Page 66 of The Village Inn of Secret Dream

‘I will get back to the kitchen,’ said Andre, walking away.

Finally Pete found his voice again. ‘It just wasn’t very professional of him, that’s all,’ he said, his voice coming out as some kind of croak.

‘Oh he didn’t mean anything by it,’ said Belle, smiling as if it were no big deal. ‘Right, I’ll go dig out those napkins we had delivered. Amber’s made us some beautiful napkin rings.’

She wandered away out of sight, leaving Pete standing by the fireplace still trying to gather himself together.

Nearby, Josh and Amber exchanged a look.

‘Well, I suppose we’d better get back to the shop now that Pete’s broken up the party,’ said Josh. ‘Never known you to be a party pooper before, bro.’

‘There’s just a lot to do before we launch, that’s all,’ snapped Pete.

‘I’m sure that’s all your overreaction was about just then,’ drawled Josh.

Pete barely heard his brother’s response so merely nodded and walked away with the intention of making sure that Andre had actually returned to the kitchen and wasn’t initiating yet another move on Belle.

He was already in the lounge and out of earshot when Amber turned to Josh and asked, ‘Do you really think Pete’s overreaction was just the stress about the grand opening?’

To which Josh smiled at his fiancée as he shook his head. ‘I don’t think that’s what that was about at all.’

37

‘So how’s it going?’ asked Lucy as the four friends gathered around a table next to the fireplace in the inn on Friday evening. ‘Are you all set for the big opening?’

‘I guess so,’ said Belle. ‘But I’ve only got time for a quick drink as there’s still so much to do.’

The inn was even quieter than usual as everyone was booked in for a meal the following evening. Even so, there were still napkins to fold, cutlery to polish and tables to finish setting.

‘Is everything okay?’ asked Amber.

‘It’s fine,’ said Belle, quickly.

But it wasn’t quite true. She couldn’t relax and be herself whilst Pete was behind the bar. Even now she could feel him glancing over at the table once in a while. He had been like this for the past few days and she had no idea why.

‘Swap with me, will you?’ she said to Molly. ‘I’m getting too hot here by the fire.’

‘Okay,’ said Molly, amenable as always.

‘Are you sure it’s the heat from the flames?’ said Lucy, with a wink as Belle sat down next to her. ‘Not from your hot man behind the bar?’

‘He’s not my hot man,’ said Belle, grateful that she was now sitting with her back to Pete and that he couldn’t see the blush she could feel on her cheeks.

‘You’re blushing,’ said Lucy.

‘I was too warm next to the fire,’ said Belle.

‘Did you notice she didn’t dispute the hot man comment?’ said Lucy, turning to look at Amber.

Amber nodded and smiled softly to herself as she sipped her drink.

‘I never said…’ But Belle just let her voice drift off in the end. It was too exhausting to keep fighting her friends’ wave of opinions all the time.

Instead she gave a start as she felt a furry body bump against her knees. She peered under the table and found Keith had settled down by their feet.

Feeling Belle’s gaze, he lifted his grey shaggy head to stare up at her adoringly. But that was most likely because she had a bag of crisps in her hand, she realised. So she fed him a couple under the table, which caused his tail to thump and thus give the game away.

‘I hope you’re not begging,’ said Lucy, giving Keith’s head a stroke. ‘He’ll have to go on a diet if he carries on this way.’