Page 105 of A Secret Escape

“There don’t seem to be a lot of secrets left between the four of us, so don’t worry.” His gaze slid to the garden. “But if you want us to clear the room and leave you and Brendan alone, you need to tell us. Because he’s here.”

“Definitely don’t clear the room.” Milly turned an even deeper shade of red and smoothed her hair.

Brendan tapped on the doors, and Joel opened them.

“Welcome. You took so long we were worried you’d been devoured by the press pack.”

“I got lost trying to find the trail.” He glanced at Milly. “For the record, your directions are terrible.”

“I told you to turn left at the outdoor shop.”

“Yes, but you omitted to tell me that after that I had to climb a gate and dodge a herd of cows. Hi, Nic. Good to see you.” He crossed the room to Nicole, and she hugged him.

“Brendan. It has been a while.” She’d worked with so many people over the course of her career, some good and some bad. Fortunately Brendan landed firmly in the Good column.

“I didn’t know you were staying here. The owner of Forest Nest is the soul of discretion.”

Joel raised his eyebrows. “You two know each other?”

“I played the part of the detective from one of his books,” Nicole said, “which you’d know if you ever went to the movies.”

“Now, why would I want to waste my life doing something like that?” Joel helped himself to one of his sandwiches. “Sorry, but I need to eat. All this drama is making me light-headed.”

“Please,”Milly begged, “will you put us out of our misery and tell us what happened? I feel physically sick.”

“In that case, is it okay if I eat your share of the sandwiches?” Brendan accepted the plate Joel was offering and loaded it with sandwiches. “Put the TV on, and all your questions will be answered. I know you’re not a big screen lover, but you do have a TV, don’t you, Joel?”

“Sarcasm is an unattractive feature.” Joel moved a couple of books on the coffee table and retrieved the remote control. He pointed it at the TV in the corner of the room.

“You don’t find me attractive? I’m gutted. That’s the last beer we share together.” Brendan bit into a sandwich. “What’s in this? What am I eating?”

“I don’t know. Various bits from my fridge.” Joel was channel-flicking. “What am I looking for?”

“The news.”

Nicole’s stomach lurched, and she exchanged looks with Milly. “It has made the news? I thought you were just going to get rid of them in a low-key way.”

“I was, but then I decided I might as well get some prime-time promotion for myself while I was at it. I have a new book coming out next month. Also, if you go big, then it stops the story escalating because it has nowhere else to go. They recorded a very nice piece to camera—now we just need to see how much they edited.” He finished the sandwiches on his plate. “I don’t suppose you have any of Milly’s chocolate cake? I would kill for her chocolate cake.”

“Shh. Here we go, this is it.” Joel turned up the volume, and all four of them stared at the screen as the presenter talked through all the serious news of the day.

“I write suspense for a living, and even I’m struggling with the tension.” Brendan helped himself to a sandwich from Joel’s plate. “Oh look, she’s smiling. That means they’re about to do their light-hearted piece.That’s how it works. They give you half an hour of all the different ways the world is ending, and then give you two minutes of fluffy kittens to stop you cutting your throat when you turn it off.”

The presenter smiled at the camera.

“And finally, best-selling crime writer Brendan Scott confirmed today that he and Nicole Raven are in the early stages of negotiations to bring another of his books to the big screen.”

The camera cut from the presenter in the studio to a shot of Forest Nest, the sun glinting through the trees.

“Looks good, Milly.” Joel’s eyes were fixed on the screen. “Your bookings are going to go up.”

“According to Scott, he and Raven have been scouting possible locations around the UK, including Yorkshire and the Lake District. Scott refused to confirm or deny rumors that Raven may be setting up her own production company, but the two have worked together in the past, and Scott admitted that he was excited about the possibility of another collaboration.”

“A production company?” Nicole looked at him. “You told them I was setting up a production company?”

“Pay attention. She said I refused to confirm or deny rumors.” Brendan was still watching the report. “Gives them something else to think about. Shh. This is my big moment.”

The camera cut to Brendan, looking relaxed and handsome by one of the trails in the resort.“Nicole Raven is that rare thing, a global superstar. I’m a long-time fan of her work, and I’m looking forward to seeing her bring one of my most popular fictional characters to life.”

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