Suddenly Last Summer (21 page)

The bathroom was off the bedroom and he had another glimpse of her personal space.

The bedcover was white and piled with small cushions. On the table by the bed was her phone, a small bottle of mineral water, various tubes of makeup and a notepad. There were no photographs. The only photograph he’d seen was the one downstairs.

The smell of her perfume was everywhere.

Feeling as if he was intruding, he walked into the shower room and blinked as he saw the number of bottles and potions lined up on the shelves. This, he thought, was another reason why he never invited a woman to stay at his place. He’d have to build an extension.

Smiling, he stripped off, dropped his clothes outside the door and showered. The shampoo smelled of flowers, smelled of her, and it was impossible not to remember that night they’d spent together last summer. Leading up to it, they’d been flirting. Still in the raw stages of his grief, his anger with his grandfather white-hot, he’d been so relieved to talk to someone who wasn’t family, he’d sought her out. They’d talked about everything from wine to European politics.

Still, he’d kept his distance, knowing he had nothing to offer, not wanting to do anything that might destabilize the work Jackson was doing at Snow Crystal.

But then he’d taken a walk through the forest to the meadow behind the house and she’d followed him.

Remembering it, Sean cursed softly and switched the shower to cold.

They’d barely spoken. Barely exchanged a word, but what had followed had been the most intensely erotic night of his life.

And afterward, when he was afraid it might be awkward, she’d simply smiled and walked away.

At the time he’d thought he was the luckiest guy on the planet.

He’d found someone exactly like him. Her working day was almost as long as his, she was a perfectionist, a talented chef and devoted to doing everything she could to help grow the business at Snow Crystal. A workaholic who wasn’t interested in a relationship.

He hadn’t looked deeper. Her wild, passionate nature had stopped him seeing how guarded she was.

Stepping out of the shower, he knotted a towel around his hips and opened the door.

There, exactly as he’d left them, were his wet clothes.

Assuming she’d forgotten, he picked them up and carried them downstairs only to see her fast asleep on the sofa, the mug of chocolate cooling on the floor beside her, untouched.

Frowning, Sean walked across and studied her for a moment. Considering how hard she’d worked, the hours she put in, it was hardly surprising she’d fallen asleep, was it?

She was obviously completely exhausted.

Her dark lashes were the only smudge of color on her pale face.

Deciding that if he left her there she’d wake up with backache, Sean scooped her up in his arms.

She barely stirred.

Wishing it had occurred to him when he’d built the lodge that one day he might one day need to maneuver up the narrow staircase with a woman in his arms, Sean carried her carefully and lowered her onto the bed.

Then he pulled the white cover over her, switched off the lamp and walked away.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“I
T
’
S
BEEN
SO
long since we managed Sunday breakfast together. We love it when you girls find time to join us, don’t we, Alice?” Elizabeth, the boys’ mother, slid a stack of freshly cooked pancakes onto a plate and put them in the center of the scrubbed kitchen table. “Sit down, the three of you. What a wonderful party. I haven’t enjoyed myself that much for years. Élise, you did us proud, sweetheart. You must be exhausted after all that work and excitement. Did you sleep at all last night?”

“Yes.” And she’d woken in her own bed even though she knew that wasn’t where she’d fallen asleep.

Sean must have carried her.

If she hadn’t been so stressed about it she would have smiled because she knew he would have struggled to do it without banging his head.

Why had he bothered to come to her lodge when he could have just walked away?

And why had he asked all those questions? All he’d needed to know was that she didn’t want a relationship. He didn’t need to know the reasons why.

“It was a great party.” Kayla had brought Maple with her and she cuddled the dog as she sat down at the table. “I talked to a million people and my face hurts from smiling. It’s going to be great for the business. Is there anything I can do to help with breakfast, Elizabeth? Can I cook something?”

Brenna pulled a face and Elizabeth smiled nervously. “You just sit there, dear. I love cooking and we all know it’s not your favorite thing.”

“What she means is you are truly terrible at cooking.” Élise poured coffee into mugs and set them on the table. “What? Why are you all looking at me?”

Brenna grinned. “Because you don’t know the meaning of the word tact.”

“I speak the truth so none of us is poisoned. At cooking, Kayla is truly terrible but at organization and marketing—” She lifted her mug in a toast. “She is a genius. To Kayla.”

“To Kayla,” Brenna said and Kayla grinned as she lifted her mug.

“To us and to teamwork. The summer hasn’t been awful. We’re still in business. Here’s to a brilliant winter with masses of snow and more bookings than we can handle.”

“Talking of winter, I spent some time with Josh last night.” Brenna added maple syrup to her pancakes, missing the look Kayla sent Élise.

“He’s a nice boy,” Alice murmured. “His grandmother is in my knitting group.”

“He’s thirty-something, Alice.” Brenna smiled. “Not exactly a boy.”

“A man.” Elizabeth topped up the pancakes. “A very handsome man. I’ve always liked him, even though his father once arrested Tyler for skiing off Mitch Sommerville’s garage roof. What were you talking about, dear?”

“We’re thinking about doing a course on winter safety.” Brenna picked up her fork. If the mention of Tyler had unsettled her, she wasn’t showing it. “We’re both members of the Mountain Rescue Team so it makes sense.”

“Tyler’s a member of the Mountain Rescue Team.” Alice reached across and stroked Maple’s soft, springy fur. “You could do it with him.”

Élise winced. “Alice—”

“I just think the two of them would work well together, that’s all. Isn’t Maple looking well, Elizabeth? I remember when Jackson found her in the forest—she was skin and bone. It’s done her so much good living with the family. She loves it here.”

Élise felt a lump in her throat. She loved it here, too. Who wouldn’t? Who wouldn’t love living here, with the O’Neils?

Aware that Kayla was watching her, she helped herself to a pancake.

Merde,
she was losing it. Now she was empathizing with Maple and what she should be doing was thinking of Brenna’s feelings.

“I think it would be good for Brenna to work with Josh.” For one thing it might be the wake-up call Tyler needed. “I like him.”

The door opened and Jackson walked in. Maple sprang from Kayla’s lap, hurtled across the room like a bullet and jumped up like a spring, deliriously happy to see him.

He scooped her up. “Any of those pancakes left?”

“Of course.” Elizabeth slid pancakes onto a plate and placed it on the table. “Sit down. Are Tyler and Sean coming, too?”

“Tyler is on his way.” Jackson sat down and slid his hand over Kayla’s knee. “Sean has gone back to Boston. He texted me.”

“He dropped in to say goodbye.” Alice picked up her knitting. “He said he’d be back next week to take Walter to his hospital appointment.”

Élise kept her eyes on her plate.

She should be relieved he’d gone. It was what she’d wanted, wasn’t it?

The intensity of what had happened the night before had shocked her.

It had shocked him, too.

She wondered if he’d spoken to his grandfather before he’d left, or whether he’d just left the topic of the row simmering between them.

“More to eat, Élise?” Elizabeth hovered, the pan in her hand. Élise shook her head.

“
Non, merci.
I am not hungry.”

“I ate so much last night I may never eat again.” Jackson gave her a smile as he reached for the maple syrup. “The food was incredible. Everyone was talking about it. You’re a genius and we’re lucky to have you. I probably don’t tell you that enough.”

“I am the one who is lucky.” Living here. With them.

She looked up and met his gaze.

He was the best friend she’d ever had.

Without him...

She swallowed. She didn’t even want to think about where she would have been without him.

Jackson stuck his fork into a pancake. “So is this a good moment to ask you another favor? Kayla and I have had a new business idea. We’re going to offer corporate team-building events. We need help with the food.”

“
Pas de problème,
I will book them a table in the restaurant.” It was a relief to think about work again. “Just tell me how many.”

“Not the restaurant. They’re going to hike and camp overnight on the Long Trail. If that doesn’t help them bond, nothing will.”

“You are taking a group of senior executives
camping?
”

“Genius, don’t you think?” Kayla sneaked some food to Maple who was still nestled on Jackson’s lap. “It will be a real test for them. You’re responsible for providing them with delicious food to take their mind off blisters and insect bites.”

“Who is going to put the tent up?”

“They are. With a little help from Tyler. He’s going to add in the whole gold-medallist-elite-sportsman-motivational-talk thing he does. All part of our unique offering.”

“Tyler will be driven mad spending two days trapped with office types. How did you persuade him to do it?”

“Two of the first group are women. I showed him photographs. So could you design a menu? Something they can cook with limited equipment.”

“Of course.” Élise pondered the options. “It will have to be light to carry and easy to cook. You need to give me the equipment they will have and I will see what I can cook on it.”

“I can go one better than that.” Jackson helped himself to more pancakes. “You can do the trip yourself. Tyler is going to plan the route and pick the best camping spot. You can go together. There’s the O’Neil Cabin high up on the trail but he thinks that’s too far for just two days of hiking with city folk who usually just walk to a cab or a subway so he’s going to find somewhere closer. Keep next weekend free.”

“I have to be in the restaurant.”

“Poppy and I can cope.” Elizabeth wiped her hands on her apron. “And Antony, the boy who’s just joined, is turning out very well. He’s a hard worker. He just needs a little more confidence. We’ll be fine. It will be good for us to manage without you. You can’t carry on working this hard.”

“I love working hard and it is important for the business that we bring in as many guests as possible.”

She owed Jackson a debt. A debt she was determined to repay in full.

And now that Sean had gone and Walter was improving by the day, life could get back to normal.

* * *

“T
HEY
’
RE
PLEASED
WITH
your progress, Gramps.” Sean drove out of the hospital car park, determined that this time he was going to find a moment to bring up the topic of their row. He didn’t know what he was going to say, but maybe they could clear the air a little. “I checked the results myself. You’re a walking miracle. They want to know what your secret is.”

“No secret. All it takes is Snow Crystal air and having your family around you. You were looking better yourself after spending time at home. Now after a week in the city you’re back to wearing the stress along with the suit.”

Sean knew his stress had nothing to do with his week in Boston and everything to do with what had happened the night of the party.

Élise had wanted him to leave, so he’d left. That should have been it. With his grandfather recovering, he’d expected to return to his life in Boston and pick up where he left off.

Instead, he found himself missing certain things. He missed the long days working on the deck. He missed the smell of summer rain on the trees and the slap of water against the deck as he worked. He missed exchanging banter with his brothers.

But most of all he missed her. The smile. The dimple. That mouth.

Shit.

He tightened his grip on the wheel. What the hell was wrong with him?

All right, so it had been good sex, but good sex didn’t usually affect his concentration. And the fact she hadn’t wanted to make any of it personal shouldn’t worry him, either. No one understood that better than him.

“I’m not stressed, Gramps.”

“Of course you are and that’s hardly surprising with the life you lead, cooped up in that box under artificial lights.”

“You mean the operating room?”

“That’s what I mean. Unhealthy. You need air. And people. A job is all well and good but it’s marriage to a good woman that makes a man happy and content.” Walter stared straight ahead. “You should try it.”

Sean almost drove the car into the ditch.
Marriage?
“I can tell you now that isn’t going to happen so you can let that drop right now.”

“A man can’t fool around forever.”

“I’m not fooling around. I love my work. I’m not prepared to compromise that for a relationship and no sane, self-respecting woman would put up with my hours.”

His grandfather ignored him. “I worked long hours. Your grandmother was very understanding. We’re a team. Always have been, right from day one.”

“Grams is a saint, we all know that.”

“It was a good party. Shame you had to leave so early the next day. Still, at least you came. Élise is a good dancer, isn’t she?”

Sean gritted his teeth.

His grandfather knew. Somehow, his grandfather knew.

Sweat pricked the back of his neck. He thought of Élise, her legs tangled with his, her mouth on his as the rain dripped through the canopy of the trees. “I had to leave. I’d fixed the deck and it was time to fix some patients.”

“If you’re fixing them on a Sunday morning I hope you’re charging them a lot. I guess you are or you wouldn’t be driving a car like this one.” His grandfather stroked his hand over the seat. “It’s not big enough for a family.”