Page 19 of Second Chance Summer
She was halfway through her main when he returned to top up her glass with wine from the ice bucket on her table.
‘How’s your chicken?’ he asked, lingering.
‘It’s delicious. Really,’ she said.
‘And the music?’ he asked, a hopeful lilt in his voice telling her that he really was trying to please his guest.
‘It’s – um – OK,’ she said, popping a forkful of tender chicken in her mouth.
‘I found a classical mix download on my phone,’ he said, then frowned. ‘But I’m sensing you’re not impressed?’
Lily mused while she finished chewing. ‘It’s very nice.’
Sam eyed her sharply. ‘“Nice?” I’m sensing that’s a loaded word.’
‘No. Not really.’
‘I’d rather you were honest with me.’
Lily wasn’t too sure if he meant that, but hehadasked. ‘Maybe a classical mix is a little too … staid? You might be better to play stuff that’s in line with your brand rather thanwhat you enjoy or even what you think your guests will enjoy.’
He frowned. ‘How do I do that?’
‘There are companies that specialise in music for businesses. They’ll curate a playlist to suit your brand and sort out all the licensing rights. And I’m sure you won’t have to stream it so don’t worry about the WiFi,’ she said. ‘For a price, of course. You haven’t looked into that?’
‘Not yet.’
‘OK. For now, let’s just say you and I are simply listening to some music together but when you have guests – after you’ve opened properly – you’ll have to think about it.’
‘I’ll add it to the list,’ he said, his shoulders slumping in dejection. Lily suspected he’d probably bitten off more than he could chew with the retreat and needed all the professional help he could get.
She laid down her cutlery. ‘What’s your brand?’ she asked. ‘Is it modern and sophisticated? Or elegant and traditional?’
‘Erm …’
She smiled. ‘Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about your brand because I know you have. I’ve seen your guest welcome pack and website. You’ve done a great job with those.’
‘I have?’ He gave a wry smile. ‘Actually, Morven and her friend designed the website. I was going for barefoot luxury like you get in exotic island hotels. We did some travelling after uni, working in a couple of resorts in the Seychelles. I worked in the kitchens briefly and then in maintenance. It gave me some ideas – and a pipe dream.’
She noted the ‘we’ followed by the hasty change to the first person.
‘Barefoot luxury is very on trend, though I have to say that Stark is more at the barefoot end of the scale than the luxury one, at the moment.’
His lips parted in dismay.
‘Don’t worry, we can do something about that. First things first, back to the music: this is a retreat, so you want something that’s chilled out but contemporary. Look, why don’t you at least sit down at the table rather than hovering by it? I’m sure that doesn’t count as fraternising with your guests.’
Her comment drew a smile that lit up Sam’s eyes. Lily was struck by his handsome profile, tempered by the lines fanning out from beside his eyes. He could only be in his mid-thirties but the telltale marks of strain and responsibility were etched on his face.
‘I don’t want to interrupt your meal,’ he said.
‘You aren’t.’
Reluctantly, he drew back a chair and sat down opposite her.
‘We invested a lot of money on getting the Lily Loves branding spot on. We don’t have our products in stores,’ she said, careful not to add ‘yet’, ‘but I learned a lot about the retail environment – and that includes all the strategies they use to maximise spend. One of those is sounds.’
‘Sounds?’he echoed.
