‘Of course we can, follow me,’ Pippa said.
She didn’t want to push Brooke because clearly she was going through enough at the moment and it certainly wasn’t her place to pry.
Chapter Ten
Pippa briefed the staff first thing in the morning. It was Saturday, and including Brooke and Hector, the hotel was full. Four women, who were sharing two rooms, were here for a bridesmaids’ hen do, thankfully a civilised one. Pippa had booked massage therapists and beauty therapists to come to the hotel and they’d turned an area by the pool into a mini spa for the day. Two couples who were keen ramblers had arrived on Friday and were going to be out most of the day taking long walks in the countryside, armed with packed lunches that Vicky was making up before breakfast. Occupying the final four rooms were four men, who all owned the same type of classic car and were going to a car show. They were beautiful old Jags and although Pippa knew nothing about them, Freddie and Hector had been salivating over them. Even Gus, who wasn’t a car person, had sketched them excitedly. They were quite rare and worth a fortune, apparently.
But today was also Harriet’s first big event post-Toby at the sanctuary – the dog adoption day – and Pippa needed to support that. Since the hotel opened Pippa had spent less time than before at the sanctuary, which made her sad, as she did love the animals, but there were only so many hours in the day. She’d been trying to make up for it in her quiet time, but it wasn’t easy.
Although the hotel had enough staff who all knew what they were doing, Pippa still worried about leaving it. She was almost as bad as Harriet was about leaving Toby, even though the place was in good hands. When they opened they’d encountered a few staffing issues, which Harriet had guided Pippa through. Pippa was too trusting and, mistakenly, she tried to make everyone her friend, but when stock went missing from the bar, Pippa had learnt to toughen up and now she didn’t let anyone work at the hotel who she doubted, trusting her instincts. And she operated a strict policy for staff, which was working well; although she knew full well if anything really bad happened, she’d get Harriet to help deal with it. She sometimes thought Harriet almost enjoyed firing people. She was the Alan Sugar of Meadowbrook.
She made her way down to the sanctuary and tried to put the hotel out of her mind for once. After all, she was literally only five minutes away if they needed her. She really did fuss too much sometimes. The hotel was thriving and she had to learn to step back when she could. If she didn’t, she’d never have a personal life.
‘Hi, Pip,’ Connor said, running his hands through his hair before giving her a hug.
He was in the dogs’ living quarters, which had recently been expanded so they had a bigger outside area, as well as luxury sleeping accommodation. It still upset her to see the domestic animals there, waiting for homes, but at least they had room to move around, the best food and a lot of love while they waited for their forever homes. It was almost like a five-star hotel for dogs, in fact.
‘How’s it going?’ Pippa asked.
‘H is frantic,’ he said, referring to Harriet. ‘Toby didn’t sleep much last night and I begged her to let Mum have him this morning so she could get a few hours’ sleep, but she insisted on bringing him here with her. I swear she’s going to fall asleep standing up. Or on one of the dogs. It’s not a good look.’
‘My sister doesn’t do things by half, does she?’
Pippa knew how important today was for Harriet, so she hoped that her lack of sleep wasn’t going to ruin it for her.
‘No, look at today. She’s had no sleep, she’s arranged this amazing dog parade, she’s got the local paper coming – and by the way, they’ve been promised a picture of Hector with some of the dogs – and we’re expecting over a hundred people. I know it’s important to get the dogs re-homed and this drive will really help, but I don’t want her to run herself into the ground over it.’
He ran his hands through his hair again. He and Harriet were made for each other, but they were very different people. Connor was passionate but so much more laid-back and he wasn’t good at trying to get her sister to relax more. Goodness knows he tried, but she was a control freak.
‘You and I both know how much Harriet has to be superwoman. Don’t worry, Connor, she’ll be fine.’
‘Are my ears burning?’
Harriet approached with Toby in his pram.
‘I was asking where you were.’ Pippa leant into the pram, where Toby rewarded her with a gummy smile before shoving his fist into his mouth. She planted a kiss on his head. ‘What do you want me to do?’ she asked.
‘I want to go through the order of the day with everyone involved. And you need to wear this.’
Harriet shoved a T-shirt that read ‘Give a dog a home’ at her. Pippa pulled it over her jumper. It was too cold to wear it on its own.
Gwen and Gerry approached.
‘Connor, Harriet, it’s far too cold out here for Toby, so we’re going to take him back to your house and sit with him there,’ Gwen said in her firm voice.
Gwen was a softy; growing up, she’d taken a maternal role with them but without overstepping any boundaries. However, when she wanted to be strict, no one argued with her. It was Gwen’s way or the highway. Not even Harriet would question her.
‘But—’ Harriet started.
Pippa noted that she looked tired. And although she was wearing make-up, she couldn’t help but see the bags under her eyes.
‘You’ve got milk you expressed in the fridge and he’ll be happier at home than out here. Not only that, but you need to spend some time concentrating on your event. These dogs need you.’ Gwen sounded firm.
‘But—’ Harriet started to object.
‘And as I’m shortly to be his godfather, it’s my godfatherly duty to help out.’ Gerry gave a mock salute.
‘H, you must know when you’re beaten,’ Connor said, giving her a hug.
She shook her head but reluctantly relinquished the pram to Gwen. Actually, Pippa watched Gwen take hold of the pram and almost have a tug-of-war with Harriet before she finally let go.
‘We’ll come out later and see how you’re getting on,’ Gwen promised.
Harriet leant down and kissed Toby goodbye.
‘You know, when I’m not with him I feel like a terrible mother,’ Harriet said, her voice full of emotion.
‘Nonsense,’ Gwen said. ‘You’re a brilliant mum, a natural, and no mum needs to be with their child twenty-four seven – and no child needs to be with their mum all the time, either. Now come on, my beautiful grandson, it’s time for Granny cuddles.’
‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me,’ Harriet said, wiping tears off her face when Gwen walked away and Connor was being cornered by Mike.
Pippa hugged her. It wasn’t often that she saw Harriet cry.
‘Oh, Harry,’ Pippa said softly.
‘I don’t like having to ask for help. I thought I’d got better, you know, after Dad dying and Connor … But it’s still so hard. And that boy, he’s so beautiful and I love him in a way I never felt possible, but all I ever do now is worry I don’t deserve him, or that I’m going to fail him, or that I’m a crap mum.’
‘Of course you deserve him, and all this…’ Pippa waved her arms around. ‘This for him, too. Our legacy, our father’s legacy, you’re building this and the hotel for him. Give yourself a break.’
‘I know, I know, you’re right. These dogs deserve loving homes.’
‘Talking of dogs, where’s Hilda?’ Pippa asked of Harriet’s rescued Old English sheepdog.
‘We had to leave her at home. You know, otherwise she’d probably end up adopted by another family, she’s such a flirt.’ The sides of Harriet’s lips curled and Pippa could see glimpses of the old Harriet again.
‘Good thinking. Right, let’s go and get this brilliant re-homing day started.’
‘Oh, look, isn’t that Hector and Brooke coming?’ Harriet asked.
Pippa looked and saw two figures in the distance; it certainly looked lik
e them.
‘I didn’t know Brooke was coming.’
Pippa hadn’t had much time to speak to Brooke since their visit to Wells, but she seemed happy and was spending a bit more time with Hector, she noticed. The two of them could often be found in the bar together, which was nice, Pippa thought, company for them both. Pippa was hoping to spend more time with Hector, but she’d been so busy trying to organise the hotel for the next few months that so far she hadn’t seen as much of him as she’d have liked.
‘They look good together. And she’s not that much younger than him,’ Harriet pointed out with a smile. ‘Of course he’s desperately in love with you, so that probably won’t work out.’
‘What, you mean Hector and Brooke?’ Pippa asked. She hadn’t thought about that. ‘And he’s not in love with me. He just thinks he is.’
‘Would you mind if they got together?’ Harriet asked, her worry forgotten as a teasing tone entered her voice.
‘Of course not. If Hector and Brooke want to date then great. Anyway, Gemma’s making me do Internet dating. I mean I’m not confident, but I’m willing to give it a go.’
‘You, Internet dating? Bloody hell! I never thought I’d see the day,’ Harriet laughed.
‘Why not?’ Pippa stormed.
Her sister could be so annoying. She had a habit of making her feel like a teenager again.
‘You’re just so fussy when it comes to men … Oh! hi, Hector, Brooke, nice to see you. Thanks for coming to support us.’
‘You know I just love dogs, so I’m really happy to help,’ Brooke said breathlessly.
‘Great, come with me and I’ll get you some T-shirts.’
Harriet led them away.
Pippa was still irrationally annoyed with Harriet as she walked off with Brooke and Hector. But she didn’t have time to stew, as a dog ran into her, practically knocking her off her feet.
‘Sorry, Pippa. That’s Paddy; he’s a bit boisterous,’ Connor said, scooping him up.
‘No worries. Right, let’s get this show on the road.’
Pippa shook herself, brushed dog hair off her jeans and bumped straight into Freddie, who was holding Gemma’s hand.
‘Hello, you two,’ she said, happy to see them looking so together.
‘Gem said I have to flirt with the women to get the dogs homed. Can you believe it? My own girlfriend, the love of my life, encouraging me to flirt with other women.’
‘But only for a good cause,’ Gemma laughed and kissed Freddie on the lips.
They definitely looked very together, and happy, which made Pippa warm with happiness for them. And she was also relieved.
‘Bloody hell, do you two have to smooch all the time?’ Fleur asked as she approached.
‘She’s only annoyed because her boyfriend, Alfie, couldn’t join her today,’ Amanda explained.
‘I’m not impressed that he couldn’t spare the time to help the dogs,’ Gus puffed, secretly sounding pleased.
‘Dad, he’s got a university open day. In Cambridge.’ Fleur rolled her eyes. ‘You know, that university where only clever people go …’
‘So he says. He’s probably buying drugs on a disused council estate.’
Amanda shook her head. ‘Hayley’s got a big hockey game and she’s with her father this weekend, so she sent her apologies. Right, let’s go and see where we’re needed.’
‘Ask Harry to separate Gus and Fleur – they seem to be bickering more than usual,’ Pippa whispered to Amanda.
‘You have no idea,’ Amanda replied, rolling her eyes. ‘This poor Alfie could be up for the Nobel Peace Prize and he still wouldn’t be good enough.’
People seemed to be milling around everywhere, Pippa thought as she grabbed some leaflets from the office and headed back. They’d definitely managed to get more people there than even Harriet thought. There were quite a few families, some older couples, and a few who seemed a little awkward and were probably alone. But they all certainly seemed serious about re-homing.
Pippa watched as Harriet charmed a group of people who surrounded her, her earlier tiredness brushed aside. Connor was giving tours and introducing people to the dogs where he could. Freddie and Gemma were proving quite the double act, as they seemed to be extolling the virtues of dog ownership – when they didn’t have a dog themselves, of course. Hector was trying to keep quite a few women at bay. He was in danger of being mobbed and as Pippa went to rescue him, Brooke just pipped her to the post.
‘Oh, Hector, can you come and help me, please?’ she asked as Pippa stopped near them.
‘Yes, of course. Excuse me, ladies, duty calls.’
Brooke linked her arm through Hector’s proprietorially and led him to where Pippa was stood.
‘Thanks, Brooke,’ Hector said. ‘They were trying to re-home me.’
‘Nice job,’ Pippa added, patting Hector on the arm.
‘But I don’t want a dog, I want a pony,’ a little girl was saying.
Pippa and Brooke both turned at the same time.
‘Darling, we live in a semi, we don’t have room for a pony,’ the father was saying, running his fingers through his hair.
‘And you said you wanted a dog,’ the mother added, seemingly a little pale.
‘Hey.’ Brooke went over to them.
Again, Pippa marvelled at how someone so young was so innately confident.
‘Let me tell you about ponies. They’re cute and all that, but you know, they don’t like cuddles like dogs do, and half the time they just ignore you. How about we go and feed some of our ponies and you can see for yourself. I mean, I’m not a gambler but I’ll bet you’ll want to go and choose a dog after that.’
Brooke had crouched down so she was at eye level with the girl and the girl immediately seemed besotted by Brooke.
‘Can I go and feed them?’ she asked her parents.
‘Yes, of course, thank you,’ they said.
‘Come with me; we’ll see if we can find a carrot or two. Pippa, can you help?’ Brooke asked.
Pippa nodded. How come she knew what to do all the time? Pippa wished she could be a little more like that.
‘I can’t believe how cute the tiny ponies are,’ Brooke gushed when, having pacified the girl by letting her give them carrots, her parents had reclaimed her and she’d happily gone to look at the dogs again.
‘They are,’ Pippa said. ‘And Gerald, the donkey, seems to look after them quite well,’ she added.
He was like the father figure in the paddock. Then in the adjoining field were the goats – three adult goats and Kanye, a kid. As with all the animals at Meadowbrook, they had a story. There were Piper and Flo, who were sisters and who’d been rescued together, and Romeo, who lost his Juliet. They all thought it was a ménage à trois of goats and it may well have been, but when one of them gave birth to Kanye, it seemed Romeo had found his love and Flo was now the third wheel. It was all a bit crazy but Brooke seemed to take it in her stride.
They also had more pigs now. Geoffrey was the alpha pig and also Gus’s favourite. They were mainly micropigs, who turned out not to be micro, and because they’d been so fashionable, unfortunately quite a few of them had to be re-homed when their owners became disappointed. The latest arrival was Kizzy, who’d been left at the sanctuary in the dead of night. She was a tiny piglet and Connor thought that she’d been rescued – or stolen, depending on how you looked at it – by vigilantes and taken to Meadowbrook. She was so sweet and Geoffrey had adopted her as if he were his daughter, and she was thriving.
‘I think it’s so sad that people hurt or abandon animals,’ Brooke said as if reading her mind. ‘I mean I don’t even eat them, but even if people do eat animals there’s no need to abuse them, is there?’
Pippa couldn’t help but like Brooke. She was open and warm. Although Pippa knew there was grief there, and Brooke still couldn’t bear to talk about her father, she understood how that felt.
‘I know, we have such a positive sanctuary here, but there’s a lo
t of sadness behind it,’ Pippa said.
‘But I love the alpacas, their faces are so funny,’ Brooke giggled.
‘They really don’t like anyone. Freddie tries his best with them and I think they’re the only thing he’s ever encountered that can resist his charm.’
‘He is very charming, isn’t he?’
Pippa looked at Brooke sharply. Did she have a crush on her younger brother? She hoped not; Gemma and he didn’t need anyone to rock the boat.
‘Yes, he is, and he and Gemma have the perfect relationship,’ Pippa replied pointedly.
‘Of course.’
Brooke sounded confused and Pippa’s suspicion that she had a crush on Freddie wouldn’t quite go away. No, that simply couldn’t happen. Freddie loved Gemma, but they were going through a bit of a tough time, so he certainly didn’t need some younger woman – who was hot, incredibly hot, actually – hitting on him.
‘But now Hector, he’s single, he’s young, good-looking, successful and intelligent,’ Pippa said.
God, he did sound good on paper. He was also the only single man she knew at the moment.
‘Oh, I bet my mom would love him,’ Brooke said. ‘You know, he’s so English, she’d probably try to hit on him herself.’
Not quite the answer Pippa was hoping for, but she could work on it. Pippa grinned as she petted Brian, the pony. She should really try to date, herself. Even if the Internet dating thing was as horrific as she suspected, it would be good practice. Gemma and Freddie would work out their problems, and maybe even Hector and Brooke would get together. It all sounded like quite a good plan. Although part of her didn’t want Brooke and Hector to get together when she was single. Going back to being the only singleton at Meadowbrook didn’t really appeal.
‘I was thinking of introducing you to the cows but they don’t like people. And unlike the alpacas, who just give you dirty looks, they can be quite aggressive.’
‘Yes, Freddie told me about the time they chased him – and how they were gay but the one died and you got a woman cow and they had a baby, so not gay, after all! Freddie’s so funny,’ Brooke gushed.
‘Hector’s funny, too,’ Pippa pushed. ‘And he’s single,’ she added pointedly.
The Ticket to Happiness Page 9