‘Sorry.’ Evie forced a smile. ‘We’ve had a bit of a surprise.’
‘Oh gracious,’ Zachary’s mum, Juliette said. ‘Nothing bad I hope.
‘Anything we can help with?’ Zachary asked, concern written across his face.
Evie shook her head. ‘Not exactly bad, I suppose, but not good either and no thanks. It’s nothing we can’t handle, one way or another. Um. Juniper and I left the cocktail bar when your adoring fans surrounded you.’
‘I thought you had. Goes with the territory, I’m afraid.’
‘Does it bother you? If you don’t mind me asking.’
He shrugged. ‘Sometimes. But they’re usually lovely people who just want to say hello, so it’s no big deal.’
‘I’d hate it. I like my privacy. Anyway, what would you all like to eat? I can recommend the Christmas Pie Pot.’
‘What’s that?’ Zachary asked.
‘It’s sausage meat made locally from free range pigs, mixed with shallots, carrots and broccoli, baked in a puff pastry, homemade of course, topped with fresh cranberries. There’s a cute, ceramic pie funnel in the centre to let out the steam. It’s a chimney with snow and a little Santa’s head coming out of it. The pie funnels are also made locally.’ She grinned. ‘I could’ve just said sausage and veg, but I’m working on my customer service skills.’
Zachary laughed. ‘I’ll have the Christmas Pie Pot.’
‘So will I,’ said Juliette. ‘I think your customer service is excellent.’
‘Same here,’ Jeffrey added. ‘Both to the pie and your customer service. I have to say, coming here took us all by surprise, but I think it’s the best idea my father has had in years. We rarely feel so relaxed in the hotels where we stay. Even Felicia seems to be more at ease, and that doesn’t happen often.’
‘I think that’s due to the champagne, not the inn, but thank you. That’s lovely of you to say. Your meals will be with you shortly. May I bring you some wine? It is yours, after all.’
Zachary chuckled. ‘Roland’s getting it, thanks.’
‘Then I’ll be back very soon. Please let me know if there is anything else I can get you.’ She turned to walk away and Zachary got up and walked beside her.
‘You can tell me if we’re still on for the snowball fight.’
‘Ah. I may have to ask for a rain check. Or snow check. Juniper may not be available and Raven may not feel up to it. That’s half my team.’
Zachary leant closer. ‘How about just you and me?’
‘Oh I couldn’t. That wouldn’t be fair on you. Perhaps tomorrow.’
He grinned. ‘It’s the live show tomorrow. But hey! That might not be a bad idea. We could open the show with a snowball fight. Or close it with one. Brandon!’ He stopped and yelled to Brandon who was sitting at a table a few feet away. ‘Evie’s had an idea for the show. We’ll discuss it after dinner. What’s the forecast for tomorrow? Has anyone checked?’
‘Snow,’ Felicia said, staring at her champagne glass. ‘Followed by more snow. And more snow after that. Haven’t you heard? We may be snowed in here? We may have to stay for New Year.’ She sounded terrified at the prospect. She knocked back her glass of champagne and poured herself another.
‘Snowed in.’ Zachary gave Evie an incredibly and undeniably sexy look and leant in closer. ‘I rather like the sound of that.’
‘So do I,’ Evie said, leaning towards him so that their bodies were almost touching. ‘I’ll let you have a note of our New Year rates, just in case.’ She moved away and resumed walking towards the kitchen saying, ‘I believe we have some vacancies but you’ll have to be quick. Once a certain TV show is aired, people will be flocking to Snowflake Cove and paying a fortune to stay at Snowflake Inn.’
He fell into step beside her. ‘As it happens, I haven’t made plans for New Year. I thought I’d see how Christmas went.’
‘Well, you don’t want to miss the New Year’s Eve firework display in Michaelmas Bay. It’s similar to the Christmas Eve one which you’ll see from here. But there are ten fireworks at New Year, not just five.’ She grinned. ‘There are leaflets on the console table in the hall detailing all the exciting festivities. But after the Christmas Eve Carols and the Boxing Day swim in the bay, you may simply want to relax over New Year. London will be so boring after your stay here.’
‘That’s funny. I was thinking that myself.’
Evie smiled and went into the kitchen. It was very odd, but somehow things didn’t seem so bad when she was talking to Zachary. Why was that?
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Evie got out of bed and threw back the curtains. Flurries of snow drifted past the window and as the lights from the inn lit up the ground, it was obvious there had been more snow sometime during the night. After everything that happened yesterday, she had wanted an early night but that hadn’t worked out and when she finally fell into bed, despite being tired, she had hardly slept a wink.
That was partly because she was concerned about Raven, and had persuaded her niece to spend the night in the attic with her. They had chatted about everything except Severine – a topic Raven was clearly trying to avoid and it had been almost midnight when Raven had finally fallen asleep.
Evie had not heard from Juniper so had sent a text at midnight. She had not liked the reply. Despite Darren saying he would be home, he had texted to say he was running late. Juniper had a long bath, read a book and waited. He’d texted again to say he’d be home soon. At some stage Juniper had dozed off and hadn’t woken up until Evie sent her text.
Evie had phoned her and they’d chatted, but Juniper was growing ever more anxious and Evie didn’t know what to say. Should she tell her best friend what she’d seen? Or should she trust Darren for a little longer and hope he was telling the truth when he said it would be settled by Christmas?
The room was chilly and Raven shivered when she woke.
‘It’s freezing in here. But thanks for letting me stay the night. I didn’t want to be alone. I know that sounds wimpish.’
‘It doesn’t. I didn’t want to be alone either. It was lovely having you share my room.’ Evie threw on her dressing gown, grabbed Raven’s from the back of a chair and tossed it at her. ‘It’ll all be OK, Raven. I promise you. No matter what, Severine loves you and she’ll only want what’s best for you. I know she will. I know I’m mean about her sometimes, but I do love her too. We’ll sort something out. Trust me. And if you can’t trust me, trust Mum and Dad and Gran. They’re pretty formidable when they need to be.’
Raven smiled. ‘I know. I trust you and I trust them. And I’m not going to worry about any of this until the New Year. I know Mum loves me and when she comes home we can sit down and talk about it. I’m hungry. And it’s the TV show today. I’m really excited, aren’t you?’
‘Absolutely. Let’s get going.’
They showered, dressed and ran downstairs. Evie wasn’t surprised to find Zachary and Brandon in the kitchen and when Zachary popped back to his room to get something he’d forgotten, Evie sat next to Brandon.
‘You and Zachary seem very close. Have you known him for long, or just since the show began?’
Brandon smiled. ‘We’ve been friends for years.’
‘So you knew him before he became a big TV star?’ She sipped her coffee and tried to sound casual. ‘What was he like before?’
‘He was the same as he is now.’
‘He was in the SAS, wasn’t he?’
‘We both were.’
That was a surprise. ‘Oh. I didn’t realise that.’
‘No reason why you would.’
‘How long for?’
‘Me for ten years. Zach for eleven.’
‘And … did you leave at the same time?’
Brandon stiffened, slurped his tea and eyed Evie over the cup. ‘I left a few months later. I don’t know what you’ve heard, or think you know, but Zach did nothing wrong. In fact he did everything right.’
‘Oh, I’m sure he did. I haven’t h
eard anything – other than he resigned and then due to his heroism, he got the TV show.’
‘But you want to know more?’
She shrugged nonchalantly. ‘I suppose so. But not particularly. It doesn’t keep me up at night.’
‘That’s good. It doesn’t keep him up at night either. As I said, he did nothing wrong.’
‘I believe you.’ She smiled. ‘It’s obviously a sensitive subject. Sorry.’
Brandon smiled back a little warily. ‘It’s a classified subject. I could tell you, but I’d have to kill you.’
Oh, that old line. He was joking, of course. Wasn’t he? Perhaps when the ex-SAS say it, they mean it.
She smiled more brightly. ‘We wouldn’t want that, would we? Let’s change the subject. What’s the plan for today?’
Brandon leant back in his chair. ‘To get through it without too much going wrong. It snowed overnight so we’ll have pristine conditions again today. We’re opening the show with a montage of shots from the inside and outside of here. The Christmas trees, the reception, having breakfast in the dining room. Then outside. The frontage, the trees, the bridge, the view of the bay and the village. Then we’ll cut to the live feed with Zach in Michaelmas Bay, meeting people in the town. We’ve got a couple of segments of him visiting the local school, followed by Santa’s Grotto with some of the kids. After that we’ll be live again, from the local Children’s Hospice, filming Father Christmas arriving and handing out some of the presents to the kids. We’ll do a piece about the importance of thinking about those less fortunate than ourselves and how even giving one pound to your local charity can make a difference because it all adds up.’ He took a large swig of tea.
‘It sounds really good. We’re so grateful to you all for including the inn in the show, but now I feel guilty. The Michaelmas Bay Hospice for Children is far more deserving than us, obviously. We’re not taking any filming time away from the hospice, are we? Because we’d all hate it if we were.’
Brandon shook his head. ‘No. As awful as this sounds, the show never focuses on just one place, however deserving it may be. Joshua has made a substantial donation, so much in fact that the hospice will be able to build and equip a new wing, have a specially fitted out playground and a swimming pool added, and care for even more kids than it does now. That’s what the show is all about. Making good things happen and dreams come true.’
‘Oh. That’s wonderful.’ Evie fiddled with her coffee mug, rubbing the red nose of the cartoon reindeer on the front of it.
‘It’s an anonymous donation,’ Brandon said, as if reading her mind. ‘No names are mentioned. Just the fact that Christmas is a time for giving, but also that donations are required throughout the year, not just at Christmas. Then we have a segment on a couple of local businesses, the tree in the centre of town with all the carollers around it, singing their hearts out. Then meeting a few more people and finally, back here, where we’re going to film a snowball fight – that we’d love all the residents of Snowflake Cove to be in. Then we have Zachary sitting in the lounge in an armchair by the fire, a mug of hot chocolate on a table at his side, with one of the Christmas trees in shot behind him.’
‘Hot chocolate? I assumed he’d be drinking something stronger, like whisky. Or wine at the very least.’
Brandon smiled. ‘It’s a family show. Zach signs off by saying he hopes the only fights people have this Christmas will be snowballs fights. Tells them not to forget those less fortunate than ourselves. Wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and then he bites into one of your gingerbread reindeers. We then have a scene where it looks as if we’re flying in Santa’s sleigh, from the outside of the inn, back to the hospice, accompanied by Christmas music and jingling sleigh bells. We’re hoping to have everyone from Snowflake Cove standing by the tree outside, all looking up and shouting, Merry Christmas. We then ‘fly’ over the bay and people wave from the marina and say the same, then over the town, where lots of people do the same, then to the hospice. We close with a montage of several of the kids meeting Santa and the joy on their faces, and their parents’ faces, as the kids open their presents.’ He grinned. ‘There. You don’t even have to watch the show now, do you? I just hope it all goes to plan with no major cock-ups.’
Evie smiled. ‘I’ll not only watch the show, I’ll record it.’
‘I hope you’re game for the snowball fight and the Merry Christmas slot. Even Felicia’s agreed to be in both.’
‘Really? I am surprised. You can definitely count me in.’
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Brandon need not have worried. Filming went off without a hitch. The helicopter they had hired from a nearby airfield was able to fly, thanks to almost perfect weather conditions. The sun came out and then later a light flurry of snow fell, so the crew in the air were able to get that on film. People in the marina did their bit and so did the townsfolk of Michaelmas Bay. Everyone in Snowflake Cove – including Darren – was in the Merry Christmas shot because as it was Saturday he was not working. And the team from Snowflake Cove won the snowball fight against the team from ‘Thorn On Your Side’.
‘We let you win for the purposes of good TV,’ Zachary said, and demanded a re-match for another day.
‘Any time you want to be beaten again, just let me know,’ Evie teased.
The final live shot was Zachary’s sign-off in the armchair at eight p.m. that evening, and after Brandon said, ‘It’s in the bag’ – another way of saying, ‘that’s a wrap’, a loud cheer went up. Zachary got up from the chair and walked towards Evie who was standing in the doorway, watching. His team began clearing the place of cameras and putting the lounge back the way it was, just moments after the ‘flying’ scene, the montage and the credits had rolled.
‘I do love these,’ Zachary said, munching on the reindeer gingerbread.
‘I loved the show,’ Evie said.
‘I think it was pretty good. It was definitely full of Christmas cheer, and that’s what we were going for. Perhaps we should film it here next year.’
‘Perhaps you should.’ She smiled up at him. ‘Are you hungry?’
He yawned. ‘Sorry. I’m shattered. It’s been a busy couple of days. Must be getting old. Yes, I’m hungry. And I’d quite like a pint of beer.’
Due to the filming, a large buffet was being laid out in the dining room rather than having a sit-down meal. That was partly because Zachary had said that there was always a party atmosphere after a live show and partly because all the residents of Snowflake Cove had popped into the inn to watch the action. Evie and her family knew it would be impossible to serve dinner in the dining room with such a crowd in the inn. Snowflake Cove may be small, but fitting in thirty-eight people in addition to the guests, Roland and his parents, not forgetting Robin and his family, was still a bit of a tight squeeze.
‘The bar is open and the buffet will be ready in about twenty minutes. We weren’t sure how long it would take your team to pack everything away ready for their departure in the morning. We’ll be sad to see them go,’ Evie said.
‘I can’t believe it’s Christmas Eve tomorrow,’ Zachary said, walking alongside her towards the public bar where most people had gathered. ‘Your mum told me about your sister. Are you disappointed?’
‘Did she?’ That was a surprise. ‘I’m more disappointed for Raven and my parents than I am for me. I love Severine but she drives me nuts. Christmas won’t be quite the same without her though. But this year won’t be our usual Christmas anyway. Because you and your family are here.’
‘It’s snowing again,’ one of Zachary’s team shouted.
‘That reminds me,’ Zachary said. ‘I think you owe us a re-match.’
‘What now?’
‘No time like the present. I’ll even forfeit my beer! And the guys leave in the morning, so ... unless you know we’ll beat you and you’re chickening out.’
‘No way. You’re on, mister. I’ll get my team. You get yours. I’ll see you outside.’
It
took less than two minutes to get the teams together and everyone else either piled out to watch, or sat in the warmth of the inn to watch the fight from the windows. The moment Evie stepped outside, she was hit on the arm by a snowball wielded by Zachary and battle commenced.
Snow was falling in a soft but steady shower. There was not one breath of wind and although it was cold, it didn’t feel it to Evie and obviously not to those standing around and watching. One of the crew had a shoulder-held camera and was filming it – for future shows, he said and some of the residents took videos on their phones. The sky was dark and clear, illuminated by the first quarter of a moon and a mass of twinkling stars. The Christmas lights on the inn, in the village and on the trees, together with the street lamps and the warm glow of lamps from within the inn, cast shadows and colourful reflections on the ground of white but didn’t help much with visibility.
‘Don’t get too near the cliff edge,’ Molly shouted from the doorway, hugging a mug of hot chocolate.
Evie had just made a direct hit to Zachary’s head and was laughing loudly but she glanced round at her mum and followed the direction of Molly’s gaze. Roland and Raven had their backs to her and were running in a straight line towards the edge. They were closer to it than they obviously realised and even Evie could only just see the steep drop-off into one of the inlets.
‘Stop!’ She yelled.
Roland turned his head but kept running as Raven was just inches from him and he clearly didn’t want to be caught. A second later, both of them disappeared. The only indication of what had happened was a scream, a shout and two loud splashes.
Evie screamed and ran to the edge but Zachary raced past her, hesitated for a split second and dived into the channel of water between the isle and the mainland.
Only a few people had seen what had happened but Evie’s screams for help soon made everyone realise something was very wrong. Pandemonium ensued and although everything happened quickly, it seemed as if it was happening in slow motion. Evie balanced precariously at the edge, peering into the darkness below. Just a few spots of colour were visible, from the reflections of the street lights and fairy lights strung between the lamp posts on the mainland but she couldn’t see any sign of Raven, or Roland, or Zachary.
Christmas Secrets in Snowflake Cove Page 14