Chapter 9
Emma woke early, anxious to prepare the house for Felix and his guest. She had decided that the Rose room would be the most suitable for his visitor. It was next to the bathroom on the landing, so it would be theirs to use. She couldn’t help but wonder if the guest was here on a private or business matter. Could this be a new girlfriend perhaps? But then why would she be asked to prepare a separate bedroom?
Emma knew, like the whole world did, of his contentious break-up with that supermodel. However, having got to know the man this past week, she found it hard to believe how the media had portrayed him; she certainly hadn’t ever seen any signs of the traits he’d been labelled with. Felix had never shown a violent temper, controlling behaviour or narcistic tendencies at all. From her point of view, Felix was a fairly laid-back, decent kind of guy. It was clear he worshipped his mother from the way he talked about her, which Emma found endearing. She also thought it was sweet the way he regarded his PA Jennifer. As for herself, he was also considerate, asking if her room was comfortable enough and if she had any concerns about anything to tell him. She couldn’t have asked for more from an employer. He also paid well, which was a bonus.
She had stocked the bathroom with fresh toiletries and clean towels and was putting flowers in the Rose room when it suddenly occurred to her – what if Felix’s guest was male? Would he appreciate flowers in his room? She’d automatically assumed the guest was female. Now why was that? Perhaps because he was single… and handsome to boot, she chuckled. Surely a man such as Felix Paschal wouldn’t be short of female company.
Emma had prepared tea and fruitcake for Felix’s arrival. She was now learning to master the aga and had baked the cake herself, surprising herself at how domesticated she was becoming. She seemed to have slipped into the role of housekeeper seamlessly. It was such a huge change from her old job at the bank in comparison and she shuddered at the thought of working there now. Although some may dismiss housework as an occupation, Emma was enchanted with the grand house. She loved its interior as much as the outside setting. And as for having a sexy, good looking, famous boss, well, it was tough work, but someone had to do it!
The main pull for Emma, though, was being on set for the drama about to be shot. It absolutely fascinated her to think of how the house was to be used as a location. Felix was right, it was the perfect backdrop. She imagined the place full of lights, camera, action and pictured herself milling amongst the actors, offering cocktails on a silver tray. Or maybe she was letting her imagination run away with her. They’d more than likely be too busy and pushed for time. Judging from the snippets of conversation she’d overheard, Felix was on a tight budget and timescale to wrap up the production.
Music-wise, things were quiet with the band, as was usual for the winter months setting in. There was just one gig scheduled in December, but they were expecting things to pick up in spring. The band mainly performed outside, festivals being their most popular gigs, so tended to be booked in warmer weather. Emma missed playing and singing with her band. Often she’d look at the grand piano in the hall and was so tempted to play it. The acoustics were brilliant, reverberating round the high ceiling.
It was now early afternoon so Felix shouldn’t be too long, assuming he’d caught the morning train. Having set the tea tray ready, she made her way into the hall. There it was, that magnificent grand piano, just calling out to her. Oh, go for it, she thought, and quickly sat down on the stool and opened the piano lid. What to play? Ah, what Felix had requested on the house open day? He’d asked for Champagne Problems by Taylor Swift. It was a gentle, placid piece with lovely piano music. She started the first few bars, then sang the opening lines, closing her eyes, totally immersed in the song. So much so that she didn’t hear Felix and his guest enter the hall. They stood there in silence, listening to her. Only when Emma opened her eyes did she notice her audience. She stopped suddenly in alarm and began to standup.
‘Sorry… I was…’
‘That was brilliant!’ gushed the young woman standing next to Felix.
‘It was,’ he agreed with a grin.
Emma blushed. ‘I’ve prepared some tea…’
‘No rush,’ said Felix. ‘Emma meet Polly, Polly meet Emma.’
‘Hi there.’ Polly beamed invitingly.
‘Hello,’ smiled Emma. Now, giving her full attention, she realised this was Polly Andrews; she’d read about the actress in a magazine after she’d made her name playing Eliza Doolittle on the stage. Blinking in astonishment, then quickly remembering her place, she uttered, ‘I’ll go and fetch the tea.’
‘Great, thanks, Emma. We’ll be in the drawing room,’ Felix replied.
Emma noticed Polly’s suitcase.
‘Shall I take your case upstairs?’ she asked.
‘No need, I’ll do that,’ Felix answered before Polly could reply. He gave her a quick grin, then showed his guest through the hall into the drawing room.
Emma scurried down into the kitchen, all the time her mind whirling. Polly Andrews! Who would have thought this time last year she would be in such company with two famous actors. She cringed at them catching her playing the piano, hoping Felix didn’t think she was taking liberties. He didn’t appear to though; if anything, he looked like he was enjoying it.
Emma suspected that Polly was going to be Lady Scarlett, the leading lady in the drama, and when she served them tea in the drawing room, her suspicions were proved right. Felix asked Emma to sit down and join them.
‘Polly is here to familiarise herself with the house,’ he explained. ‘Playing the leading role, we thought it’d be a good idea for her to feel comfortable about the place, before filming starts.’
Polly nodded and smiled in Emma’s direction.
‘When will the filming begin?’ asked Emma.
‘Next week,’ replied Felix.
‘Right.’ Emma tried to sound in control, even though her mind was going into overdrive. She wanted clear instructions as to what would be expected of her, but didn’t like asking in front of Polly.
‘Don’t worry, we’ll have a chat beforehand,’ assured Felix, seeing the expression on her face. News of the imminent filming had clearly affected her. ‘In fact, I was going to suggest we all eat together this evening?’
‘Sounds great,’ agreed Polly with another smile.
‘Err… yes,’ replied Emma, taken aback. Her? Dining with two famous actors?
‘Nothing formal though, just a simple kitchen supper,’ said Felix.
‘Oh,’ Emma was even more surprised, picturing the three of them sat round the kitchen table. Better that than them spaced out over a long dining table having to whizz down the salt.
‘OK?’ asked Felix with an amused raised eyebrow.
‘Yes, fine, kitchen supper it is,’ replied Emma, wondering how much more surreal her life was going to get.
Robin and Jack had secured the deal with the help of the bank and
bought the warehouse on the quayside in Lancaster. Whilst Robin still
had slight reservations it was hard not to be filled with Jack’s
enthusiasm – it was infectious.
‘You won’t regret this mate, I promise,’ he’d cheered when standing in front of the building.
They had arrived on site to put temporary metal panelling around the warehouse in preparation of the building works ahead. They had envisaged this renovation would take them the best part of two years to complete, so it was going to be a labour of love, but well worth it.
When Robin had outlined the venture to Jasmine, she too had seen its potential.
‘Go for it, Robin,’ she’d said. ‘Opportunities like this don’t come up very often, especially in such a great location.’
But then Jasmine would say that, thought Robin, as she herself had done exactly the same, albeit on a smaller scale. The very big difference was that she had bought her derelict cottage sitting on the edge of the bay solo and overseen its renovation.
‘I just knew, in my gut, it was for me,’ she’d explained to Robin. Then asked, ‘Don’t you feel the same way about this warehouse?’
‘Yes…’ replied Robin, ‘but we’ve never borrowed as much from the bank before. That’s what’s bothering me.’
‘But you’ll sell the apartments no problem,’ disputed Jasmine. ‘In fact, I bet they are all reserved before completion, being in such a sought-after location.’
Robin laughed; she was beginning to sound like Jack. When telling her so, she gave a snort.
‘Never thought I’d hear those words,’ she replied, arching an eyebrow.
Robin was extremely fortunate to have both a good friend and business partner in Jack and a loving girlfriend in Jasmine. However, balancing both relationships could be tricky at times. Whilst he’d committed now to the warehouse renovation, he was very conscious of not neglecting his time with Jasmine.
The London trip he had planned for her thirtieth was booked, all he had to do was run it past her. After a busy day at the warehouse in Lancaster, he intended to spend the evening with Jasmine and had collected a take-away on the way home. Entering her kitchen with a cheery hello, he swooped a quick kiss on her cheek while she took the carrier bag off him.
‘You get yourself showered and I’ll dish this out,’ she told him as she began popping the containers into the warming oven.
Sitting down to relax later, with a glass of wine and having eaten too much, Robin put an arm over her shoulders on the settee.
‘Not long before the big Three-O now,’ he teased, nuzzling into her neck.
‘I know,’ she said, leaning into him. She was looking forward to their mini break and having Robin all to herself for a few days.
‘So, this is what I’ve got planned for us so far.’ He reached for the laptop on the coffee table and opened up the website for the hotel he’d booked.
‘Oh, Robin, it looks fabulous,’ Jasmine cried, taking in the Old Coach House Hotel and its leafy surroundings.
‘Then I thought we’d go on the London Eye, the evening of your birthday. A pod all to ourselves, with a bottle of champagne, of course,’ he told her.
‘What a brilliant idea!’ she exclaimed. ‘We’ll be able to see the fireworks all over the London sky.’
‘That’s what I was thinking,’ Robin replied with a grin, loving her reaction. ‘I would have liked to arrange ‘Jasmine’s thirtieth!’ lit up in lights, if I could,’ he joked with a playful nudge.
‘Ah, lovely thought, but not even you could wrangle that,’ she laughed, then leaned forward and kissed him full on the mouth. Robin responded instantly and it wasn’t long before the kiss progressed. ‘Let’s go to bed,’ whispered Jasmine. Robin didn’t need any further encouragement. Standing, he reached down and pulled her up into his arms.
‘Let’s,’ he replied huskily.
Perry had had a busy day too. He’d gone for a tranquil boat ride down
the canal and, standing on deck, navigating at the wheel and listening
to the gentle chug of the engine, had given him time to reflect. Emma
had rung him earlier in the morning and it had bucked him up no end.
Just listening to her cheery voice lifted his spirits. They’d even
arranged to meet on her day off which was imminent. This had settled
Perry, knowing that he’d soon be seeing her.
As he drifted along the water, he took in all the wildlife and nature surrounding him. Kingfishers ducked down in pursuit of food, dragonflies wavered in the rushes, while frogs jumped from one spot to the other. He’d loved this transient way of life, forever on the move from one place to the next. Meeting Valerie, his late wife, had ended it though, shifting his boating from being a lifestyle to more of a hobby. He had no regrets – moving into her stone cottage and being nestled into a ready-made little family was the best thing to have happened to him. Change. It was all part of life’s rich tapestry.
His thoughts led him back to Emma. Her life had also changed and she seemed to be enjoying it, to his relief. After hearing her voice full of excitement and vibrancy at what was going on over in Samphire Bay, any trepidations had been quashed. There could be no denying how much Emma was enjoying herself. It was evident just from the tone of her voice. By all accounts Felix was a decent man, despite his reputation in the papers. And as for the TV crew which was about to descend on them, well, she hadn’t been able to contain herself. Perry chuckled when Emma had regaled him with how she’d been caught playing the piano in the hall.
Something told him that Emma had made quite an impression on her employer. His daughter’s zeal and natural good nature was a joy to be around. Emma lit up the room wherever she was. She had a presence about her which people gravitated towards, hence her ability to draw in the crowds at the band’s gigs. Even though he was Emma’s dad and therefore prejudiced, he couldn’t help but think Felix would be attracted to his daughter. To him, it was inevitable. And, if the inevitable did happen, then what? He knew Emma was a grown woman, with her own choices to make, but his fatherly, instinctive protectiveness reared its head. He also knew how impressed and in awe Emma would be at meeting a production team and cast of famous actors. That said, was she out of her depth? No, he concluded, she wasn’t. Emma had enough self-assurance and confidence to hold her own. And rightly so, in his opinion. He’d seen her on stage enough times to know his daughter would take everything in her stride. Emma was no push-over, no matter which company she kept. He chuckled again; just watch this space, he told himself.