Pepper River Boat Hut (Pepper Bay #15)

9

Zach

The New Year’s Eve party at the hotel was going well. Champagne was flowing, the music pumping, and the guests happy. Just how Zach liked things.

He moved to a corner of the foyer, observing his team one last time. A lump formed in his throat as his heart ached for what he was about to leave behind.

For so long Zach had climbed the hotel ladder, only focusing on the money he could make to take back home. The Boat Hut had always been his goal, but life in London had distracted him a touch. He had easily got used to the energy, and as the promotions started rolling in, he quickly adjusted to his new way of living. It was quite possible he could have lost himself to the bright lights if it weren’t for Cody.

Zach pulled out his phone and called his little brother, wanting to speak before the clock struck twelve.

‘Happy New Year,’ yelled Cody, sounding tipsy.

‘Almost,’ said Zach, laughing. ‘Have you been on the bubbles?’

‘Just a sip.’

‘Pace yourself. You’re not a drinker. You’ll feel ill in the morning.’ Zach laughed to himself. He really had to stop parenting Cody. ‘You packed yet?’

‘Yes. All set. We have travelled before.’

‘I know, but this is your honeymoon.’

Cody chuckled. ‘Official one, according to Willow. A little time in the sun. Hope it doesn’t snow for you.’

Zach laughed. ‘Yeah, I bet you don’t.’ He heard a lot of noise in the background as the music Cody’s end was turned up.

‘I won’t see you till I get back.’

‘That’s okay. It’s not long. Gives me time to settle in before sorting the boats.’

‘I can’t wait for the Boat Hut to open again, Zach.’

‘Me too.’ Zach warmed at the memory of his grandfather sitting in his ticket hut along Pepper River.

Some more cheers filled the phone, and Cody said something Zach couldn’t hear.

‘Cody, you go, and I’ll text you tomorrow once I’m home.’

‘Love you, Zach,’ Cody yelled.

‘Love you too.’

Adrian approached as Zach put his phone away. He plopped a golden paper crown on Zach’s head and grinned. ‘Half hour to go, then you’re a free man.’

‘I’ll be self-employed. Not exactly freedom.’

Adrian nudged his elbow. ‘It won’t be the same without you.’ He stretched his arms up, then sighed loudly. ‘Ah, well. At least I know where to go on holiday from now on.’

Zach chuckled. ‘Like you ever take time off.’

‘Hey, I’m a man in demand.’

Zach patted his arm as he went to walk away, but Adrian pulled him back.

‘The night manager has got things covered. You have a drink. See the new year in with some fizz.’

‘No, thanks. I want a clear head.’

‘You’re the only person I know with a clear head.’

Zach went over to the main desk to snaffle a chocolate from the display. If only his head was as clear as it normally was. From the moment he met Olive Farringdon, she’d taken up space in his mind. He still couldn’t believe he’d offered to take her to Pepper Bay with him. But what could he do when she looked so lost and alone. It was just a helping hand, no more.

He glanced at the large chandeliers, wondering if Olive had decided about island life yet. She had little to say at lunch.

‘Don’t do it,’ said Adrian, peering over his shoulder.

For a moment, Zach thought he meant don’t eat another chocolate.

‘She’s not your responsibility,’ added Adrian, giving him a knowing look.

‘I just know a place, that’s all. It’s not a big deal, and I won’t be involved or anything.’

‘You’re already way too involved.’ Adrian sighed, grabbing a chocolate. ‘You pay for her meals.’ He shook his head. ‘You’ve done enough. Leave it now.’

‘It’s fine, Adrian. It really isn’t much.’

‘You’ve had your whole life planned since your mum passed away. Don’t let people like Lady Muck in the door. She’ll only ruin things.’

Zach pulled back his head and frowned. ‘It’s not like I’m moving in with her. She’ll be doing her own thing somewhere else. Anyway, she hasn’t decided if she wants to come yet.’

Adrian scoffed. ‘See what I mean. Anyone else in her situation would have bitten your arm off. But, oh no, not her. She’s having to think it over.’

‘Just because she’s homeless, doesn’t mean she shouldn’t get a choice.’

Adrian scrunched his nose. ‘Look, don’t get me wrong, I feel sorry for her, I really do. I know it’s not her fault what her old man did to all those people, but she’s still from a different world to us, and I just don’t think you should involve yourself.’

‘She’s not living in that world now.’

‘No, but she’s sure as hell used to it, and if she gets one whiff of your bank balance, you might lose the lot.’

Zach breathed out a laugh. ‘I’m not exactly rich.’

‘Right now, to her, yes, you are.’

‘Adrian you really need to stop worrying about this. I found a solution to her problem, and that’s it.’

‘Her solution was to go to the benefits office.’

Zach checked his watch. ‘Come on. It’s almost time. Get yourself in the hall.’ He practically shoved Adrian towards the party, then slipped away to the lift to take a moment.

What am I doing? Am I a mug? A helper? What’s wrong with being kind all of a sudden? I’m just doing someone a favour. That’s all this is .

He stared in the direction of the foyer, then pressed the button on the lift. If Olive was still awake, she might like to see in the new year with someone. It wasn’t any skin off his nose. After all, he couldn’t celebrate with Cody, so it didn’t matter to him where he was when Big Ben chimed.

It was quiet outside the Penthouse Suite, not that he was expecting Olive to have music blaring. She was still recovering from flu and a chest infection. If she did agree to travel with him tomorrow, he knew it wouldn’t be an easy journey for her whilst feeling weak.

He knocked on the door, surprised she opened it so quickly.

‘You made me jump,’ she said with a slight smile. ‘I was just picking something up by the door.’ She waggled a shoe.

‘Are you packing already?’

‘Just getting sorted so I don’t have to rush in the morning. I’m still a bit slow on my feet at the moment, and I want to have a shower and take my time tomorrow.’

‘I can promise you no one will push you out the door if you do go a little over your check-out time.’

Fireworks exploded in the sky, creating loud bangs and an assortment of colours to cheer up the darkness.

Zach and Olive made their way over to the balcony to watch the display.

‘I didn’t realise the time,’ she said quietly.

‘Happy New Year, Olive,’ he said softly, keeping his eyes fixed on the sky.

‘I can’t see any of my years ever being happy again.’

He watched her go back to her opened suitcase on the bed, then turned back to the pretty sparkles cascading down. It was understandable her outlook would be bleak, so he didn’t respond to the negativity. ‘Would you like me to have a glass of champagne brought up?’

‘No.’

He turned to see her flop at the end of the bed. ‘You tired?’

She nodded. ‘A bit.’

‘How about a cup of tea?’

‘Yes. I can manage that.’

Zach went over to the kettle. ‘Have you made any decisions yet?’

‘I thought I might try the B&B.’

He bit back his grin. ‘Good choice.’

Olive scoffed. ‘Hardly a choice.’

He glanced over his shoulder. ‘You do have a choice. You don’t have to come with me.’

Her head dipped. ‘I don’t have anywhere else to go.’ Her voice was so quiet, he just about heard her.

‘I think you’ll feel a lot better once you check out Pepper Bay for yourself.’

‘Pepper Bay. Is that where I’ll be staying?’

‘Yes. It’s very quaint, and the people are friendly.’ He did wonder if she would like quaint. He couldn’t see her eating a chocolate muffin in Edith’s Tearoom or enjoying a stroll around the grounds at Castle on the Mead.

‘Do you think they will know about me?’

‘Your dad was on the news ages ago. That’s fish and chip paper now.’

‘Thanks!’ she huffed.

‘Sorry. I didn’t mean for that to sound so cold. I just meant people forget these things.’

‘Nobody I know has forgotten, especially the families of those affected. Some went to prison quite quickly, but my father had the best lawyers, and they kept him out of court for a long time. Whatever deals he was into in his large tree of business, he made sure the smaller apples hit the ground first.’ She sighed as he handed over a cup of tea. ‘It was horrible knowing those people went to prison because of him.’

Zach sat on a nearby chair. ‘Yeah, I can imagine.’

‘I couldn’t go out for a while, as it was too dangerous. People were angry, and our house got egged and stoned one night. The police were called and our security doubled.’

‘How long was he committing crimes?’

‘Oh, a couple of years, I’d say. Maybe longer than that. My father was a clever man. Even when everything started to unravel, he was the last one standing. He looked to be innocent for so long.’ She scoffed. ‘He thought he’d actually got away with it at one point, as he had so many loopholes.’

‘I’m surprised everyone didn’t get arrested at the same time.’

Olive shook her head. ‘There was a lot to investigate, and the smaller companies had easy access. There were a lot of scapegoats, and I know some of the accused swore they were innocent. Not that it mattered. They’re in prison now, serving long sentences, as the judges in the cases wanted to make an example of them all, and my father never once tried to help anyone other than himself.’

‘But they got him in the end.’

She nodded. ‘They did, but he decided prison wasn’t for him, so he swallowed a load of pills with a bottle of whisky. Not that everyone believed that story.’

‘There was another story?’

‘Some say someone broke into our home and forced the alcohol and drugs down his throat.’ She sipped her tea, not making eye contact. ‘I found his body the next morning.’

Zach’s heart went out to her. ‘I’m so sorry. I don’t know what else to say.’

‘There’s not a lot to say. I didn’t think it could get worse after that, but how wrong was I?’

‘Why weren’t you allowed to keep anything?’

‘Because it was all in my father’s name, and he was up to his eyeballs in debt before he died. No one knew until the investigation for fraud started. The rumours hit first, then the full truth came out after his death. He had conned so many, stole from friends, destroyed companies, all sorts. His name was spread far and wide. It was one of the biggest scandals in the business world, and the name Farringdon became mud.’

‘Didn’t anyone try to help you?’

Olive lowered her cup and met his eyes. ‘To start with, but it didn’t last long. My father’s assets were frozen at first, so I went to live with Emilio, my ex. But once the truth came out, his parents wanted me out of his life. He passed me on to one of our friends, but when her father found out I was staying at her apartment, I had to leave. Emilio took me to his home, then came up with this idea.’ She waggled a hand at the room.

‘That’s a lot to go through.’

‘Yes. I’m actually glad last year is over, as it was the worst for me. The year before that was worse for others in my father’s circle, as some of them got arrested back then. He told me it was nothing to do with him, and I believed him.’

‘I can imagine it was hell for everyone involved.’ Zach couldn’t help but think of the people sent to prison. Maybe some of them were just victims.

Some late fireworks went off, lighting the sky.

Olive got up and placed her tea by the bed, then tried to shift her half-full case to the floor.

‘Here, let me.’ Zach lowered his tea to the floor, then put the luggage at the foot of the bed as she climbed under the covers.

‘My world used to be filled with nice stories,’ she said quietly. ‘Now all I have is a nightmare.’

‘My grandad used to say that life is made up of chapters.’ He picked his tea back up and sat down. ‘You can choose to look at it that way. You’ve turned the page now, and you’re about to start the next chapter of your life, and who knows where it will lead?’

‘Isle of Wight, apparently.’

Zach chuckled. ‘Sounds like a good chapter to me.’

Olive yawned as she closed her eyes. ‘We’ll see.’

Zach stared at the sky. He was excited to go home. It had been a long time coming.