‘I wonder how Bex knows what cat’s piss tastes like?’ Millie whispers loudly, a few steps behind everyone else, as usual.
‘I’m not a man known for his way with words,’ Hunter begins – somewhat inaccurately, given the speech he made to Sabrina just a few minutes ago. ‘So I’m going to get straight to the point.’
He clears his throat, nervously.
‘I’ve just got off a phone call with the person I’ve been dealing at WanderNest,’ he says, ignoring the gasp of horror that goes up at the mention of the dreaded name. ‘I’ve told them we’re pulling out of the proposed deal. I’m not selling the hotel – not to them, and not to anyone.’
‘I knew it,’ yells Izzie. ‘I saw it in the cards!’
Ian shushes her, his eyes fixed firmly on Hunter, who isn’t done yet.
‘One thing the last couple of days have shown me is how much we all need each other,’ he says. ‘And how much this place has come to mean to me. So, Hannah and I will be staying on in the castle. I’ve already agreed to sit down with Ian – and Izzie, and anyone else who feels they have something to contribute – and talk about how we can better support each other; how the hotel can help the village, and vice versa. It’s not going to be easy; there’s a lot of work ahead of us all, in fact. But I know no one here’s afraid of hard work, and neither am I. So, I suppose what I’m trying to say is that I’m willing to give it a go if you are.’
There’s a short pause, during which the air in the room seems to hum with tension. Then Ian gets to his feet.
‘I’ll drink to that,’ he says simply, holding up his glass.
Hunter raises his in response, and then everyone’s on their feet, glasses clinking in a toast that goes on for so long I start to worry they’ll still be at it by the time my train leaves tomorrow, and I’ll never get the chance to talk to Hunter.
‘Ten minutes to go until midnight,’ Dante yells, as the noise finally dies down. ‘Which means there’s just ten minutes until the Chrysalis is officially open for business. Charge your glasses, everyone.’
I frantically scan the room for Hunter, finding him at last, his tall shape almost hidden by all the people around me, who’re hurrying to refill glasses and find the person they want to be standing next to when the clock strikes midnight, and this new era of the Chrysalis begins.
For me, it’s definitely him.
So let’s just hope he feels the same.
‘Hunter!’ I call, my voice lost in the general buzz of the crowd. ‘Hunter! Over here!’
His eyes swivel towards me, and he smiles, his face lighting up in a way that suggests he might just have been looking for me too.
We swim towards each other through the packed room, carried on the sea of people, none of whom have even the slightest clue how incredibly important it is that we reach each other.
‘Hi,’ I say shyly, when I’m standing in front of him at last. ‘Nice speech.’
‘I’m glad you liked it,’ he replies, grinning down at me. ‘Because I’d never have said any of it if it wasn’t for you. You were the one who made me see what was right in front of my face. You were the one who persuaded me to stay here and try to make a go of this place, rather than selling up and running away.’
‘Oh, I’m sure you’d have got there in the end,’ I reply. ‘In fact, I know you would have. I just gave you a tiny little push.’
‘It was you who messaged me about the power being out, wasn’t it?’ he says, smiling to show he’s not angry with me. ‘I thought there was something odd about that, but Ian told me he called one of his farmhands not long ago to find out how they’ve been coping without power, and they said it’s been back on for ages now. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?’
‘Sorry.’ I grin, not feeling remotely sorry at all. ‘I know I shouldn’t have done it, but I knew if you just had a bit of time to get to know them all, you’d be able to put aside your differences. I just wanted to give you that extra time. I could do with some myself, to be honest.’
We look into each other’s eyes, both of us tongue-tied now that we finally have the opportunity to speak.
‘I think I want to move to the Highlands,’ I blurt out, surprising even myself.
‘I think you should come and work for the—’ Hunter starts to say, almost at the same time.
We stare at each other, both of us red in the face, neither one of us wanting to break the fragile spell that feels like it’s been cast over us.
‘You first,’ I say quietly. ‘What were you going to say?’
‘I, um, I was just saying that I think you should consider coming to work for the hotel,’ Hunter replies, scratching his head bashfully. ‘I know you’ve won this influencer contest thing, so you’ll be up here anyway sometimes, but—’
‘I don’t want to do it,’ I interrupt, my heart almost leaping out of my chest as it thumps frantically in my chest. ‘I don’t want to be an influencer, Hunter. I think I’d hate it. IknowI’d hate it. I do want to .?.?. spend more time here, though,’ I add carefully. ‘A lot more time, really.’
‘Which is why you should come and work for us,’ he says, his grin wider than I’ve ever seen it. ‘You might not want to be an influencer, Rosie, but .?.?. well, look at how you’ve influencedme. Look at how you’ve influenced all of us.’
