Bryan shook his head. ‘No just a dinner reservation. Someone from the town.’
Kevin nodded slowly, taking in all the information and formulating a plan. ‘Knowing what these locals are like, they’ll stick together and believe her which we don’t want, even though she is telling the truth. We don’t have the video so we can’t edit it and use it to our advantage, making it look like Holly Lodge were playing dirty. We need to do something that makes Nell Jones look bad. It’s all about reputation. If our reputation’s better than hers, people will believe us. No doubt about it.’ Bryan held his breath and waited for his superior to finish. As Kevin made up his mind, a sly smile came to his face. ‘Don’t worry. I know just what to do.’
Chapter 6
The next day, Nell was busy wrestling with the artificial Christmas tree in the lounge of Holly Lodge. It was a bit early to put it up, being only the eighth of November, but after last night she needed some cheering up and wanted it up for the wedding fair. It was important to make Holly Lodge the most amazing hotel at Christmas time, and show how cosy and warm and romantic it was: the perfect setting for a winter wedding.
Outside it was a damp and rainy day and a flock of seagulls swooped and swayed over the sea, but with the log fire burning and some Christmas tunes playing there was nowhere else she’d rather be. Wizard’s ‘I Wish it Could be Christmas Every Day’ had been on three times in a row, and Nell munched a mince pie and drank hot chocolate while she worked. She couldn’t help but buy mince pies as soon as they were stocked in the shops. She even loved the ones with icing on the top. They just tasted and smelled of Christmas and gave you a warm fuzzy feeling when you ate them.
Having changed the normal blankets and cushions to Christmassy ones embossed with robins, reindeers and festive patterns, Nell was beginning to feel a little more relaxed and able to shake off the embarrassment of the night before. She always went for natural decorations where she could, tiny traditional wooden ornaments being her absolute favourites, and Tom always made something to go over the fireplace. Sat cross-legged on the floor, she began sticking the different parts of the Christmas tree together. As much as she loved real trees, she’d invested in a huge but still gorgeous fake one last year for the hotel. It lasted longer and didn’t need quite as much looking after; there were no pine needles to sweep up and no pots to water. She also had two smaller trees that went either side of the front door, but she’d get around to those later.
A small wooden box, more like a jewellery box, lay next to her containing her tiny wooden decorations. She always used them to fill in the gaps once all the baubles were up and there were all different types – snowmen, ice skates, a robin, a sleigh – anything remotely Christmassy, bought over the years. Each one had its own memory attached. Some had been bought on holidays with Cat, Kieran and Tom, and others by her family, but each one meant something special to her. Taking a break from the prickly boughs, Nell picked one up and examined it. These just smelled different to other decorations. The woody scent meant Christmas had finally arrived more so than anything else. Beside her was another old cardboard box full of baubles and another that held a collection of different sized nutcracker soldiers. She loved those too with their tall hats and bushy beards and they fitted in perfectly around the hotel, lining the hall and slipping into spaces, making every room feel Christmassy.
Despite last night’s horrifically embarrassing dinner with Tom, one good thing had come out of it. A couple who’d been in the restaurant had decided not to stay at the Langdon Mansion, and had checked in to Holly Lodge instead. They’d arrived shortly after she and Tom had settled with fish and chips in the lounge. They had seen the whole spider-soup incident. Just remembering it made Nell shiver with humiliation at being asked to leave, and disgust that it had happened in the first place, but she pushed the horrid thoughts to the back of her mind and made an effort to focus on the positives. The Summertons had been incredibly nice and agreed that she’d been treated badly. Tom had been wonderfully indignant on her behalf and she loved him even more for his support. The Summertons loved their room and as they were here for a few more nights it meant a nice boost to Nell’s income.
Nell checked her watch. Tom was arriving shortly to attend this marketing meeting she was having with a local firm. As business had slowed, she’d been tempted by their free consultation. As the Summertons were out for the day and had booked to eat at a local Indian restaurant for dinner, they shouldn’t be disturbed. They’d wanted to eat at Holly Lodge if it was possible, and even after last night’s debacle and the fact that her offering would have to be much simpler, it had made the idea of opening the dining room a little stronger in her mind.
With a satisfied sigh, the bottom part of the Christmas tree was finally together, and Nell began work on the middle section. She needed a big tree to fill the wonderfully large and airy lounge, but it was a giant pain in the backside to put together. Once it was up it always looked amazing and Nell beavered away, fixing up the bare tree, until a strange voice from the hallway caught her attention.
‘Hello? Anyone there?’
Making
