by N/A
“Hi Millie, come on in. Loving those boots – they really suit you.”
“Thanks,” she smiled, striking a supermodel’s pose to showcase her footwear covered in pink daisies. She bent down to pull them off and almost laughed out loud when Zach whisked them away and hid them in the closet under the stairs.
“Come on, come through to the kitchen. “
As Zach led her down the corridor, she inhaled the delicious aroma of garlic and Italian herbs mingled with what she suspected was probably a generous soupcon of bleach. She wasn’t the least bit surprised when she entered the brightly lit kitchen to see it was immaculately tidy. Every bench had been cleared of culinary paraphernalia and a glossy white table had been set with matching crockery and beautifully ironed linen. She glanced around the open-plan room into the lounge area and for a moment wondered what was bothering her until she realised that there wasn’t a single Christmas decoration in sight.
Millie was about to comment on the absence of a tree, but of course she knew what Zach’s answer would be – clutter! So, instead, she handed over her bottle of wine, pleased to see his eyes light up with appreciation.
“Grab a seat while I open this. Dinner’s almost ready.”
“Actually,” said Millie, keen to deal with the elephant in the room so that its presence wouldn’t interfere with her digestion. “I want to ask you why you didn’t mention the fact that Kate was your mother when we were at the café yesterday. You should have let me apologise to her for the comments I made about her cuisine.”
Zach laughed. “I’m sorry, Millie. I could have said something, but I can assure you that she didn’t hear what you said, so what was the point of alerting her to the fact? And we were having such an enjoyable afternoon I didn’t want to spoil the mood if I didn’t have to and I knew you would be mortified unnecessarily. But you’re absolutely right to be indignant. I’ll make it up to you by introducing you formally if you like?”
“Oh, well, yes, okay,” spluttered Millie, not entirely sure she was ready to be ‘formally’ presented to Kate, although she did wonder how he would label her when he did – random stranger, acquaintance, friend, inadvertent comedy performer… girlfriend?
She sipped her wine whilst she watched Zach empty the spaghetti into a colander and divide the pasta into two bowls before adding a generous helping of Bolognese sauce and a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan, all finished off with a flourish of fresh basil leaves from a pot on the kitchen windowsill.
“Thank you, Zach, this looks amazing.”
“Dig in.”
Millie was about to do just that until she saw that Zach hadn’t joined her at the table but returned to the sink to rinse the pans and the colander, dry them and return them to their rightful place in the cupboards before spraying the units with antibacterial cleanser. He smiled when he slid into the chair opposite her and raised his glass in a toast.
“To Stonelea!”
She copied his action and then inhaled her meal, complete with top-note of chlorine which reminded her of Kate’s Kitchen. She now understood where Zach had acquired his fastidiousness for hygiene. However, unlike her initial thoughts on Kate’s culinary prowess, Zach’s cooking talents were exemplary, and she finished every last morsel.
She recalled the last time Zach had made her a spaghetti Bolognese when they’d been at Claudia’s villa overlooking the bay at Soufrière on the south coast of St Lucia. It had been three weeks filled with sunshine and palm trees and friendship and new discoveries. Despite the many challenges she faced setting up the Paradise Cookery School, she had savoured every moment of the sun-filled bliss they had enjoyed together, and she wished she could teleport back there at the press of a button. The constant warmth, not only of the temperature and the infinity pool, but of the people she had met there, had made her trip to the Caribbean one of the best experiences of her life. However, she knew the overriding reason she had labelled her time there with that accolade was down to the man watching her from behind those deliciously seductive eyes, framed in the most luscious eyelashes she had seen on a man.
How she craved the chance to rekindle her friendships with Ella and her son Henri, and with Lottie and Dylan who worked at the local bar, the Purple Parrot. She even missed her daily contact with Fitz, Alph and Vic, the builders Claudia had engaged to renovate the villa’s kitchen ready for their very first Paradise Cookery School guests. She had delighted in their unquestioning support of her abilities, and their encouragement that she could do anything she put her mind to, but it had been Zach’s friendship that had papered over the cracks in her heart and painted the fresh canvas with a rainbow of vibrant colours to make her life sparkle again.
“Thanks for cooking dinner, Zach. Obviously, I love being in the kitchen, but sometimes it’s really nice to be treated to a meal someone else has made, and that was delicious – as you can see from my plate!”
“Didn’t Luke cook for you? I thought he was a chef, too?”
Millie shot a glance at Zach, taken by surprise at his mention of Luke, but gratified that she experienced no accompanying awkwardness or reluctance to share her history.
“Actually, he didn’t. Funnily enough he used to live on toast and bacon sandwiches. Don’t get me wrong, he enjoyed being a chef, put his heart and soul into it, but he never had that all-encompassing passion that simmers away every hour of ever day like I do, like Claudia does, and Ella does. The alchemy of food is more than a passion for some people, it’s an obsession, an addiction that requires daily attention. I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t have access to a kitchen. It doesn’t have to be a glittering showpiece like Claudia’s either. I adore the tiny kitchenette in my flat in London.”
She hesitated, wondering if she should mention Zach’s ex, but he’d mentioned Luke, hadn’t he?
“What about Chloe? Did she like to cook?”
Zach laughed, causing Binks’ ears to flicker during his snooze.
“No way. You’ve met Chloe. She hates doing anything that might spoil her manicure. She did make a fabulous Caesar salad though, but there’s only so much lettuce a man can eat, so I used to cook during the week and we would eat out at the weekends. I bumped into her sister Louise last week in Berryford. Apparently, Chloe’s working in Dubai and is loving the single lifestyle over there.”
“Luke and Donna’s baby is due in the new year, so his lifestyle is about to change beyond all recognition.”
She took refuge in her thoughts for a moment, wondering what it would be like to be expecting the arrival of a new member of the family, not only for Luke and Donna, but for Frankie who would be getting a new half-sister or brother. She hadn’t reached that stage in her life yet. However, she didn’t foresee her future without children, she just wanted to wait until she was with the right person. Then something else occurred to her and she spoke her thoughts out loud before engaging her brain.
“Do Claudia and Tim not want a family? Stonelea Manor would be a fantastic place to raise children.”
She saw a flash of uncertainty whip across Zach’s face and wished she could have stuffed the question back in her mouth. Clearly this was another of those secrets that seemed to swirl around the manor, although she had to accept that this time it really was none of her business. However, Zach clearly knew the answer to her question and she watched him wrestle with whether to disclose a confidence.
“They’d love kids; but it just hasn’t happened for them.”
“Oh.”
A spasm of sorrow lanced Millie’s heart as she struggled to formulate a suitable response but came up with nothing that wouldn’t sound trite or patronising. Fortunately, Zach had shelved his box full of witty quips and took pity on her.
“Shall we take our drinks over to the sofa?”
Zach carried the wine bottle and their glasses to the coffee table and sunk down onto the rug, his toes pointing towards the fire whilst Binks snoozed happily in front of the hearth. Millie scooted between them, grateful fo
r the change of seating arrangements and enjoying the feeling of complete calm and relaxation that descended as they sipped the wine and stared at the dancing flames.
“So, did you always want to be a chef?”
“Not always. My first choice was a princess, but there’s limited opportunities for that career path, so I plumped for the next thing on my wish list. How about you?”
“I always loved the outdoors. Before we moved to London for Dad’s job, my brother and I would spend every night after school and every day in the holidays in the local fields building dens, climbing trees, damming streams and seeking out the wildlife to photograph. Dad loved his new position as a partner in a large law firm, but Mum, Callum and I hated living in the capital. Of course, Mum was devastated when she found out about his affair with Gill, but coming back here to Berryford helped us all escape the worst of the fall-out. I love it here. I love the fact that it’s a community where people acknowledge each other when they pass in the street and rally round in times of need. I suppose the downside of that support is that when something upsetting happens to one of the residents, everyone feels it, even takes it personally.”
“Is there no chance of the cookery school being saved?”
“I think things have gone beyond that now – unless Claudia and Tim win the lottery.”
“But surely the new owner will need someone to manage the grounds. I hardly think a busy Scandinavian celebrity millionaire would have time on his hands to mow the lawns and weed the flowerbeds.”
“God, Millie, I’m not a gardener!”
“Sorry, I…”
“No, no, I’m sorry. I guess I’m more upset about what’s happened than I think. Sven Andersen has his own staff that have been vigorously vetted and can be trusted. It’s part of the deal that he doesn’t want to be lumbered with any of Stonelea’s current employees. And it’s not just me who’ll be losing their job, there’re two full-time gardeners, and Claudia employs a local cleaning company too, but I’m the only one who’ll be losing their home.”
“Will you stay with your mum?”
“No.”
“Zach, I’m so….”
A sudden spasm of desire rippled down her spine as she felt Zach’s warm breath on her neck. Without her realising, he had moved closer, his lips millimetres from her earlobe and her imagination flew down the tunnel of pleasure, conjuring up a delicious contemplation of shared secrets. He studied her with such scorching intensity that her heart pounded out a symphony of exhilaration and the hairs on her forearms prickled with expectation.
She lowered her gaze to his lips, so close to hers, then back up to his eyes which mirrored the feelings she was experiencing, but also held a question. If she risked breathing, the moment would be broken so she inched forward, her anticipation building that at last they were about to revisit the wonderful kisses they had shared under the swaying palm trees in the Caribbean sunshine. To her surprise and utter disappointment, she saw a flicker of hesitation, a hint of uncertainty, stalk across Zach’s face, and he severed their connection, leaning forward to give Binks a brief pat before making his way to the kitchen and setting the kettle to boil.
The pendulum of emotions in Millie’s chest swung from the height of delight to the depths of despondency. What had just happened? If she had leaned forward another couple of inches she would be kissing Zach now and she knew there was nothing she would rather do. Could she have misread the signals? She didn’t think so. There was no mistaking the fizz of mutual attraction that had reverberated in the space between them. She was confused.
In an attempt to disguise her bewilderment, she pushed herself up from the rug and resettled herself on the wrinkled leather Chesterfield to watch Zach prepare their coffees with military precision. When he handed Millie her drink, he averted his eyes.
However, Millie was no longer the insecure victim she had been when Luke had ditched her. If Zach had taught her anything it was that honesty and openness were the most desirable qualities in the arena of relationships and she couldn’t contemplate leaving the lodge without understanding what had just happened between them and why.
“Zach…”
“Millie…”
“No, you go.”
“Okay.” Zach exhaled a long sigh, sliding onto the seat beside her and welcoming Binks onto his lap. “I haven’t told Claudia and Tim yet, but I received a job offer last week.”
“You have? Where?”
“Scotland.”
“Scotland?”
Millie’s heart dropped like a stone down a well before bouncing back into her chest where it lodged like a concrete slab. Suddenly Blake’s comments about Scotland the day before made perfect sense. So that was it, that was why he’d said they had ‘things to talk about’ in that last text he’d sent her before she’d left London for Berryford, why he’d pulled away from her when she’d thought they were about to kiss. He was uncertain about his future and wanted to avoid starting something they couldn’t finish, because Scotland might as well be the Caribbean for the time it would take to commute for a weekend in London, or vice versa.
“Oh, well… that’s great news, isn’t it?”
“If you like the wind-swept Western Isles, then yes, it’s good news.”
In that moment she was able to read her feelings perfectly. The emotions that had been born in Soufrière and flourished into friendship, had blossomed over the interceding months into something deeper that had crystallised when they had reconnected in Berryford. She wanted to spend every spare second getting to know Zach better, to spend time learning what he did in his working life and inviting him to stay in her attic room above Étienne’s. Now it seemed it was too late. Their chance of a possible future together had been extinguished by the arrival of a wealthy entrepreneur who hated clutter with a vengeance and wanted to convert the manor house into a high security home in which to shelter from the limelight.
“Are you sure there’s no way Claudia and Tim can keep the house? What if…”
Zach’s eyes softened. “Millie, don’t you think Claudia and Tim have explored every avenue possible? Tim told me that he’s tried to persuade Dexter to hold off for another six months, they even offered to sell the villa, but Dexter needs the cash straight away. He’s told them it’s because he’s made some bad investments, but I think it’s more than that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, nothing sinister. It’s just that Dexter lives on the other side of the world. He only has memories of a childhood here, so no real knowledge or connection with the people who live here now. He has no interest in how the change of ownership will affect everyone in the village because he hasn’t been back since Claudia’s father’s funeral ten years ago when Claudia inherited her share of the estate and he agreed to her cookery school idea.”
“Maybe when Claudia has the chance to talk to him face-to-face on Thursday, she’ll be able to explain all that to him and he could change his mind.”
“I don’t think so. Sven’s money will be within his grasp - unless someone else comes up with a couple of million and that’s not going to happen.”
Despite the fact that she had only just arrived in Berryford, Millie craved the chance to do something to help, to keep the Stonelea Manor as a cookery school, to maintain the traditions of the village, but most of all she was desperate for Zach to stay in the Cotswolds, to keep his job and his home where he and Binks were so clearly happy.
The mood in the room had morphed from merry to melancholic and a surge of annoyance wove through Millie’s veins. Why did Dexter have to be so selfish? But following immediately was the realisation that it was none of her business what Dexter did, or wanted, or needed, which made her sad.
“Come on. Binks and I will walk you back down to the manor. You’ve got an early start tomorrow. I’m sure the cookery part will go without a hitch, not so sure about the state of the kitchen though!”
Zach tried to add his usual twist of mischief to his comment but his h
eart clearly wasn’t in it. Everyone was allowed a moment of relief from constant positivity and Millie knew that the imminent change in his future path, both professional and personal, was obviously weighing heavily on his mind.
Binks sensed the change in atmosphere and leapt up from his resting place, trotting to the coat stand to fetch his lead for his final walk of the day. Millie was about to offer to help with the washing up, but of course, the kitchen was already spotless, which for some unfathomable reason caused tears to prick at the back of her eyes. Just as she felt she had turned the corner on her reluctance to embark on a new relationship, the optimism rug had been whipped from beneath her feet.
She would miss Zach more than she had ever expected.
Chapter Twelve
The Christmas Lunch Festive Feast tutorial was a triumph. Even Mike managed to make a very competent attempt at ‘from-scratch’ Yorkshire puddings – although they did look like flat cupcakes. Everything went smoothly because Claudia and Tim had spent the night before preparing everything; setting the table in the dining room with the best china and polishing the crystal glasses and silver cutlery which shone beneath the very modern chandelier that had been a wedding gift from Tim’s parents. Garlands of shiny green holly snaked around the mantlepiece, the aroma of spicy cloves lingered in the air, and the whole room looked very festive.
Millie struggled all day to shove her negative thoughts about Zach leaving into the far crevices of her mind so that their guests could enjoy the highlight of the week at Stonelea Manor without wondering what was bothering Claudia’s co-presenter. She hoped she had pulled it off because Claudia had been on top form, recounting anecdotes of TV and radio interviews she had given over the years, mishaps that had happened on research trips she had taken to exotic locations, as well as bouncing around ideas for future courses at the Paradise Cookery School. If Millie hadn’t known about the imminent arrival of Dexter and Sven, she would never have guessed that Claudia was about to lose the home her family had owned and loved for over seventy years. Even Tim had been jovial company, regaling his avid audience with stories about his inventions and promising to show Leo and Mike how far he’d got with his lawn mower whilst studiously avoiding looking in Claudia’s direction.