When Ella was halfway down the stairs she remembered she’d left her apron on the spare table and quickly hurried back up to the balcony. As she stepped back on to the rooftop, she saw Roman was staring out over the bay holding his glass of champagne in his hand, which surprised Ella. Roman hadn’t even attempted to drink it at the table. She watched in silence as he poured the drink away into the plant pot in the corner of the balcony whilst muttering something under his breath.

Without a sound she reached for her apron and quietly padded back down the stairs. Why would he do that? He could have just left it on the table. Ella thought back to the appointment card and began to wonder. Maybe Roman was a recovering alcoholic and didn’t want the world and their wife to know his business, especially his employers, but she wouldn’t know as Ella still had no clue about his life or how he ended up in Heartcross. All she could do was hope that Roman would open up about his past before it affected his future.

Chapter Nine

‘Dolores, you’re home!’

After being tipped off by Hamish that Dolores had arrived back from hospital that afternoon, Ella knocked on her front door then let herself in. As Ella stepped into the hallway she was relieved to hear the music filtering from the record player and Dolores belting out a tune. Things were back to normal.

‘Dolores, it’s me!’ Ella called out again. Stepping into the living room, she could see McCartney was back where he belonged, curled up on his favourite armchair, whilst Fred looked comical bobbing his head to the beat of the music.

Dolores was far from taking it easy. There she was, standing in the middle of her living room, with her kitten heels on and her hair bouncing down her back, holding a broomstick whilst miming to Freddie Mercury.

‘There’s nothing like taking it easy when you’ve just come out of hospital.’ Ella laughed, standing in the doorway.

‘Live every day like it’s your last!’ exclaimed Dolores, smiling and walking over towards the record player to turn the volume down.

‘I wish I had your energy, it’s been a busy day,’ admired Ella, feeling her feet swelling inside her shoes. Her first day at The Lakehouse had whizzed by, but not without drama. ‘But I received my very first tip today, and praise from the boss.’

‘That’s good going, tell me all about it.’

‘I saved The Lakehouse’s reputation by killing the food critic with kindness.’

‘Better than food poisoning, I suppose,’ chuckled Dolores.

‘And she went out of her way to give a glowing report to my boss regarding my excellent knowledge on wines and customer service… Between you and me, I had a little knowledge on good wines thanks to my time with Dr Alex James…’