Georgie gave her a strange look. “Pea and ham soup?”
Amy nodded. “I know it’s warm outside, but your mum always said it was comfort food.”
Georgie gave a sad smile. “She was right.”
The note in Amy’s hand reminded her. “Do you know where Darcy is? I need to ask him about the campgrounds.”
A flash of guilt crossed Georgie’s face. “Ah, I think he was going through a few things with Brandon. He won’t be long.”
“The cream is ready,” Lara said. “Can I start making the icing now?”
“Absolutely,” Amy said. “Just let me put this note in the office.” She hurried down the corridor to the reception and found Brandon seated at the desk with her guest book in front of him. Her steps slowed and she frowned. “Can I help you with something?”
He barely looked at her. “No.”
Irritation flowed over her skin. Why was he going through her things? This was her responsibility. “May I have the guest book for a moment? I need to check a few dates.”
“I thought you weren’t taking bookings.”
“It’s for next month. I need to talk to Darcy about it, but first I need to see whether we have a vacancy.” She paused. “Or should I ask you whether the campgrounds are staying open?”
“Ask Darcy.” He handed her the book and she flicked through to the calendar section. The reservation would be before the school holiday period, and they had a site free for the required dates. She pencilled the booking in and returned the book to Brandon. “Thank you.”
“Have you had any repeat customers since you’ve been open?” he asked.
Surprised he was taking an interest she answered, “Most people are on their way up or down the coast. We’ve had maybe two who came back on their way home.” She took the book from him again and pointed out the names. “These two.”
“You’ve got a good memory,” he said.
“Not really. Both couples rebooked before they left. Is there anything else?”
He studied her a moment, his gaze intense and something in her stirred. He was an attractive man, despite his often-sombre demeanour. His blue grey eyes held depth and mystery, but the buzz cut hairstyle reminded her he was military. Not going to happen.
“No, I’m good.”
Crap, she’d been staring. She cleared her throat. “Dinner is almost ready.” Hurrying back down the corridor, she almost bumped into Darcy coming out of Bill’s office. “Sorry.”
Darcy flashed her a smile, the first glimpse of the Darcy she knew since his parents had died. “No problem, Ames.”
She stopped him from moving on. “I had a request for a reservation for June,” she said. “We have space. Should I book them in?”
Darcy hesitated and then said, “Yeah. I’ll chat to Brandon tonight about what we’re doing going forward.”
“Great. Dinner’s almost ready, so you might like to wash up.” Ed sat at the desk in the office behind him. “You too, Ed.”
Ed waved a hand but didn’t look up.
On her way back to the kitchen, Amy called the guest back and confirmed the booking.
Lara was getting the cakes out of the oven with Georgie supervising. Baking ingredients and utensils sprawled over half of the kitchen table so Amy quickly cleaned it. Her father had never tolerated mess and the habit had formed early. The chocolate icing sat in a bowl already prepared. Lara could put the cake together after dinner when it had cooled.
Darcy walked in and inhaled deeply. “What have you been cooking, pumpkin?”
“Chocolate cake,” Lara said, beaming at him.
“Looks good.” He stuck a finger in the icing bowl and tasted it. “Tastes good too.”
“None of that,” Amy told him, taking the bowl, covering it in cling film and putting it on the bench. “There’ll be none left.”
