas? A Christmas wedding’s always beautiful. Imagine the church all decorated for us.”
“And then it will be a spring wedding and then a summer one,” Jonny said bitterly. He felt for the engagement ring on her fourth finger and stroked it tenderly. “Oh Alice, time’s not going to stand still for us and we’ve wasted so much already, can’t you see that? It’s time we stepped aside and let the young people take charge. They’ve got to make their own mistakes and live their own way because we won’t always be there to hold their hands. We’re not going to be around forever.”
There was a lump in Alice’s throat. Nobody ever wanted to face their own mortality, and when she thought about leaving her family behind – whether it was moving in with Jonny or going somewhere a little more abstract and much further away – it made her heart shiver. They needed her. How would they manage without her?
A tear slipped down her cheek and splashed onto the table.
“I know it’s difficult, my darling,” Jonny said softly when she didn’t reply. He squeezed her fingers as though holding onto her would anchor him too. “I’ve clung on to my business far longer than I should have done because I’ve been afraid of what I’ll become without it. It’s hard to know what’s worse: that they need us dreadfully or that they don’t need us at all. That’s why I’ve come to a decision about the hotel.”
“Have you?” This did surprise Alice. The Polwenna Bay Hotel was Jonny’s pride and joy, and although he’d talked for months about handing it over fully, nothing had happened. She’d secretly thought that it never would.
He nodded. “I want to spend all my time with you, Ally. I don’t know how long we’ll have but I want to make every minute count. Lord knows we’ve both worked hard enough and this is our time now. I want us to see Paris, visit Rome, take cruises to the Med and spend our winters in the sunshine. I can’t do that if I’m tied to the hotel, can I?”
Alice supposed not. He’d painted a wonderful picture of their new life together and she could just imagine them both sitting on a balcony in Italy and watching the red sun sinking low on the hills as they sipped Prosecco. She’d always wanted to travel and never had the chance…
“So I’m handing the hotel over,” Jonny concluded.
“You’re going to let Ella run it?” Alice was pleased. Ella wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea but she lived and breathed the hotel. Even Mo would admit that.
“Ella?” Jonny looked taken aback. “Whatever gave you that idea? No, of course not. I’m putting Teddy in charge. He’s the heir to it all, not Ella.”
“But it’s Ella who does all the work,” Alice pointed out. Heaven only knew she was no great fan of Ella St Milton, but credit where credit was due! The girl had poured her heart and soul into the business. You didn’t need to be her number one fan to see that. The hotel’s assistant manager Tom Elliot, who was friends with Nick and Issie, was a regular at Seaspray and always sang her praises.
Jonny shrugged. “I guess I’m old-fashioned but I still think a business needs a man to run it. A steadier hand at the helm.”
&n
bsp; That wasn’t Teddy St Milton. He was more likely to drive the entire thing onto the rocks.
“Old-fashioned doesn’t come close,” said Alice. “You do know women have the vote now? Some of us even have jobs.”
“Very funny,” said Jonny. “Look, I know times have changed and that I’m an old fossil, but that’s my point! I’m out of touch and that’s why it’s time we stepped aside and let the youngsters run the show. Look, just for you I’ll wait and see how Ella gets on with this big wedding and then I’ll make my decision regarding who I place in charge. Either way though, I’m going to make the most of the time I have left and see a bit of the world while I still can.” He turned to face her now and his expression was serious. “I want to do that with you beside me, Alice, but I can’t wait forever because time’s running out. I need to know where I stand.”
“Is that a threat? If I don’t set a date soon then you’re off anyway?”
“It’s not a threat but it is an intention,” Jonny said quietly. “I love you, Alice Tremaine, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. That’s a given, seeing as I’ve loved you since I was a teenager, but I suppose what I’m saying is that I have to have an answer soon. If Emerald’s your latest excuse to put the wedding off then that’s all I need to know. Just be honest with me. I’m a big boy. I can handle the truth.”
“For heaven’s sake, Jonny! Emerald’s not an excuse! She’s a perfectly good reason to stay here at Seaspray for a little bit longer!” Alice cried, snatching her hand away in temper.
“Fine! Stay for Emerald. Or Jimmy. Or Mo. Or whoever you feel needs you next.” He rose creakily to his feet. “Look, I think we should give it a break for a while.”
“A break?” Alice echoed, not quite able to believe what she was hearing. “You want to call our engagement off?”
“No! Never that.”
“Then what?”
“Then let’s really think hard about whether or not we’re actually going to get married,” Jonny replied.
Alice saw his love for her etched in every line of his dear face, and her chest constricted. “I still want to get married,” she insisted. “I really do. I just need a little more time.”
“But that’s the one thing we don’t have. I think we both need to take some time out to consider what we really want. Perhaps it isn’t the same thing after all?” he said quietly. “I want to be with you, Alice. That’s it. There’s no secret and there’s nothing more complicated going on. I love you and I want to marry you. Whatever time I have left, be it a day, a year or even a decade, I want to spend every second with you. The question I need you to answer is whether you feel the same way?”
Her breath was caught her lungs and Alice couldn’t speak.
“This is our time right now, Alice, and we have to seize it while it lasts.”
Jonny dropped a kiss onto her cheek, squeezed her shoulder and then walked out of the kitchen with his head held high and his stick tapping on the floor. Alice watched him go with her feelings in ribbons, but she didn’t call him back. How could she when she couldn’t tell Jonny what he wanted to hear? Her heart might long to cry out that she was ready to throw caution to the winds, get married and see what they could of the world while they still had the chance, but she knew this was impossible while her family still needed her. Her family came first; it had to. That being the case, she’d surely made the right choice.
But whether she was making the right decision or not, the kitchen suddenly felt very big and very, very empty.
Chapter 11
As Monday mornings went, this one was from hell. Already two of the cleaners had phoned in sick and the computer system had crashed – just as Ella had discovered that Teddy had helped himself to several thousand pounds from the hotel’s bank account. It was only half past ten but she felt shattered.
It was always a fight to keep her head above water here, but now that Charlie’s demands had been added into the mix Ella’s nerves were beginning to fray. Not that anyone else would have realised this was how she felt. Like a gliding swan, Ella made running the hotel look effortless, even if beneath the surface her feet were paddling like mad. And they had never paddled harder than today. Her hair was perfectly straight and swishy, her make-up and nails were immaculate (courtesy of the girls in the hotel spa) and her designer suit and crisp white shirt were the epitome of businesslike chic, but inside she was the emotional equivalent of bed hair and baggy jogging bottoms.
“Hold your nerve,” Ella said out loud to herself as she sat at her desk. “It’s all going to be fine. There’s nothing here that you can’t deal with.”
Feeling slightly better for this pep talk, she turned to her in-tray and psyched herself up for a morning’s firefighting. So far there were four apparently urgent calls from Georgie Angel’s people, a complaint from a guest, a parking fine for her Range Rover (bloody Charlie, why couldn’t he just buy a ticket like everyone else?) and the IOU from her brother. A headache started to beat near her temples. This couldn’t continue; the hotel wasn’t Teddy’s personal bank account. Her hand hovered over the telephone as she toyed with the idea of calling her grandfather and asking him to have a sharp word, since Teddy wasn’t listening to her. Then she sighed because what would be the point? Jonny was certain to take her brother’s side and bound to see any request for help as yet another example of why a woman couldn’t run a business. Ella would rather pull her newly applied acrylics off with her teeth than ask her grandfather for his assistance. She’d just have to think hard and find a way of dealing with her brother – preferably one that didn’t involve murder or incur the cost of a hitman.
The computer system was still down, so her emails and booking updates would have to wait. Instead, Ella busied herself with reading the latest magazine article about the hotel, feeling irritated to discover that most of the copy was devoted to Charlie. The main picture didn’t even feature the hotel, but was a shot of him clad in chef’s whites and posing on the quayside. Infuriating! The whole point of spending vast amounts of money on a celebrity sodding chef was that he was meant to bring publicity to the hotel. He wasn’t supposed to detract from it. She scanned the article and with every line felt more annoyed. Charlie had barely mentioned the place. The piece was in a national lifestyle glossy and Ella had spent weeks and a small fortune schmoozing the journalist who was putting it together. A champagne lunch in Truro paid for by her, a free night in the hotel and far too many brushes of his clammy paw on her leg later, and they’d had a deal – or so she’d thought.
In frustration she shoved the magazine away, howling in pain when she knocked hot coffee all over her desk and her trousers.
“For Christ’s sake!” Ella shrieked, leaping up in agony. Her trousers were ruined, her paperwork was sodden and now she probably had third-degree burns to boot. What a crappy start to the day.
She was still attempting to mop up the mess with Kleenex when there was a sharp rap on the office door. For heaven’s sake, what now? Tom knew better than to disturb her. Before she’d even had a moment to bark that whoever it was could go away, the door swung open and Jake Tremaine strode into the office.
Great. Just great. Of all the moments she might have picked for her ex to see her, this wasn’t one of them. Wearing coffee-stained cream trousers and hopping about in pain wasn’t exactly her best look. Ella had entertained many fantasies about her ex-boyfriend turning up unannounced and pleading for her to take him back, but in these daydreams she was usually dressed to kill and he was down on his luck. Right now he was anything but the heartbroken mess she’d so often pictured. Jake’s tall, broad-shouldered and muscular body was every bit as good as she remembered, and so were those sexy denim-blue eyes and that full beautiful mouth. In spite of all the ill feeling that had passed between them and the fact that he was blissfully loved up with Summer Penhalligan, Ella felt her heartbeat quicken.
He was still the most handsome man she’d ever seen.
She closed her eyes briefly, hel
d her breath for a few seconds and prayed that this was all a horrible dream.
Sadly, when she opened her eyes Jake was still in the office and his expression was grim. It didn’t look as though he’d come over to tell her he’d made a huge mistake and to beg her forgiveness. Not that she would want this anyway, of course, but hypothetically it would have been nice to have had the chance to turn him down and get her own back. Ella didn’t let many people get close to her heart, but Jake Tremaine had come dangerously near and she hated herself for being weak enough to have allowed this.
Ella forced herself to meet his angry gaze. God, what had set him off now? The Tremaines were such a touchy bunch. They were always flying off the handle about something. She could only hope her grandfather came to his senses before he married into the clan.
“Isn’t it usually polite to wait to be invited in?” Ella snapped while her body quivered, clearly deciding it still responded to Jake’s proximity.
“This isn’t a social call,” Jake said shortly.
“So you always charge into people’s offices uninvited?” She pointed to her stained trousers. “I could have been changing out of these. It might have been a little embarrassing, although I guess there’s nothing here you haven’t seen before.”
He had the good grace to look a little awkward. “Sorry. That was bad-mannered and I apologise.”
“Apology accepted. So, why did you need to see me so urgently?” A thought occurred to her and her stomach lurched. “Nothing’s happened to my grandfather, has it?”
Jake looked horrified. “God, no. Nothing like that. I never meant to worry you. Actually, I passed him when I was on my way to the marina and he looked as fit as a fiddle.”
This was a relief. Jonny was difficult at times and old-fashioned, and she’d lost count of the occasions when she’d wanted to throttle him, but he was the closest thing Ella had to a father since her own had pushed off. She loved him dearly. Lobbing the tissues into the bin, she returned to her desk. She felt much more in control there, once her coffee-drenched legs were tucked away out of view. The last time she’d been alone with Jake Tremaine she’d been stark naked and hurling insults at him, while he’d been hastily gathering his clothes.
Recipe for Love: A gorgeous Cornish romance (Polwenna Bay Book 5) Page 10
