Chapter Eighteen #2
“Ah, well, what can you do?” Jamie asked with another casual shrug. “Come on. I want to see which one you’ve chosen for me. I promise not to attempt any kind of open flame cooking unsupervised. I’d rather not be liable for burning down part of your livelihood.”
“How gracious. I’m not sure you can get much worse than your attempt at scrambled eggs, though.”
“Ha, how little you know.”
“Not sure that’s something you should be happy about,” I said, waving him towards the house so I could grab the right keys.
“I’m glad you think so highly of me that you can’t imagine me doing anything worse than turning eggs into rubber.”
“You know that’s not an invitation for you to try?”
“It’s not?” He grinned. “Your loss.”
I chuckled and shook my head, wondering what the fuck I’d gotten myself into.
It didn’t take me long to grab the keys and walk Jamie around to the small field where the green shepherd’s hut was tucked away. Since he’d let me choose, I doubted he’d gone and looked at any of the pictures, so I wasn’t surprised when he gasped.
“Oh my God… Is this…” He’d stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes wide as he stared at the hut in front of him. If he’d been imagining some simple, dated shepherd’s hut decked out like the inside of an old caravan, what he saw was quickly proving him wrong, even just from the outside.
The wooden cabin was nestled near the hedge in a small field that was tucked away from everything else.
It was raised off the ground and painted deep forest green with steps leading up to it that were stained dark mahogany.
It had a little chimney on the roof from where we’d installed a tiny log burner for warmth and double doors with large windowpanes that let in plenty of natural light alongside the other small windows dotted around.
In front of the cabin, partially hidden under the snow, was a small patio area where a covered outdoor dining set sat alongside a small, covered barbecue.
To one side, tucked even farther from view to ensure as much privacy as possible, was a raised decking area that held a deep, wooden hot tub that was just big enough for two.
It was wood fired and could be used whatever the weather, especially because we’d installed lanterns on the wooden fence that partially surrounded it, creating a cosy, private space for our guests to enjoy.
“This is yours,” I said, handing over the key. “Want to go and have a look?”
“Yeah…” Jamie nodded and turned to me, still clearly in shock. “You didn’t tell me they were like this.”
I shrugged, a smile playing across my lips. “What else would they be like?”
“I don’t know. Not this.” He practically bounced across the snow to the steps, which I’d cleared earlier in the morning before Mum had come down to make it up. I’d tried to be sneaky and told her we’d had a last-minute booking, but I didn’t think she’d believed me.
Jamie unlocked the doors and pulled them open. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He looked over his shoulder and gestured to the interior. “Who the fuck did your decorating? This is just…”
“Is that supposed to be a compliment?”
“Yes,” he said. “It’s gorgeous. I think it’s nicer than some of the hotels I’ve stayed in.”
“Coming from you, I suppose that is a compliment,” I said with a dry laugh as I watched him step inside. “And Mum, Dad, Higgs, and I did them. Mum mostly directed while the three of us made and fitted everything.”
“You made everything?”
“Well, some of it at least. My best mate Lane helped with some of it because he’s a builder, so he and I did all the kitchens.”
“Are they all like this, then?”
“Yeah,” I said. “They’re all slightly different because we didn’t want them all to be the same.
They’re different sizes too. But the layout and equipment in each is similar.
We did them about three, maybe four years ago.
Figured if we were going to do them, we’d better do them right, then people will come back. ”
“And you can charge more for them too,” Jamie said as he ran his hand across part of the kitchen’s wooden counter.
Each hut had a small kitchenette with wooden counters and doors, concealing both storage and an under-the-counter fridge.
This hut’s kitchen doors continued the green theme with dusty forest-green doors under light brown countertops.
It had a small but deep farmhouse sink with art deco tiles behind it and a large window above it with a roll down blind.
There were a few open cupboards and shelves on the wall, all made from the same colour wood as the countertops, and the kitchens were well equipped with everything guests might need.
On one side, the counter jutted out slightly and the end had been rounded to create a little table, and there were two padded stools tucked underneath.
There was also a basket on top of the little table that Mum had filled with eggs, bread, milk, a bottle of wine, some local beer, homemade jam, local honey, and next to it was a glass cake dome covering a small Victoria sponge cake.
“Mum’s cross with me,” I said as Jamie examined the basket, his face a picture of delight. “She only had time to make you a Victoria sponge because I sprung your arrival on her at such short notice. I’ve been told I’ve got to apologise.”
“What could I have had instead?” Jamie asked with a teasing grin. “What have I been deprived of?”
“I don’t know. Lemon drizzle or cherry probably. That’s what she usually makes.”
“I feel like you need to make me one now,” he said. “That can be your apology.”
“Maybe. If you’re lucky.”
Jamie snorted and looked around at the rest of the hut.
On the other side of the kitchen was a sliding door that led to a small bathroom that had a toilet, sink, and shower, and to Jamie’s left, at the other end of the hut, was the bed.
It was pushed up against the far wall and stretched across the width of the hut.
We’d built the beds to fit each hut, and the mattresses each rested upon some custom fitted drawers and small cupboards that acted as storage. The beds were covered in crisp white sheets with mountains of pillows, and I noticed Mum had even left a couple of extra blankets in case Jamie got cold.
There was a small TV on the wall opposite the headboard just above a long shelf that had some pretty ornaments spread across it.
Both the shelf and the headboard had strings of fairy lights across them as well, and there was a little window in the far wall that you could look out of when you sat on the bed.
The other main feature was on the front wall between the kitchenette and the bed, and that was the small, cast-iron log burner that had a basket of logs next to it, along with another basket of kindling, fire lighters, and matches.
We’d debated whether we should put in actual log burners or just electric fires, and the debate had gone back and forth several times until we’d agreed on the log burners.
They weren’t used much since we didn’t get a lot of guests in the colder months, and those who did come were happy to follow the instructions we gave them to use them safely.
“What do you think?” I asked eventually because the silence was starting to become off-putting. I knew Jamie had said he liked it when he first came in, but I wanted confirmation now that he’d had a chance to actually look at it.
“It’s incredible,” he said, turning to me and pulling me into his arms. “Thank you.”
“Why are you thanking me? You’re paying for it.”
“Just because.” He kissed me softly. “Have you got to get back to work, or can I keep you for a bit?”
I looked over his shoulder and down at my watch. “I can spare about twenty minutes.” I grinned at him. “I’m guessing you don’t want me to talk you through everything like the Wi-Fi, the local area, the hot tub…”
“You can do that later,” he said as he released me to close the door and pull the thick, green curtains across the panes. “But first, I want to properly say thank you for your hospitality.”
I groaned as Jamie sank to his knees, his fingers reaching for the button on my jeans.