CHAPTER 1
WILLIAM
‘Do you like it?’
William Pepper could hear the uncertainty in Leah’s voice. He nodded quickly, wanting to reassure his Personal Assistant. After all, she’d pulled out all the stops to find somewhere as amazing as this house so close to Seabury.
‘I’m sure it’ll be great,’ he said, wandering over to the wall of glass that was clearly the crown jewel of the fancy holiday home.
A patchwork of windows surrounded two huge French doors that looked right out over a cliff-edge garden towards the sea… not that there was much to see out there at the moment. It was late and velvety dark. There wasn’t a hint of moonlight, and as for the stars? They were well and truly tucked up under a heavy blanket of clouds.
Will could hear the waves, though. Their rhythmic lullaby was already tugging on his eyelids, and if he wasn’t careful, he was going to fall asleep on his feet.
‘I made sure the piano was tuned,’ said Leah, nodding at a sleek, black upright that stood in an alcove surrounded by lush, green pot plants. ‘There’s plenty of fresh food in the kitchen, and you’re all set up for another delivery in a few days, so you won’t need to worry about shopping.’
Will smiled his thanks and nodded, turning back to the room and taking it all in. Even though it was dark outside, this place felt full of light. Cleverly placed lamps and mirrors gave it an open, airy feel, and Will could only imagine how beautiful it was going to be when the sun came up.
‘You can stand down,’ he said with a chuckle. Leah had that critical look on her face—the one that told him she was busy hunting for any issues so that she could solve them before he even noticed their existence. ‘The place looks great. Perfect, in fact. As usual, you’ve worked miracles.’
‘Well… okay,’ said Leah, turning back to him. ‘If you’re sure you don’t need anything?’
‘Other than some sleep, I’m good,’ said Will. ‘Go on, you head off. I’m sure you want to settle in and get started on your holiday, too.’
‘Okay. Well, I guess I’ll see you around then…’ she said, shifting from foot to foot. Will could sense a “but” coming a mile off.
‘But…’
There it was!
Will grinned. Leah had worked for him for three years now, and he knew her tells a mile off. It was only natural they’d gotten to know each other pretty well, considering how much time they spent together.
Okay, who was he kidding?
Leah always seemed to know what Will was thinking before he did… but as for her? If he was honest, Leah Martin was still a bit of a mystery.
Of course, on paper, he knew everything he needed to know about his Personal Assistant. Leah had been brought up near Cambridge, the oldest child of two university professors. Will knew she had a bunch of younger brothers and sisters, and from what he’d picked up over the years, she’d spent a greatdeal of her childhood looking after them when her brilliant but chronically scatty parents had been otherwise engaged. Come to think of it, that was probably what made her so good at her job. Leah was cool in a crisis, loyal to a fault, and completely unflappable. In fact, Will had never met someone so organised, and he couldn’t imagine his life without her there to guide him.
Still… a handful of facts about her past didn’t mean heknewher, did it? Sure, he could read her body language, but Will had no clue what really made her tick… or what made her get out of bed every day.
Then again, Will didn’t need to know, did he? He paid her well, and in return, she travelled the world with him, making sure he was where he was meant to be,whenhe was meant to be there. And that meant all he had to do was sit down at the piano… and play.
‘But?’ said Will, fighting the heaviness that was tugging at his eyelids and struggling to hold back a yawn. He appreciated all the care and attention to detail Leah had put into organising this break, but right now, he just needed to crash out.
‘But… are you sure you wouldn’t prefer to stay at Seabury House with your brothers?’ said Leah.
‘It’s a bit late for that, even if I did,’ chuckled Will.
‘It’s not, actually,’ said Leah. ‘Matt told me just to bring you straight to them if you changed your mind. Any time. Seemed quite keen on it, actually.’
Will pulled a face and shook his head so fast he almost gave himself a crick in the neck.
‘No need to look quite so horrified!’ laughed Leah.
‘Don’t tell them,’ said Will, ‘but… no way! Connie’s going to be in nesting-mode with the baby on its way, and it sounds like Ewan’s practically living inside a ball of wool with the shop being so busy. As for Matt and Rosie, they’re still up to their eyeballsrenovating the house whenever Matt’s not at the hospital playing God. I don’t think they need an extra body in the way.’
Leah raised her eyebrows, and Will instantly regretted his harsh words. He adored his brothers and loved the two women who’d quickly become a part of his family over the last year. Still, that didn’t mean he needed to be fussed over and mollycoddled. That’s why he’d asked Leah to find him somewhere a little way out of town in the opposite direction to Seabury House.
Will needed some peace and quiet. He spent so much of his life with hundreds, if not thousands of pairs of eyes trained on him while he played to packed concert halls. He didn’t need that kind of attention while he was supposedly on holiday too!
