Page 48 of Escape for Christmas
‘It’s a B&B – I expected to be asked questions. But I thought it might be much later on in the evening.’
‘If you will make such strong Aperol Spritzes,’ she joked with him.
‘You haven’t tried one yet.’ His deep-brown eyes twinkled.
‘Oh, that’s kind of you to offer, but I don’t think I should drink on the job.’
‘Pity. I was hoping I’d get to know you better. I’m intrigued to know how a beautiful woman ends up here and running an “Escape for Christmas”?’
Sophie’s cheeks heated up. ‘It’s far too early in the evening to talk about that. Let’s just say that I used to love this time of year, but I’ve gone off it recently.’ She handed a bottle of red wine to Nico. ‘Now because you did such a great job with the Aperols, would you like to make this sangria? Maybe with more lemonade than originally planned?’
‘Excellent idea.’
A few minutes later Nico carried two large jugs of sangria into the guest lounge, while Sophie brought out a platter with the warm ham-and-cheesecroquetasand some otherhot dishes. They weren’t home-made; she’d found them in a deli in the village and had stored them in her freezer.
‘Please tuck in,’ she said. ‘There will be more tapas later, and then dessert after the flamenco, so there’s plenty for everyone.’
But where was Amber? Perhaps now was the time to pay a visit to her room and gently suggest that the food was being served.
Leaving everyone to enjoy the sangria and tapas, Sophie hurried upstairs, checking her phone as she went. The flamenco troupe was due in an hour, but she worried it might take them longer in this weather. It was properly snowing now, and the fields and garden were white all over. She’d check on Amber and then, if she’d not heard back, she’d call them again.
As she reached Amber’s door, she heard sounds of someone moving in the room. Sophie knocked softly and said, ‘I’m sorry to disturb you, but I wanted you to know that drinks and tapas are being served in the guest lounge, if you’d like to join us all.’
After a few seconds Amber opened it. ‘Sorry, yes, I’m coming down. I fell asleep and I’m just changing. I’ll see you all very soon.’
Relieved to hear her guest sounding perkier, Sophie went back down into the office and called the flamenco people. Jingle and Belle were squashed together on one radiator cradle for warmth. Sophie lifted the curtain of the office window while listening to the ringing tone.
Oh God, in the light spilling from the house, she couldsee how much the snow had settled. There were a couple of inches lying on the hedge and the garden statues, while large flakes swirled and danced in the wind. There was still no reply from the flamenco troupe and Sophie started to panic a little. What if they didn’t turn up? How would she entertain her guests? How would the troupe get home, if they did make it?
Setting her fears aside, she went back to the guest lounge, where the chatter was louder and more convivial than before. Nico was topping up Una and Agatha’s glasses, Hugo and Suzanne were laughing at something hilarious, and the tapas were clearly vanishing at a rapid rate.
‘Una Paloma Blanca’ was blasting out of the smart speaker. Sophie hadn’t heard the cheesy Spanish pop song since she was little, when her parents used to play it. She thought of her parents, at home with her brother and his family. Would they be worrying about her? She must find time to call them. Actually she missed them … For a few seconds, she felt horribly alone.
After ten months of running Sunnyside, she was aware that the guests’ safety, comfort and happiness all depended on her – and at such an emotionally charged time of year too. However, glancing round at them all, having a whale of a time, she could relax on that score. Her main worry now was how soon the flamenco people would turn up.
‘Hello! Sorry I’m late. Fell asleep.’ Amber appeared in the doorway, dressed in a purple sequinned jumpsuit. ‘You look like you’re all—’ She stopped mid-sentence and her face drained of colour.
Her eyes had locked with those of Suzanne, who was clutching her glass tightly. Everyone stared at them and then they both said in perfect unison: ‘What the bloody hell areyoudoing here?’
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
‘That fire must be interesting.’
Brody glanced up to find Tegan standing by him with a tray of food. ‘What do you mean?’ he said, startled.
‘You must have been staring at it for at least a minute. Probably longer. You didn’t even notice me come in.’
‘Didn’t I?’ He grimaced, feeling guilty that he had been in a world of his own. Tegan had left the snug some time ago to make a drink. ‘Sorry, I was well away,’ he said. ‘Maybe I fell asleep. It’s been a busy week at work.’
She put the tray on the coffee table. ‘I grabbed some food from the supermarket on my way up from Mum and Dad’s earlier. It’s only bits that we can graze on, but I thought you wouldn’t want a full meal before the big blow-out tomorrow.’
‘This looks good to me,’ Brody said, his stomach rumbling to prove the point. The cheese and crackers, pickles and sausage rolls piled onto plates did look appetising. ‘Thanks for getting this. I should have done some shopping myself, but I didn’t think. I had to pop back into the surgery after I’d been to the pub with Carl, and then I wanted to come straight home.’
‘You’re still friends with Carl then?’ Tegan joined him on the sofa.
‘Well, yes,’ Brody replied, puzzled as to why Tegan would think he’d suddenly fallen out with Carl.
She had been waiting for him once she arrived after visiting her parents. Since then she’d had a long nap upstairs, still suffering from jet lag, so this was the first time they’d really seen each other to chat properly since she got here.
