by Karen King
She’d better get out of here. Fast.
But before she could move the door was thrust open and Reece Mitchell walked out, completely naked, rubbing his hair with a towel.
Chapter Four
Shit. She was staring at his man bits. Look away! Now!
Ellie dragged her eyes upwards, trying not to let them rest on Reece’s superbly toned tanned torso and so broad shoulders. She felt herself flush as she met his astonished gaze. For a moment they stared at each other, both rooted to the spot. Then in one swift sweep Reece moved the towel from his hair and wrapped it around his dripping, naked hips. “Don’t you believe in knocking?”
“I`m sorry,” she stammered, struggling to regain her composure and desperately trying to shut out the image of those perfect hips and … “I did knock. Really hard. But obviously you didn’t hear me and I thought you had already checked out. So…” she licked her lips, refused to let her eyes drift from his face to gaze at the expanse of very hot body still visible above the casually tied towel. “I was just checking that the shower had been fixed.”
She couldn’t seem to stop babbling and he was obviously enjoying her embarrassment judging by the stupid big grin on his face and the even bigger twinkle in his eyes. “Your handyman fixed it last night. Go look if you want.” He stepped aside, one hand casually holding the white bath towel in place and the other gesturing towards the open bathroom door.
“No, no.” She shook her head rather too vehemently then realised how naive she must look. Get yourself together! Anyone would think she’d never seen a naked man before. “I mean, there’s no need. Glad it’s been fixed. If there’s any other jobs that need doing could you let Mandy on Reception know before you go. Thank you.” She made a quick exit, hoping her cheeks weren’t flaming as much as she feared.
How embarrassing! Goodness knows what Reece Mitchell thought, walking in on him like that. But then how was she to know he hadn’t checked out yet? He must have asked for a late leave. She wished Mandy had warned her.
A picture of his naked body sprung enticingly into her mind. God, he was fit!
And he was a guest. She’d put them both in an embarrassing situation. One she wanted to avoid repeating. No more letting herself into the guests’ rooms, she decided. She’d stick to the unoccupied rooms and have a thorough check over the others when the guests had gone. Much safer!
“Time for a break,” she told Mandy, walking over to the reception desk. “Go and have a coffee and sandwich while I take over for a while.”
“Thanks, lovey I could do with it.” Mandy shuffled off the chair. “Is it okay if I pop and see Sue tonight?”
“That’d be great. Mum would love to see you.” Ellie lifted up the hatch and stepped behind the desk. “I’ll go at lunchtime before you finish your shift.” She sighed as she put the notebook on the desk. “It’s been a bit of a morning.”
“Oh dear, found a long list of repairs that needed doing?”
“Quite a few yes, but I daren’t check the occupied rooms on the second floor after the massive boob I made.” Ellie told her about the shower incident with Reece Mitchell. “Honestly, Mandy. I didn’t know where to look.”
Mandy chuckled. “Lucky you. I think I’d know where to look. Are you sure your eyes didn’t stray just an itsy bit?”
Ellie felt a flush creep up her neck.
“I take it that’s a yes then?”
“I couldn’t help it,” Ellie protested. “I was gob-smacked to see him standing there totally starkers. I thought he’d be long gone. Thank goodness he’s checking out today so I don’t have to see him again.”
“He’s not.”
“What?”
“Mr Mitchell isn’t leaving today. He’s booked the room for another week.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” She looked at Mandy’s face expecting it to break into her trademark wide grin but the receptionist shook her head. “Nope. He phoned to extend his stay this morning when you were having a walk along the beach.”
Great. That’s all she needed.
“Look, it’s no big deal. I’m sure he’s been naked in front of a woman before. He’ll have forgotten about it by now,” Mandy told her as she grabbed her bag. “See you in a bit.”
Ellie remembered the twinkle in Reece Mitchell’s eyes. She doubted if he’d forgotten it. He’d seemed to enjoy her embarrassment. Although he had been very gracious about it, she had to acknowledge. Mandy was right, best to act as if nothing had happened when she bumped into him again. And she definitely wouldn’t mention it to Mum when she visited later. Or talk about the state of the hotel and the repairs that needed doing. Cheerful, calm and competent - that’s how Mum needed her to be.
“Good afternoon, Miss Truman,” the nurse said as Ellie entered the ward “Your mother seems much better today. If she carries on making this progress she should be home early next week. Mind you, she’ll have to take it easy for a while.”
“I’ll make sure she does,” Ellie told her. She was pleased that her mother was getting better, but knew that when she came home the problems were only just beginning. If Mum carried on working the way she had been she’d soon be back in hospital again.
Sue Truman was sitting on the side of the bed, clutching a pillow to her chest for support, as her body wracked with a coughing fit. Ellie sat down on the chair besides the bed and watched her anxiously. When the coughing finally stopped she passed her mum the glass of water standing on the bedside cabinet.
“Thank you, dear.” Sue swallowed the water then put the pillow down on the bed. “Don’t look so worried, it’s getting better. I don’t cough as often or for as long and holding the pillow against my chest helps ease the pain. The doctor suggested doing that.”
Just how bad had Mum been before she was taken into hospital? Ellie wondered. Thank goodness Mandy had been around when she collapsed or it could have been a lot worse. Still, the doctor had said Mum’s lungs weren’t badly damaged. Luckily, she’d given up smoking years ago when Dad had had his first heart attack. It had shocked both her parents into quitting, and probably given her dad a few extra years, so they been told.
She leaned over and kissed her mum on the cheek. “You need to take it easy, Mum. You’ve been very ill.”
Sue reached out and patted Ellie’s hand. “I’m fine, dear. Don’t worry. Another couple of days and I’ll be back home again.”
She did look a bit better today although still thin and tired, Ellie thought. She’d brushed her hair, applied a bit of lipstick and was wearing the apple green dressing gown Ellie had bought her for Christmas. If only that awful cough would stop.
Ellie opened her bag and took out the box of strawberry creams – Mum’s favourites – and a couple of magazines she’d picked up from the corner shop on her way. “I thought these might cheer you up.”
“Thank you, darling!” Her mother placed them on the cabinet. “Now tell me what’s happening at Gwel Teg. None of the guests are giving you any trouble are they?”
Ellie pushed the thought of Reece Mitchell to the back of her mind. “Everything’s fine, Mum. Don’t worry.”
“Well I do worry. Are you and Mandy managing all right? I’ll be home soon. Over the weekend hopefully.”
“I don’t think there’s much chance of that, Mrs Truman. You’ve been really poorly and you’re not out of the woods yet,” the nurse reminded her. She picked up the progress chart at the end of the bed and scanned it. “Looking at this you’re going to be in here for a few more days. Then you’ll have to take it easy for a while, give yourself time to get your strength back.”
“Don’t worry, I’m going to stay and look after her until she’s fully recovered,” Ellie replied. “I’m here for two weeks so I can make sure she rests.”
“You work hard enough. You need a holiday, not running the hotel while I lie around,” Sue told her.
“I’m only too pleased to help out. So when you get home you’re going to put your feet up and leave me to run thi
ngs for a bit,” Ellie told her gently.
“Now don’t make a fuss dear. I like to be kept busy.”
Ellie knew that when her mother compressed her lips like that there was no way she was going to change her mind. She could be very stubborn when she wanted to.
Well, Ellie could be stubborn too and she wasn’t going to let her mum work herself into an early grave. She’d already lost her dad. She wasn’t going to risk losing Mum too.
The evening shift was always a quiet one so Ellie decided to go through the accounts and the pile of paperwork and letters cluttering the in-tray. She wanted to see if the hotel was making enough profit to support extra staff. They need another receptionist at least, she thought.
“You must be dedicated to your job to work so late.”
She recognised the voice instantly and an image of his knockout body zapped into her mind. She smacked it away. Be professional.
She looked up and smiled, determined not to show how awkward she felt. “I don`t work here,” she explained, “I`m helping my mother out for a couple of weeks. She owns the hotel.”
A flicker of interest sparked in his eyes, then it was gone.
“I see,” he said. “Well, that explains your devotion to duty. I don’t believe I’ve met your mother. Perhaps you could introduce me to her.”
Why does he want to meet Mum? To complain? He was smiling though, and looked very pleasant. A totally different man to the arrogant grouch yesterday. “I’m afraid that isn’t possible at the moment, she’s in hospital recovering from a bad bout of pleurisy,” Ellie told him.
She was surprised to see the concern on his face. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he sounded like he really meant it. “I hope she recovers soon.”
“Thank you. Actually, she looks much better today. The doctor said she should be home early next week.” Ellie sighed. “The trouble is if she doesn’t take it easy I’m afraid that she’ll end up back in hospital again. I’m sure that running this hotel is too much for her but she won’t admit it, or get extra staff. I think that keeping busy is the only way she could cope with her grief after Dad died.” Heck, why had she offloaded all that onto him? She hadn’t meant to. The words had just tumbled out of their own accord. He probably wished he hadn’t asked now. He was just being polite, not asking for her life story.
To her surprise Reece was looking at her sympathetically. “Has your father been dead long?”
“Two years.” She swallowed the lump that sprang to her throat. Dad’s death had left a big hole in Ellie’s life so she could only imagine how devastated Mum must be. No wonder she was struggling to manage the hotel without him.
“It must have been pretty tough for your mother. It’s lucky she’s got you to help her out with the hotel.”
That made Ellie feel guilty. “That’s the trouble. She hasn’t got me to help her,” she confessed. “I moved away a few years ago. Mandy, the receptionist, phoned me yesterday morning to say Mum was ill so I came down to look after her. She’s been managing by herself.”
“I see. And I’m sure the last thing you needed was me being so bad-tempered yesterday. Again I apologise. Can we put it down to me having a bad day and start again?” He held out his hand and smiled. “Reece Mitchell – as I’m sure you already know. Pleased to meet you …” He paused.
“Ellie Truman.” She smiled back and shook his outstretched hand. “And I apologise for walking in on you when you were having a shower earlier. I did knock, but I’d been told you were checking out that day so presumed you’d gone.” Best to get it out there instead of both awkwardly skirting around it, she decided.
“Forget it. I have.” He grinned. “And just to prove there’s no hard feelings how about joining me for a nightcap at the bar when you’ve finished here? You look as if you could do with a break.”
It was tempting but should she? It was one of her mother’s golden rules that the staff never got personally involved with the guests. Not that she was staff but was it wise?
“No strings attached,” he assured her as if sensing her doubt. “Just a friendly drink.”
Oh, what harm would it do? He seemed – surprisingly - a nice guy and it would be good to unwind a little. “Thank you, I’d like that,” she said with a smile. “Give me half an hour to finish off here first.”
“Sure. I’ll go and freshen up and meet you in the bar in half an hour or so.”
Chapter Five
It was just over half an hour later when Ellie walked into the bar, the toenails peeping out of her sandals painted the exact shade of turquoise as the cotton dress she was wearing. She looked drop-dead gorgeous.
Forget it, Reece. This isn’t personal.
He stood up and walked over to her. “You look whacked. Why don’t you take a seat while I order the drinks?” He reached in his pocket for his wallet. “What would you like?”
“A sweet white wine spritzer please,” she told him. “Tell Danny, the barman, to put it onto the hotel tab.”
“Absolutely not. I’m paying for these. I didn’t invite you for a drink so the hotel could pick up the bill.”
“Thank you.” She made her way over to a table by the window rather than the one he’d been sitting at.
Obviously independent, he acknowledged. And he had the impression she could be a bit feisty too. It was the way her eyes had flashed when he’d been so rude about the shower not working, she’d forced a smile on her face and been incredibly polite but he’d sensed she wasn’t a pushover. He’d better make a mental note of that.
She was gazing dreamily out of the window when he returned with their drinks. He paused for a moment, watching her, wondering what was going through her mind. She turned as if sensing his presence and for a moment her hazel eyes gazed into his and he felt a stirring in his loins. Hell, she was pretty hot.
“Thank you,” she said as he put the glass of wine down on the table in front of her. “I hope you don’t mind sitting here. I love looking out onto the street, even though it’s too dark to actually see anything right now.”
“Me too. You learn a lot by observing,” as he sat opposite her. “So where do you live, Ellie? I’m guessing it isn’t local.”
“The Midlands. So you see, it’s a bit of a jaunt for me to come and visit.” She picked up her glass and ran her finger around the edge.
She looked worried, he thought. He guessed her mum’s collapse had given her quite a scare. “I’m sure you come down as much as he can,” he said, gently, taking a sip of his gin and tonic. “What made you move away from such a lovely place? Most people would love to live near the sea.”
She shrugged. “I guess I wanted to spread my wings a bit. When you’re young a sleepy seaside town is a bit boring, especially in the winter months.”
“Yes, I’m sure it is.” He relaxed back into his chair. “And there’s lots more work opportunities in the city. What do you do?”
“I work for a PR firm in the Midlands. I enjoy the job and I get to travel all over the country, and sometimes abroad. She raised her glass and took a sip. “But it’s a long way from Port Medden and Mum could do with my support right now.”
“If you feel the hotel is too much for your mother perhaps she should sell up?” suggested Reece. “A hotel in this location would fetch a tidy sum and she could retire, maybe even move to the Midlands nearer to you.”
Ellie shook her head. “I’ve thought of that but Mum loves this place. She and Dad built it up together. It would break her heart to leave. Besides, she would never move out of Cornwall and I doubt if selling up would provide enough money to buy her something down here and live on until she retires.”
He hadn’t considered that. He wondered how far off pensionable age Ellie’s mum was “I can see that it’s a difficult situation for you but there must be some way out,” he said sympathetically.
“I’m here for two weeks - I’m on holiday from Monday - so I’ll do what I can to help.” Ellie chewed her lip. “If things don’t improve in a couple o
f months I might have to think about moving back here permanently.”
That surprised him. “Would you really do that?”
“If I had to. I offered to when Dad died but Mum refused, she said she didn’t want me to give up my independence for her.” She took another sip of wine. “To be honest, I was pleased. Does that sound awful? It would drive me nuts living in Port Medden again. Although of course I would if Mum needed me,” she quickly added.
“It seems a nice place to live, but yes I’m sure it’s … a bit on the quiet side.”
Ellie nodded. “Oh, it’s not so bad in the summer when you’ve got all the tourists about but it’s dead in the winter. Besides, I enjoy my work and city life.”
“Couldn’t your mother take on extra staff? A manager perhaps?” He didn’t want to sound as if he was prying, but wanted to find out as much as he could about the financial situation.
“I’m going to try and persuade her to, if she can afford it. It would take some of the pressure off her.” She smiled ruefully. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be boring you with all my personal problems. I hardly know you and you’re a guest too! Tell me about yourself. What do you do for a living?”
Okay, he’d better let it go now or she’d feel he was intruding. “I work for a hotel group,” he said. “Just a boring desk job most of the time although it does involve a bit of travelling, and some amusing things happen.” He leaned forward. ‘Like the time I was staying in a hotel in Egypt. “I came back late one evening and saw a naked woman banging on one of the hotel room doors. She looked really upset so I went over to see if I could help – averting my eyes, of course…”
“Of course.” Her hazel eyes twinkled in amusement.
“It turned out she’d got up in the middle of the night to go to the loo and hadn’t wanted to switch the light on in case it disturbed her sleeping husband. But she couldn’t see where she was going, and opened the door leading out into the hotel corridor instead of the one into the bedroom and found herself locked out. So I gave her my coat to cover her modesty and went down to ask the guy on reception to let her in. Just as he unlocked the door, the woman’s husband came through to the lounge to see his wife walking in naked with my coat over her shoulders, flanked by me and another man. You should have seen the look on his face! It took some explaining, I can tell you.”