They all laughed.
‘That’d be great. Thanks, Pippa. What about you?’ Brooke asked.
‘Oh good God, no. Pippa doesn’t ever exercise,’ Hector said quickly. ‘She thinks it was invented by the Devil.’
‘What?’ Brooke sounded horrified.
‘Ignore him, Brooke, it’s his British humour. Anyway, I did yoga for a bit,’ Pippa replied defensively.
She didn’t add that it had only been for a short time and that she’d fallen asleep when they were supposed to be meditating then woken with a start, dribbling, and had been too embarrassed to go back.
‘But you’re so slim,’ Brooke said. ‘Although being slim isn’t the same as being fit,’ she added.
‘Good genes,’ Pippa replied.
She and Freddie took after their mother, who was very small-framed, but Harry and Gus took after their father and had to watch their weight.
‘I’m sure I’d love to run with Gemma at some point. And I teach yoga,’ Brooke explained. ‘I’ll probably do yoga every day in the gym, and maybe swim, as well.’
Pippa thought her life sounded exhausting; although if fitness was her business then it made sense.
‘Won’t your mum miss you when you’re away? I mean, are you two close?’ Pippa asked.
‘Oh my! this food is delicious. I hope it wasn’t too difficult for me being vegetarian?’
‘No, we also have experience in vegan food, actually. We serve lots of vegetarian dishes, but Gwen does a lot of vegan baking and we can adapt to whatever you want.’
Pippa decided to ignore the way she avoided her question. Brooke was a guest and she needed to remember that. Of course, she had hopes that as Brooke was here long-term, she’d become part of Meadowbrook. Perhaps not quite in the same way that Hector was, but at least a bit; although she’d keep reminding herself to stay professional. Otherwise, she’d have Harriet to answer to.
‘That’s why this place was so perfect for me. I’m going to love it here, I just know it.’
Brooke downed her glass of wine and let Hector refill it. Pippa raised her eyebrows. For someone so small she could certainly drink. As she giggled loudly at something Hector said, Pippa wondered if she was a bit tipsy. The long journey, the fainting, jetlag and coming to a new place, it was all probably a little overwhelming for her.
‘Let’s raise a toast,’ Hector said. He was a bit tipsy too, his cheeks flushed, which was his tell. ‘Here’s to Meadowbrook and new friends.’
‘Wow, that’s so nice. To new friends and to Meadowbrook Manor.’
Brooke clinked glasses with them and Pippa had a feeling that this was going to be a fun few months at the hotel.
Chapter Eight
Pippa knocked on the door and waited.
‘Come in,’ Brooke said breathily from the other side.
Pippa turned the door handle and walked in.
‘Hi, sorry to interrupt you,’ Pippa started, standing awkwardly by the door.
Brooke had been here for a few days now and Pippa hoped her jetlag was easing. When the painting group, which comprised four middle-aged women who were all good friends, were staying, Brooke had kept herself to herself. She opted to dine in her room for all meals and although Pippa tried to persuade her to join the others, or at least Hector, she was resolute; she was still adjusting to the time difference and the weather. The women had been lovely, very quiet and well-behaved, but Brooke had barely been seen. She spent hours in the basement gym and Hector had taken her on a tour of the grounds but apart from that, Pippa had barely set eyes on her. It was fine – after all, she was allowed to do as she pleased – but still Pippa worried that she wasn’t happy. One of Pippa’s faults was her ability to fret about every little thing.
‘Hey, no worries, come on in.’
Brooke was sitting cross-legged on the bed. She had a laptop in front of her and she was wearing her gym clothes. She looked gorgeous as always. On the rare times Pippa had seen her, she always looked amazing. In her gym clothes, she looked as if she’d just stepped off the catwalk rather than out of a gym. She almost made Pippa want to get fit. Almost, but not quite.
‘I just wanted to check everything was all right. The other guests have just left, so it’s you and Hector again until the weekend, and I wanted to ensure that you feel at home – you know, have everything you need,’ Pippa smiled. ‘And to check that you’re happy here so far.’
‘Everything’s great. I’ve been keeping to my room a bit – you know, jetlag – and also I want to make the most of having all this time to rest while I can. But it’s all good, Pippa. I’m very happy here,’ she smiled, reminding Pippa of someone – probably a film star, the smile was so engaging.
‘Will you join us for dinner tonight? We were going to eat in the bar. Freddie and his girlfriend, Gemma, should be joining us, as well as Hector.’
Brooke’s eyes lit up. ‘Sure, that’ll be great. I want to apologise to Freddie for fainting on him and it’ll be nice to meet Gemma. We can maybe arrange a run. I’d love to run outside but I’m terrified of getting lost,’ she laughed.
‘That’s fabulous. If you need anything else, just ping me on the iPad.’
‘Oh, I wanted to ask. I saw a group of old women arrive earlier from my window, but you said that there aren’t any guests?’
‘Sorry, I should have explained. They’re our gardening club. They come and tend the gardens a couple of times a week. Really, they’re part of the community. My other brother, Gus, and his wife, Amanda, look after them. I hope that’s not a problem?’
‘No, I was going to say I’d like to go and see the gardens properly. Do you think they’d show me around?’
‘Of course. Come down with me and I’ll introduce you. They’re all lovely, but a word of advice, don’t let them hear you call them old,’ Pippa laughed and touched Brooke lightly on the arm. ‘They still think they’re teenagers.’
Brooke sprang up. ‘Got it. Thanks, Pippa. I really do love it here.’
There was an intensity to her voice that took Pippa by surprise.
‘We’re very happy to have you,’ she replied as she told Brooke to wrap up warm and waited while she did so.
One thing she felt confident about was that the gardening club ladies would definitely love Brooke.
‘Edie, this is Brooke.’
Edie, long-time member of the Meadowbrook community, soon-to-be Toby’s godmother (self-appointed), was also the rose expert and she was cutting them back. The rose garden was famous and attracted quite a lot of visitors in its own right. It was mainly down to Edie’s skill and she was passing those skills on to Gus. The Meadowbrook roses were so beautiful when in bloom it was breathtaking and they’d even won some kind of awards.
Before Edie had a chance to speak, four other women had approached. The women loved their gardens but they loved meeting new people more.
‘I’m Rose and that’s Margaret, Pat and Mary,’ Rose said.
‘Hello, Brooke, are you staying at the hotel?’ Edie managed to edge herself in front of the other women.
They all started gently elbowing each other for space near Brooke. Just another day in the gardens, Pippa thought. Thankfully, the rest of the gardening club were busy in the vegetable gardens a little further away, so Brooke wouldn’t be mobbed just yet.
‘Yes, I am.’ Brooke instinctively took a step back. ‘And I just love the gardens. I was hoping that you’d show me around,’ she asked shyly.
Pippa stood back.
‘Are you American?’ Pat asked.
‘I am.’
‘Do you have gardens like this in America?’ Margaret asked.
‘Not really, or not that I’ve seen. Nothing as beautiful as this, for sure. But I’m from California, which is more like a desert.’
Brooke had obviously said the right thing, as they all beamed at her.
‘Right, I’ll leave you to it. See you in the kitchen for tea and cake later,’ Pippa said and she made her way back to the house
.
She paused by the back door and looked. They were still all crowded around Brooke, but she was pointing at a plant and asking questions. It was sweet. She spotted Gus waving to her from the top of the garden and she waved back before she went inside.
‘Hi, Gwen,’ Pippa said as she found her in the kitchen. She went to give her a hug.
‘I thought I’d make a cake for the gardening club.’ She returned the hug. ‘Sit down and I’ll make you a cuppa.’
‘Gwen I should be doing that. But OK, if you insist.’ She sat at the table. ‘It’s bitter outside. I thought Brooke would be complaining, you know, coming from the sun, but she seems to take the weather in her stride.’
‘You said she had some kind of British heritage,’ Gwen laughed. ‘Maybe she’s got an inbuilt way of coping with our weather.’
‘True. I was hoping you’d be here. We’ve got a lot of baking lessons and workshops coming up and we may need to come up with some more help. You know, now you’re managing to prise your grandson off Harriet a bit more.’
‘I know, it’s all in my calendar. And Hilary’s helping out with some of them, now they’re becoming more popular. I thought we needed more people, so I’m also training up a couple of the girls here. One of them’s a very good little baker.’
‘And will that be enough? I don’t want you to wear yourself out.’
‘Don’t fuss. Although you’re right, I am trying to spend a bit more time with Toby. They grow up so fast and I don’t want to miss my first grandson’s childhood. But Hilary’s brilliant and she seems to enjoy having a “little job”, as she calls it. I know she tends to stick to quiches, but she can actually bake anything. I think we should be fine.’
‘Perfect. And how is our Toby?’ Pippa asked.
Toby was doted on by his granny, as well as his auntie and just about everyone in the family. Even Freddie; although Freddie doted from a safe distance. Gwen was so excited when Harriet was pregnant and she was certainly desperate to get her hands on her grandson a bit more often. It seemed he changed every time she saw him and she didn’t want to miss anything.
‘Oh, he’s so beautiful. I wish your sister would take it a bit easier, though.’
‘Gwen, this is Harry we’re talking about.’
Harriet didn’t admit to struggling, she thought that was a weakness, so Pippa knew better than to say anything to her and if she said she was fine then she was fine.
‘I know,’ Gwen sighed. ‘And I just have to make sure she knows I’m here to help whenever she needs it.’
Pippa nodded.
‘Do you have any cake for us, Gwen?’
The chatter of the gardening club ladies interrupted them. The kitchen shrunk as soon as the ladies, who’d all taken their boots off, traipsed in and sat around the table. There wasn’t quite enough room for them all, but Edie liked to stand by the Aga and a couple of the others joined her. Pippa saw Brooke put her head around the door.
‘Is it OK for me to come in?’ she asked nervously.
‘Of course,’ Edie replied, which made Pippa and Gwen grin at each other.
Edie liked to act as if this were her house and no one ever argued with Edie. But as a guest, and a long-term guest at that, then Brooke was welcome anywhere, Pippa felt. She didn’t want to usher her out of the kitchen – that was no way to help make her feel at home.
‘Please, come in and join us,’ Pippa invited, showing Brooke in as Gwen fetched another chair from the utility room.
‘This is the best bit of gardening club, apart from the gardening,’ Rose announced.
‘Yes, tea and home-made cake. Can’t beat it,’ Margaret agreed.
‘Wow! it smells delicious. But is it vegetarian?’
The room went quiet.
‘Of course it is, there’s no animals in it,’ Edie said as Gwen put the cake in the centre of the table. ‘Whoever heard of an animal cake?’ she cackled.
‘It is vegetarian,’ Gwen replied, her brows etched in confusion. ‘It’s got eggs and butter in it.’
‘But they’re not animals,’ Margaret pushed.
‘No, but they are animal products,’ Brooke explained. ‘But it’s OK, I’m not vegan; although I’d be real interested in doing some vegan baking with you, Gwen.’
‘And that’s why I never understood Americans,’ Edie said. ‘You’re a lovely girl, but how would you cope with no eggs or butter? What about crumpets, what do you put on your crumpets?’
‘What are crumpets?’ Brooke asked and was shot a number of horrified looks.
‘Being vegan isn’t an American thing,’ Pippa explained, trying not to laugh.
Luckily, Brooke didn’t seem offended; although her eyes flickered with confusion.
‘Of course it is,’ Pat said. ‘They tried to bring it over in the war with those nylons they tried to woo the women with. But it didn’t catch on.’
‘What, because of rationing?’ Gwen teased.
Pippa sneaked a grin at her.
‘Not just that but because we’re British and we don’t hold with all that,’ Mary argued.
Pippa shook her head but caught Brooke’s eye and winked. There was nothing quite like the Meadowbrook gardening club. She just hoped Brooke wasn’t going to get offended. Especially as she wasn’t actually a vegan.
‘Were you alive in the war?’ Brooke asked innocently.
Pippa almost grabbed her to protect her. Most of the ladies turned white. Edie choked on her cake and Gwen had to whack her on the back quite hard to stop her from choking. Her face was puce.
‘No, dear, we’re all far too young,’ Rose explained. ‘But we know about the war from our parents.’
‘Grandparents,’ Edie quickly added.
‘Actually, Brooke has British blood. She’s here because her family is from around here originally.’ Pippa changed the subject.
‘Oh, you should have said.’ Margaret beamed with pleasure. ‘That makes you one of us.’
‘Um…’ Brooke started.
‘Who is your family?’ Edie asked, taking another slice of cake. ‘I might know them.’
‘I’m not real sure. It’s my father’s family. Walker’s my surname, but I don’t know a whole lot about them, yet.’ Brooke was a little red-faced.
‘The good news is that any British blood counteracts your American, so you can be English, after all,’ Rose declared with a logic that defied logic.
‘I can?’ Brooke asked, seemingly still confused.
Pippa wanted to shake her head, but instead she concentrated on her cup of tea.
‘Oh yes, I did a course in how to do a family tree and it turns out if you’re a bit English you beat every kind of nationality.’ Rose sipped her tea.
Pippa caught Gwen’s eye then looked away as they both tried not to laugh.
‘In fact, Brooke, I can help you trace your family. I have experience, you know. I did the course at the local library with a very renowned historian who once worked at a university somewhere in Wales, I believe, which is almost England,’ Rose added.
‘That’s very kind,’ Brooke replied carefully. ‘I’ll definitely take you up on that when I’m ready, Rose, thank you.’
‘You might even find you’re from right here and you could even be related to me,’ Edie said delightedly.
Pippa was sure she saw all the colour drain from Brooke’s face.
The sound of laughter from the bar rang into the hallway as Pippa left the office. She went in and found Hector, Brooke and Freddie all having a cocktail together.
‘Hi,’ she said as she sat herself on a bar-stool at the end.
For some reason, Pippa felt a bit like an outsider but quickly shook off the feeling. She was always the one Singer who worried about missing out. It stemmed from her being the baby of the family and often being told she was far too young to do things with her siblings. So, in fact, it was their fault she suffered from the fear of missing out, or FOMO, as Freddie labelled it.
‘Brooke was telling us ab
out her encounter with the gardening club,’ Freddie explained.
‘They certainly loved you,’ Pippa said.
Brooke blushed. ‘I adored them. They’re so funny. I love that they think being English is better than being American,’ Brooke giggled.
‘We all know being British “trumps” being American, excuse the pun.’
Hector laughed so hard at his own joke he nearly fell off the bar-stool. How long had they been here?
‘I love Americans.’ Freddie clinked glasses with Brooke. ‘And, Pip, Brooke’s teaching me how to make skinny drinks – all the rage in America, apparently.’
‘What are skinny drinks?’ Pippa asked.
‘Vodka or tequila with fresh lime and soda, sometimes all together as well. All with far less calories than other alcohol,’ Brooke explained. ‘Back home we know the calorific value of practically everything,’ she explained.
‘Another skinny margarita coming up. Will you join us, Pip?’ Freddie asked as he grabbed a bottle.
Hector and Brooke went to sit at one of the more comfortable tables.
‘I thought Gemma was coming up this evening, so we could all have dinner together?’ Pippa asked, turning to Freddie.
‘She’s not well. She apologises, especially to Brooke – she so wanted to meet you. But she’s been working so hard at college, I think she’s just a bit run down and has a headache.’
‘No, I’ll skip drinks. Freddie, if you’re staying here, I ought to go and check on Gemma.’
Pippa was torn. She wanted to stay and get to know Brooke better but she instinctively felt that Gemma might need her.
‘Pip, that would be great. You know I don’t do well around illness,’ Freddie said, sealing her fate.
As they turned back to their drinks, Pippa realised she wasn’t going to be missed. She felt irrationally upset at this.
‘Freddie, I was telling Brooke that now she’s met the gardening club ladies, she should see the animal sanctuary properly,’ Hector suggested. ‘I gave her a quick tour when we went for a walk the other day but I didn’t get close to the animals.’
The Ticket to Happiness Page 7