Chapter Thirty
R ico connected to Ralph on his way back up in the lift.
‘It’s a yes from Stacy! Dad, I can’t believe I so nearly let the hotel go. I don’t know what I was thinking. Mum would have killed me. I can’t wait to get started now!’
His father’s voice was soft. ‘Edie would never have judged you, Rico, if you’d put your career first. But I’m glad we’re doing this too. No matter what, the Weber family will be able to hold their heads up in the village. And to be clear, son, this is your project. My plans to move down here will go ahead, though I may be up and down more often than I’d intended, to see what’s going on and give you a hand if you need it.’
‘Thanks, Dad, I appreciate that. The guy from the building company is coming on Thursday to have a look at the house, then we’re going together to a sanitary equipment place in St Gallen to start the planning there too.’
‘Good. And meanwhile, I’ll email Grande and break the sad news.’
Jubilation filled Rico. He was going to make this work. ‘You know what? I’ll drive down to Lugano this afternoon for a couple of nights. I’d like to thank Guido in person. And I’d kind of like us to email Grande together, too. ’
It was the daftest notion in the craziest twenty-four hours of his life, but – it would be a good feeling, wouldn’t it? Helping Dad compose a posh version of ‘stuff your casino’?
Ralph laughed. ‘Excellent! We’ll see you later, then. Drive carefully, Rico. Calm down before you set out.’
He rang off, and Rico punched the air, then sobered up immediately. Dad needn’t worry. He wouldn’t be flying high like this much longer, because in a couple of hours, Stacy would be setting off back to England, and what he was about to start with the hotel was enough to terrify the bravest person into the middle of next century.
Downstairs, Stacy was nowhere to be seen, but Flavia was behind the desk, where the flowers from Elijah’s mother were sending out perfume in waves.
‘Have you seen Stacy and Emily?’
‘They’ve gone to the village for some last-minute things to take home.’
Rico nodded, and stepped into the small conference room for some peace to think in. The renovation would take several months – what would they do about the staff while the hotel was closed? And later they’d need more people too, for the spa facilities. A staff meeting on Thursday morning would be a good plan. There was a never-ending list of things they’d have to organise, so the sooner they started, the better.
He wandered round the room, then opened the doors into the larger conference room beyond. All this was virtually wasted space, they used it so seldom nowadays. You could imagine it all tiled, with hot tubs in the corners and stands with green plants here and there, and… and Stacy overseeing the medical things.
Yes, this was going to be good.
** *
‘Oh, Alan. We’re down to the last two hours.’ Emily plonked down on Alan’s bed in his room in the staff quarters. ‘I’m missing you already and I’m not even gone yet!’
He sat down too and gave her a hug. ‘You won’t get the chance to miss me. I’ll be on facetime with you once a day at least, and we can practise writing romantic emails, too.’
Ooh. ‘Emails have never been romantic. What’s wrong with hand-written love letters on perfumed paper?’
‘You’re chancing it now.’
And oh, they could laugh together; they were on the same wavelength about so many things, and why, why hadn’t she seen that in May? At least they had a fairy-tale ending now, though it wasn’t the happy end it would have been if Alan had been coming home with her today.
He rubbed her back. ‘What do you think of Rico’s spa idea? And Stacy coming to work here?’
Emily cheered up. ‘Well, of course I think it’s brilliant because we’ll get the opportunity to visit her while she’s here and maybe we can try out the facilities, too, although… I don’t know. I haven’t had the full story about what happened with David. She was nuts about him, has been since she was fourteen, so it’s not going to be easy for her, especially with Gareth’s wedding coming up.’
‘Good job she has a friend like you, then.’
Emily grimaced. ‘At least I can empathise. And that is absolutely the last time I’m going to mention scumbag Sam, even indirectly. He is gone from my life.’
Alan cuddled her. ‘Well, I’m not.’
Emily closed her eyes, savouring the last moments, the last caresses. She’d nearly lost him, because she’d almost never found him. But now she had. And in September, they’d start their forever. And that had to be the soppiest thought she’d ever had on a Monday…
***
Stacy wheeled her case out to the lift, turning in the door of her room for a final look at the view. It was such an odd feeling – she was going back to England, but how different her life was now.
Downstairs, Rico was behind the desk. He nodded at her flowers. ‘Flavia spends almost every waking minute taking care of these. She went to the florist this morning to get them some stay-fresh stuff. You have a fan there.’
Stacy sniffed the roses. ‘They’re glorious, and Flavia’s been very kind. Please make sure she doesn’t fall through any more floors, will you?’
He laughed. ‘After the – oh! Look who’s here!’
He strode round the desk and ushered her across the hall and through the front door. A car had pulled up outside, and Stacy took one look and fumbled for a tissue.
‘We came on the off-chance you hadn’t gone yet.’ Kim Burri opened the back door, and helped a little boy out. ‘Look, Eli. This is the kind lady who looked after you when you were ill at the beach.’
Wow. Oh wow. Stacy couldn’t take her eyes off the little boy. He was a good colour, cheeks as tanned as his arms, lips pink and eyes alive and curious as he glanced from Stacy to Rico.
His mother stroked his hair back, her eyes bright with tears. ‘We can never thank you enough, Stacy, and I’ll be saying that until the day I die. They said at the hospital how lucky it was you were there.’
Stacy submitted to a tight hug from Kim, then she crouched down to the little boy. ‘I hope you have lots of fun next time you’re at the beach, Elijah.’
Kim translated, and Elijah nodded solemnly.
‘I wish you weren’t going home today,’ said Kim. ‘You could have come for a visit, got to know him a little.’
‘I’m – I mean I’ll probably be back in the autumn.’
She would definitely be back, but the hotel plans were still a secret, as far as the wider world was concerned. They weren’t supposed to talk about it until the employees had been informed.
‘Perfect,’ said Kim. ‘You’ve got my number. Let me know when you’re here, and we’ll arrange something. Come on, Eli. We have to go home and see Ben.’
Stacy waved as they drove off, and how lucky was that? She had some ready-made friends in the village. That would make her return so much less daunting, and who knows – maybe by the time she returned, she’d have learned enough German to be able to speak a little to Elijah and his brother.
Emily arrived down with her luggage, and Alan drove the car round to the front door. Stacy piled her things into the boot and dropped her handbag into the back seat, tears still not far off. She hated goodbyes… Rico stepped forward and gave both her and Emily a hug, then loped off to his own car, parked at the side of the hotel. He was setting out for the Ticino to talk through the plans with his father. An odd feeling of regret pulled at Stacy’s heartstrings as he vanished round the side of the hotel. He was gone. This wasn’t goodbye forever, of course. She’d be back in the autumn, ready to start the biggest gamble of her life. Mum was going to think she was stark raving bonkers, but never mind. Sometimes, you had to take a chance, didn’t you? She was taking one on Lakeside, and maybe – maybe she was taking one on Rico, to o. Anything might happen.
Alan put the car in gear and moved off, and the hotel slid into the background. Stacy clasped her hands under her chin, yet more tears burning in her eyes. Lakeside was the kind of place that did that to you. Talk about fate… If Emily hadn’t had the accident, they would never have come to Switzerland, never have known about Lakeside, and Emily would never have met Alan. Stacy touched her empty engagement finger – the band of white skin was less pronounced already. Even if she’d never heard of Lakeside, she would still have broken up with David. Not everything in her life was tied up with this lovely place.
The car increased speed when they started the motorway climb up to St Gallen, and Stacy twisted round to see out the back. There was the lake, blue as ever, and Germany was visible again, a hazy purple line in the distance. The mountains over Austria were dusky against the sky, and the Appenzeller countryside was rolling green to her left.
She settled back into her seat, warmth flooding through her. She was leaving today, but it wasn’t goodbye. In October, she’d be back to see it all again, this time in the colours of autumn.
The End