Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83343 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83343 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
But the tea shop will close.
Granny and I will have to move.
My life will change forever.
ELEVEN
Vincent
Michael is chattering about how well the meeting went, but I can’t focus on anything but the look of devastation on Kate’s face. It was like I’d ruined her life.
It’s not a good feeling.
I really want to talk to her one-on-one, but I have no idea where she might be. In her cottage maybe. But it’s not like I can knock on her front door. I’m her boss now. It would be too much of an invasion of privacy. Perhaps I can catch her in the tea shop tomorrow.
I scroll through Instagram, and I notice Kate takes a similar shot at different times of the day. It’s at the bottom of the estate by the lake, overlooking the water to the wooded area.
“Is that okay, Vincent?” Michael asks.
“I’m going to get some air,” I say, ignoring his question because I didn’t hear what he was asking. I stalk out. I need air or to clear my head … or something. Even if Kate’s not there by the lake, maybe it will help me find a solution to her obvious disappointment. I know what it’s like to have to leave a home you feel a connection to. It’s been a while, but the memory never fades. I may have turned adversity into motivation, but the hurt is still there like a flickering ember, firing my drive and ambition.
“You have that meeting with the US office,” Michael calls after me.
“I’ll be late,” I say as I take the grand, oak-carved staircase down to what will be the lobby of the hotel.
The double doors at the entrance to the house are impressive. If it’s possible to restore them, we should. I pull out my phone and voice-note Michael so I don’t forget to mention it later.
In the doorway, I turn to look back at the lobby. I take in the chandelier and the staircase, the wooden paneling, the artwork I negotiated as part of the sale. If I could have a conversation with me as a ten-year-old, I’d tell myself not to worry and that it would all work out. I’d even tell the kid who applied to medical school, so he could be just like his cousins, that everything would be okay. That he wouldn’t be like them, but that was okay too.
I exit the house and look up.
I own a fucking estate.
Who would have thought it. I’m not going to live here, but I could if I wanted. I could be an earl in all but name.
I shake my head, almost incredulous, and cross the driveway into the dusk.
Kate’s exactly where I thought she might be.
As I approach her, I almost want to take a picture. It would be like all her others, except better, because she would be in it.
“Kate,” I call as I approach. I don’t want to frighten her.
She turns and stands. “What are you doing here?” She looks confused and frustrated.
“I was just wandering and saw you.”
She sighs. “Am I trespassing?”
I tilt my head. “Kate. Come on.”
“Kate what? You own the place now. The earl never minded us using the grounds. Maybe you do.” She crosses her arms like she’s putting up a shield between us, except I’m not here to attack her. “Not that we’ll be here long if you have your way.”
“The house was always going to get sold, Kate. The earl couldn’t afford to keep it. You must know that. You’re smart. You can tell things haven’t been maintained as they should have been.”
“An estate like this requires constant upkeep.”
“Exactly,” I say. “It’s expensive. And the earl doesn’t have the cash. Most estates like this have either been sold or turned into safari parks or museums. There isn’t much of the British aristocracy left.”
“You could restore the house and open it to visitors. Like an extension of the garden tours.” She looks up at me pleadingly, and I hate that she’s so obviously in pain. The woman I first met was fun and carefree and full of wonder. And now she’s looking at me like I erased all of that.
I shake my head. “It doesn’t make sense. The house is too far gone. Restoration would take millions—”
“So will turning it into a hotel. So why not choose the path of least resistance? That way the gardens can stay as they are and we can keep our homes.” Her voice hitches on the last word. It’s like someone’s plunged a dagger into my gut.
I swallow, hoping it will clear a path for my words. “I get it, Kate. Believe me, I know what it’s like to be uprooted from your home, I really do, but the accommodation we’re going to find for you all is going to be so much better than what you’re in at the moment. It will have triple glazing and central heating that works—”