Page 41 of Sunshine and Secrets

‘What do you mean?’

‘We’ve all noticed that Zach’s been avoiding you. Dylan challenged him and all he would say is that he wishes he was catching the plane back to the UK with you. He won’t admit it, but he’s going to miss you, Millie. You two have become firm friends, but maybe it’s a little more than that?”

Millie opened her mouth to answer, but her phone buzzed in the pocket of her glamorous black jumpsuit. She saw Claudia’s number flash onto the screen and her body flooded with relief.

‘Hi, Claudia. How was your flight?’

The line was faint and crackly, and she could barely make out what Claudia was saying. She dashed from the veranda into the courtyard, her hand cupped over her ear, concentrating hard on deciphering the words.

‘I’m so sorry, Millie… Taken back into hospital yesterday… Complications… Doctors refuse to allow me to travel…’

‘Oh, Claudia, are you okay?’

‘So sorry… and I can’t present theChocolate & Confetticourse tomorrow…’

‘But… but you have to be here!’ Millie blurted, fireworks of panic going off in her head.

Millie thought of all the hard work and the sacrifices her friends had made to pull off the triumph of the year and it now looked as though the Paradise Cookery School would be cancelled despite it all. Her throat tightened around a lump the size of a golf ball, but she swallowed down her disappointment. It was clear that Claudia felt far worse.

‘Tim has sent you an email… Can’t cancel… The guests have already arrived in St Lucia for the wedding… Taken the liberty…’

‘Claudia? I can’t hear you! Claudia!’

‘What’s going on?’ asked Zach, appearing at her side, his forehead creased in a mixture of concern and confusion. ‘Was that Claudia?’

‘Yes. She’s been taken back into hospital. That’s why I haven’t been able to get hold of her for the last couple of days. Obviously she can’t fly.’

‘So what’s happening about the cookery course tomorrow?’

‘I don’t know. Apparently Tim’s sent me an email.’

Millie scrolled through her inbox for the missive, her heart pounding painfully. She scanned the words swiftly, before raising her eyes to meet Zach’s, her mouth gaping.

‘What? What does it say?’

Mutely, Millie handed her phone over to Zach.

‘Yes! Fantastic!’ and before Millie knew what he was doing, Zach had grabbed her around the waist and swung her round and round until her feet lifted from the ground and she yelled at him to put her down. ‘It means you get to stay!’

‘But I don’t know the first thing about presenting a cookery course!’

‘You didn’t know anything about supervising kitchen renovations until last week, but you’ve done an awesome job – with a little help from your friends.’

‘Zach…’

‘Ella is a superb chef and a whirlwind of energy and creativity when it comes to culinary crises. She’ll support you. You have the professional expertise and the credentials. Perhaps you could play up your Michelin star?’

‘But what if the guests complain about not getting Claudia?’

‘Well, if her promise of a complete set of her cookery books, personalised and autographed for each of them, isn’t enough, then I think the fact that she’s offered to reimburse them every penny if they’re not happy will do the trick!’

Belatedly, Millie noticed the about-turn in Zach’s mood from the cold shoulder he had been giving her earlier. Could it really be because she was staying on in St Lucia? Did that mean that Lottie was right and…

‘But I can’t stay here. Étienne…’

‘Read the last paragraph again.’ Zach handed Millie’s phone back to her.

‘Tim’s offered him an all-expenses-paid trip to the villa in return for giving me a week’s unpaid leave from the café?’

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