Page 42 of Best Mistake Ever
She’s noticed the gesture though and gives a little frown as if worried she didn’t respond quickly enough and has offended me.
‘Forget it,’ I say. ‘I just thought for a second that it’d look more convincing, but we don’t need to.’
‘No. You’re right,’ she says, her mouth forming a determined line. ‘It’s a good idea.’ She reaches out and slides her hand into mine, smiling up at me.
My heart turns over and my skin prickles where our fingers link. The sensation travels up my arm to my throat, where a rapid pulse begins to throb.
Yeah, this wasn’t such a good idea. What was I thinking? The last thing I need to be doing is touching her right now. I’m having a hard enough time as it is keeping my mind on the practical reason for being here and not how she’s making my pulse race.
Seeming not to notice my apprehension, she begins walking again towards the reception to the hotel, which is housed in one of the rooms off the main entrance. Once there, she charms the friendly events co-ordinator, who thankfully doesn’t seem to recognise me. The hotel is quiet, so we barely see anyone else – and those people we do see don’t give us a second glance – as she proceeds to lead us on a tour, showing us the bar area and lounges, in beautifully appointed rooms which have light pouring in through large picture windows, before taking us outside and onto the patio with its outdoor kitchen and terrace.
It’s refreshing to feel like a normal person doing normal things. When I was with Tessa, she would insist on making sure everyone knew who we were and that we expected special treatment because of it. I found it excruciating at times, so not having to put on an act here is a relief and I start to relax and actually enjoy myself as the tour continues and Dee chats animatedly with our host.
She leads us next to the spa, pointing out the heated outdoor pool, which has a large hot tub adjacent to it, with views out over the fields. The spa itself has an indoor pool, steam rooms, a gym and treatment rooms, all well-kept and immaculately decorated. Throughout the tour, Dee keeps hold of my hand, giving it a small covert squeeze whenever she sees something that seems to particularly interest her. This place is set up much better than Gladbrooke at the moment, but the inspiration it’s stirring in me shoots thrills of excitement through my veins.
This is exactly what I want to be aiming for with my hotel and it feels great to be finally giving plans for the future the attention they deserve.
Outside the main entrance to the spa, she finally drops my hand – leaving me a little bereft at the sudden loss of contact – and we walk through a courtyard planted with well-established plants and flower beds, past a rack of bicycles available for guests to borrow, then over a large, striped lawn with a huge circle marked out on the grass. I wonder for a second what it’s there for, then I see that there’s the letter H in the middle of it.
‘It’s a helipad for guests travelling here in helicopters,’ our tour guide tells us.
I turn to Dee and she raises her eyebrows at me at the exact same time I do it to her.
We grin at each other, enjoying the shared moment.
I love that she seems to instinctively know what I’m thinking.
‘Very cool,’ Dee murmurs.
‘If you’ll follow me, we’ll walk round to one of the luxury suites where the bride and groom would normally stay,’ she says, beckoning us to follow her.
We stroll around to the far side of the hotel, past tennis courts – in a much better state than the ones at Gladbrooke are currently in – to some newer-looking cottages. As we walk in through a gateway set into a gap in the hedge, which gives therooms privacy from the rest of the site, I see an outdoor bath sitting under one of the windows, then as we walk around the corner, there’s a hot tub for the exclusive use of the suite.
‘Nice,’ I say, widening my eyes at Dee.
She nods back and smiles. ‘This is wonderful,’ she murmurs to me.
‘And here’s the suite,’ the hotelier says, unlocking the door and opening it, motioning for us to go inside.
It’s a beautifully appointed room, decorated in greens and pinks, with swathes of fabric scooped across the ceiling, giving one the impression of being inside a large, luxurious tent.
‘The bathroom has a steam room in it and there’s a massage table in case you fancy a treatment while you’re staying with us,’ she adds.
We walk into the bathroom, which is palatial. The shower cubicle is huge and has a tiled bench in it where guests sit to steam themselves.
‘Wow,’ Dee says, widening her eyes at me.
‘I’ll leave you to look around for a few minutes if you like,’ our guide tells us. ‘Just pull the door closed behind you when you’re done.’
‘Thank you,’ Dee says, smiling at her.
She gives us one last friendly nod and leaves us there alone.
‘This place is amazing!’ Dee whispers, her voice full of awe.
‘It sure is. I love all the luxury touches,’ I say, ‘and the lighting design is fantastic.’ I point to the huge, designer light pendants which are made up of circles intertwined with each other.
There’s a moment where we just look at each other, perhaps thinking about what it would be like to be actually staying here. Together? At least that’s what I’m thinking.
