Charlotte reread the email to make sure she hadn’t imagined it, thinking back to when she’d first met Daniel and he’d talked about his new restaurant. He’d mentioned to her then that he was opening a new hotel and was visiting the best hotels and restaurants in London for inspiration—it seems that she’d been interviewed for a position at the time without even knowing.
Her heart began to race and she reached for her coffee, forcing down another sip of the black, sugary drink before picking up her phone again. Offers like this didn’t come along every day, she knew that, but she loved London—the city had been her home since she was fresh out of school and determined to make it as a chef. She’d trained at Le Cordon Bleu and proved to herself that she had what it took to succeed, that she wasn’t crazy for wanting to make being a chef her career, and she’d never intended to leave. England felt like home to her in the same way Norway had when she’d been a child—it was where she was supposed to be.
But this? This was the opportunity of a lifetime, to be part of something from the very beginning, working for the most successful Scandinavian hotel chain in the world. She was no fool; she knew that they would have had an executive chef secured some time ago, and clearly that person had let them down or been fired. But she wasn’t going to overthink the opportunity—someone else’s loss, for whatever reason, could be her gain.
And it also meant that she could finally see her grandmother again, that she would have a reason to go home.
Charlotte stood and walked to her window, looking out over Chelsea and imagining what it would be like looking out from an apartment window in Oslo instead, trying to figure out if she was ready for it or not.
Call him. She knew in her heart whom she needed to talk to before she made a decision, and after pressing her forehead to the cool window for a long moment, she turned and went to retrieve her phone. She would never make a decision so big without consulting him, regardless of which way she was leaning.
It only took two rings for her brother to answer, although his voice sounded scratchy, as if he’d just woken up. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was only seven o’clock.
‘Sorry it’s so early,’ she apologised.
‘It’s fine, I was on call anyway.’
‘Are you free for breakfast? Or lunch?’ Charlotte asked. ‘I was thinking we could meet this morning.’
‘If you can meet me at that café closest to the hospital in an hour, I’ll be there.’
She breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Thanks, Erik.’
‘Is everything all right?’
Charlotte smiled just hearing his worried, big-brother tone. ‘It will be. I’ll see you soon.’
4
Charlotte hurried through the busy café when she saw Erik sitting at a table in the far corner. He stood and opened his arms, giving her a big, warm hug. They’d been through a lot together when they were younger, and no matter what they might have disagreed about as teenagers or adults, it would never break their close bond. She would have found being in London so much harder if he hadn’t chosen to do his residency closer to her.
‘To what do I owe the honour of breakfast?’ he asked.
‘Can’t a girl just want to see her brother?’
‘At short notice? I doubt it.’ He laughed, sitting back a little when their coffees arrived. ‘I took the liberty of ordering as soon as I got here. I’m still on call, so I might need to leave in a hurry.’
Charlotte took a deep breath, realising that they didn’t have time for small talk until they’d covered the important things. She was used to it, though—he lived and breathed his job in the same way she did, which meant she had absolute respect for the hours he had to work and how committed he was.
‘So, I’ve been offered a permanent executive chef position,’ she said. ‘Well, when I say offered, they want me to visit the hotel, I imagine work up a sample menu for their approvalfirst, but essentially, I’m being considered for the role at a new restaurant in an exciting new hotel. It’s going to be huge.’
Erik raised an eyebrow as he took a sip of coffee. ‘Your contract has ended at Velluto?’
‘It has. My last day was yesterday and I miss it already.’
‘I feel like I’m missing something here,’ he said. ‘You’re looking for a new opportunity, you’ve been offered one that sounds amazing, so what?—’
‘It’s in Oslo.’
Erik set his cup down and folded his hands on the table. ‘Ahh. And you want to know whether I think you should go back, or whether you should stay in London?’
She immediately felt tearful and hated how emotional she always became when she thought about going home. ‘It’s an amazing opportunity, I know it is, but?—’
She watched as her brother ran a hand through his hair, and she recognised the exasperated look on his face. He’d never understood how her feud with their father had caused such a rift in their family, but then how could he? He was the golden child who’d done exactly as their father had wanted, and she was the one who’d defied him and turned her back on everything he wanted for her. Her father had never been one to mince his words, and he’d made it very clear how much she’d disappointed him.
‘Lotte, I know I’ve said it before, but you can’t avoid him forever. Would it be so bad to just put the past behind you? It would be easier than holding on to all that pain inside you.’
Charlotte reached for her coffee and took a long sip, before staring into it, taking her time before answering.
