Chapter Six
‘Ashley, this is Ella.’ Max offered the woman a smile as she quickly pasted one on her own face and dropped a huge tote on a sofa. ‘Ella’s our new house manager, Ash, a role dreamed up by my mother and one I had no idea she’d done anything about until last night.’
‘How typically cloak and dagger of her.’ Ashley came over to offer Ella a hand, and Ella quickly brushed flour from her fingers. Ashley’s lustrous brunette hair fell in soft waves around her face, not spoiled even by her having pulled off a beanie. Dark eyes suited her colouring, and she was beautifully dressed in a long skirt and boots below a winter coat. Lily was beside her, and Ashley gently tucked an errant curl behind the little girl’s ear.
‘Lovely to meet you, Ella. Arlo’s been telling me all about this pizza you’re making for them. They’re very excited, it’s so kind of you.’
‘Oh, it’s…’ Ella had been about to say nothing until she caught sight of Arlo’s little face, beaming with anticipation.
‘Can I see, Ella?’ Lily darted to the island and Ella was happy to retreat behind it with her. ‘Oh. It doesn’t look like pizza yet.’
‘That’s because we need to leave the dough somewhere warm to let it prove. It’s part of the process of making the base from scratch.’
‘What’s prove?’
‘It’s when the dough fills with air and rises. Then we knead it again to get it into shape for the sauce and toppings to go on.’
‘Please can I help?’ Lily dropped her party bag unopened on the island as Arlo settled on a stool and tipped his bag out, scattering crayons and empty wrappers.
‘That’d be great.’ Ella glanced at Lily’s outfit. ‘But maybe you should wear an apron, your dress is lovely and I’m sure you or your dad won’t want to get it covered in flour or tomato sauce.’
‘You’re right Ella, he doesn’t. Your apron should be in the bottom drawer, Lily.’ Max was next to Arlo and Ashley had joined them at the island. Ella was very used to having lots of people around when she cooked but somehow this felt rather intimate and more than a little awkward.
‘Okay.’ Lily opened a drawer and produced a purple apron, turning round as she slipped it over her head, waiting for Ella to fasten it in place.
‘Ashley’s an interior designer, Ella, she was a client back in London and persuaded me to sort out her new garden once she’d relocated north. So, it’s kind of her fault that we ended up moving here too.’
It occurred to Ella then that perhaps Max wasn’t actually single, and she didn’t want to be in the way of an evening he and Ashley had planned.
As she showed Lily how to knead the dough, she and Max both snatched at the glass of beer that Lily was about to knock over in her enthusiasm. Ella saw that moment from before again as a smile hovered on his lips, his hand brushing hers.
‘Come on, Max, you can’t blame it all on me.’ Once he’d steadied the glass, Ashley pushed against him, and he grinned as he slid a friendly arm round her shoulders. ‘I wasn’t to know you’d fall in love with Cumbria and decide to give it a go.’
‘Yeah? You should have thought of that before you found the house and insisted on dragging me round it and telling me how amazing you could make it given half a chance and a decent budget.’
‘And wasn’t I right?’ Ashley shrugged. Ella had the impression Ashley didn’t need Max to let her know she’d done a great job but would like it all the same.
‘You were.’ He removed his arm. ‘You know I think it’s stunning and now we can finally make plans to relaunch it. Ella’s a chef, Ash, she’s taking some time out to decide what’s next in her career and helping us with the holiday business while she does.’
‘But that’s great.’ Ashley turned luminous brown eyes on Max. ‘I’ve been saying for months that you need some support, and the house won’t run itself, not if you want great reviews and guests who tell all their friends to book.’
‘And Ella’s going to be looking after me and Arlo too, Daddy, isn’t she?’ Lily momentarily paused kneading and splattering flour.
‘Well, we still have to see about that, Lily, it’s not quite decided. Anyway, how was the party?’ Max addressed both his children, but Arlo was too busy loading toy sheep onto a trailer attached to a tractor to reply.
‘So much fun, Daddy, but Arlo’s had blue ice cream and Herbert.’ Lily gave her brother a wary look and Ella casually slid the dough away before Lily could knock it into next week, quickly reshaping it and putting it on a tray.
‘Ah.’ Max pulled a face. ‘Lily always thought that sherbert was called Herbert, Ella, and I’m afraid the name’s stuck. So we’ve got a sugar high to look forward to, then? Marvellous.’
‘Actually, I think he’s probably over it. My two have been at the same party, Ella.’ Ashley’s gaze passed over her but warmed up when it reached Max. ‘Arlo was racing around our garden for a good hour, so he might be ready to crash sooner rather than later.’
‘Thanks, Ashley.’ Max gathered up Arlo’s party rubbish and dropped it in the bin. ‘Tea, bath and bed then.’
‘Daddy, that’s not fair,’ Lily wailed. ‘It’s Saturday night and we always watch a movie together.’
‘When you’ve not been to a party and are not already tired and grumpy, yes, we do.’ Max was trying to prevent a giggling Arlo from climbing up his legs. They tussled for a few moments as Ashley looked on fondly, until Max finally triumphed and sat Arlo firmly back on his stool.
‘And when you are tired and grumpy, then the only cure is sleep.’ Max shot Lily a look that said he meant it and she pouted. ‘So no movie tonight.’
