The image of a vast, silent, staring audience made Will break out in a cold sweat. He threw a glance at the piano and swallowed hard, even as his fingers flexed, itching to touch the ivories and test out its tone. Even so, there was a good chance that the beautiful instrument—newly tuned and carefully sourced by Leah—might just remain untouched for the duration of his stay.
‘So, that’s anoto joining your brothers, then?’ said Leah, trying to sound light and unbothered, though he suspected his PA would be pinging his brothers a message the minute she left.
‘That’s adefiniteno,’ said Will, forcing a smile. ‘I’m sure I’ll see plenty of them, but I need to stay somewhere minus the usual Pepper chaos.’
Leah nodded.
‘Anyway, it would be a shame to waste all your hard work!’ he added, gesturing around the beautiful room.
‘Good point. Right…’ She twitched towards the door as if she was about to leave, but it was clear her feet were reluctant to follow.
‘Stand down, Leah!’ laughed Will. ‘You’re off the hook.’
‘Sure?’
‘Sure!’ said Will, practically ushering her towards the door. ‘I’ve got your number, and I promise I’ll call if anything comes up. Besides, you’ll no doubt see me tomorrow anyway—Seabury’s not big enough for you to hide from me for a whole week!’
‘Okay,’ said Leah with a nod. ‘Well… sleep well. I’ll see you… around.’
‘Thanks again.’
‘Yeah. No worries.’
Leah gave him a funny little wave and then disappeared out into the hallway.
‘And so the holiday begins,’ sighed Will, as the sound of the front door closing behind her echoed through the house.
Will padded through to the fancy kitchen, his towelling dressing gown wafting behind him like a cape.
This place was insanely lovely, and probably a bittoo muchfor him on his own if he was being honest. Five bedrooms, a vast kitchen, a glorious clifftop garden… hell, it even had its own hot tub!
Not that Will was complaining. He’d just spent a ridiculous amount of time in the shower—a massive rainfall affair that felt like a thousand jets hitting him from every angle. This place was more luxurious than some of the best hotels he’d stayed in on his travels around the world!
‘Yeah, and all this… in Seabury!’ he murmured, his eyes wide as he took in the polished concrete floor of the kitchen, with its fancy island and wreath of copper pots and pans dangling from a canopy overhead.
Will’s stomach growled, and he glanced over at the clock that took up one entire wall. The thing was more like an art installation than a timepiece—its huge hands ticking away across the exposed brickwork.
Gone midnight? Blimey!
He should have been in bed hours ago, but here he was, padding around an empty house feeling… something.
Or maybe nothing.
Will let out a long sigh. There was something wrong. There had been for months. The problem was, he simply couldn’t figure out what it was.
Leah made sure he ate well and took his vitamins. Will knew he wasn’t ill because she’d practically frog-marched him to his GP last time he’d played in London and insisted on him getting his full bloodwork done. Will suspected that Matt might have been behind that little trip! When the tests didn’t turn up anything at all, Leah simply made sure he rested as much as possible between concerts and got to bed at a sensible hour.
Or… that’s what she thought, anyway. Recently? Not so much.
Will couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t sit still. So he simply paced, waiting for morning and the inevitable sound checks, warm-ups, practises, concerts… and then more pacing.
And now, he was exhausted.
After months on tour, Will’s mind was tired, his hands were tired… hell, his entire body ached with exhaustion. But still, he couldn’t sleep.
‘Maybe you’re just hungry,’ he muttered, heading for the ginormous fridge and opening the door.
As usual, Leah had made sure it was packed with everything he loved. Cold meats, cheeses, salads, sauces. Will sighed again, grabbed a bottle of water, and closed the door.
