Aria didn’t know the answer to that either because infuriatingly she had missed Noah. She picked up the vase of fresh flowers and moved them over to the other side of the reception desk, playing for time. She turned them slightly so they caught the light from the sun streaming in through the door.
Tilly might know everything there was to know about Aria but she hadn’t worked in the hotel when Noah Campbell used to stay there on a fairly regular basis, she hadn’t seen him flirt with Aria and witnessed the time they’d spent talking to each other. Tilly didn’t know that Aria and Noah had actually become good friends and that he always gave her a big hug whenever he arrived. And Tilly didn’t know that the last time Noah had stayed in the hotel he had kissed her and it had been the hottest kiss of her life.
She realised Tilly was still waiting for an answer.
‘Actually,’ Aria lowered her voice conspiratorially. ‘I want to get some advice about the hotel. He works in the hotel industry so…’
‘Are you still thinking of selling it?’ Tilly asked.
Aria sighed and sat down next to Tilly. ‘That’s the last thing I want but…’
She looked around the reception area, which was deserted. It was the end of the Easter bank holiday weekend, and the start of the school holidays. They were two weeks away from the famous Jewel Island festival of light, one of the biggest events in the island’s calendar. The sun had been shining for weeks, the hotel was right on the edge of Sapphire Bay, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and, despite all this, Philips Hotel was running less than a quarter full. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time the hotel had been fully booked.
The place was tired, she knew that, but her dad hadn’t wanted to change anything and really there wasn’t any money to redecorate anyway.
Aria and her sisters had a meeting with the solicitor tomorrow where any money from her dad’s estate would finally be handed over. Aria was hoping there would be enough to start doing the hotel up, although Francis Cole, her dad’s solicitor and best friend, had been very vague and evasive about how much money they would actually be getting. Apparently there were… complications, although Francis had assured her it was nothing to worry about. Aria had given up trying to get answers from him and been content for him to sort out the estate and let her know when it was all finalised, which apparently it now was.
‘But it also depends on what Clover and Skye want as well,’ Tilly said, sympathetically. ‘Have you spoken to them about it yet?’
Aria shook her head.
She clicked through the reservations for the coming weeks in the vain hope that the hotel had had a sudden influx since the last time she’d looked.
Clover and Skye had never wanted to be responsible for the hotel. As soon as they were both old enough they had left Jewel Island and found their own way in the world. Their parents had instilled in them that they could do anything, be anyone they wanted to be, and both the twins had grabbed hold of that sense of confidence and ran with it. They had pursued lives that didn’t include making beds and smiling at every customer even if they were assholes.
When they’d come back and been told the news that their dad was dying, they’d extended their stay, wanting to make the most of every second they could with him. But Aria was surprised they hadn’t returned to their lives after Thomas had died. Perhaps it was because the sisters only had each other now both their parents were gone; Aria had the impression they needed this time together to grieve and support each other. She wasn’t sure how much longer they’d stay, though, they both had their own lives to return to.
Skye had been working in Canada running her own ice cream and waffle shop. There had been a man, Jesse, her ex-husband, which… was complicated, but Aria knew her sister had been very happy there. She had left that behind to come and work as a chef at a tiny hotel, on a remote island off Cornwall that no one really knew existed. Jesse and a few other staff members were keeping the shop running in her absence but surely that couldn’t continue indefinitely.
Clover had been working for a gym in London teaching various fitness classes. Aria knew she hadn’t exactly loved working for the gym as her boss was a complete cow, so Clover had quite happily quit to stay at the Philips Hotel. Teaching Pilates, yoga, Zumba and other aerobic classes was something she’d really enjoyed though, and Aria was sure her sister missed that. Clover had done a business and accountancy course with a view to one day opening up her own dance studio and right now she was using some of those business skills to balance the books in the hotel on a daily basis and handle reservations. She was also making a desperate and futile attempt to set the hotel up as a wedding venue. It was obviously not what she wanted to do with her life.
Aria did wonder if, once the estate was finalised, the twins would take their money and go back to their own lives. Because, as beautiful as Jewel Island was, everyone left. If they wanted their share of the hotel, she would have to sell it and there was a tiny part of her that wondered if that might be for the best.
She had been working in the hotel since she was a teen. She knew how to make a reservation on the new-fangled computer system, she was on top of ordering food and other things the hotel needed, and felt she was good at co-ordinating and organising the staff. However, she didn’t know the first thing about marketing or what she could do, beyond a lick of paint, to put the hotel back on the map again.
But if she was to sell it what else could she do, where could she go? She had never found her niche in life like her sisters had. She had always been here. The Philips Hotel was her home and it would break her heart if she lost it. But she didn’t want her sisters to lose their way of life either.
And it wasn’t just her and her sisters who would be affected by the fate of the hotel. There were the staff who worked there, the islanders, too, who all depended on the hotel. So much would change on the island if the hotel was sold and Aria didn’t want that. Jewel Island had given her a home.
She really should have spoken to Skye and Clover before now about what they intended to do when their dad’s estate was finalised, but if she was honest she was scared of their answer. She had loved having them here over the last year and didn’t want them to leave.
She had told Tilly the truth: she did want to speak to Noah about all of this in the hope he might be able to help her with the hotel if she could just put their past and that kiss behind them.
She picked up the phone and rang through to the kitchen. After a few rings, Skye answered.
‘Skye, I’m popping into the village. Do you need anything for dinner tonight?’
‘Umm, you could get some more bread. The guests seem to go through that like there’s no tomorrow. Oh, and could you get some pink food colouring? I might try to make some candyfloss for dessert.’
Aria smiled. There was always something unique and wonderful for dessert since Skye had started working in the kitchen. The guests loved it.
‘OK, no problem,’ Aria said and hung up, turning back to Tilly. ‘I have to go and walk Mrs O’Hare’s dog; will you call me when he arrives?’ She indicated the walkie-talkie.
‘Sure will.’
Aria walked off down the corridor where some of the guest bedrooms were. She knocked on Mrs O’Hare’s door and there was the sound of a big deep woof and then scrabbling at the door.