Page 49 of Second Chance Summer
‘And I’m already yesterday’s news. I don’t think a newspaper would spend that kind of cash to pursue me here. Honestly, I wish I hadn’t let myself get spooked. I probably need a lie down!’
Sam smiled. ‘Please don’t worry. I’ll take a good look round after dinner to check if I can spot anything amiss. Until then, lock your door if you don’t feel safe.’ He lookedat her earnestly. ‘Youaresafe. I’m only seconds away in the flat and I can lend you the spare radio if that would give you peace of mind.’
‘You’re trusting me with aradio?’ She raised her eyebrows in mock surprise.
‘Yeah. In fact, I think it’s best if you keep hold of it so we can communicate wherever we are on the island. You can speak to base too.’
‘Base? You mean Elspeth or Morven.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘I don’t think I’ll be bothering them.’
‘It’ll be fine. Look, I’ve finished what I was doing. I’ll knock off for the day and start the prep for dinner.’
‘Sam, I think we’re going to have to share the cooking from now on. I don’t need three-course meals every night.’
‘You paid for decent food, not self-catering and waiting on the host!’
‘Sure, but that’s in an ideal world where you have a team of staff. Earlier, you agreed to take my advice. You need to recruit someone fast, but first, you need five functioning cottages. Let me help you achieve both those things. I can’t spend all my time drawing and shopping. It’s not me. After all, I am the Crafty Queen.’ She said it jokingly but then added, ‘Seriously, Sam, I did start my business because I like creating things. It would be great to spend some time cooking and getting my hands dirty so to speak.’
‘Well …’ She could see he was tempted. ‘If you think it would help you relax.’
‘Call it part of my therapy,’ she joked. ‘Or Project New Lily.’
He laughed out loud. ‘If you put it like that, how can I refuse?’
‘You can’t,’ she said firmly. ‘Though while we’re on the subject of fresh starts, can I make a suggestion?’
‘Go on.’ His eyes were wary.
‘I won’t be here to help forever and you need a business plan. Why don’t you put the cottages on a booking site and set yourself a deadline?’ she suggested. ‘How long do you think you’ll need to have the whole retreat ready for guests?’
‘Six weeks would do it.’
‘That means you’ll be able to launch properly in August and have September and October to let them out. Will you stay open through the winter?’
‘No. I’ll close in December and reopen end of February when spring arrives. Transport becomes tricky in the winter months. There are no sailings from Penzance and the flights can be affected by bad weather. I’ll also need to keep coming over here to make sure everything is maintained and safe. The winter storms can be fierce.’
Lily nodded in approval. ‘That sounds like a good plan. Your staff will need a break, and so will you. How many are you planning on recruiting?’
‘Initially, a chef and a housekeeper–manager.’
She considered for a moment. ‘Good in principle, but I do worry that a housekeeper–manager post will be way too much for one person, bearing in mind your staff will need time off.’
‘Hmm. You could be right. They’ll have to live in, of course. I can spend my nights at Hell Bay House and theycan each have their own studio flat. Let me get freshened up and we can talk some more about it over dinner,’ he said.
‘Good, and I’ll cook tonight. I can do a mean mac ’n’ cheese. How does that sound?’
‘It sounds bloody amazing, frankly.’
His eyes lit up with a warmth and energy Lily hadn’t seen before, and she had an inkling his buoyant mood wasn’t entirely due to the mac ‘n’ cheese. Could it be because they were both finally feeling more comfortable in each other’s presence?
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Sam had already been up and breakfasted when Lily sauntered into the dining room, still groggy from a long night’s sleep.
Last night he’d devoured two helpings of mac ’n’ cheese, and they’d firmed up some plans for finishing the cottages and recruiting staff. He’d then gone straight back to work until dusk while Lily had retired to her room.
She had sat out on her terrace until sunset, then she’d gone to bed and didn’t remember anything until she’d woken at eight.Eight!She’d almost fainted when she’d seen the time on her phone and then reminded herself that she was on holiday.
‘Sleep well?’ Sam asked, setting a cafetière on her table for one.
