“Yes, it is.” She glanced at Bella and huffed out a sigh. “Well that was the plan anyway, to make it beautiful. I’ll get there eventually. Come and have a look around. Once dinner service is over and I can breathe, you can tell me all about the reason behind your visit.” She took Bella’s arm and walked her into the small open lounge room by the stairs, tossing the coat over the banister.
“I wanted to see you all. Is that a crime?” That excuse wasn’t going to work and she knew it even though it sounded good when she’d thought of it on the drive here. She tucked her arm around Noah’s shoulders. “And I missed this guy like you wouldn’t believe.”
Noah giggled and wriggled out of her reach. She grinned as he took a seat on the stairs and watched them. He’d always been a keen, quiet observer.
“Come on. As if you expect me to believe that. You can see us anytime you like, but aren’t you in the middle of filming next season’s show?”
“Kind of finished actually.” Bella looked around the foyer, poked her head into the ballroom and sighed. “This place is gorgeous.”
“It is, right? This is where we held the Christmas gala ball and in there”—she opened the door to the smaller ballroom next door where the stacked furniture was covered in drop sheets—“is where we displayed the Christmas trees we raffled off after the competition. The plan is to turn it into a romantic restaurant where lovers can get away from the burger and fries diners out front. I want something a little bit classier than what I have now. Something I can use for weddings and other functions if I ever get that organized.”
Bella walked into the smaller room, glanced around, her mind going full pelt on possibilities. She could see the tables, lit with candles, the sumptuous decorations only outdone by the food and wine list. She could even imagine the bride and groom sitting at the head table surrounded by family and friends.
“Stop it.”
“Stop what?” Mari knew her better than she thought if she could see what was going on in her head.
Some days Bella rued the ideas that ran through her mind without any effort at all. But not tonight. A new spark of interest made her smile. What she could do with this hotel given unlimited funds and free reign. Mari obviously already knew it, but this building would make the best venue for weddings and any other celebration if it was done right. Her sister wouldn’t have bought it otherwise. Bella almost wished she was here for longer than six months. Maybe when she’d finished taping the last season of her show, she could come back and do something to help her sister. This was something she could get her teeth into. She’d love nothing more than to help Mari bring the premises to their former glory with the added benefits of modern technology. But so much was up in the air and she didn’t dare make plans she couldn’t keep.
“You know what. You’re plotting already and you’ve only been here like five minutes if that. You need to tell me what’s going on, Bella, because something isn’t right. I never would’ve said you’re the type to walk out on your business for a little family visit even though I know you love us dearly. Work always comes first with you. Tell me what’s going on.”
Bella swallowed the pain still so close to the surface. She walked over to one of the high-set windows, glanced up at the stars twinkling in the ink-black sky. “It’s kind of complicated.”
Noah came in and tugged on Mari’s arm. “Mom, can I go and sit with Jake and Cory please while they eat their dessert? I won’t annoy them, promise.”
Mari smiled at her son. “Sure. But don’t go anywhere else and let me know when they’re ready to go home so I can say goodbye.” He raced out of the room before she turned back to her little sister. “Start talking and don’t try and hide anything. Give me the whole ugly knobbly truth as you see it.”
“Where to start?” Bella blew out a breath, blinked away the tears that rushed to the surface. Her emotions had been all over the place ever since she’d been pulled into that meeting. “I’ve been pretty busy these last eighteen months. The show, appearances, and the book deals have been hectic to say the least. I’ve loved every single minute of it.” She smiled, trying to appear upbeat. “It’s me, you know?”
“Yeah, I know. Miss ninety-miles-an-hour suits you down to the ground. So what’s gone wrong then?” Mari pulled out a chair from the stack against the wall under the dust sheet and sat down.
“Russell, my producer, has been watching me like a hawk. He’s a bit like everyone’s mother hen, always has been from the start but he can be over-demanding too when he wants to be, bossy and unreasonable even. He’s a professional but underneath all that hard exterior sits a soft heart. That’s all fine but in his wisdom he decided I was heading for burnout.” Even saying the words scalded her chest.
“And are you?” Mari’s gaze drilled into her.
“That’s the problem. I don’t know.” And how could she tell when her life was so hectic? “I mean, you know me, right? This is how I’ve always been. Even as a little kid, I was on the go. Mom could never get me to slow down so she gave up trying. I think she decided I was just an overactive toddler that never grew up.”
“And what did he do to make you hightail
