Coming Home to the Sunflower Cliffs

Chapter 1

‘It’s true, chocolate can kill you.’

Daisy shook her head as she stood outside, trying not to take any notice of Fi’s chatter. She waved goodbye to two of their guests as the taxi drove them away, cheered as she always was by the pristine white building that her boss had referred to as looking like a block of ice cream. To her it looked like a softly curved ship standing proudly at the top of the driveway. It spoke to her of history and Jersey between the wars and happy days filled with sunshine like the old 1930s posters she’d seen hanging up in the back office.

She smiled, taking in the elegant white building with its marine blue thick stripe painted across the entire length of the frontage just above the second-floor windows and its narrower triple stripes at either end. She loved this place with its history and what it meant to so many people in the island and those that visited.

‘I promise you, I’m right. Daisy, are you listening to me?’

She held back a groan and walked back inside, returning to sit at her desk. Daisy glanced at the large, geometric clock behind her at the minimalist reception in the hotel. She was determined to finish reconciling the hotel bookings before the end of her shift. Her boss needed to know where the hotel stood so alternative plans could be made. The unexpected fire in the orangery had come at the worst possible time, losing the owners money at the height of the season when they’d had to pass several parties out to other establishments.

‘You don’t believe me, do you?’ Fi added.

Daisy frowned. ‘Sorry?’ She tried not to ask her young, bubbly colleague what she was going on about and focused on the screen in front of her. Her resolve lasted all of ninety seconds. ‘Oh, go on then, tell me.’

Fi giggled. ‘I knew you couldn’t resist any mention of chocolate.’

Daisy laughed. ‘You can talk. At least I only eat one bar at a time; you buy a family pack and wolf the lot down,’ she said, looking in amazement at girl who must be at least five feet ten in height but remained skinny. She’d heard from other members of staff that Fi’s brother, Sebastian Fielding, was a hugely successful local businessman, who was also very tall, so height obviously ran in their family.

‘So?’

Daisy turned her gaze on her assistant. ‘It must be in your genes, because you should be stones heavier than you are, with what you consume in a day.’

Fi opened her mouth to speak, when a whirlwind in the form of Mrs Grey, the eighty-something co-owner of the hotel, pushed back the double black lacquered front doors and raced in. Daisy had grown very fond of Lydia since she’d begun working at the Encore. Although the huge white ship-like hotel was mostly run by Lydia’s daughter, Francesca, and son-in-law, Rick, both of them spent several months a year working away and Lydia always stepped in to oversee things in their absence. Despite her age, Mrs Grey had more energy than most people Daisy knew, and the older lady never ceased to amaze her.

‘Has he arrived yet?’

Daisy and Fi exchanged confused glances.

‘Who, Mrs Grey?’ Daisy asked, hoping she hadn’t missed a booking. She was usually vigilant about these things. She studied her computer screen, trying not to panic.

Lydia Grey rested her fine bejewelled fingers on top of the reception desk. ‘My grandson Gabriel, dear,’ she said. ‘He was supposed to be arriving in Jersey just after lunchtime, but he hasn’t been to the house yet.’

‘Gabriel? Coming home?’ Fi smiled so widely that Daisy could see every tooth in her mouth. ‘He hasn’t been home for ages.’

Hearing the unusual name Daisy had to focus on not conjuring up the image of a man with the same name she’d met and fallen in love with in Vietnam when she’d been travelling two years before. She knew he was from Jersey, but his work kept him well away from the island. It was why she’d felt comfortable coming to work at this beautiful place two months before.

Lydia sighed. ‘Ten months, just over,’ she said, twisting her gold watch around her slim wrist to check the time. ‘We’ve spoken on the laptop he bought me a few times and he sends me postcards and the occasional letter, but now the hotel’s had this fire trouble, and his parents have to go away on tour, Francesca has asked him to come home for a few months and help out.’

Daisy tried to picture her flamboyant actress boss, Francesca Fiore, as the mother of the Gabriel she knew. No, they didn’t look alike at all. She thought of Francesca’s equally extrovert American husband, Rick Malone, but his bright blue eyes were nothing like those of the man she’d loved in Vietnam. Anyway, she consoled herself, her Gabe’s last name was Wilson.

‘Where has he been, Mrs Grey?’ Daisy asked, relieved that the two couldn’t be connected or that she hadn’t messed up any bookings. She’d heard the older lady talking several times about her grandson but knew nothing about him other than that his grandmother doted on him and when he was in Jersey he stayed with her.

‘He’s a marine explorer,’ Mrs Grey said, her eyes shining with barely concealed pride.

‘A…’ Daisy couldn’t manage to say the words. The name Gabriel was unusual enough, but surely there couldn’t be many of them who were also marine explorers? Her heart pounded and her ears rang.

Mrs Grey must have misunderstood her confusion and said, ‘Essentially he identifies and collects new species of corals, fish, or whatever their current project is in aid of, in different waters around the world and works to secure protection of them. It’s a very worthwhile job.’

‘Oh,’ Daisy said, unable to think of anything more intelligent to say.

Fi gasped and clamped her left hand on Daisy’s wrist, squeezing so tightly Daisy felt it growing numb. ‘He’s here, Mrs Grey,’ Fi squealed, pointing outside. ‘Look. He’s getting out of the pool.’

Mrs Grey’s ice-blue eyes widened, and she turned and hurried outside. ‘Darling, darling boy,’ they heard her calling, as both girls stared after her.

Fi let go of Daisy’s wrist and ran to the door to watch. ‘Look, Daisy,’ she whispered. ‘Isn’t he gorgeous? My friends and I used to call him Angel Gabriel, because he’s so lush. And to think he’ll be working here, with us.’ She waved Daisy over to join her without taking her eyes off the figure in the pool.

Daisy watched, her breathing shallow, as the swimmer spotted his grandmother walking towards him and his mouth drew back into a wide smile. He grabbed a towel from a nearby sun lounger and shook his head, sending a shower of droplets around him as he walked towards her.

‘I’ve seen him in the pool before,’ Fi said breathlessly. ‘Those tight muscles, that gorgeous bum. He’s so hot.’

Daisy clenched her pencil so tightly she snapped it in half. He looked like some sort of Greek god with the sun shining on his tanned shoulders. This wasn’t happening. She heard the unmistakable deep voice that had pleaded with her to stay with him in H?i An. She would have given almost anything to say yes. Now he was here and she was totally unprepared. She took a deep breath and looked up from the remains of her pencil to see the unmistakeable face of the man she’d fallen desperately in love with in Vietnam and whom she thought she’d never see again.

As she watched him hugging his tiny grandmother, her brain slowly processed the realisation that not only was he here at the Encore hotel, but he was also the son of her employers, Francesca and her singer husband. No wonder she hadn’t connected them with Gabe; they had different last names to him. She couldn’t believe her stupidity. Of course, actors and musicians usually had pseudonyms! Well, it was too late to leave now – she’d just have to face him and any resentment he still held for what she did to him.

His dark hair was much shorter than when she’d last seen him, she noticed, as he bent his head down to listen to something his grandmother was saying. Throwing his head back in delight, he laughed loudly; it was a sound Daisy remembered only too well. Her heart was in her mouth.

She didn’t want him to see her here. What could she do? She saw him kiss his grandmother’s cheek.

Daisy stared in horror as Lydia looked over her shoulder towards her and pointed into the reception area. The next thing she knew he was following his grandmother inside. Willing herself to become invisible, she closed her eyes briefly, opening them as he stepped into the hotel. He stopped suddenly, a wide-eyed look of shock on his face as he registered who was standing in front of him. Apparently, she was very much recognised and probably looking more gormless than professional. It wasn’t the best impression she would have liked him to have of her after all this time.

‘Daisy?’ He shook his head slowly as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. ‘Daisy Woods,’ he whispered, almost to himself.

She sympathised with his shock. She still couldn’t believe he was in front of her and she’d had a few moments to get used to the idea of seeing him again. She cleared her throat, reaching out to shake his hand.

He brushed it away gently, hesitated a moment, then said. ‘You’re not going to greet me like that. Come here.’

Now it was his grandmother and Fi’s turn to look surprised.

He lifted the barrier and joined her behind the reception desk, holding out his arms. ‘It’s good to see you.’

She automatically walked towards him, breathing in the chlorine smell from his T-shirt-encased chest as he wrapped his arms around her. She’d missed this so much. ‘It’s good to see you too, Gabe,’ she said honestly, barely able to force the words out.

If Lydia or Fi spoke she didn’t hear them. It dawned on her that he was speaking. She leant back slightly and looked up into those unforgettable eyes, the colour of the richest chocolate. She forced herself to speak. ‘Sorry?’

He looked down at her and smiled. ‘I can’t believe it’s you. Here in Jersey and at the Encore, too. How come?’

‘Never mind that,’ Lydia said, interrupting their closeness. ‘How do you two know each other? Fi and I are intrigued.’

Daisy stepped back from Gabriel and shrugged. ‘We met in Vietnam,’ she explained, trying her best to sound calm. ‘Almost two years ago.’

Lydia clapped her hands together. ‘How perfectly lovely,’ she said. ‘You must come to supper tonight then, Daisy. It’ll give you and Gabriel a chance to catch up.’ She grinned. ‘And I can discover more about my grandson. I didn’t know you’d been away travelling too.’

Daisy nodded. ‘Yes. We met when I was finishing my year away and just as Gabe was beginning his trip to Asia.’

Lydia narrowed her eyes. ‘Well, you can have all the time in the world to catch up now you’re both here,’ she said, looking, Daisy thought, very pleased with herself.

‘Gabriel will collect you at six-thirty. That will give you a bit of time after your shift ends to freshen up.’

Knowing Lydia well enough to be aware that she wasn’t asking as much as telling Daisy what her evening arrangements would be, she nodded. ‘Lovely.’ She looked at Gabe, realising he was still staring at her in amazement, and smiled. ‘I’ll be waiting for you at the back of the hotel.’

He nodded. ‘I’ll look forward to it.’

‘Right,’ Lydia said, waving her grandson over to join her. ‘Come along; I was expecting you earlier and there’s a few things I need to show you.’

‘Of course, the fire.’

Daisy watched them walk down the corridor together. Gabe followed in silence as his grandmother spoke excitedly, telling him about the night a week before when they’d all been woken by the alarms sounding off throughout the hotel. He glanced over his shoulder at Daisy, who gasped and sat back down in her chair. She reached out to take a new pencil from the tub on her desk and spotted the time on her computer screen. She didn’t have long if she was going to get this lot to balance before her shift ended.

‘He’s gorgeous,’ Fi murmured, staring after him. She sat down next to Daisy. ‘So, tell me, then?’

‘Tell you what?’ Daisy asked, having no intention of doing any such thing.

‘I’m not blind; you two were clearly much more than just friends.’ She nudged Daisy. ‘Oh, go on, Daiz, tell me.’

‘Don’t call me that,’ she said, hating the nickname that her ex, Aaron, had given her. ‘There’s nothing to tell,’ she lied, pushing away any thoughts of the man who’d controlled two years of her life. ‘Now let me get on with this or Francesca is going to go mad. You know she leaves tomorrow for that shoot and she wanted to see this lot reconciled. I want her to go away relaxed and not worried about how things are carrying on while she’s away.’

‘Jobsworth.’

‘Nosy cow.’ Daisy couldn’t help smiling at her annoying colleague and pointed at Fi’s keyboard. ‘You have letters to type. Now would be a good time to do them, ready for Francesca to sign in the morning.’

Fi groaned. ‘Fine, but I will be asking about you and Gabriel again, so don’t think I’ll forget.’

Daisy didn’t doubt for a minute that Fi would bring up the subject again, but for now she needed a little time to get used to the idea of seeing him here. She stared at the spreadsheet in front of her, pretending to be absorbed by it, but all she could think of was Gabriel.