‘Did they pass?’ Emma whispered.
‘I haven’t decided yet,’ Sid began, but then said no more about it, probably recalling Nell’s threats.
‘I’m going to get the bar ready in case anyone wants an afternoon tipple,’ Tia said.
‘No worries,’ Emma replied, and then busied herself going down the list of expected guests and their estimated time of arrival while those naughty little butterflies did cartwheels in her stomach.
There’d been times she’d thought that this day would never come – too many of them – but here it was at last. As she looked down a list that showed the hotel would be close to capacity on its first ever weekend of business, it was enough to give her a smile that filled her heart completely.
The next person through the door was Darcie, carrying a huge basket of muffins.
Emma looked up from her list. ‘We didn’t order—’ she began.
‘I know,’ Darcie said, lugging them to the counter. ‘They’re a gift to wish you good luck and to give to your guests when they arrive.’ She smiled. ‘And if they like them…’
‘I’ll know where to send them for more,’ Emma said. ‘Thanks, Darcie – they’re brilliant.’
As Darcie hauled the basket onto the counter another party arrived – this time a mother, father and young daughter.
Sid bowed. ‘Welcome to Honeymoon Station Hotel. Reception is just this way…’
Emma smiled at the family, but she made a mental note to have a word with Sid about the reception thing. It was fairly obvious to anyone who walked in that the desk was right in front of them. She’d said to tell people where things were if they asked…
The little girl bounced up and down. ‘Are we sleeping in a train?’
‘Yes,’ her dad said with an indulgent smile. ‘That’ll be fun, won’t it?’
‘Yes!’ she cried. ‘Yes, yes!’
From the corner of her eye, Emma saw Darcie slip away. She guessed she didn’t want to get in the way, and perhaps that old shyness had got the better of her, as it did from time to time. Emma resolved to call her later and thank her properly for the muffins.
After she’d checked in the latest arrivals, Sid took them out to the carriages, the little girl chatting to him incessantly the whole time.
Emma had set her phone to silent, but she had it under the counter where she could see if anything urgent came in. As she glanced at it now, she saw a message waiting that could only have arrived a few minutes ago.
Have you managed to insult any of your guests yet?
Emma tapped a reply to tell Elise she was a cheeky little so-and-so and that she ought to respect her elders.
A second later Elise replied: Can’t wait to come and visit next week.
Can’t wait to see you.
I’ll be thinking of you. Have a brilliant first day, and don’t let dad drive you mad.
Emma was about to type a response when a voice made her look up.
‘Got a room?’
‘Jeez, Aidan! You made me jump!’
‘Sorry,’ he said with a sheepish smile, and at the sight of him there she couldn’t help but melt. So sweet, so relaxed, so charming, so clever, so strong, so handsome… so completely hers… She couldn’t imagine now why she’d ever tried to deny that she’d been hopelessly in love with him since the first day he’d told her one of his stories.
He leaned in for a kiss.
‘Sid will be back in a minute,’ she warned.
‘So?’
‘And guests are due.’
‘Just one little kiss and I’m out of your hair for the rest of the day.’
‘No.’ She gave his arm a playful slap, though she wanted nothing more and to refuse him was torture. ‘How’s my dad?’
He leaned on the counter. ‘All settled in.’
‘Already?’
‘He didn’t bring that much down with him – says the rest is due tomorrow on the removal van. And yes, I’ll go over to help him get it in.’
She smiled. ‘I don’t deserve you.’
‘I know. So do I get a kiss now as a token of your appreciation?’
‘No!’
Aidan shrugged. ‘Though he picked a hell of a week to move in.’
‘That’s my dad. But, in his defence, once the contracts had been exchanged there didn’t seem much point in hanging around. I still can’t believe how quick that all happened. I mention casually to him that June is selling her house and the next minute he’s bought it.’
‘But you must be happier with him here.’
‘Yes, where I can at least try to keep an eye on him.’
‘Where we can keep an eye on him.’
‘Ah.’ She smiled. ‘Now you deserve a kiss…’
‘Welcome to Honeymoon Station Hotel!’ Sid boomed and Emma, blushing furiously, almost threw Aidan out of the way to see Sid bowing to more arrivals. Aidan grinned. She’d say she was going to give him a piece of her mind later, but what was the point? He’d get round her anyway and it would only end in more kissing… and maybe some other things…
These thoughts left her head as she looked properly and saw who was coming through the doors.
‘You made it!’ she cried.
‘We wouldn’t have missed it for the world!’ Patricia said, leaning across the reception desk to hug her.
‘Of course not,’ Dominic said, giving her a peck on the cheek. His gaze turned to the rosewood and the elegant wall lights and soft peach decor and the gleaming parquet floor and he gave a nod of approval. ‘I have to admit to being very wrong. I never thought you’d get this done, but you did and it looks amazing.’
‘We’re so proud of you,’ Patricia said. ‘Your mum would have been too, and she’d have loved this.’
‘I think so too,’ Emma said.
Patricia and Dominic looked at Aidan.
‘And how are you?’ Patricia asked. ‘You were the development we really didn’t see coming… although’ – she eyed Emma cheekily – ‘we did wonder if there wasn’t a bit of a spark there…’
‘Did we?’ Dominic said blankly.
Aidan laughed. ‘It’s good to meet you properly this time.’
‘If you need a guide while you’re staying here,’ Emma said, ‘Aid’s your man.’
Patricia looked at him. ‘Oh?’
‘We’re going to get some trips up and running for the guests,’ Aidan said.
Emma took a leaflet from a rack on the counter and handed it to her aunt.
‘Tall Tales and Tragic Tours,’ Patricia read. She opened it up and scanned the page. ‘People will love these.’
‘We hope so,’ Emma replied. ‘Aidan fancied a change of career and we thought why not exploit the thing he’s really good at?’
‘I’m so happy to see things working out for you,’ Patricia said, giving Emma a fond look.
Sid came up behind them. ‘Could I show you to your room, sir and madam?’
Aidan shot Emma a private grin.
‘We haven’t checked in yet,’ Patricia began.
‘It’s alright,’ Emma told her. ‘I’ll check you in. Sid will show you to your room and we can meet again later in the bar.’
As they followed Sid, Emma booked them in. She heard Aidan chuckle and looked up.
‘He’s taking this concierge thing a bit too seriously.’
‘Sid?’ Emma replied. ‘Yes, but I’d rather have him like this than sticking posters up telling everyone how much he hates us.’
‘True,’ Aidan said. He glanced along the counter. ‘Muffins?’
‘Darcie brought them over. They’re freebies for the guests.’
‘What about the staff?’ he asked, swiping one.
‘Oi!’
‘And what about the flowers?’ he asked, already munching on his ill-gotten gains.
‘Nell,’ Emma said, glancing at a huge vase containing peach and cream blooms that complemented the decor perfectly. ‘We ought to be sending her flowers, not the other way around. She sa
ved our bacon after all.’
‘If it makes you feel better, I think you saved hers too. She’s been bored to death running that shop for years; the hotel gives her something else to think about.’
‘I never thought of it that way.’
‘You never do, that’s your trouble.’ He popped the rest of the muffin into his mouth and chewed with the deepest contentment. ‘Always worrying about what you might be taking from others instead of recognising what you might be giving them.’
‘It’s a hard habit to break.’
‘I know that,’ he said, sneaking closer again, ‘but I’m here to set you right now…’
Blake rushed in, causing them to jump apart yet again.
‘Bro, there’s an actual minibus pulling up in the car park! Did you know that?’
‘Oh, I thought…’ Emma checked her schedule. ‘They’re not due for another two hours!’
‘Tia!’ Blake shouted.
She ran from the bar and frowned when she saw there was no actual fire. ‘Stop shouting like a moron!’
‘Sorry…’ he panted. ‘Loads of people arriving! Right now!’
Aidan began to chuckle. ‘Stop panicking. There are four of us standing here – I’m sure we can manage a few early guests; after all, we’ve tackled way bigger.’
Emma looked at Tia. Tia looked at Blake. Blake looked at Aidan and Aidan looked at Emma. They all looked at each other and grinned. They had tackled way bigger and they’d won.
Emma straightened her blouse and faced the entrance just in time to see Sid back at his post. As the busload of guests started to arrive at the doors, he gave a low bow and in his most regal voice announced: ‘Welcome to Honeymoon Station Hotel.’
Emma’s heart swelled. If any of these people saw half the magic of her home that she did, they’d leave very happy people indeed.
If you fell in love with The Hotel at Honeymoon Station, then you won’t be able to resist The Little Village Bakery, a feel-good romantic comedy with plenty of cake!
Available to download here!
The Little Village Bakery
Honeybourne Series Book 1
Get it here!
Help yourself to a generous slice of Victoria sponge, a perfect cup of tea and a big dollop of romance. Welcome to the Little Village Bakery.
Meet Millie. Heartbreak has forced her to make a new start and when she arrives at the old bakery in the little village of Honeybourne she is determined that this will be her home sweet home. Her imagination has been captured by the tumbledown bakery but with no running water and dust everywhere, her cosy idea of making cakes in a rural idyll quickly crumbles.
Luckily the locals are a friendly bunch and step in to help Millie. One in particular, Dylan, a laid-back lothario, soon captures her attention.
But just as Millie is beginning to settle in, an unexpected visitor from her past suddenly turns up determined to ruin everything for her. It’s time for Millie to face the skeletons in her closet if she’s going to live the dream of running her little village bakery, and her blossoming romance with Dylan.
A charming heartwarming novel about love, life and new beginnings perfect for fans of Milly Johnson and Debbie Johnson.
Get it here!
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Books by Tilly Tennant
The Hotel at Honeymoon Station
The Little Orchard on the Lane
The Time of My Life
The Spring of Second Chances
Once Upon a Winter
Cathy’s Christmas Kitchen
Worth Waiting For
The Waffle House on the Pier
The Break Up
The Garden on Sparrow Street
Hattie’s Home for Broken Hearts
The Mill on Magnolia Lane
The Christmas Wish
The Summer Getaway
The Summer of Secrets
An Unforgettable Christmas Series
A Very Vintage Christmas
A Cosy Candlelit Christmas
From Italy with Love Series
Rome is Where the Heart is
A Wedding in Italy
Honeybourne Series
The Little Village Bakery
Christmas at the Little Village Bakery
A Letter from Tilly
I want to say a huge thank you for choosing to read The Hotel at Honeymoon Station. If you did enjoy it, and want to keep up to date with all my latest releases, just sign up at the following link. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
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I’m so excited to share The Hotel at Honeymoon Station with you. It was a welcome distraction for me as I worked on it, particularly as the UK was in yet another coronavirus lockdown. I hope it’s just as welcome a distraction for my lovely readers, and that a little fictional trip to beautiful Dorset offers a few hours of escape.
I hope you enjoyed The Hotel at Honeymoon Station and if you did I would be very grateful if you could write a review. I’d love to hear what you think, and it makes such a difference helping new readers to discover one of my books for the first time.
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Thanks,
Tilly
www.tillytennant.com
The Little Orchard on the Lane
Get it here!
Sit back on a sunny Somerset terrace and watch Posy fall for the neighbour she loves to hate, whose melting brown eyes and taut muscles are almost as annoying as his hot temper…
When twenty-seven-year-old Posy arrives at picture-perfect Oleander House in the Somerset village of Astercombe, she is enchanted. Adopted when she was just a baby, Posy is excited to re-connect with her birth family and help out on the family cider farm with its old stone walls and bees buzzing in the hedgerows.
There’s just one tiny problem – her new next-door neighbour, haughty, handsome vineyard-owner Lachlan. Lachlan has taken an instant dislike to Posy, and after a furious argument when she ventures on his land, she’s pretty certain there’s not a heart of gold beneath his frosty exterior.
Yet as she falls in love with the flower-filled hedgerows and apple-green fields of her new life, she discovers more about her grumpy neighbour. Even though he acts like the world is out to get him, she can’t ignore the sad expression in his dark eyes.
And when Posy discovers the heartbreaking secret that is tearing Lachlan apart, she understands why he has shut the door on the world and vows to help him, as well as the vineyard, which has fallen on hard times. Yet just as Lachlan lets Posy in, a terrible night threatens to destroy everything she has begun to care about and puts someone she loves at risk. Will her dream life in the country come at an awful price?
If you love Nicola May, Debbie Macomber and Milly Johnson, then you will adore The Little Orchard on the Lane. An enchanting summer romance about new beginnings, second chances and trusting your heart.
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The Time of My Life
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She’s given up on love. But one little letter might change everything…
Single mum Bonnie is a born romantic. But she’s been seriously let down by love. Her good-for-nothing husband walked out on her and daughter Paige two years ago, and hasn’t been heard from since.
Between trying to make ends meet, managing teenage mood swings and the serious lack of eligible bachelors in her small town, Bonnie has all but given up on finding her happily ever after.
Although if real-life romance is in short supply, it doesn’t mean Bonnie can’t indulge in a harmless imaginary one. She’s started writing to her totally unattainable dream man, baring her soul before screwing up the pages and tossi
ng them straight in the trash…
But when fate intervenes and Bonnie actually meets the man she never thought she could have, events take an interesting turn. Envelopes addressed to her start mysteriously arriving on her doorstep. Although Bonnie never sent him any of the letters she wrote, he has now begun writing to her.
Is Bonnie about to discover that dreams really do come true?
A fabulously funny and warm romantic comedy that fans of Josie Silver, Holly Martin and Lindsey Kelk will absolutely love!
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The Spring of Second Chances
Get it here!
Twenty-seven-year-old Phoebe has spent the last year living under dark clouds. This spring she is determined to embrace blue skies and new beginnings. But will she have the strength to open her heart to love for a second time?
The Hotel at Honeymoon Station : A totally heartwarming romance about new beginnings Page 28