5. 2
“I’ve tried everything we offer to the guests,” Lorna said. “I ordered the cupcakes for my birthday along with a massive bunch of flowers.”
Sofia raised her eyebrows. “You ordered your own cake and flowers?”
“Yes, because I knew that if I waited for Duncan to do it, then it wouldn’t happen. Romantic gestures aren’t really his thing.”
Duncan was Lorna’s long-term boyfriend, although she’d recently confided to Milly that she wasn’t sure if he was the one or not. How do you know if you want to marry someone or not? It seems a big step.
Milly, who had been questioning everything about her relationship since Richard had cheated on her and then walked out, had no advice to impart. In the end she’d suggested Lorna follow her heart, and she’d tried not to think about the fact that she’d done exactly that and look where it had got her.
Conscious that she’d left Nicole on her own for far too long, Milly tried to move the meeting along. “I’m replenishing the reading nook this week, and remember that Leo and Tilly can also do packed lunches, so if any of the guests are planning a long hike and need that, they can order with him the night before and pick it up after seven. And if they need any equipment, they can talk to Geoff. Okay. We’re done. Onward, team.”
Everyone stood up, and Milly reached out a hand to Lorna. “Can I have a minute, Lorna?”
She waited for the others to leave the room and then sat down again.
“Problems?”
“It’s nothing. I can handle it. You’ve got enough going on, Milly.”
That was true, but she’d have even more to handle if she lost Lorna to one of the local hotels, which was always her nightmare scenario. Good staff were in high demand.
“What are you handling? Or should I ask who ?”
Lorna looked at her for a moment, torn. “Brendan Scott,” she said finally. “I knocked on his door this morning to check when would be convenient to change bedding and towels and clean the place and there was no answer, so I assumed he wasn’t in, and I opened the door.”
Milly sensed that whatever was coming wasn’t going to be good. “And?”
“Turned out he was in, but he hadn’t heard me knock. He said he was writing and he never wants to be disturbed when he’s writing. His exact words were ‘I checked in to this place precisely so that I wouldn’t be disturbed, so why are you disturbing me?’ He looked furious. Like he was going to commit one of those murders he writes about.” Lorna shuddered. “I’m sorry, Milly. I know he’s famous and important and he pays a lot of money to book that cabin for the whole summer. I hope he doesn’t complain.”
Milly wondered why people couldn’t just be kind and polite to each other. It would make life so much easier. She’d never been rude to anyone in her life, not even the horrible woman at the doctor’s who had told her that she should be grateful to be given an appointment at all, even though it was in a month’s time and Zoe’s leg was clearly infected. She always tried to be civil, not because she was some sort of saint but because having worked in a service industry all her life, she knew how hard it was and how people were usually doing their best, and yelling at them just made it even less likely that they’d help you.
But yell people did, and she knew what it was like to be on the receiving end.
“You have nothing to be sorry for. If there any apologies owing around here, it sounds as if they should be coming from him.” But she had no expectations of that happening. Brendan Scott was a repeat guest, and a long-stay guest at that, which was valuable to them. She couldn’t afford to lose his business, so it was a delicate situation. “When does he want us to clean the cabin?”
“I don’t know. He flustered me so much I just wanted to get out of there.” Lorna gathered up the empty mugs from the table. “I’ll go back later and ask, but I need to make sure my last will and testament is up to date first, because I swear he looked as if he was going to kill me. He’s a moody monster.”
That decided it. “Don’t go back. I’ll handle it.”
“You? But you can’t—”
“Yes, I can. This isn’t the first time he has stayed here. I’ve dealt with him before.” And she remembered that the last time he’d stayed with them, a few years before, Richard had asked him to sign a book and had stammered with gratitude when Brendan Scott had signed with a flourish and handed him a copy of his next book as a gift.
Richard had been starstruck. He’s a superstar, Milly .
Milly already had one superstar staying at Forest Nest. She didn’t have the energy for another one, and she didn’t think success should excuse you from displaying good manners.
“I’ll take charge of the housekeeping for that cabin for the rest of his stay. Strike it from your list.”
“Are you sure?” Lorna breathed out. “I feel as if I should argue with you, but honestly it would be a relief.”
“I’m sure.” Not that she was looking forward to the conversation, but she valued Lorna too much to delegate it. “Anything else on your mind?”
“No. That’s it.”
“Great. You’re doing a fantastic job, Lorna.” Please don’t leave.
Lorna left the room with her head held high, and Milly followed her out of the building.
The sun warmed her face, peeping through the trees that shaded the reception building and the offices, and for a moment she pushed the problem of Brendan Scott and his black moods to the back of her mind. She’d work out the best way to deal with him later.
Instead of getting back into her car, she took a shortcut through the trees to the coffee shop where guests often gathered first thing in the morning.
It occupied a prime position overlooking the lake, and already a couple with their two children were sitting outside on the deck sipping cappuccinos and milkshakes in the sunshine.
She knew it was their first time here. They were staying in Cherry Lodge and would be checking out in the morning. Which made this their last day. Her mother had always insisted that guests were treated like friends, and Milly had continued that tradition. She was responsible for her mother’s legacy, and she took that responsibility seriously. “Everything okay here? How has your week been?”
“Perfect, thanks, Milly. Bliss in fact. We’ve already booked for next year. And now we’re killing time until horse riding at eleven.” The man smiled at his daughter. “Highlight of the week.”
“Horse riding?” She took a minute with them, chatting to the children and mentally filing away information that the team could use to enhance their next visit.
Then she walked into the café to talk to Leo.
“Hey, Milly.” He was adding marshmallows to the most indulgent hot chocolate she’d ever seen. “Can I get you something?”
Would Nicole be hungry? What did she eat? Probably not carbs.
“Nothing, thanks, Leo. Just wanted to say hi and check everything was okay.” She scanned the blackboard. “Today’s specials look good.”
“The roasted veg and mozzarella ciabatta is Tilly’s creation, and it’s a winner. Come back later and sample it, if you like.” He put the hot chocolate on a tray along with a cappuccino.
“I might do that.” It would be nice to bring Nicole here and sit on the deck so she could enjoy the view, but she knew she couldn’t risk that. It would be safer, much safer, to make her food at home. “Any problems?”
“Apart from me trying to resist Tilly’s double chocolate cookie? No, all good.”
Satisfied that everything seemed to be running smoothly, she took the path that led from the café to the lake and then followed it around the water and past the sign that said Private—nesting birds.
Nesting birds and fugitive actors, she thought as she carried on walking.
She was proud of this place, and the part she played in keeping it running. Her grandparents had built it, her mother had expanded the business, and Milly had added all the extra luxury touches from the waterside café that buzzed with activity all day to the tubs that overflowed with colorful blooms on every terrace and deck. She’d planted pots of fresh herbs for each cabin and added locally sourced food to the welcome baskets. She’d built a sauna and a games room, which had proved a hit in wet weather.
The boathouse was tucked into an inlet in the lake, hidden behind the trees, visible only at the last minute.
There was no sign of Nicole, but she could hear the shower running, so she headed for the kitchen and selected four of the eggs her mother had given her when she’d dropped Zoe off the day before.
She cracked them one by one into a large bowl and whisked them with a fork until the mixture lost its streaks and turned golden.
Then she took a pair of scissors and snipped a thick bunch of chives from one of the herb pots she kept on her windowsill. She chopped them finely, sprinkled them over the mixture and then turned on the heat under the pan.
She waited until it was exactly the right temperature and then poured in the eggs, letting them cook for a moment before coaxing the sides inward, tilting the pan so that it cooked evenly. When it was starting to set she crumbled on some soft goat cheese, added a few young spinach leaves and then folded it in half, allowing the heat to slowly melt the cheese and wilt the spinach.
“Hi.” Nicole wandered into the kitchen, her hair still damp from the shower. She was wearing a pair of cutoff shorts and a T-shirt, and her face glowed pink from the heat of the shower.
She poured herself a glass of water and drank the whole thing.
Milly watched her for a moment, wondering what it must be like to be that beautiful.
If she looked like Nicole, maybe Richard wouldn’t have left.
She turned the heat off under the pan. She had to stop thinking like that. It wasn’t helpful or healthy.
“I made breakfast. Sorry it’s so late. I had a meeting. We’ll eat this out on the deck. There’s no one around.” Milly divided the omelet and slid each half onto a fresh plate. Then she sprinkled the top with finely chopped parsley and handed one of the plates to Nicole, who lifted it to her nose and sighed.
“It smells incredible, but I don’t normally eat breakfast.”
Tiger appeared in the kitchen, alerted by the smell of cooking.
“You had a long journey, and you didn’t eat last night. I don’t want to have to take you to the emergency department because you’ve fainted. The eggs are fresh and organic, so is the cheese, which comes from the goats down the road. And don’t tell me you’re not hungry because that isn’t possible.”
“I’m hungry, but I’m always hungry. It’s part of the job.” But Nicole lifted the plate again and breathed deeply. “Okay. Let’s do this. I don’t suppose one plate of eggs is going to do much harm. And my acting days may be over anyway.” She said it lightly, an almost throwaway comment, but Milly knew Nicole. Whatever gulf there might be between them, she knew her. And she knew the comment wasn’t made lightly.
“That’s the way you feel?” Milly handed her a fork. “You love acting.”
“Maybe. But I don’t love all the things that go with it. And things are complicated at the moment.” She paused, and Milly had the feeling that she was going to confess something momentous, but then she shook her head. “I’ll figure it out.”
Figure what out?
In the old days they’d had no secrets from each other, but that was then and this was now.
And how complicated could Nicole’s life be, really?
Milly had a job to do, a child to care for, a life to live, and she had an A-list movie star hiding away in her home. It didn’t get much more complicated than that.
Was Nicole afraid to do another movie because of the adverse publicity? No, surely not. She was used to that.
She wanted to ask what this was all about really, what Nicole was doing here, but she was conscious of all the jobs stacking up waiting for her attention. She didn’t have time for a long conversation. Later, she thought. It would have to wait until later.
“What are you going to do all day? I’m worried you’ll be bored.”
“I never have time to myself. This is going to be a treat.”
They settled themselves at the table by the water and Nicole sampled a mouthful of her food.
“Oh—” she said and closed her eyes, lost in a dream state as she chewed “—this might be the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”
“It’s just eggs and cheese.”
Nicole shook her head and opened her eyes. “No, it’s—” She sliced another piece with the edge of her fork. “I don’t know what you’ve done here, but you should open a restaurant.”
“When? In my spare time? Also, I’d just comfort-eat more than I do already, which wouldn’t be good.” But she was warmed by the compliment. And the biggest compliment was that Nicole had devoured every mouthful and was looking sadly at her empty plate as if she could have eaten exactly the same again had it been on offer.
“What did you do to that food? I feel a thousand times better. It’s like magic.”
“Good.” Milly put her fork down. “I told Zoe about you. I couldn’t see a way to avoid that.”
“It’s fine. I understand.”
“She won’t say anything.” She hoped to goodness that was true and that Zoe wasn’t currently huddled by the lockers with her friends telling them her new and shiny secret.
“You should tell Connie too. And Nanna Peg.” Nicole put her fork down. “Unless they’re shocked by my latest scandal, of course.” She sounded flippant, as if she didn’t care, but Milly knew she cared a lot. Nicole was desperate for approval. Desperate for a place in the sun.
“Nothing shocks them. And they love you, you know that.”
“Do they? Even though I’ve been a useless friend lately?”
Was she expecting Milly to deny it? Because that wasn’t happening.
“I haven’t told them about that. They don’t know we haven’t been in touch.” They would have been upset for her. Angry with Nicole. And Milly didn’t want that. She’d kept hoping it would come right, and by the time she’d realized that wasn’t going to happen, there didn’t seem any point in telling them. “Are you sure you’re comfortable with me telling them you’re here? It would make things easier.”
“Yes. Having me here is an imposition. I don’t want to make this harder for you.” Nicole sounded almost humble, and Milly stood up and cleared the plates.
“I have to get to work.”
“Now? I thought we could talk. Like we used to.”
Like we used to.
There was a wistful, apologetic note in Nicole’s voice, and for a moment Milly felt a yearning so strong that she almost flung her arms around her friend just for the comfort.
She was tempted to blurt out how frustrated she was with Richard, how tough life was and how much she was struggling. That’s what she would have done in the past, and somehow just sharing it with Nicole would have made it all the more bearable. The old Nicole would have hugged her tightly, shared her disgust at Richard’s behavior and then somehow managed to say something that made her laugh, despite everything that was happening. She’d often thought that a really true friend beat comfort-eating, drugs or alcohol every time. But that was then and this was now.
Nicole hadn’t been there for Milly at her lowest point. She hadn’t cared enough, and Milly couldn’t get past the hurt she felt about that. Her pride and her sense of self-preservation wouldn’t let her get past it. The trust between them had been damaged. If Nicole didn’t need her, then she’d make sure she didn’t need Nicole. She’d offer sanctuary and whatever practical help was needed because she liked to think she was the sort of person who would help anyone who was desperate, but that was all she was offering.
And she needed to accept that in life people disappointed you and let you down. That was a fact. But she’d be fine. She’d been forced to manage without Nicole in the wings cheering her on, and she’d survived, hadn’t she?
Maybe it hadn’t been fun, but she’d survived. And she was proud of that.
“There will be plenty of time to talk later. I need to get to work. We’re fully booked and short-staffed. I need to talk to Joel about maintenance, and then I’m rolling up my sleeves and cleaning a few cabins.” Not a few. Just the one currently inhabited by Brendan Scott, but Nicole didn’t need the detail. “You should probably stay here, out of sight. Is there anything you need before I go?”
“A new identity? A do-over of my whole life?” Nicole gave a tired smile. “Just kidding. No, there’s nothing I need. And I’ll be fine. I’ll have a quiet day. Thank you.”
Milly thought of Nicole having an entire day to herself and felt a twinge of envy. She would have given a lot for a quiet day.