The Mills & Boon Sparkling Christmas Collection. Kate HardyЧитать онлайн книгу.

       Chapter Four

      Eva was nursing a cup of tea. She stared at her phone, an air of gloom still hanging over her after seeing her mum and sister yesterday. The day was chilly and damp and she pulled her cardigan tightly around her. Thinking back to the strained atmosphere between her and Sarah, she debated with herself whether to text her or not.

      She let out a deep sigh. It was ridiculous to feel so unsure about contacting her own sister. Maybe she should just forget the whole thing, pretend everything was fine until the next time. But deep down it pained her. She wanted at least to be on civil terms with Sarah.

      Memories of her father had also been haunting her, as was often the case after being in her old home – almost as if her grief had been renewed in some way. It wasn’t just the physical pain of missing him, the horrible gaping hole he’d left in her life. It was her disappointment and frustration that he’d never see what she had achieved.

      Eva gave herself a little shake. All this indecisiveness was no good. Before she could regret it, she tapped out a message to Sarah repeating her offer to stay for a weekend and pressed send. Eva startled as Hamish suddenly let out a bark at the sound of the doorbell ringing.

      Seeing Greg Ritchie standing on her doorstep wasn’t the most welcome sight but Eva summoned a smile. ‘Hello, Greg.’

      ‘Eva, hi. How are you?’ He flashed a dazzling smile.

      ‘I’m very well, thanks. And you?’

      ‘Good, good. Could I have a minute of your time?’ Eva widened the door holding on to Hamish’s collar and allowing Greg to pass. She suppressed a little shudder as he stepped in. Something about Greg Ritchie’s practised smooth manner always made her feel uneasy. He had certainly found a look and stuck with it, she thought, acknowledging his customary well-cut suit, polished shoes, and slicked-back hair.

      The owner of one of the largest hotels in St Andrews, he had been one of the first people to introduce himself to Eva, offering to ‘show her the ropes’. He had insisted she accompany him to a networking event. ‘It’s important to keep in touch with other businesspeople – share ideas and give support,’ he’d told her.

      Leaving Jamie with Moira next door, Eva had dressed in the plain black dress she had worn for Paul’s funeral, the only thing she had remotely suitable for such an event. Waiting for Greg to collect her, she had felt nervous and like a fraud. She wasn’t a proper businesswoman; at least she didn’t feel like one then. She was a widow who had bought a huge house and was feeling totally out of her depth. She’d spent most of the evening standing nervously in the corner and couldn’t help admire the way Greg worked the room, shaking hands and chatting easily to people.

      He seemed to know all the jargon and buzzwords, which sounded like a foreign language to Eva. It had been terrifying making conversation with strangers but somehow she’d got through it, leaving with a handful of business cards and knowing a few new faces.

      Since then, there’d been a host of things for Eva to get to grips with. Finding the right suppliers, registering with the tourist board, getting to grips with marketing and running a website. Every now and again, Greg descended upon her with these little visits for no particular reason Eva could fathom. She was pretty sure – at least she hoped – Greg’s motives were well intentioned but she had instinctively kept her distance from him.

      Clearly he was an astute businessman and a serious networker but his reputation with women wasn’t something Eva wanted to experience first-hand. He was certainly handsome in an obvious way and from what she’d heard there was no shortage of women who appreciated his particular brand of charm.

      But he was way too smooth for Eva – there was a fine line between charm and smarm. Like his five-star hotel, everything about him was a little too polished and posed for Eva’s taste – his silky smile always at the ready. A snapshot of the one and only smile she’d seen from Ben Matthews popped into her head – where on earth had that come from?

      Giving herself a little shake Eva followed Greg into the hall where he was looking around with an appraising air. Eva had the sudden image of a big over-friendly dog coming to mark his territory in some way.

      ‘Can I get you something, Greg? A drink?’ she asked.

      ‘No time thanks,’ he replied. His eyes flicked to his smartphone as though something vitally important could come through any second and Eva thought he might get on well with Sarah.

      ‘You know there’s a big conference at the university in a couple of weeks?’

      ‘Sure,’ Eva lied. One of the benefits of not opening in winter was not having to be up to speed with every event in the town.

      ‘Six hundred delegates arriving for two nights – obviously we’re fully booked. But I’ve experienced a few er, technical issues with our new booking system leaving me with two guests and no rooms to offer them. I’d like to be able to tell them I’ve made arrangements for alternative accommodation.’ He gave her a silky smile. ‘And of course, I thought of you. I know you close in winter but I was hoping I could rely on you to take two guests for a couple of nights?’

      For some reason the thought of his slick operation not running smoothly made Eva want to giggle but she knew she would agree. It wasn’t just that she wanted to help – of course she did. Nor was it for the extra income even though it would be welcome. If she was honest, she jumped at the chance of having something to do. Jamie’s longer days at school left her with more time on her hands and, alarmingly, she was discovering the joys of daytime television. The theme music to Bargain Hunt was beginning to sound oddly comforting and Eva didn’t think that was a good thing.

      ‘Of course, that won’t be a problem. Would you like me to contact them directly?’

      He nodded in confirmation. ‘I’ll let them know we’ve got accommodation and I’ll email you with their details. That all right with you?’

      ‘Sure, that’s fine with me.’ With that sorted Greg looked about with an approving air.

      ‘So, your place is looking good, Eva,’ he commented.

      ‘Er, thanks.’

      ‘You have a good summer season?’

      ‘Really good, yes.’

      ‘Still suits you to close in winter?’ He raised a quizzical eyebrow.

      ‘Um, yes –’ Greg pounced on her split-second hesitation.

      ‘So you would consider opening all year?’

      ‘That’s not what I –’

      ‘There’s plenty of business out there you know,’ he interrupted. ‘Lots of people choosing staycations. Scotland is a top destination – St Andrews is thriving. In the next couple of months alone there’s jazz, poetry, and film festivals … hundreds of visitors all looking for a nice place to stay.’ He was pacing up and down now, getting into his stride, his pungent aftershave wafting about after him.

      ‘Well, it’s not really –’ Eva began.

      ‘Have you ever thought about expanding?’

      ‘Expanding?’ Eva blinked.

      ‘You could get a drinks licence, serve food, open all year round … There’s a lot of potential here. For example, what special