‘This is going to be a good week,’ she whispered.
Leah didn’t know what made her so sure. Maybe it was just the fact that if she decided to make something happen, it usually did. There was a lot to be said for the power of positive thinking.
One thing was certain, though—Leah needed this break. Sure, she was basically tagging along on her boss’s holiday, but it was easier this way. If Will needed her, she would be on hand. If she was miles away, she simply wouldn’t be able to relax!
Will had promised not to call on her unless there was an emergency… but if she was being completely honest, Leah wouldn’t mind if hedidneed her. She never minded. Whatever he wanted, wherever she was, Leah would drop everything for him. That was just the way it was.
‘And that’s a habit you need to get out of!’ she sighed, watching as the lacy crests of the waves gently caressed the pebbled shoreline.
Sure, it was her job… but it had also become her life. Herwholelife. And when something was as one-sided as this particular set-up… well, it couldn’t be healthy, could it?
This holiday had come at the perfect moment for both of them. It was time for a break. Together… but apart at the same time. Maybe this little town would give Leah the peace and stillness she needed to make a few decisions.
Hard decisions. Life-changing decisions. Decisions she knew would end up making her cry before everything played out.
Not tonight, though. Tonight, all she needed to do was get herself settled and calm her mind. Leah knew from bitter,knackering experience that if she let her head go down any rabbit holes before bed, she’d have nothing but a long, sleepless night ahead of her. And after the drive she’d just had, she needed some proper sleep!
‘Right, where’s the Post Office?’ she murmured, turning her back on the sea and staring up and down the line of shops.
Leah knew she was at the right end of town from the directions Doris had sent her. Seabury’s postmistress owned the flat above the shop, and Connie had lived there when she’d first moved to town. According to her friend, the place was tiny, but a real gem. Even better… it was currently vacant.
‘Bingo,’ she said with a smile, spotting the Post Office’s distinctive sign a little further along the seafront.
Heading straight for it, Leah took the narrow alleyway down the side of the shop and spotted the cheery red front door with the promised pot of geraniums next to the doormat. She angled her phone at the base of the pot, using the screen’s weak light to hunt for the key.
‘Gotcha!’
Opening the door, she jogged up the narrow stairs, towing her suitcase behind her, and let herself into the cutest, tiniest bolthole she’d ever seen. Sure, there might not be much room, but the sofa looked comfy, the bookshelf came fully loaded and, according to Connie, the place had beautiful views out over the sea. It couldn’t be further from the sleek cliffside house she’d hired for Will, but for her, this was perfect.
When they’d first discovered Leah was joining Will in Seabury, Connie and Rosie had practically begged her to stay at Seabury House. As much as she’d been moved by their enthusiasm, Leah simply hadn’t felt comfortable accepting. Itmighthave been different if Will was staying there himself… but then again, maybe not!
For one thing, they needed a break from each other. For another… she wasn’t sure how her boss would feel about her cosying up with his family! That said, the pair of them got on okay. More than okay when Will actually noticed her presence.
Leah sighed. In many ways, working for Will was a dream. She got to travel the world, stay in some amazing places, and see him perform in some of the greatest auditoriums in the world. It was a gruelling schedule, but Leah loved organising things. She was good at it, and now that she knew Will so well, she was uniquely equipped for the job.
That was part of the problem. Leah made sure everything was so seamless that Will barely registered her existence… or at least, that’s what it felt like sometimes. She arranged flights, booked accommodation and made sure that his life was as easy as possible while they crisscrossed the globe together. Hell, since he’d randomly sacked his agent a couple of weeks before the end of the tour, she’d taken on the majority of that role too.
Perhaps if she left a few more bumps in the road, Will might appreciate her more. Then again… maybe not. Music was all that mattered to William Pepper, concert pianist extraordinaire. Nothing was going to change that.
Urgh… she was well on her way down that rabbit hole already, wasn’t she?!
Blowing out a long breath, Leah placed her handbag carefully onto the coffee table and then tucked her suitcase next to the sofa. The temptation to flop down onto it was huge. There was a large, cosy-looking blanket folded along the back, and she could happily snuggle down into those cushions and sleep for England. But… if she could just drag her weary bones a few more paces, she was sure there was a perfectly serviceable bed around here somewhere!
‘Come on, Leah, pull it together!’ she sighed, reaching up to yank the slide from her hair so that her sleek, businesslike up-dotumbled down around her shoulders. The relief was instant. She combed her fingers through the heavy strands, massaging her tingling scalp.
That was better!
What she really needed now was a long, hot shower… and maybe a fry-up. Sure, it was late, but the box of wilted salad she’d picked up at their last fuel stop felt like weeks ago. She was officially starving!
‘Okay, which way’s the kitchen?’ she muttered, trying the doorway opposite the sofa first.
Sure enough, she’d found it, though with little more than a postage stamp of floorspace, it barely qualified as a room. More like a walk-in cupboard.
‘Small but perfectly formed!’ There was everything she might need while she was there – oven, fridge, sink, microwave.
What Leahdidn’thave was any shopping. She’d been too busy making sure Will had everything he might need and had run out of time to shop for herself.
It didn’t really matter, though, did it? She was right in the middle of town. All she had to do was get through until morning, and she’d be able to head to the café for breakfast. After that, she could stock her cupboards with enough goodies to get her through the week.
