‘No.’ He grinned.
She stepped in past him, finding herself in a narrow hallway. Ahead, an open door gave her a glimpse of the living room. The first thing she saw was the view through the picture window. The water was mesmerising, almost like a mirror for as far as the eye could see. Ava noticed Jack’s boat moored at the end of his jetty.A lone canoeist paddled past, followed by some energetic ducks. A bank of trees finished the view on the opposite side of the lake.
‘Wow, that is stunning,’ she said, removing her coat. ‘I can see why you live here. It’s so tranquil. I bet it’s good for the muse.’
Jack smiled. ‘That’s veryamusing.’
She grinned.
‘I’m making coffee. One sugar, right?’
‘Yes, thanks. It was lovely to see your parents on Monday.’ She took out her laptop and set it up on the table. ‘They look so well.’
‘Yes, they’re doing fine – well, on the surface. Mum’s still keeping an eye on Dad, and I’m trying to sway them towards semi-retirement. Giving others outside the family more responsibility, overseeing a lot more, which would enable them to work less hours.’ Jack ran a hand through his hair. ‘Since Dan died, our family fell apart. We were so close as a unit, but his death fractured us, and, well, Mum doesn’t want to change anything because he won’t be a part of it.’
‘I can understand that. Wouldn’t you be better selling it as a going concern, or is that a step too far? I know it’s been in your family for years.’
‘It may be a possibility, but there’s Eliza to think about as it’s her home as well as place of work. We might be able to persuade the staff to be taken on, but there are no guarantees.’
‘Hmm, it’s a tricky one.’
‘Hence me making plans for the future to help out.’
‘Oh? Are you thinking of buying the hotel outright?’ Ava tried not to seem surprised. Exactly how much money had he made from his writing?
‘No, but…’ Jack paused. ‘I’ll tell you about that later. I’m more concerned about my parents working past retirement agebecause none of us want to take over. Do you see much of your mum?’
‘She remarried and moved to Spain. She and Ray run a bar together, and she seems happy, that’s the main thing. We drifted apart after Dad died. I was so close to him, and it caused a rift when he was gone. It was sad as I don’t have a big family.’ She smiled. ‘That’s why I loved becoming an honorary Broadhurst for a few weeks every year.’
‘Did you miss coming here after your dad died?’
She shook her head. ‘I thought of you, all of you, every now and then, but I was sixteen, and…’
‘I thought about you a lot. I remember the last time we saw each other as plain as day.’
Ava’s eyes widened. ‘Well, yes, me too, but?—’
‘You mean to say you don’t think about what might have happened between us?’
Ava was stuck for words. She hadn’t expected anything as heavy as this. But then she noticed the corners of his mouth twitching.
‘You’re teasing!’ she cried, whacking him on the arm when he passed her to go into the kitchen. She could hear his laughter as she relaxed again.
Truth was, shedidremember him fondly every time she thought about the last time she’d been to Sapphire Lake. And every now and then, she’d wondered about him, what he’d been up to. Was he married? Did he have a family? Was he happy?
But she wasn’t going to tell him that.
‘Penny for them?’ Jack popped the mug down in front of her.
Ava was sure she blushed from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. ‘I was just thinking about what to do first today,’ she stuttered. ‘Do you have a list of what you’d like to cover?’
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
That evening, Ava was having a quick shower before going to see Ruby. She’d just eaten homemade shepherd’s pie, followed by apple pie and custard. Standard classics, but she was rather full. She came downstairs half an hour later to see a familiar face in the reception area.
‘Eliza?’ she said, almost shyly.
‘Ava!’ Eliza ran towards her, gave her a hug, and then held her at arm’s length. ‘Look at you! You’ve grown into a gorgeous woman.’
