by Julie Caplin
She prodded Maddie and hissed. ‘We’ve definitely been down here three times now.’
Maddie’s eyes widened in some kind of plea as she looked across at Bill.
‘Don’t look at me. I wasn’t built for subterfuge,’ he said leaning backwards into his seat. The taxi driver asked Maddie a question. She shook her head and then suddenly changed her mind as her phone beeped.
Nina folded her arms and swung her gaze from Maddie to Bill and back again. ‘Are you going to tell me what’s going on?’
‘Nothing to do with us. It might be a bit of a leaving party for Marcel.’
Nina frowned. There was no way Marcel would agree to anything like that. He didn’t do fuss or limelight. ‘Does he know?’
‘No.’ Maddie shook her head, all innocence all of a sudden.
‘He definitely doesn’t,’ said Bill with new confidence.
‘Should be interesting then. Did Marguerite organise it?’
Maddie mimed her lips being zipped. Nina rolled her eyes. ‘Bill?’
He copied Maddie.
Nina hissed out a sigh. ‘You two are driving me nuts.’ She didn’t want to say ‘this had better be good’ but seriously? All she wanted to do was find Sebastian. She wondered if she could get hold of Alex to find out if he’d moved out of the hotel yet.
‘We’re here,’ trilled Maddie, shrill with excitement.
The taxi had brought them to the back entrance of the shop.
‘I take it Sebastian doesn’t know anything about this?’ asked Nina, chewing at her lip. The last thing she wanted to do was go behind his back again.
Bill and Maddie exchanged furtive looks.
‘Oh for God’s sake. I’ve got enough explaining to do to him, without a new crime on my conscience.
‘Just bear with us, pet. Come on.’
Leaving Maddie to sort the taxi driver out, Bill opened the back door and peered inside.
Nina rolled her eyes. She didn’t want to be sneaking around anymore. ‘Come on, let’s get this over with.’
Bill cocked his head and listened, waiting until Maddie joined him.
There were signs that the kitchen had been in use, water on the stainless-steel benches and crumbs on the floor. Well, it wasn’t her problem anymore.
‘Wait here, a minute.’
‘Bill, we’re good to go.’ Maddie waved her phone at him with a sitcom-style, rather too obvious waggle of her head. They were rapidly turning into a comedy duo.
‘Oh, yeah. OK. You can go through.’
Intrigued but still a little irritated, Nina did as she was told. The quicker she got through whatever this was, the quicker she could speak to Sebastian.
There was no sign of Marcel in the silent patisserie. No sign of anyone but sitting in the middle of one of the tables was an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne. Curiouser and curiouser. Next to the table on the floor was an A4 sheet of paper with a large black arrow pointing towards the door. A second one with another arrow halved the distance between her and the door. A third arrow pointed under the door. What was going on? And where was everyone? She’d assumed the gang would all be here.
There was no sign of anyone in the street when she stepped out. Another arrow pointed left. After only one step there was another notice. Look Up.
At first she looked up to the sky a little unsure where she should be looking. Clouds, blue sky, sunshine. Everything as it should be. Lowering her gaze, she swept the first-floor windows, which had missed out on the smart new grey paint but luckily had never had the turquoise treatment. Nothing of note there.
Was this some kind of riddle? What was she missing? She turned and looked over her shoulder half-expecting some television crew to jump out candid-camera style.
It was only when she turned back she saw it.
‘Oh!’ she gasped, her hand over her mouth. ‘Oh.’
Pale pink letters had been painted onto the dark grey.
Nina’s
‘Oh,’ she said again, taking a step back.
The S was still glistening as if the paint had yet to dry.
A swirly sensation of excitement danced in her stomach, sudden hope leaping about like demented butterflies. No, it couldn’t be. There was some other explanation. But surely after yesterday…
Only the registered owner would do this.
Clasping her fingers together she stared up at her name. Nina’s.
‘What do you think?’ asked a low voice from behind her.
Whirling round, she gave him a crooked smile. ‘I think it beats jewellery.’
‘It’s supposed to be an apology.’
‘It also beats my apology, which was going to be heartfelt and sincere. I am so sorry that I told Nick and that I wasn’t honest with you. I had no right to treat this place as if it were mine. —’
Sebastian laid a finger on her lips with a solemn smile, leaving a dart of pleasure dancing over the tender skin there. ‘I’m upset that Nick is mad with me … but he’s going to have to suck it up. Being with you makes me happier than I’ve ever been. You’re the one that counts.’
‘Oh Sebastian, I…’ He was so much more vulnerable than he ever let one see.
‘Sounds stupid but after the showdown with Nick and then you didn’t turn up at the hospital, I … I thought you didn’t care enough. I only came here because I needed something to do to take my mind off things. I came to read the electric meter, never dreaming that I’d find you here or that you’d be busy. To be honest, I was doing that stupid thing where you come up with a million reasons why you might be wrong and I was still trying to persuade myself that you were stuck on the Metro somewhere. Or that you’d had an accident or been caught up in something. And that Nick had forced you to tell him.’
Nina hid a smile. He sounded as bad as her mother.
‘And there you were as cool as a cucumber chatting to that couple as if there was nowhere else you needed to be. I flipped.’
‘Oh Sebastian, I’m so sorry, I was on my way …’
‘Marcel told me.’
‘Marcel?’
Sebastian’s face relaxed. ‘I had an interesting conversation with Madame Colbert this morning.’
Nina shook her head.
‘The lady judge.’
‘Oh.’
‘She was very impressed with the innovative home-made patisseries and I realised that I’d let my temper get the better of me. I’d been oblivious to quite how much you’d achieved. So I called Marcel, we met up and we had a bit of a chat.’
Nina stiffened, catching her lip between her teeth.
‘Everything you’ve done has been bloody amazing. Your flavours are incredible. And I love the Anglo-French fusion idea. So clever.’
‘Well, not really because I’m copying—’
‘Yes really. The flavours, the ideas, the interpretation. They’re all so original. Seriously, I am so impressed. This morning when I arrived with Marcel there were a few disgruntled customers outside waiting apparently for something called chocolat caramel suprême.’
‘We got lucky with that one. It looks good on social media.’
‘No, you got lucky because it tastes amazing. And you were right, I realised I’ve completely lost my passion, that creativity. You’ve inspired me to do something different.’
Nina gave him a shy smile. ‘Well, I’ve enjoyed experimenting, but I still shouldn’t have done it without your permission.’
‘Well, I’m prepared to overlook it.’ He stopped looking worried. ‘Will you stay? Despite everything I said yesterday. I was wrong.’
‘No, you were right. In the past I have given up too easily. I realised that I was so busy looking for the wrong thing. I thought I wanted to escape from my family, but I realised I need family around me. People, friends, a form of family. That’s where I thrive. That’s what I fight for. I was on my way back today when Maddie and Bill found me. I was on my way back to tell you that I wasn’t going anywhere without you.’
‘Marcel t
old me that you’d done this for him. And the others too.’
‘Well, not just for him, I was being selfish too.’
‘He told me about his wife and his sister and his nephews.’
‘Perhaps he can just work lunchtimes for you.’
‘I don’t know what it’s got to do with me. What do you think that is?’ Sebastian looked up at the sign above the patisserie.
Nina’s heart bumped. ‘I thought it was … a gesture, an apology.’
‘Well it is that, but I’d like you and Marcel to carry on as you have been, although I’d like to get involved … you know, managing the practical things like paying the bills.’
‘And what about Nick?’ She winced, gnawing at her lip.
Sebastian eyes softened. ‘He’s just going to have to get used to the idea. But when he realises how I feel about you, that we have a business to run together, that we have—’ he gave her a hopeful look ‘—a future together, maybe he’ll come around.’
Nina smiled gently up at him. ‘I know Nick, once he’s calmed down, he’ll think it through and once he realises that…’ She lifted her shoulders not wanting to presume anything.
Sebastian took both of her hands. ‘Once he realises that I love you and I’ve waited for far too bloody long. When we were teenagers, I liked being the hero, sticking up for you when your brothers ganged up on you but … that day, the one when you came off the cross-country course, covered in mud and grinning from ear to ear, something went ping and I knew. You were the one. And then…’ He sighed. ‘Life got in the way. I ballsed it up. I chickened out. But not anymore. I love Nick like a brother, but once he realises…’
Heat suffused through her at his vehement words. ‘Yeah, once he realises…’ She couldn’t quite frame the words that had filled her with silent joy bubbling. It was like standing on the edge of a cliff, one false step and all her hopes could evaporate, but luckily Sebastian came to her rescue.
‘Once he realises that I love you.’
‘And I’ve set Mum onto him.’
Sebastian rolled his eyes.
‘I know … but being a spoiled princess sometimes comes in useful.’ She gave him a cheerful naughty grin, ‘Although it’s going to cost you.’
‘It is?’ Sebastian looked wary.
‘A kiss will do for starters.’
‘Ah, that I can do,’ he said with a slow smile that lit up his face, a dimple puncturing one cheek and his eyes crinkling with amusement.
As he claimed her lips there was a loud cheer and a lot of banging on the window. They ignored the noise and carried on kissing. When they finally looked up at the rowdy rabble, Bill, Maddie, Peter, Jane and even Marguerite were all cheering and beckoning and Marcel was waving the champagne bottle at them.
‘I think that’s our cue,’ said Sebastian putting his arm around her and guiding her back into the patisserie.
‘A toast,’ said Marcel a few minutes later, with a rare smile. ‘To Nina and Nina’s!’
‘To Nina and Nina’s,’ chorused everyone.
Epilogue
There was a rousing cheer as Nina smeared the final profiterole with a dab of dark chocolate and secured it to the top of the pyramid. The croquembouche looked amazing, the plump cream choux buns spiralling round in alternate lines of strawberry cream and plain cream filling topped with dark chocolate and white chocolate interspersed with regularly spaced halves of strawberries which looked like love hearts.
It was the final day of the course, which had been postponed the previous week. And what a week it had been.
Stepping back, she felt Sebastian’s arms close around her pulling her back against him, dropping a quick kiss in the crook of her neck, where he’d quickly figured out that it tickled and made her squirm. In the last week he’d learned a lot of things about her, most of which couldn’t be mentioned in public.
‘Get a room,’ shouted Maddie licking white chocolate before sidling up to Nina. ‘The man’s besotted. Has he left your side this week?’
‘Apart from the trip home to the farm, no.’ Nina couldn’t help but beam. ‘I can’t believe he did that.’
‘And it’s all sorted with your brother?’
‘Yes, thank goodness. Thankfully Nick was already starting to come round. I think my mother might have had words. But I think Nick genuinely approves now. A bit jealous, if anything.’ Nina’s voice faltered. ‘I would have felt bad for Sebastian if … he’d lost Nick.’
‘But,’ Maddie gave her a hefty nudge, ‘he was prepared to, that says a lot in my book.’
‘But I wasn’t.’ She watched him gently teasing Marguerite who was flapping a tea towel at him, a fond motherly smile on her face. ‘Sebastian needs people, he just doesn’t always realise it.’
‘And now for some champagne,’ demanded Marguerite, commandeering Marcel and collecting the tray of flutes waiting in readiness.
As Marcel expertly filled the glasses, everyone waited, standing around the glorious confection, which really had been a team effort. Between them they’d all come up with the ideas, Nina had suggested the idea of alternate fillings, Maddie had insisted that one of those should be Nina’s ‘magic’ strawberry cream, Bill had wanted white chocolate and Marguerite dark, and Peter and Jane had jointly voted for the strawberry decoration.
Sebastian, standing opposite her, raised his glass. ‘I want to make a small toast to you all. It’s no secret that I had no intention of keeping the patisserie open, and I don’t know how many of you knew that I really didn’t want to teach this course,’ Maddie gave an outraged gasp and Marguerite tutted. He shot the older woman a charming smile and winked at Maddie. ‘But it has been … an absolute privilege to get to know you all and to see how much the patisserie has come to mean to all of you.’ He gave a lopsided grin. ‘I don’t often admit I’m wrong but … I want to thank you all for helping to show me the magic of this place. And for all the amazing work you’ve done. Most of all I want to thank Nina, who has worked so hard.’ He smiled at her, looking at her with an intensity that made her sight a little blurry, ‘And for giving me a piece of myself back.’ He paused, swallowing hard and taking a moment before he was able to continue. ‘A wise woman said to me that being with the right person is like the last piece of the jigsaw slotting into place.’ He tipped his glass towards Jane. ‘And she was right.’
Nina’s eyes widened and she mouthed ‘when’ at Jane, who gave her a serene smile and hooked her arm through Peter’s drawing him closer.
Sebastian began to walk towards Nina and came to stand in front of her, his voice dropping and Nina heard in it that delicious timbre that made the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Standing with what felt like momentous stillness, he held her gaze. ‘Nina, you are the piece of jigsaw that makes me feel complete.’
Everything went out of focus except for Sebastian’s dear, familiar face as around them she was aware of an almighty wolf whistle, cheers and glasses chinking. He leaned forward and grazed her lips with his before whispering, ‘I love you.’
All she could do was smile helplessly up at him because any second she was going to cry. She placed a hand on his chest and he put his hand over hers and held it there. With the other he lifted his glass. ‘To us.’ The simple words sounded like a promise.
‘To us,’ she echoed, still grinning like an idiot. They both took a sip still unable to tear their gazes away.
He touched her mouth with the top his glass. ‘I love your smile. And—’ cocking his head, sudden amusement on his face, he mock growled ‘—I want that photo back.’
‘I didn’t think you noticed it had gone,’ she giggled feeling light-hearted and wonderfully happy.
‘Of course I did, it’s my favourite picture of you,’ he said before adding in that familiar smoky voice, ‘It’s all I’ve had all these years to keep me going.’
That really did finish her off but luckily a long tender kiss proved the perfect distraction.
Loved gorgeous Scot, Alex? Well keep reading f
or an exclusive look at the next book in the series, The Northern Lights Lodge
Chapter 1
Bath
‘I’m afraid there’s still nothing. Like I said last week and the week before. You have to understand it’s a difficult time, economically people aren’t moving around as much.’ This was said with a mealy-mouthed, pseudo-sympathetic smile and shark-like small eyes that slid away from meeting Lucy’s as if being unemployable was catching.
Difficult time? Hello! Lucy was currently writing the bloody book on it being a difficult time. She wanted to grab the recruitment consultant by the throat and shake her. Instead she shifted in her seat opposite the other woman in the brightly lit office, with its trendy furniture and state of the art Apple Mac screen taking up most of the desk, trying to look serene instead of utterly panic stricken.
The other girl was now dubiously eying Lucy’s lacklustre blonde hair, which hung in limp rats tails, unable to hide an expression of horrified curiosity. Lucy swallowed and felt the ever-present tears start to well up. You try styling hair that’s been coming out in handfuls for the last three weeks, she thought. She didn’t dare wash it more than once a week because seeing the plug hole full of blonde strands seemed even more terrifying than all the other crap going on in her life right now. Things must be bad when your own hair started jumping ship.
Lucy could feel her lip curl. Oh God, any minute she might snarl like a wild animal. It was increasingly tricky to try and behave like a normal human being these days and now at this moment, it was a particular challenge as she looked back across the desk at the girl sitting there in her cherry red, fitted power suit, with her perfect glossy bob and darling plum gel nails. The epitome of success. What someone looked like when they were going places. When their career was on the up rather than going completely down the swanny faster than a canoe going over the Niagara Falls.
With a sigh, Lucy swallowed hard. For the last twenty minutes, she’d fought the temptation to grab Little Miss Professional by the lapels and plead, ‘there must be a job somewhere for me’. She’d had to resort to sitting on her hands with her shoulders hunched up by her ears as she listened to the same spiel that she’d heard in the last ten other recruitment consultant offices; the market was down, people weren’t recruiting, no one had a career for life these days. They didn’t need to bloody tell Lucy that, she’d discovered that inconvenient fact the hard way. But, whined the persistent voice in her head, she was looking for a job in hospitality, the whine became shriller and more insistent, there were always jobs in hospitality.