had no right to judge the woman in his arms when his heart longed for another.
*
Suzi phoned Mr Duncan early the next morning. The solicitor was brusque, but not unkind when she explained that although it would solve a problem, she found it impossible to consider buying Steve’s share of the property at the moment. She asked him to put everything on hold to give her extra time to think more about the matter.
When she arrived at the restaurant, Mark was restocking the refrigerator, but he stopped to make two mugs of tea and carried them out to the reception area. He put one down in front of her and kissed her cheek, then directed her attention to the pile of mail. ‘That’ll keep you busy for a while.’
Suzi had plenty of time to go through it all, for only a few people turned up for lunch. It had never been so quiet. Mark joined her at a table by the window.
‘Not a brilliant start to the day, is it? Half a dozen for lunch won’t pay the bills.’
Suzi forced a laugh. ‘Let’s hope it picks up in a day or two.’
‘I’ve just thought of something,’ Mark said, picking up a copy of the local paper from amongst the assorted pamphlets and discarded envelopes lying on the table. ‘I wonder if…’ He skimmed through the pages. ‘Ah, yes, I thought as much; they haven’t run the second advert.’ He threw the paper down. ‘I’ll give them a blast they won’t forget in a hurry.’
‘Leave it to me,’ Suzi urged him. ‘You might wind them up too much.’
‘Okay.’ He was just about to climb to his feet when he stopped. ‘I got a letter from Mum. She and Dad are heading down this way in a couple of weeks’ time, so I’d like to organise some time off while they’re here. I’ll see if Gary Hyland’s available. He can handle the lunchtime trade and maybe do some of the evening preparation as well.’
‘Is Judith coming too?’
‘I hope so. I haven’t seen my kid sister for ages.’
‘She might be your kid sister, but she used to be my best friend.’
‘Yes, well…’
Suzi was about to say it must be nice to have a family, when she stopped, suddenly feeling very much alone. Her father had died when she was young, and she could hardly remember him. She had not enjoyed a particularly good relationship with her mother, who had been very self-centred and preferred her own company. In fact, she had welcomed Suzi’s decision to move out of the family home, and her only high spot during those years had been her relationship with her great Uncle Bart. He had treated her like a daughter and she had always been welcome at Caxton Manor. It had been a sad day for her when he died, because, without him, there was no other family to turn to.
Mark’s cheery goodbye cut into her thoughts, so she gave him a brief wave and opened up the book that contained the names and telephone numbers of people who had dined at the restaurant over the past year. Slowly and methodically, she worked her way backwards through the pages reminding everyone that they were back from holidays and that they had just drawn up a new menu. A half hour later she put the phone down and felt greatly relieved at having just taken twenty-three bookings for the next few days.
She let herself out of the building and slipped in behind the wheel of her brightly coloured Honda. She stared blankly through the windscreen and tried to relax, for the feeling of being neglected had returned with renewed vigour. It was as if she had just become aware of her aloneness in the world, but it wasn’t as if she had no friends. She knew Charlize cared about her, and she reciprocated those feelings. She frowned as she suddenly wondered if she should marry Mark and become part of his family—after all, she had always enjoyed a good relationship with Judith. She quickly shook her head. ‘Now that would be stupid; all the wrong reason for a start,’ she murmured, and dismissed the idea as ridiculous.
Within a few days the restaurant was overflowing
*
Suzi phoned Mr Duncan early the next morning. The solicitor was brusque, but not unkind when she explained that although it would solve a problem, she found it impossible to consider buying Steve’s share of the property at the moment. She asked him to put everything on hold to give her extra time to think more about the matter.
When she arrived at the restaurant, Mark was restocking the refrigerator, but he stopped to make two mugs of tea and carried them out to the reception area. He put one down in front of her and kissed her cheek, then directed her attention to the pile of mail. ‘That’ll keep you busy for a while.’
Suzi had plenty of time to go through it all, for only a few people turned up for lunch. It had never been so quiet. Mark joined her at a table by the window.
‘Not a brilliant start to the day, is it? Half a dozen for lunch won’t pay the bills.’
Suzi forced a laugh. ‘Let’s hope it picks up in a day or two.’
‘I’ve just thought of something,’ Mark said, picking up a copy of the local paper from amongst the assorted pamphlets and discarded envelopes lying on the table. ‘I wonder if…’ He skimmed through the pages. ‘Ah, yes, I thought as much; they haven’t run the second advert.’ He threw the paper down. ‘I’ll give them a blast they won’t forget in a hurry.’
‘Leave it to me,’ Suzi urged him. ‘You might wind them up too much.’
‘Okay.’ He was just about to climb to his feet when he stopped. ‘I got a letter from Mum. She and Dad are heading down this way in a couple of weeks’ time, so I’d like to organise some time off while they’re here. I’ll see if Gary Hyland’s available. He can handle the lunchtime trade and maybe do some of the evening preparation as well.’
‘Is Judith coming too?’
‘I hope so. I haven’t seen my kid sister for ages.’
‘She might be your kid sister, but she used to be my best friend.’
‘Yes, well…’
Suzi was about to say it must be nice to have a family, when she stopped, suddenly feeling very much alone. Her father had died when she was young, and she could hardly remember him. She had not enjoyed a particularly good relationship with her mother, who had been very self-centred and preferred her own company. In fact, she had welcomed Suzi’s decision to move out of the family home, and her only high spot during those years had been her relationship with her great Uncle Bart. He had treated her like a daughter and she had always been welcome at Caxton Manor. It had been a sad day for her when he died, because, without him, there was no other family to turn to.
Mark’s cheery goodbye cut into her thoughts, so she gave him a brief wave and opened up the book that contained the names and telephone numbers of people who had dined at the restaurant over the past year. Slowly and methodically, she worked her way backwards through the pages reminding everyone that they were back from holidays and that they had just drawn up a new menu. A half hour later she put the phone down and felt greatly relieved at having just taken twenty-three bookings for the next few days.
She let herself out of the building and slipped in behind the wheel of her brightly coloured Honda. She stared blankly through the windscreen and tried to relax, for the feeling of being neglected had returned with renewed vigour. It was as if she had just become aware of her aloneness in the world, but it wasn’t as if she had no friends. She knew Charlize cared about her, and she reciprocated those feelings. She frowned as she suddenly wondered if she should marry Mark and become part of his family—after all, she had always enjoyed a good relationship with Judith. She quickly shook her head. ‘Now that would be stupid; all the wrong reason for a start,’ she murmured, and dismissed the idea as ridiculous.
Within a few days the restaurant was overflowing
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