Suzy left, leaving Gabe pacing his office. When the call had come from Chloe Farrow, via a hotelier friend, he’d been ready to refuse … Porthmellow Festival. He’d seen it grow year on year to become the well-regarded event it was now. He’d heard good reports of it, although he’d never been. Once or twice, he’d wondered why no one had ever asked him to take part. Then he’d answered his own question. He was hardly one of Porthmellow’s favourite sons and most of all, there was no way he would ever be invited to any event run by Samphire Lovell.

This Chloe, who’d said she was deputy chairman of the committee, hadn’t sounded local which meant she might not know the history between him and Sam. She’d been so charming and breezily unaware of what had gone on that Gabe had been swept along. He shook his head, recognising that Sam would never have asked him for anything ever again. It was wishful thinking on his part to think she was behind the invitation.

This realisation brought the powerful emotions of the past flooding back: anger, bitterness, determination to show that he’d moved on, was a new person now. This festival would be the perfect way of demonstrating that.

Gabe opened the browser on his computer. He clicked on a page he’d bookmarked after Chloe had called.

Gabe picked up his phone. ‘Suzy?’

‘Yes, Gabe.’

‘Um … Can you do me another favour?’

‘That’s what you pay me for,’ she said.

He smiled to himself. ‘What’s my schedule looking like over the next four or five weeks?’

‘Four or five? Er … hang on.’

He waited while she hummed and ahhed then she said, ‘There are a few meetings here in London. An after-dinner speech you agreed to do in Birmingham.’

‘Besides that. Anything really vital?’

‘Not really vital … apart from running the restaurants, of course. Can I ask where this is going?’

Gabe ignored her sarcasm. ‘You know that new offshoot I was thinking of buying in the south west.’

‘The one in Brixham or Salcombe? Actually, I’ve had the agents on asking for a decision on the Brixham restaurant. They have another offer on the table.’

‘Tell them to accept the rival bid. I’ve got another idea.’

‘Wow. That’s two in one day.’

Gabe laughed. ‘I’m on a roll. I’ll send you the details of the restaurant later. After you’ve phoned the agents, would you mind finding me a place to stay in Porthmellow for a couple of months? Not a hotel. I need my own space. A short-term rental if there is one. Holiday cottage or something like that. Make sure it has a great kitchen.’

Suzy let out a squeak of horror. ‘A couple of months! You want to disappear off to Cornwall for months.’