In the room, she ran herself a deep bath. Well, that was one good thing about this place. Huge luxurious bath tubs. A lot of modern hotels had stopped putting in baths these days because they took up so much space. In fact, the bathrooms in the majority were positively tiny. Elle remembered bumping her elbows on the walls of the stingy shower at one place she had stayed at for work.

She could certainly admit that there was a charm to the Bay Hotel that most new builds could never achieve. Is that what visitors wanted though – charm?

Didn’t they want to be swept off their feet by funky décor, shiny modern surfaces, Wi-Fi and fast elevators? Didn’t people value convenience and a good deal over charm these days? Elle didn’t know.

She sunk into the warm bathwater with great relief.

The stress of the last few days had built up. Elle wished again that she had someone to sound off to, someone who would be on her side even when she was being a bit prickly (and she could admit that she sometimes could be). Sebastian hadn’t been great at that; they frustrated one another very easily. Much of their relationship had been based mainly on the physical, Elle realised now, and the emotional side had been sorely lacking. But she couldn’t identify which of them exactly was to blame for that either. She knew that she didn’t let people in too easily, found it difficult to drop the mask of the in-control independent woman. Unlike Penny, she hated showing her more vulnerable side, always felt it made her seem weak. She wriggled in the water, frustrated with herself for the way she was thinking lately. All these thoughts of emotions and feelings since her mother died. Almost like her grief for Anna had opened up a floodgate.

For one, she had thought a lot about Rob since seeing him at the funeral. What had gone on in his life in the intervening years? Did he think of her at all? Elle made a face and shook her head. All these soft, nostalgic feelings.

Though she guessed that if she was going to stick around here for a little longer, she would have to steel herself, as no doubt she would see him around town. Best to be civil, but not overly familiar. After all, they were pretty much strangers now. His attitude at the funeral had taught her as much.

As Elle lay there thinking about her feelings, she began to actually feel something on her arm, something unpleasant. Dripping, cold, constant dripping.

Alarmed, she opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. There was a light brown stain forming, growing bigger with every second. This bedroom was on the top floor, and rain was leaking through the roof.