‘About what?’ quizzed Callie, looking at them with intrigue.
‘Trying to help Flynn. You’ve had a meeting this afternoon, haven’t you?’ But before she could say any more Ella hit Callie’s arm. ‘OMG that looks like that chef off the TV.’ Ella’s jaw had hit the floor as she stared towards Andrew Glossop who was enjoying a pint on the other side of the bar.
Julia laughed and started to explain, ‘That’s Andrew, he’s the chef up at Starcross Manor and has been a rival of Gianni up at The Lakehouse for many years. Secretly I think they are very fond of each other. They’ve been in many competitions against each other. Andrew took part in the cooking show—’
‘The Road Trip Around Italy,’ interrupted Ella, still staring at him. ‘I L-O-V-E-D that programme,’ she trilled, stringing out the word. ‘He is my absolute favourite. Is everyone famous in Heartcross?’
‘Well, don’t be saying that to Gianni if you’re working at The Lakehouse,’ chipped in Callie, ‘as he is your boss.’ She grinned. ‘And you need that job!’
‘I won’t be saying a word!’
Meredith came over to the table and took the girls’ orders as Isla and Felicity walked into the pub and headed straight towards their table. Ella had met Felicity and was soon introduced to Isla, who she instantly clicked with.
‘You’re the owner of the alpaca farm.’ Ella had noticed the comical creatures grazing in the field. ‘They are gorgeous things.’
‘That’s me, tired housewife to one, mother to two, with my mad granny living with us.’
‘Sounds like fun to me,’ replied Ella, thinking everyone was so welcoming and that Isla was lucky to have a family.
‘So tell me what brings you to Heartcross?’ asked Isla innocently, taking a seat at the table.
Ella and Callie looked between each other.
Silence.
‘What have I said?’ asked Isla, looking around the table. ‘Have I said something I shouldn’t?’
‘It’s not you,’ reassured Ella. ‘I’ve just come out of a really difficult relationship, that’s all.’
‘Tell us more,’ chipped in Felicity. All eyes were on Ella.
Ella had already opened up to Roman and getting it all out in the open was like her own form of therapy. She felt better talking about it and having the support of the people around her. The more she voiced what had happened between her and Alex, the more it made her determined to make something of her life, pay off those debts and get her life back on track.
‘Well, in a nutshell… after my parents passed away, I fell in love with a doctor at the local hospital who helped me through all my grief. He was the love of my life and moved into my home. We talked marriage, kids and even started to look for a place together. Then one day he went to work and never came back…’
Everyone’s jaw hit the floor at the same time, trying to take in exactly what Ella was telling them. ‘This is awful – and is he still missing? What have the police said?’ asked Isla tentatively.
‘Oh, he’s still missing, alright… along with Ella’s inheritance and a brand-new Range Rover! It turns out he’s not a doctor, he never worked at the hospital and we have no clue who the man was,’ chipped in Callie.
‘Shit! No way, are you serious?’ asked Eleni, not mincing her words. ‘This is the type of stuff you read about in the newspaper.’
‘It’s all true, I’ve no clue who this man is, what his real name is…’ Ella blew out a breath. ‘It turns out everything was a lie.’
Felicity raised an eyebrow. ‘And I bet you’re spending your whole life looking over your shoulder and scrutinising everyone you pass in the street.’
Ella nodded. ‘I was… I did, but somehow I don’t think I’ll be bumping into him in Heartcross.’
‘Let’s hope not, because we would all run him out of town. You chose well coming here, Heartcross is like no other place, the magic draws you in and we all look out for each other,’ confirmed Isla, in a voice that sounded like she was the voiceover for a TV advert, causing everyone to laugh.
Ella already knew of the fantastic community spirit, everyone had gone out of their way to make her feel welcome and strangely enough, she was already beginning to feel like she was part of the gang. Sharing her story put her at ease. The truth was out, and she knew if she was struggling or having a bad day, there was someone she could talk to. ‘These people are professionals, it’s a type of grooming, preying on the vulnerable. You think these things can’t happen to you, but they can and I’m sorry this happened to you,’ said Isla with such warmth.
‘I watched a documentary once and these type of people scour the obituaries looking for their next victim – these tributes always tell them more information then we should share. It’s then easy to track anyone down these days with social media,’ chipped in Felicity.
Ella knew Felicity was absolutely right. Anyone could find out anyone’s worth in a matter of seconds. She thought back to her own parents’ obituary, in the write-up they talked about their successful business and the fact they were leaving behind one daughter… Ella Johnson, age 35. Dr Alex James had had everything handed to him on a plate.
‘That was exactly my life,’ confirmed Ella. ‘And what a fool I feel.’
‘Well don’t. Look how courageous you are. You’ve taken the plunge and moved miles away to get yourself back on track. You might have no material possessions, but you have us and we’ll do everything we can to get some sort of normality back in your life. I just can’t imagine what you’ve been through…’ sympathised Julia. ‘But you are here in Heartcross, and we won’t let anything happen to you.’
One by one the girls stretched out their arms and put their hands on top of each other in the middle of the table, then wiggled their fingers before sweeping their arms above their heads. ‘Us girls stick together, and you can be in our club,’ announced Felicity and the rest of them chorused, ‘Hear, hear!’
Ella felt gladdened at being welcomed into the fold. She felt a good caring vibe from each and every one of them and was glad she’d trusted them with her past. They hadn’t judged her, or thought she was stupid, they’d just been there for her. Callie had been right about this village, it was a very special place.
‘We’ve all been out on a limb at some time or another but there’s always someone to talk to or hang out with. There’s something about this place and the people…’ Julia looked between all the girls.
‘And you never want to leave!’ everyone chorused, causing Ella to laugh.
‘Anyway, what’s all this?’ Felicity pointed towards the pad in front of Julia.
Julia tapped her pen on the pad. ‘Brainstorming… The Lakehouse. Flynn is stressing. Look at this place, packed out. This is what we need at The Lakehouse.’ Eleni twizzled the notepad towards them all. ‘So far, we’ve got a big fat nothing.’
Callie and Ella glanced at the blank page.
‘Flynn needs to buy the front page of the Scottish Daily Mail and print a voucher for a free meal,’ joked Ella. ‘Just imagine how many readers will see that ad.’ She sipped on her wine whilst everyone around the table stared at her.
‘Ella, you might be on to something there,’ Julia looked impressed and jotted down Ella’s idea. ‘I’m going to mention that to Flynn.’
‘Swot!’ teased Callie. ‘Ella saves The Lakehouse.’
‘And I’ve not even officially worked my first shift yet.’ Ella grinned, putting a smug look on her face. ‘And maybe he could organise for a couple of well-known faces to dine at The Lakehouse.’ Ella was on a roll. ‘A few photos on Instagram and people will start rolling in. Zach Hudson for instance,’ Ella almost tripped over her words. ‘He would be perfect to attract the diners.’
‘Exactly, but Zach is still in Africa with Rory,’ replied Julia.
Ella was tugging on Callie’s jumper. ‘Zach Hudson is not in Africa, he’s just walked into the pub alongside Rory!’
They all spun round to witness Meredith screaming as she set e
yes on her future son-in-law for the first time in months. ‘Fraser, Fraser,’ she bellowed. ‘Quick! Rory’s home, he’s back and Zach, Zach’s here too.’
With a wide grin and a suntan to die for, Rory held out his arms and Meredith fell into them and hugged him tight. The whole of the pub erupted in applause, leaving Rory to raise his hand in the air and wave at everyone around.
‘I can’t believe you’re back,’ Meredith was stumbling over her words with excitement. ‘Why didn’t you say you were coming?’
‘Any chance of a pint from my favourite landlady?’ He grinned, heaving the rucksack from his back and leaning it against the bar. ‘It’s been a long journey home.’
‘Fraser, get the boys a pint,’ ordered Meredith, her voice still shaking with excitement. ‘Look at you,’ she held his hands before turning towards Zach. ‘Welcome back to Heartcross.’ Taking Zach by surprise, she hugged him too.
‘When Rory invited me back for a few days, how could I resist?’ He grinned, shaking hands with Fraser who was completely flabbergasted by their sudden arrival.
‘Well, we weren’t expecting this.’ Fraser slapped Rory on the back. ‘But it’s good to have you home, son. Let me get you both a pint.’
‘That’s music to my ears.’ Rory laughed, taking a swift glance around the pub and waving towards Julia, Felicity and Isla who were up on their feet and heading towards him. Ella and Callie watched as the old friends reunited.
After hugging Rory to death, Felicity and Isla came back to the table. ‘All we need now is for Allie to come home and all the gang is back together.’ Isla looked happy as she sat back down.
‘And here’s Flynn now and Gianni,’ Julia noticed them walking in the back door. Immediately Flynn made his way over to Julia and kissed her. He turned back to say something to Gianni when everyone noticed Zach, with a wide grin on his face, welcoming Gianni like a long-lost friend. ‘Gianni!’
‘I can’t believe it,’ chimed Gianni in a loud Italian accent. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Never mind me, what are you doing here?’ replied Zach, thumping him on his back. As thick as thieves, they disappeared over towards the bar whilst Flynn pulled up a chair next to Julia.
‘Honestly, I feel like I’m in a weird dream, just pinch me.’ Ella offered her arm to Callie. ‘I’m dreaming I’m in this quaint pub in the Scottish Highlands with a legendary actor, a TV supervet and a famous chef.’
Callie pinched her arm.
‘Ow! That hurt!’ Ella rubbed her arm.
Everyone laughed.
‘This is so surreal.’ Ella was still staring over at Zach.
‘Welcome to Heartcross!’ exclaimed Julia, holding up her glass as they all clinked them together.
‘How’s Dolores?’ asked Flynn. ‘Callie mentioned you’d been to visit her at lunchtime.’
‘Low blood pressure, doing good and hopefully home tomorrow, and I had the best history lesson about The Lakehouse, which was apparently the place that launched her career. Do you know Dolores still has a little black book full of all the artists’ telephone numbers that performed at The Lakehouse, including some of their sons and daughters who followed suit?’
‘That woman has a remarkable talent,’ replied Flynn, accepting a drink from Fraser who’d just brought him a pint over. ‘Dad was telling me the Dolores Dinner evenings were always packed out. First your meal, then you watched your favourite artist perform. Win–win.’
Ella slapped the table, and everyone looked at her. ‘I think I’ve just had a light-bulb moment.’ Ella’s eyes were wide, which matched the grin on her face. ‘This afternoon Dolores was telling me how she would love to perform at The Lakehouse one last time, so with the TV crew coming in tomorrow and reporting on the history of The Lakehouse, why don’t we have a trip down memory lane?’
Flynn was listening intently to every word as Ella continued. ‘Let’s use Dolores’ little black book. She can headline the evening, be the main star… “A Trip Down Memory Lane with Dolores Henderson”. There could be a competition to win tickets, the locals obviously get a special discount and we can have numerous artists leading up to the grand finale.’ Ella paused. ‘I know it’s probable that some of the artists may have passed away but Dolores mentioned she’s up to date with family members of theirs who followed in their footsteps. If Dolores is in involved, surely everyone will want to be involved, we may be able to pull in a few recent artists.’ Immediately Ella thought of Roman, surely he had contacts, especially as he used to be in that line of work. ‘Gianni can cook up a delicious menu, we could even dress up just like the olden days if we wish to take it that far?’
Ella was watching Flynn’s reaction, a huge smile hitched on his face. ‘What do you think?’ she asked, waiting with bated breath.
Flynn picked his pint up off the table and held it towards Ella. ‘I think you, Ella Johnson, are a genius. This could absolutely get The Lakehouse back on the map. Think of the media coverage,’ he looked around at everyone. ‘What do you all think? I think this is an excellent idea.’
Callie spoke up first. ‘I think you’re on to something with “A Trip Down Memory Lane with Dolores Henderson”. But we need to make sure she’s willing and able. Don’t forget, she is currently in hospital,’ Callie reminded everyone.
‘I think she will be more than in. This has success written all over it,’ trilled Ella, with excitement in her voice, knowing that Dolores loved The Lakehouse.
‘This could lead to our own celebrity club launching again, but let’s include the locals in that too,’ suggested Flynn, much to everyone’s delight. ‘But one step at a time. Ella, do you think you can pull this off?’
Ella was taken aback. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I’m saying this is your call. You talk to Dolores, find out if you can have access to her little black book. Would she be up for a star-studded night dedicated to her and the past… “A Trip Down Memory Lane” has such a great ring to it.’
‘Are you asking me to organise this event?’ Ella’s voice trembled and she moved her hands to her heart, her eyes glistening and her smile broad.
Flynn pointed at her. ‘Exactly that.’
She grabbed on to Callie for support who whispered, ‘You can do this.’
Pressing her lips together, Ella tried to contain her emotion. Could she actually do this? Flynn was putting The Lakehouse in her hands, hoping that her idea was going to save the restaurant from going under. This was a huge ask. She didn’t know a thing about event management or putting acts on stage.
‘Do you think you could pull it off? We can talk to the TV crew tomorrow and try and get them involved?’
Ella was thinking fast on her feet; could she do this? She’d run her own business and organised sale evenings and special events in the shop to bring in the customers, but this was on another scale. But surely, she could just do what she did before and just magnify everything to the next level? Ella knew she had a natural affinity with Dolores, who would do anything to help make The Lakehouse succeed. She looked over at Callie again, who was still nodding and encouraging her every step of the way. ‘Say yes,’ she mouthed.
‘If Dolores is in agreement, then… yes!’
‘Fabulous, we can chat tomorrow at work.’ Flynn held his glass up towards Ella.
Callie mirrored his action. ‘Ella Johnson saves The Lakehouse.’
‘Ella Johnson saves The Lakehouse,’ repeated everyone else around the table.
‘No pressure,’ whispered Ella to Callie. ‘I can do this, can’t I?’
‘You can, and that’s because you’re absolutely fabulous,’ exclaimed Callie, bumping her shoulder against Ella’s.
Ella gave a broad grin. She felt honoured to have been given the chance, and already felt like part of the community of Heartcross. Ella wasn’t going to let Flynn down. If Dolores agreed, this was going to be the best night The Lakehouse had ever seen – she’d make sure of that.
Chapter Seven
Ella j
olted awake from a nightmare where she was being chased by a lion with the head of Alex over the bridge into Heartcross. He was shouting at her to give him all of her money and although she was running as fast as she could, he was gaining on her. Feeling panicky, Ella wiped the sweat from her forehead and pulled at the neck of her pyjama top, allowing herself to breathe easier.
‘Damn you Alex, stop haunting me,’ she murmured, sitting up in bed. After calming her breathing she reached out for McCartney, who was curled up at her side. He’d slept on Ella’s bed for the second night and she was getting rather used to having him by her side.
‘It’s today McCartney, my first shift at The Lakehouse.’ But McCartney was oblivious, he was too busy waggling his legs in the air, hoping for a tummy tickle. ‘And then I have to talk to Dolores. Fingers crossed.’ She picked up McCartney in her arms and gave him a huge squeeze before wandering out into the living room to find Callie talking on the phone. As soon as she finished her call, she sang good morning and handed Ella a cup of tea.
‘I don’t think we’ll be sitting out on the balcony this morning.’
The rain was lashing down, and it sounded like pellets firing against the windowpanes. ‘According to the weather forecast it’s going to clear up in the next hour. Let’s hope it stops before we head over to the boat. How are you feeling about your first day?’
‘I’m really looking forward to it. It should be a fun day. Who was on the phone?’
‘Flynn,’ replied Callie, ‘asking where Roman is. He gave him an early shift to ferry the TV crew across the river, but he’s failed to turn up.’
‘Really?’ Ella was surprised, he really didn’t seem like the unreliable type.
‘It’s not the first time and I know Flynn has got enough on his plate without any added pressures at the minute.’
‘There’s got to be a reasonable explanation,’ replied Ella, trying to smooth the way, even though the appointment at Oasis Lodge had just popped back into her head. Maybe Roman really was recovering from an addiction of some kind, but then Ella scorned herself for jumping to conclusions. ‘Something must have happened because he said he’d see me at work today. Bette has probably broken down, it will be something simple.’
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