for you to not only lose your dad but to find out that his gambling had put your home in peril.”
He looks down. “It wasn’t easy. He surrounded himself with the wrong people, people who saw him as a bottomless pit of cash.”
“I’m sorry, Seb.”
“We’re righting the wrongs now. Together. That’s all that matters.”
An hour later, with Jemima’s help, we have managed to move most of the family’s personal effects out of the soon-to-be public section of the house and have fulfilled most of Joffrey’s list.
“Who needs a snack?” I ask.
Zara wipes her forehead and grins at me. “Oh, I could kill for a coffee, and I’m in serious need of some sugar.”
“I’ve got you covered. Seb?”
“A cup of tea would be great.”
“I’m on it.”
Chapter 14
I head straight to Mia’s Café. I got seriously addicted to their chocolate chip cookies when I first arrived in this country, and it’s a habit I just cannot break now. They’re crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside with enough sugar to induce a diabetic coma. But sometimes you’ve got to treat yourself, and with the number of things we’ve had to rifle through and boxes we’ve had to lug around Sebastian’s massive house today, I think we more than deserve it.
“Hi, Emma,” the owner, Greg, says as I arrive at the counter. He’s a sweet man in his fifties, always with a smile on his round face. His bushy moustache and red bow tie always make me think of the Pringles chip guy. He told me once that he named the café after his late wife, and I always detect a hint of sadness in his eyes whenever he talks about her. “Let me guess, some of my lovely Mia’s chocolate chip biscuits?”
“You got it in one, Greg,” I reply with a smile. “I’ll take eight, please. They’re too good not to, and we’ve been working pretty darn hard today. Plus, some beverages, too. Two large flat whites and a cup of tea, please.”
“My pleasure.” He opens the large glass jar filled with cookies and uses some tongs to pull them out. “Not long now until the house opens up. It’s the talk of the village.”
“Yeah, I heard.” I chew on my lip when I think of everything that needs to be done before then. “Thanks again for having the poster in your window.”
“Of course. Martinston has been a part of this village for centuries. It’s about time we all got to enjoy it. I don’t think it’s been open to visitors for decades.”
“I totally agree with you.”
“How’s business? You make that gym kit, is that right?”
Gym kit?
“No, I have an activewear line,” I correct.
“That’s what I meant, love,” he says with a chuckle. “Gym kit means clothes.”
“Huh. I did not know that. Well, Timothy—that’s my label—is pretty much dead in the water in the UK right now. For some reason I can’t seem to even get a meeting with any of the big sports chains or the department stores here, even though it sells super well in the States. I don’t get it.”
“Have you tried any of the smaller places? My sister-in-law, Denise, she runs a shop in the neighboring village. Specializes in sports kit for ladies who want to hold things together, if you know what I mean. I can put in a good word for you, if you like?”
Although I know a boutique that caters to a small demographic isn’t exactly going to set my world on fire, it’s a kind offer and one I won’t say no to. “That’s so sweet of you. Thank you, Greg.” I open my purse and pull out my business card. “Here’s my card. It’s got all my contact deets on it, including our website.”
“Oh, I’m not sure Denise is much for the internet, love, but I’ll pass this on all the same.”
I give him a weak smile. That doesn’t sound promising. “Sure. Thanks.”
“Anything else today?”
“That’s all.”
I pay, and he says, “Take a seat while I rustle them up for you.”
I glance around the busy café and spot a vacant seat at a table in the window bathed in the warm sun. I plunk myself down heavily in the chair, a wave of exhaustion washing over me. You know how you can keep going with something and not even notice you’re tired until you stop and then it hits you like a steam train? Well, that’s me right now, the hard work of the past weeks catching right up.
I lean back against