He pulled a bunch of keys out of his pocket and inserted one in the lock.
The house, a typical Breton conversion from an old farm building many years ago, was basic, but Belinda could see its potential. Downstairs, there was a kitchen and a large sitting room with a wood burner. A steep open wooden staircase led upstairs, where there were two double bedrooms, a single bedroom and a bathroom with a big old-fashioned bath and overhead shower. Get the house cleaned ready to live in, was the first thing that went on Belinda’s list.
‘We’ll get this place cleaned up ready for you to move in.’
Alain shook his head. ‘I ’ave no plans to move in until the season starts.’
‘Well, somebody needs to be living on site soon and if it’s not you, it will have to be me. Once it’s clean, I’ll move in while I’m out here,’ Belinda said. It wouldn’t be as cosy as the auberge but at least it would save Nigel some money.
Three hours later, as they made their way back to the office, Belinda’s head was reeling with the knowledge of just how much she needed to organise. Alain had shown her the tent pitching area of the campsite, which was in desperate need of being mown otherwise they’d be making silage there very soon. The area for visiting camper vans and caravans was almost as bad. She’d learnt that the leases on all the cabins had reverted back to the campsite, including the one she’d seen with a bicycle and flowers.
‘Why does that one look as if it’s lived in?’
‘Because it is,’ Alain admitted. ‘Bernie moved in there a while ago when he had a row with his father. Dad told him he could stay there for as long as he liked. To treat it as his ’ome.’
‘Who’s Bernie?’
‘A villager who needed somewhere to live.’
‘Time to move him out,’ Belinda said briskly, making a note.
‘He’s not doing any ’arm living there,’ Alain said quietly. ‘We can leave him there for a bit. He’s got nowhere to go.’
Belinda looked at him. ‘Nowhere? His parents won’t take him back?’
Alain shook his head. ‘They’re both dead now.’
‘Does he work?’
Alain shook his head again. ‘He’s not the most reliable – unless it involves animals. Then he’s dedicated to their care.’
‘Okay, he can stay for a bit, we’ll work around him,’ Belinda said. Evicting this Bernie wasn’t at the top of her priority list right now. ‘I’ll need to meet him though. Maybe we can get him involved with the grounds here? The patch of ground around his cabin is very tidy and well looked after.’
‘Peut-être.’ Alain shrugged.
At least she and Alain had managed to reach a compromise on certain things, although there had been several fierce arguments during the course of the morning when they’d disagreed over what Nigel would want and what was needed. Including one about not only where the three glamping pods were going to be positioned but the kind of pod to install. But Belinda was content to wait until she had enough information to enable her to win the argument.
There was one thing they were both in total agreement on, however – the whole place needed clearing of all the overgrown shrubs, trees and grass.
‘We need to get a team in,’ Belinda said. ‘Too much work here for you to carry out alone. Do you know of a local company? Or should we employ a couple of men and you supervise? We’re going to need a permanent groundsman once it’s sorted as well.’
Alain nodded. ‘Already organised a team to come in. Now the weather is improving, they’ll ’ave it sorted within a week. The machinery in the hangar is old but most of it works, just needs cleaning and oiling. I’ll let Yann in the bar know and he’ll spread the word about job vacancies. And we can notify the Pôle Emploi that we are looking for seasonal staff.’
‘Is that what I’d call the job centre?’ Belinda asked.
Alain nodded.
‘I’ll write out a list of jobs, both immediate and seasonal, like receptionist, cleaners, gardeners. I’ll check with Nigel about whether he wants to rent out the café when it’s ready or whether he wants to employ staff for it.’
Alain glanced at his watch. ‘I need some food. We go for lunch in the village?’
Belinda shook her head. ‘No thanks. I’ll work through. I’ll grab a cup of coffee and there’s a croissant left if I need it. I need to phone my daughter