Summer Nights at the Moonlight Hotel

by Jane Costello

  I’m about to respond when I become aware of someone tapping Cate on the shoulder. It takes me a second to place the woman, but when I do, recognition is instant: it’s the shop assistant from the convenience store near Cate’s flat – the one with the blonde bob who froze when we went to buy wine that time. Cate’s jaw tenses.

  ‘Might I just say something,’ she says sternly.

  ‘Please,’ I leap in. ‘If you’re going to say anything detrimental about—’

  ‘No,’ she replies, horrified by the suggestion. ‘On the contrary. I was just going to say . . . we all know what’s happened. It must have been awful for you. But nobody who’s worth knowing thinks any less of you.’

  For a moment, Cate looks as if she might burst into tears of gratitude. Instead, she manages to mutter a thank you – or several – before the woman disappears to re-join her husband.

  Cate lifts up her glass and clinks it against mine, her lip trembling slightly as she says, ‘Amen to that.’

  Then she looks up – and freezes. I follow her gaze until I see Will standing with the rest of the group again. He looks away and continues to make conversation with Joe.

  ‘Any bright ideas about what I say to make this right?’ Cate asks me.

  For the sake of brevity, I don’t fill her in on everything I’ve been through this afternoon. But I do say simply: ‘I’d recommend starting with one word. Sorry’.

  Stella and Mike’s first dance is the most brilliant spectacle I think I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s not just that Mike is putting on a miraculous attempt at dancing without risking the two of them ending up face first on the starlit dance floor. It’s not just that they’re spinning round, twirling and salsa-ing like the best of them.

  It’s the performance Stella puts on in order to convince Mike – and everyone else – that she had absolutely no idea that he’d learned to dance. She gasps, she coos, her eyes are wide in amazement – as Mike looks thoroughly delighted at the ‘surprise’ he’s given his new wife.

  I’ll be honest and say I’m amazed people are taken in by Stella’s acting job, which is hammier than a Peperami factory. But somehow they are. I can only put it down to the dim lighting and flowing booze.

  ‘I think he’s pulled this off, don’t you?’ Lulu asks from the edge of the dance floor as we watch. I glance over to see if she’s being serious. She appears to be, deadly so. ‘I’m so glad you decided not to tell Stella,’ she goes on. ‘It would’ve ruined the whole thing.’

  I redden around the gills. ‘All’s well that ends well,’ I grin nervously.

  Then I glance over at the corner of the room and see Cate and Will standing opposite each other, talking.

  I have no idea what they’re saying. But the sparkle in Will’s eyes makes me suspect that they might just be able to have their new start, after all. He takes my friend by the hand and leads her to the dance floor, and it’s as if the two of them were never apart.

  ‘Now that’s nice to see.’ I spin round and see Joe behind me. He reaches out for my hand, sending a shot of excitement through me.

  ‘It is,’ I agree and it strikes me that tonight, somehow, everything feels right. Except one thing.

  As the song draws to a close, the beat of another song takes over. ‘Shall we get some air?’ I suggest.

  Joe leads me outside, where we kiss under a black sky, alight with stars. And although I know it’ll kill the mood, I need to raise something now – because if I don’t, it’ll just eat away at me. ‘Will mentioned that you were planning to leave,’ I say.

  I feel him tense up. ‘Oh . . . he told you.’

  ‘He said you had your eye on a new venture.’ He does not reply, just looks into my eyes as my lips tremble and the warm breeze ruffles my hair.

  ‘At least I got a proper snog out of you, I suppose,’ I say, forcing a laugh. ‘Before you left.’

  A million things are whizzing round my head, but the main one is this: I want him to say he’s not going. That he’s changed his mind. That he’s going to stay and we can make a go of things and—

  ‘It is time for me to leave, Lauren,’ he says, as if reading my thoughts. ‘I’ve never stayed anywhere as long as here. And much as I love it, from a business point of view, there’s nothing else around for me at the moment. I’ve looked.’

  I nod. ‘I understand.’

  ‘Everything I can do for the Moonlight Hotel is done. I don’t run hotels – I set them up.’

  ‘You don’t have to explain,’ I whisper.

  He reaches out, clutches my hand. ‘This is what I do, Lauren. But I promise you the Moonlight Hotel will be in good hands, if that’s what you’re worried about . . .’

  I look at him, incredulous. ‘I’m not worried about that at all. I had no doubt about it. I just . . .’

  ‘What?’ he asks.

  I look into his eyes and feel compelled, by alcohol or adrenalin, to confess something. ‘I’ll miss you. And I’d have loved to . . . just be with you. And I suppose it’s this simple: I don’t want to lose a man I’ve kind of fallen for . . . ’ I feel a swell of emotion as reality comes crashing down on me.

  ‘You’ve kind of fallen for me?’

  I redden and roll my eyes. ‘Don’t ask me to repeat that.’

  His hand slips behind my waist and pulls me closer to him. ‘It’s OK, I won’t. But for the record, I’ve kind of fallen for you too.’

  ‘Have you?’

  He nods. I just want – there and then – for him to kiss me and for it to never end. But he doesn’t. Instead he says: ‘Can I ask you something, Lauren?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘This is going to sound really sudden. Stupidly sudden. Except in my head it’s not, because it’s all I’ve thought about for the last few months – even if we only technically got together three hours ago. I wondered if you’d consider . . . well, would you consider coming with me?’

  My heart nearly stops. ‘Coming with you where?’

  ‘Well, that’s the thing. I haven’t decided yet. And we don’t need to go immediately, but I would like to start making plans, putting things into place.’ My head starts spinning again. ‘There’s a place we’re looking at in Pembrokeshire, and another in Cornwall. But there’s also the possibility of somewhere further afield.’

  My eyes flicker upwards. ‘Australia?’

  He lets the word filter into his brain and starts laughing. ‘Well, I’ve got no experience out there, but we have got hotels in other countries . . . ’

  ‘Oh, don’t worry, I never for a second thought—’ I start to protest, feeling silly for even blurting it out.

  ‘Don’t apologise. It’s not beyond the realms,’ he says clearly surprising himself. ‘I think, Lauren, that you may have just planted the seed of something. Something insane, I should add.’

  Our faces are inches apart, and although there are other people milling out of the doors now, it’s just impossible to hold back from kissing him. Fortunately, he seems happy to oblige, at least at first. Eventually, he whispers, ‘OK, I’ll do you a deal. I will give due consideration to this mad idea of yours if you do something for me.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘You and me. The Langdale Pikes. In two days’ time.’

  I burst out laughing. ‘You want me to climb up a mountain with you?’

  He nods, deadly serious. ‘Yes, I do.’

  I shake my head and cover my eyes before sighing, ‘I suppose it had to happen at some point.’

  Just then, the door to the balcony bursts open and Cate appears, beckoning us in. ‘What are you two doing out here? Every one of us from the salsa class is up dancing. Except you!’

  Joe squeezes my hand and says, ‘I think we need to get in there pronto.’

  I giggle. ‘I think so too.’

  We head through the doors and on to the dance floor, where the throb of music vibrates through my chest. Joe takes my hand and we start moving in time to the song.

  ‘You know I can’t d
o this bit where it gets to the reverse wrap,’ I protest, following his steps into a basic turn.

  ‘Yeah, I know,’ he replies. ‘But we’ve got to keep trying. You can’t let these things defeat you.’

  ‘Well, when you put it like that . . . I never have been the kind to accept defeat.’

  He looks at me. ‘I noticed.’

  At that, he sweeps me into an embrace and twirls me round into a series of moves that normally leave me tripping over my own feet. I don’t know why it is, but tonight, they almost work.

  The song draws to a close and another higher tempo song takes over.

  Yet Joe and I ignore it.

  As music and laughter and dancing and celebration clash around us, I simply sway in his arms – where I’ve never felt happier to be.

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to the brilliant team at Simon & Schuster who, ten years since I signed my first publishing deal, remain not just enthusiastic champions of my books, but a complete pleasure to work with too. Special mention must go to Clare Hey, Suzanne Baboneau, Sara-Jade Virtue, Ally Grant and Dawn Burnett – thanks so much.

  Thanks also to Lulu Mitford, who made a donation to a charity that helps children with cancer in order to have her name mentioned in the book. Your generosity is hugely appreciated and I hope my Lulu did you proud.

  Thanks, as ever, to my fabulous agent Darley Anderson, as well as Clare Wallace and Mary Darby. And to my parents Jean and Phil Wolstenholme, and my uncle Colin Wolstenholme for the number-crunching.

  Finally, thank you to the people who make my world go around when I’m not writing: my husband Mark and my three brilliant boys, Otis, Lucas and Isaac. I love you all. x

  Jane Costello is the bestselling author of nine hilarious and heart-warming novels. She lives in Liverpool with her husband Mark and three sons. Find out more at www.janecostello.com, and follow her on Twitter @janecostello

  About Jane Costello’s books:

  ‘Funny, sexy and moving – a hilarious romp with a heart. I loved it’ Sophie Kinsella

  ‘Riotous, thoroughly enjoyable and laugh-out-loud hilarious. Oh, and there’s a nice twist that you so won’t see coming’ ***** Heat

  ‘One of our favourite authors’ Cosmopolitan

  ‘Close the doors, open a bottle of wine, get out the chocs and enjoy a wonderfully witty read from Jane Costello at her best’ Milly Johnson

  ‘Full of laugh-out-loud moments’ Glamour

  ‘One of the few authors that can actually make me laugh out loud. I could sit here and fill a review with some of the lines that she comes out with. Nothing feels predictable. A brilliant book’ ***** www.bookaddictshaun.co.uk @bookaddictshaun

  ‘Wonderful, relatable characters – had me in stitches. A fantastic, witty read’ ***** www.reabookreview.blogspot.co.uk @bookreviewbyrea

  ‘Jane Costello just doesn’t disappoint . . . fabulously funny. 9/10’ Press Association

  ‘A real page-turner’ Woman

  ‘I can’t tell you enough what a gorgeous, funny, touching read this is. I raced through the pages, fell in love with the characters, laughed out loud at their antics, kept my fingers crossed for them and felt like a part of the story myself’ ***** www.onmybookshelf.blog.pl. @Agi_mybookshelf

  ‘Incredibly entertaining – I loved reading it’ www.rachelsrandomreads.blogspot.co.uk @Gilbster

  ‘I laughed in delight and in painful recognition – such a treat’ Chris Manby

  ‘I don’t think there’s a book this year that’s made me laugh as much. I lapped it up’ ***** Chicklitreviews.com

  ‘Yet again Costello has written a brilliant novel with great characters and an even better storyline’ Novelicious.com

  ‘Witty, laugh-out-loud romance’ Romantic Novelists’ Association

  Also by Jane Costello

  Bridesmaids

  The Nearly-Weds

  My Single Friend

  Girl on the Run

  All the Single Ladies

  The Wish List

  The Time of Our Lives

  The Love Shack

  First published in Great Britain by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2016

  A CBS COMPANY

  Copyright © Jane Costello, 2016

  This book is copyright under the Berne Convention.

  No reproduction without permission.

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  PB ISBN: 978-1-47114-911-5

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-47114-913-9

  TPB ISBN: 978-1-47114-912-2

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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