She’d left no stone unturned; menus had been planned, with extra staff drafted in, and of course the bar was fully stocked. Freddie had ordered in the most expensive alcohol in the hope they’d be happy to pay for a lot of it. Harriet had also warned that if these bankers were anything like her and her team, they might not be delighted by the idea of baking, painting and doing those sorts of mundane activities, so they might be even more demanding when they were allowed downtime. Pippa could only hope they’d be nothing like her sister.
A luxury minibus with blacked-out windows started winding its way up the drive. Pippa and Freddie stood at the front door ready to welcome their guests.
‘I feel a bit scared, to be honest,’ Pippa admitted.
‘I know, last year we were flat out but it seems that we’ve been a bit spoilt with the quiet season. This feels like the start all over again,’ Freddie agreed.
‘I know, it’s not quite over yet – we’ve got a few more weeks of the quiet season, up until Easter, actually – but yes, we need to make the most of it, don’t we?’
‘We sure do. It’s been good for Gemma, me being able to spend more time with her. I think next year I want to take her on a proper holiday; you know, when we’re quiet again. Like a five-star holiday in the Caribbean, maybe.’
‘Great idea.’
Pippa could imagine that Gemma wasn’t exactly used to lots of five-star holidays and goodness knows she deserved to be spoilt.
‘I want her to have an experience that she’s never had. She used to go to Wales with her nan and she loved those holidays, but I don’t think recreating those would do any good. No, I want to take her to a proper resort. Because she’s not into fancy things, I thought we would book to do some snorkelling, maybe even diving and activities like that. She’d like that, wouldn’t she?’
‘Fred, she’ll love it. What’s brought this on?’
‘I’ll tell you later.’ He gestured to the minibus, which had now stopped. ‘I thought Harry might be here?’
‘Oh, she would have been, but she’s got a baby music group, which is now her top priority.’ Pippa shook her head.
She’d have felt more confident having Harriet here, but then she knew, as manager, she needed to be able to deal with this herself.
‘I can’t believe our sister enjoys hanging out with a bunch of mums and babies, it’s mad.’ Freddie scratched his head.
‘I think it makes her feel better knowing she’s not the only one who finds it hard. She’s coping much better with Toby since meeting those women and I can only fathom that it’s because they’re sharing the same experience.’
A cloud passed over Pippa’s face. Yes, she was only in her early thirties, but she still wondered, being definitely single, if she’d ever have a child. At one time it was all she wanted and now … For now, the hotel was her baby.
‘Welcome to Meadowbrook,’ Pippa said as the guests made their way towards them.
The man who headed them up was definitely Pippa’s type, she thought, as she tried not to blush. He looked to be about mid-forties, with dark hair slightly peppered with grey. He wasn’t overly tall but was well-built, wearing smart trousers, a shirt and jacket. Following him were the four women, who looked immaculate in jeans, jackets and boots, which were all designed to look casual but you could tell cost a fortune. Designer handbags dangled from their wrists. The men bringing up the rear were an array of ages, mostly wearing a uniform of chinos, warm jackets and boots or trainers.
‘Harvey Carter,’ the man said, holding out a hand.
As Pippa took it she felt a little faint at his touch, although his broad London accent surprised her; it didn’t quite go with the image. He looked expensive. His brown eyes sparkled and when he smiled, lines played at his eyes, but his voice wasn’t quite what she’d been expecting. He was definitely handsome, though.
‘I’m Freddie Singer, this is my sister, Pippa, and we’re very excited to have you staying with us.’
‘Tell me that when we leave. I’m afraid my bunch of merry people – got to be politically correct, you see – might have you thinking otherwise in a day or two.’
‘We’ll see,’ Pippa grinned. She couldn’t help herself. Harvey’s eyes were so brown they were almost black. ‘Would you like to come inside and have a glass of champagne to start with?’ She gestured to the door.
‘Yes, we bloody would,’ a voice boomed.
‘What about our luggage?’ one of the women said, flirtatiously batting her eyelashes at Freddie.
They looked to where the minibus driver was hauling designer holdalls and small cases off the bus.
‘We’ll take care of that. Freddie’ll take you through to the drawing room and I’ll get the luggage taken care of,’ Pippa said, warming into her role. She did love it so much.
‘Wow, a drawing room! It’s very Downton Abbey,’ another voice shouted and they all shrieked with laughter.
This would be a good stay, Pippa thought, and anyway, Harvey looked as if he could handle this lot easily. She tried not to think about how much she’d like him to handle her. That definitely wasn’t professional. But, unfortunately, as she watched him lead his group inside, none of her thoughts about him were professional, and she’d only met him for a second.
The noise from the bar suggested that everyone was happy. The rooms had been well-received and dinner was raved over. Harvey had been especially complimentary. Pippa just wished she didn’t blush every time he spoke to her. She felt like a silly schoolgirl. Harriet had phoned to check everything was all right, Hector had decided to keep Gemma company at their house and so far all was going smoothly. Pippa was about to go into the bar to join the guests, when she practically walked into Brooke.
‘Are you all right?’ she asked.
‘Yes, sorry, I just wasn’t sure about going in. They seem quite…’
‘Intimidating?’ Pippa suggested.
‘Yeah. I mean, some of the men are pretty hot,’ Brooke giggled.
‘Anyone in particular?’ Pippa asked, hoping that she didn’t mean Harvey.
‘The cute guy with the red hair,’ Brooke said, pointing at one of the younger guests.
He was tall with unruly red hair. Pippa raised her eyebrows.
‘Cute,’ she said. ‘But he doesn’t look like the tattoo type, Brooke.’
‘No, but he’s a bit like Prince Harry, so I can forgo the tattoos for that!’ Brooke laughed.
‘Right.’ Pippa was lost for words; he looked nothing like Prince Harry apart from the hair colour.
‘Shall we go and join them?’ Brooke asked, chewing her lip uncertainly.
She seemed nervous and Pippa’s heart went out to her.
‘Yes and I’ll be right by your side. I could use a drink, anyway,’ Pippa winked.
She was never fully off the clock, but most of the work had been done for the day so she could enjoy herself a little. Also, socialising with the guests was part of her job.
They approached the bar and Pippa couldn’t help but notice some of the men’s eyes widen when they spotted Brooke. She was wearing jeans and a long jumper, her slender figure visible and her long blonde hair snaking down her back. She looked stunning.
‘Hi,’ Pippa said, honing in on the group of three women who were closest. ‘Is everything OK for you?’ she asked with a warm smile.
‘It’s super,’ Trudy, one of the ladies, said.
Pippa thought that, on first glance, they might be difficult to please, they were so expensive-looking, so groomed and designer-clad, but they were actually all friendly and quite lovely so far.
‘We love it here. We won’t want to leave, ever,’ Kathryn added. ‘Although the way our male colleagues behave you might want us to! I was thinking, though, that I’d love to come back with my husband, for a romantic break; he’d love it here,’ she gushed.
‘You’d be most welcome and I’ll give you a special rate,’ Pippa offered, so pleased by the compliments.
Harvey approached.
/>
‘Ladies, can I get you a drink?’ he asked, casually draping an arm around Pippa’s shoulder. She nearly fainted.
‘I’ll get Freddie to do my favourite skinny margarita,’ Brooke said, approaching the bar.
‘What’s that?’ Heidi, the third woman asked.
As Brooke explained, they all decided they wanted one of those, too. They went to the bar to see how Freddie made them, leaving Pippa with Harvey.
‘You don’t want a skinny drink, then?’ Harvey asked with a wink.
‘No, I’ll probably have a full-fat glass of wine in a moment,’ she replied, unable to resist smiling at him.
‘Let me get that for you, we’ve got bottles galore littering the tables.’ He gestured to where the rest of his group were scattered, all drinking and talking animatedly.
A couple were outside smoking and two were sitting down studying the cocktail menu. It was all going swimmingly. The women were clustered around Freddie at the bar, who was entertaining them with his more elaborate cocktail tricks. The rest of the staff were all busy serving, and trying to keep the place clean. Pippa’s eyes shone with pride – this was the hotel at its best.
‘Just a small glass, I’m still working,’ Pippa said.
‘In that case, I’ll make it a large. I don’t want you to be too sober as my unruly bunch get more and more drunk. They can be a little uncontrollable,’ he laughed. ‘I’ve heard the boss is particularly hard to handle,’ he said into her ear as he gently touched her arm.
‘Oh, gosh,’ Pippa replied, barely able to string a sentence together.
‘And not only is this hotel beautiful, but it also has one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen in it,’ he continued flirtatiously.
‘You mean Brooke?’ Pippa managed to get the words out.
‘No, I mean you. You’re so bloody gorgeous I don’t know how I’m going to cope the next few days.’ He reached out and pushed a lock of her hair behind her ears and she was lost.
Pippa could feel the blush from the tips of her toes to the tips of her ears.
‘Are you all right, Fred?’ she asked later as the bar had finally cleared out and she’d regained some composure.
The debris was mainly cleared away, but Pippa had sent the staff home and she was going to finish up herself. Or she might just close the bar off and get it sorted in the morning. After all, it was nearly 3 a.m. and she couldn’t believe the stamina of the guests. A few had retired to bed, and Harvey had eventually cleared the rest out as they had a full day tomorrow and breakfast had been scheduled for nine. There’d be a few sore heads, Pippa thought. She wasn’t sure how well they’d handle the baking, either. A vision of everyone burning themselves because they were still drunk entered her head but she quickly dismissed it.
She hadn’t drunk too much but the combination of the wine and her flirtation with Harvey was taking its toll. She felt a bit light-headed.
‘I’m not sure if I’m awake or if I’m asleep,’ Freddie replied.
‘You get home; I’ll sort this out. I think I’ll just stack everything on one table and then lock the bar, so we can deal with it in the morning when they’re with Gwen.’
‘Good plan. Are you sure you’re all right if I leave you? Oh! and by the way, I saw Brooke disappear with the ginger bloke.’
‘Really? I wonder where they went?’
‘For a walk, I think, but that was ages ago. I’m sure she’s fine; she is an adult, after all.’
‘Of course,’ Pippa agreed. ‘Right, off you go then.’ She ushered Freddie out.
She put the glasses together, made sure the outside doors were locked and then turned to leave, walking straight into Harvey.
‘Oh, you startled me,’ she said as he kept hold of her.
He snaked his arms around her and she felt warmth flooding through her. She hadn’t experienced this instant chemistry in a very long time, if ever.
‘Sorry, I went to bed but couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d see if I could get a brandy or something.’
He was wearing a pair of joggers and a T-shirt that showed the muscles in his chest. His hands on her arms were almost burning her. She knew what she should do – she needed to go to bed, so she should really just pour him a drink and send him back to his room. But then, after her siblings’ intervention, trying to get her to have a personal life, saying that she was all work and no fun, which they kept reminding her about…
‘I keep the good brandy in my office,’ she said eventually. ‘Let me lock up the bar and I’ll share a nightcap with you.’
‘My place or yours?’ Harvey asked.
She thought of him in her father’s old room. Although it was a hotel room now, she couldn’t help but think of it as belonging to Andrew Singer.
‘Come with me, through to the snug, it’s cosier.’ She felt her voice breaking up.
‘Lead the way.’
Armed with a bottle of brandy and two glasses, she led him into the snug. Before she’d had a chance to pour, he’d pulled her onto the sofa, almost on top of him.
‘Harvey, I don’t normally—’
She tried to protest but he silenced her with a kiss. It felt as if she were being awoken from a deep sleep. His lips felt like feathers brushing her at first but as she gave into him, the kisses became more insistent.
‘Harvey, I can’t. You know…’ she said.
‘Shush,’ he replied. ‘This is all I want from you. For now.’
She fell into his arms and lost herself in the depth of his kisses again.
Chapter Twenty
‘Pippa, you are coming to yoga, aren’t you?’
There was panic in Brooke’s voice as she approached Pippa, who was straightening up the drawing room. Pippa took a breath. She was tired, she was confused, but today was Brooke’s first ‘mature’ yoga class in the village hall. Word had got around that thirty people had signed up and Brooke was panicking. Somehow, Pippa felt that she was responsible, so she’d offered to go for support.
‘Sure. Give me a few minutes to get changed,’ Pippa said, needing to be alone before she headed down to the village with her car full of yoga mats.
Brooke still looked uncertain.
‘Honestly, you’ll be fine, and I’ll be there,’ Pippa said reassuringly.
The fund managers had only just checked out an hour ago and although Pippa hadn’t got to speak to Harvey alone this morning, he’d slipped her a piece of paper with his number on before he left, which made her feel more excited than she had in a long while. After their first night in the snug, she was hooked. And although they’d finally gone back to their own beds that first night, she’d found she couldn’t wait to see him the following morning.
Pippa had barely slept the last few days. Harvey was in her head and he’d got to her in a way no man had for ages. There was something about him that she was drawn to. He was handsome, yes, and he emanated success, but he was also funny and charming without being smarmy. He had a down-to-earth quality about him, as well. She shook her head – she was smitten. She’d managed to get through the following day, but she was now counting the hours until she saw him again.
Baking had been a success – they were all bonding the way they were supposed to – but it had been agonising waiting, as Pippa had had to stay up until the bar emptied – thankfully, a bit earlier, as everyone was exhausted – before she then waited for Harvey. He’d appeared, as she’d hoped he would, and invited himself for a nightcap in her apartment. Then she’d spent the night with him, against all her better judgement. She didn’t sleep, sleep with him – that wasn’t Pippa’s style – but they’d kissed again for ages and she’d eventually fallen asleep in his arms. Thankfully, she’d set her phone alarm to wake her before everyone else, but she’d again been exhausted the next day. She’d even taken a nap when they were all out being put through their paces by Brooke and Chris.
The guests were all muddy but happy after their outdoor activities when they returned and they’d all retired to
their rooms. But they’d also invited Chris PT to come to dinner that evening. Trudy had taken a bit of a shine to him and he’d charmed them all, which was good for business. Brooke and the man with the red hair were also getting very friendly. They were quite obvious about the fact they were getting together and Pippa heard her tell him to come to her room at one point. There was a lot going on those few days. She was pretty sure no one knew about Harvey and her, though. She certainly hoped not.
But now they were gone. She still hadn’t slept with Harvey but he was hard to resist and they were definitely getting more passionate on each encounter. However, Pippa was a romantic and she didn’t rush into anything.
She also felt that they’d got to know each other a bit. He was divorced, forty-five years old and had two teenage children, who he only saw when they wanted something. He’d dated regularly but hadn’t met anyone since his ex-wife and according to him, the marriage broke down because he worked too much. He said he was trying to scale back now he was ready to meet someone again. Pippa opened up about Mark and the hotel, and how she was struggling to meet anyone she felt connected to, but she did feel connected to him. She couldn’t explain it but there was something there.
They’d talked about her going to visit him in London, or going on weekends away, and she’d had a head full of promise when he left. She worried she’d been distracted from the hotel, but it was all running smoothly, so perhaps she could have a personal life and a work one, after all. Although, of course, the late nights had taken their toll on her and she was still exhausted, so she couldn’t help but question her professionalism, or perhaps lack of it.
However, for now, yoga called.
‘So, are you going to see that guy again?’ Pippa asked as they set off in her car for the village hall.
The Ticket to Happiness Page 17