Page 23 of A Secret Escape

“No problem. I’ll find him when we’re done here. Thanks, Anna.” She walked through to the private staff offices that were behind the desk.

The buzz of conversation eased as she walked into the room. “Hi, everyone. I know you’re all busy, so let’s make this quick.” She sat down, took a sip of coffee and glanced at her team. Most of them had worked at Forest Nest for years, first for her mother and now for her. The people here felt more like family than colleagues. “Sofia? Why don’t you start?”

Sofia was head of Guest Relations. She made it her business to know as much as she possibly could about each person checking in so that they could deliver a bespoke service.

“The guests in Hazel, Blackthorn, Elder, Hawthorn and Aspen have all checked out this morning, and those cabins are booked out next week so we have a busy turnaround day. Mark and Philip Tyrell are in Hazel, and this is their honeymoon, so we need to add a bottle of fizz to their welcome pack, Lorna.”

“Got it.” Lorna was head of Housekeeping and prided herself in keeping the mud and all evidence of the lake and forest outside the cabins.

“Blackthorn Lodge is booked out to a young couple from Australia who have visited before,” Sofia said. “They’d like mountain bikes for the whole week. Geoff?”

“Already waiting for them outside the lodge.”

“He’s six foot three—”

“I know. It’s in the notes. We didn’t have the right bike, so I had to do a fast negotiation with my opposite number at a certain hotel we will not name, but it’s all sorted.”

Not for the first time Milly was grateful for the excellent relationship they maintained with all the local businesses. It was something her mother had started, and Milly had been careful to continue that approach.

This area was blessed with more than its fair share of upmarket hotels, which meant they couldn’t afford to let their standards drop even for a moment.

Milly was confident that what they provided was every bit as luxurious as the five-star hotels close by, but with more flexibility and a personal touch. They kept meticulous records on every guest and offered a degree of privacy that was rare these days. The cabins had views across the lake and forest, and there was a wildness to the surroundings that guests found restorative.

“Elder is booked by a family who are new to us. It’s a seventieth-birthday celebration, so we have three generations in that lodge . . .” Sofia carried on, running them quickly through the names and details of the new arrivals so that everyone had all the necessary details.

Milly checked her notes. “Brendan Scott has booked Beech for the whole summer to finish writing his novel, so we just need to get in there at some point this week and make sure the place is clean for him.” There was silence around the table, and she glanced up. “What? Did I miss something?” She saw Sofia glance at Lorna, but Lorna kept her eyes down.

Trouble, Milly thought, but decided it was probably best dealt with privately.

“Leo is going to start opening the coffee shop at seven from tomorrow, and he’ll be serving the usual cakes and light lunches, with help from Tilly, who started two weeks ago and is doing brilliantly.” Maybe she should volunteer to help out. A commercial kitchen,even a small one, might cure her of her urge to bake in her own home. “Lorna, we’re going to start including some of their homemade brownies in the welcome packs.”

“The woman staying in Aspen is gluten-free,” Sofia said, and Lorna made a note.

“Tilly makes a perfect gluten-free cupcake, so I’ll substitute with that.”

Geoff smiled at her across the table. “How do you know it’s perfect? You’ve already tried it?”

“I’ve tried everything we offer to the guests,” Lorna said. “I ordered the cupcakes for my birthday along with a massive bunch of flowers.”

Sofia raised her eyebrows. “You ordered your own cake and flowers?”

“Yes, because I knew that if I waited for Duncan to do it, then it wouldn’t happen. Romantic gestures aren’t really his thing.”

Duncan was Lorna’s long-term boyfriend, although she’d recently confided to Milly that she wasn’t sure if he was the one or not.How do you know if you want to marry someone or not? It seems a big step.

Milly, who had been questioning everything about her relationship since Richard had cheated on her and then walked out, had no advice to impart. In the end she’d suggested Lorna follow her heart, and she’d tried not to think about the fact that she’d done exactly that and look where it had got her.

Conscious that she’d left Nicole on her own for far too long, Milly tried to move the meeting along. “I’m replenishing the reading nook this week, and remember that Leo and Tilly can also do packed lunches, so if any of the guests are planning a long hike and need that, they can order with him the night before and pick it up after seven. And if they need any equipment, they can talk to Geoff. Okay. We’re done. Onward, team.”

Everyone stood up, and Milly reached out a hand to Lorna. “Can I have a minute, Lorna?”

She waited for the others to leave the room and then sat down again.

“Problems?”

“It’s nothing. I can handle it. You’ve got enough going on, Milly.”

That was true, but she’d have even more to handle if she lost Lorna to one of the local hotels, which was always her nightmare scenario. Good staff were in high demand.

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