CHAPTER 37
The following Monday Jess felt a mixture of nerves and annoyance – mainly at herself – every time she thought about running into Adam.
She’d been a total coward at the weekend, staying over with Robert on Friday and suggesting they spend Saturday exploring the nearby countryside.
Robert had been charming and attentive and Jess had tried convincing herself that it was a perfect opportunity to get to know him better, and that it had nothing to do with her wanting to avoid Adam.
When Monday morning passed without even a glimpse of him, she tried to calm her nerves. She wished she knew how long he was staying in Linford. She hated the fact that not knowing where and when she was going to run into him made her feel jittery and off-balance.
She bumped into Emily as she was heading out for lunch.
“Hey, Jess.” Emily looked a bit puzzled. “Did you say something to Holly about this party you want to organise for me?”
“Uh, yeah, ages ago!” Jess frowned. “Holly’s local, so she’s the ideal person to help organise invites. She and I have things well in hand, don’t worry.”
“I suppose.” Emily chewed her lip. “Yeah, cool beans. So, are you and Robert still okay for tomorrow?”
Jess smiled. “Totally, so stop stressing. You do you.”
“Hey, you could totally put that on a T-shirt!”
For a moment, Jess wondered if she was joking, but she seemed to be perfectly serious. She decided that if Dermot messed Emily around, she’d beat him up with his camera. “Are you getting lunch?”
“Yeah, Chef Marco has salads and sandwiches in the kitchen,” Emily said.
“I wonder if the cast and crew appreciate the fact that their meals are now being prepared by Michelin star chefs,” Jess mused, as they took the back stairs that led to the hotel’s huge basement kitchens.
An aroma of onions and garlic greeted them but, apart from one long counter covered with trays of food, its professionally organised bank of ovens, sinks and vast steel preparation areas were spotlessly clean and bare, and a startling modern contrast to the rest of the castle.
They helped themselves to filled paninis and freshly made coffee, before heading back outside to eat.
“Can you believe this weather?” Emily sighed happily. “It’s my first summer living here so I’m taking it as a good sign.” She bit into her sandwich as they wandered into the grounds. “Let’s see if we can find somewhere to sit in the walled garden.”
“Sure.” Jess shrugged. “Once we avoid anything that belongs to the film crew. I know they’re doing some filming in there.”
As they stepped into the sunken garden, a sharp memory of her previous time here flashed to mind.
She and Adam had driven down to oversee a wedding-themed publicity shoot for the hotel.
On their way home, they’d stopped at Adam’s family farm, where they’d gone riding, before having dinner with his parents.
And all that time she’d kept her upcoming wedding to Simon a secret.
At least she wasn’t keeping secrets anymore. Not like that, at least.
“Wow, this place is busy!” Emily said, looking around. “Ooh, there’s Mel.” She waved. “Hey!”
Jess glanced over and gave a little wave. Ever since the fallout over what Frank referred to as “the tunnel incident”, Jess had been slightly wary of her. But so far she’d made no other awkward requests.
“Over here.” Emily hurried ahead and sat down on a stone bench, surrounded by flower beds. Jess joined her, putting her wrapped lunch on the small space between them.
“Is everything okay, Jess?”
“Sure, why do you ask?”
Emily hesitated. “It’s just, sometimes you seem really sad, but you pretend like everything’s cool. And I just wanted to say that you don’t have to pretend to be okay if you’re not. You do you, yeah? Especially around me.”
The damned flowers were definitely triggering her hay fever, Jess thought as her eyes started to sting. She cleared her throat. “I’ll remember – oh shit, Emily! Run!” Jess jumped up as Snuggles seemed to appear from nowhere, barking loudly and running straight for them.
Emily grabbed Jess’s arm. “Don’t move! He’ll think it’s a game and chase you.”
“Emily!” Maybe they could outrun him. Her pulse was already racing faster than him. He wasn’t even muzzled! “Down, boy! Spencer! Spencer!” Terrified, she crossed her arms over her face and chest and braced herself.
Snuggles jumped, propelling himself through the air, and landed on her, throwing her back against the bench.
With his upper paws on her chest, he started to lick her hands and the bits of her face his tongue could reach.
She tried to push him off, as waves of shock and relief started to shiver through her.
As she turned her face away, she managed to open one eye and saw that Emily was on her feet, gaping down at her.
“Okay, nice boy – down, Snuggles!” Jess tried to push the dog’s big face away from her own, but her arms felt as weak as her legs.
She’d be stinking of dog for the rest of the day.
Not that it mattered – she’d probably just live on this bench for a while.
She definitely wouldn’t be able to stand any time soon.
“Snuggles!” Spencer ran over. “So, so sorry, Jess, I don’t know what happened. I didn’t realise he was gone. He must really like you, though.” He grabbed hold of his collar and tugged him away from her.
She smiled weakly and wiped her face with her sleeve in an effort to dry it, aware that she’d probably wiped away half her makeup.
“He’s just a big softie, really.” Spencer offered a wry smile.
“Right, I can see that.” Jess looked at Emily, who had gone from apparent shock to helpless giggles. As her pulse started to return to normal, she struggled for composure. “Spencer? His muzzle? And maybe a lead?”
“Shit.” He pulled a face. “Sorry, I’ll try to remember.”
Jess nodded. “I never thought I’d say this,” she managed, “but the name actually suits him.”
Jess was still replaying the incident with Snuggles as she walked down the driveway to the main gates after work.
An achingly familiar laugh brought her back to the present, and she stopped and scanned the grounds.
It was Adam, she realised. He was some distance away in the far west field, where the outside set had been built.
And he wasn’t on his own – he was with a woman.
Jess couldn’t see her features, but she was tall, with dark hair, dressed simply in jeans and a blue top. And she was linking him as they walked.
She tried to ignore the sudden, sharp pain behind her eyes. So, Adam had moved on. It shouldn’t upset her. In fact, she had no right to be upset – not when she’d moved on too.
Part of her wished she didn’t know. But maybe that was why Adam had brought this woman to Linford.
He wanted her to know that he’d moved on – that there was nothing left between them.
He might even see it as the perfect opportunity to prove that they could work together.
Briefly, she closed her eyes as a wave of sadness washed over her.
Maybe Robert was the sort of guy she needed in her life. Until now, she hadn’t taken the prospect of a new relationship very seriously. But, apart from consulting on the building of the sets, he had nothing to do with the group. A relationship with Robert could never muddy the waters in work.
As she reached the gate, she turned and risked another look back. It was a bit difficult to see exactly what Adam and his girlfriend were doing, but their body language was clear.
As Jess let herself out, she barely registered the press outside. Seeing Adam with someone new was a wakeup call. And a timely reminder to give her relationship with Robert a proper chance.