Page 51 of The Village Inn of Secret Dream

‘It’s Pete,’ said Amber. ‘You like him.’

‘In no way was the word “like” used in any context regarding Pete Kennedy,’ said Belle, quickly.

‘Right,’ said Lucy, with a wink. ‘We hear you.’

Belle suddenly found she couldn’t sit still and began to pace up and down the lounge, nearly tripping over Keith, the dog, as she went.

‘I mean, do I think he’s a good guy? Possibly,’ she said, more to herself than to her friends. ‘Is he totally misguided in his attempts with this fancy restaurant? Well, obviously the man is clueless. But I think his intentions are good. I just wish he’d listen once in a while. Not that he’s a bad person, of course.’

She stopped suddenly and turned to face her friends who were smiling up at her.

‘But I don’t like him like that, okay?’ she told them in her firmest possible tone of voice.

They all nodded, still grinning.

Belle rolled her eyes at her friends.

They were all jumping to completely the wrong conclusion. Such was their desperation to match her up in a relationship.

But they were barking up the wrong tree completely with Pete, weren’t they?

28

Pete was feeling optimistic for the first time in days when he rushed into the bar later that week.

‘I’ve had a reply,’ he announced to Belle. ‘To the chef’s position.’

‘That’s great,’ she replied, still sounding a little hesitant about the whole thing.

‘He’s got a great résumé,’ said Pete, anxious to reassure her. ‘Says he’s almost Michelin-star standard. Great reviews. It’s all very promising.’

‘So why hasn’t he got a job already?’ murmured Belle.

Pete looked at her. ‘You’re so cynical,’ he told her, rolling his eyes. ‘As it turns out, he’s been working on a cruise ship and is looking to stay on dry land for a while. So the good news is that he’ll be used to working in a tight galley kitchen so our little space should be a doddle for him.’

Belle narrowed her eyes but said nothing.

The following day, there was a knock on the door at exactly 11 a.m., which Pete thought was extremely promising. The man was obviously very professional.

If a little short, he realised, as he opened up the door. The man standing in front of him barely reached shoulder height. He had to be 5ft tall and not an inch more. This worried Pete who wondered whether the fancy new industrial kitchen he had ordered would be a little high for the chef.

‘Hi,’ said Pete, holding out his hand. ‘I’m Pete Kennedy, the co-owner. You must be Andrew Deboss.’

‘Actually, it’s pronounced Andre du Bois,’ said the man in a very plummy accent.

‘Of course,’ said Pete quickly. ‘Do come in, er, Andre.’

The chef followed him inside and his eyes clicked open wide at the state of disarray from all the building work. The wallpaper had been stripped off and was now being plastered in readiness for a fresh coat of paint. The electrics were still being updated so there were large areas dug out in the walls hence a few dust sheets hanging haphazardly. In addition, the new spotlights hadn’t arrived so there were just holes in the ceiling waiting to be filled with downlighters. And the area behind the bar was still only half painted.

‘As you can see,’ Pete told him. ‘We’re a work in progress. But this is the main lounge and over there will be the brand-new restaurant.’

‘And what happens at the end of this work?’ said Andre, his lips curling up in distaste.

‘We will become the best gastronomic inn experience in the area,’ said Pete, proudly.

Andre’s eyebrows clicked up a degree. ‘You will?’

‘Absolutely,’ said Pete, in a confident tone. ‘Let me show you the plans for the restaurant area.’