Page 1 of Escape for Christmas
CHAPTER ONE
1 October
‘And you’re one hundred per cent certain this isn’t the biggest mistake of your life, Soph?’
Sophie Cranford’s finger hesitated over the Enter key on her laptop while Vee, her friend and housekeeper, hovered over her shoulder.
‘I’m never one hundred per cent sure about anything,’ Sophie admitted, but she decided it was now or never, so she uploaded the ad she’d spent hours composing onto the guest-house website.
There was a pause before Vee spoke again. ‘Well, you’re the boss. You know best, only I’ve got to admit it’s anunusualmarketing strategy for a cosy guest house. We do normally get a lot of snow in the Lake District over winter, so it is kind of perfect for a Christmas break.’
Sophie fiddled with the pendant at her neck. Vee did have a point, because Sunnysidewasa dream location for a festive holiday. It was arguably too big to be called a cottage, although it had all the best features of one, from its stone walls and slate roof to its tall chimneys and the wisteria climbing above the door. There were several acres of groundswith a garden, hot tub and a wooden veranda, making it an ideal spot for guests to admire the views over the fells and Lake Windermere below.
In spring, lambs bleated in the fields, wild flowers ran riot in summer, and autumn turned the hillsides russet with bracken. When Sophie had taken over Sunnyside in March earlier that year she’d woken up to snow dusting the felltops like icing sugar as she waited for spring to arrive. Now, as the year turned its face towards winter, she could picture her guests crunching through the frosted grass and curling up in front of the fire with a hot chocolate.
In fact Sunnyside was a gingerbread latte of a house, with whipped cream on top and starry sprinkles for good measure. Anyone would be delighted to stay there, including Sophie herself – which was why she hadn’t been able to resist buying it, even at the lowest ebb of her life when the people she’d trusted most had shattered her heart like a cheap glass bauble.
Her office chair creaked as she swivelled round to face Vee.
‘HaveI made a terrible mistake?’ she asked, her resolve wobbling.
‘We-ell,’ Vee dithered before continuing, ‘if you think people loathe Christmas enough to want to come to an anti-Christmas hotel …’
‘Sunnyside isn’t an anti-Christmas hotel, and the guests don’t have to loathe Christmas to book. I just want to provide an alternative way to relax and chill out for people who might not feel like celebrating in the traditional way.Christmas can be a difficult time for people,’ Sophie insisted, trotting out her carefully rehearsed marketing message behind the ‘Escape for Christmas’ break.
‘Sorry,’ Vee muttered.
‘It’s OK,’ Sophie said cheerfully, because she didn’t want to upset Vee. ‘But it’s important that people don’t get the wrong idea and think that alternative means boring or “Bah, humbug”.’
Vee’s eyebrows knitted together. ‘I’m sure it will be fine …’
‘I sense a “but”.’
‘Are you sure that you’re not doing this because … well, because …’
‘Spit it out, Vee. You know we can be honest.’
‘Becauseyouhate Christmas.’
Sophie’s stomach knotted. Vee was dangerously close to a sensitive subject. ‘I don’t hate it.’
Vee raised her Marigold-clad hands in surrender, knowing her friend well enough not to push it. ‘OK. OK. I understand. Well, I don’t totally get it, but you probably have a point. You should go for it, and I’ll support you. I even swear not to wear my Christmas jumper to work.’
‘You do what you want to. I’m not out to spoil other people’s enjoyment. I only want to offer a unique way of spending the three big days; some respite from the clichéd jollity.’
Vee patted her shoulder. ‘It will get easier, Sophie. I promise it will. You’ve done an amazing job since you came here.No one would ever know you’d never run a guest house before.’
Sophie fought back the tears that were threatening to form. It was really kind of Vee to say that, and perhaps she hadn’t given herself enough credit for what she’d achieved in her first seven months of running the B&B.
‘Thanks. That means so much to me, coming from a professional. I couldn’t have done it without your help.’
Without a lot of people’s help, Sophie acknowledged, silently thanking those friends and family who’d been her rock over the past year. Although there were others who had sniggered or had blatantly told her she’d never make it work. Chief among them was Ben, her ex-fiancé, but she supposed she ought to thank the lying git, in a way. Without him cheating on her, she’d never had taken the leap to buy Sunnyside.
The period after the split had almost crushed her, but now she’d achieved her long-held dream of owning a guest house, and in such a beautiful location too. One thing was for sure: the thirty-fourth year of her life had most certainly been the most eventful ever – for all the right and wrong reasons. And even though Vee might be sceptical about her latest plan, she had been one of Sophie’s biggest supporters since she’d moved to Sunnyside, becoming a close friend too.
‘I’m sure this anti- – I mean “Escape for Christmas” – break will be a big hit,’ Vee reassured her, perching on the edge of the desk. ‘Look at it this way: the woman who can go from running a Christmas shop to managing a guest house within less than a year can make anything work.’
‘Thanks for the vote of confidence,’ Sophie said, although the doubting voice in her head was growing louder again. ‘There are some similarities, though. I learned to be really good at holding my tongue and smiling while customers gave me their opinions.’
