Page 55 of A Recipe for Romance in Brambleton

Joel got the message and didn’t press further, but Marc had the feeling he was going to be in for the Spanish Inquisition when the boys were in bed.

Sure enough, once the boys were tucked up, shattered from the day, Joel returned to the subject.

‘Now, correct me if I’m wrong, big brother, but you haven’t had a proper relationship since Tessa passed. And now, just after moving into a picturesque English country village, you’re getting cosy with the owner of the local café? If that’s not a recipe for a rom-com, then I don’t know what is!’

‘Sod off,’ Marc replied, but without rancour. It was easier, in the long run, to humour Joel, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to give too much away just yet. ‘Lauren came over to bake some cakes with the kids.’

‘And I caught you glancing at her, er, muffins, once or twice while she was here!’

‘It’s not like that.’ Although, hugging Lauren in the kitchen had felt a lot like that.

‘It’s all right to admit it, you know.’ Joel settled back on the sofa, a glass of red wine in his hand. ‘No-one expects you to live like a monk forever. Tessa died two years ago. I think you’ve spent enough time honouring her memory.’

That was the thing about Joel, Marc thought in vague irritation – he might be annoying, tactless and full of Blarney, but he didn’t beat around the bush. Noah was diplomatic to his core, Marc a little too diffident for his own good. Joel had inherited the forthright genes, probably from their mother, who never spared anyone’s feelings.

‘Well, I’m glad I’ve got your permission,’ Marc said wryly. He poured himself a glass from the bottle that Joel had brought in. ‘I mean, I feel I can proceed with a clear conscience now.’

‘Ha-ha.’ Joel took another swig. ‘No, seriously, mate, I’m happy for you.’

‘Give it a rest.’

Joel leaned forward and put his wine glass down on the table that sat between the two sofas. ‘Look,’ he said softly, ‘I know I’ve been a shit brother. I wasn’t there for you when you needed me after Tessa died. I was too caught up in career crap and wanting to get as far away from family stuff as I could.’ His eyes shone in the low light from the lamps in the corner of the room. ‘I should have visited you more, checked in more. There’s no excuse for that.’

‘We survived,’ Marc said flatly. ‘We had to.’

‘I know.’ Joel stood up and looked out of the picture window. The moon was rising over the lake. The mist had cleared about an hour ago, leaving a cool, silvery glow in the sky. He gave a low, slightly scratchy chuckle. ‘Maybe it’s this place… maybe it’s seeing how much the boys have grown since I last saw you all. Maybe it’s just that I’m getting old, but I want you to know… I’m sorry. I should have been there for you.’

If Marc hadn’t been sitting down, he was sure he would have fallen over in surprise. Joel’s rule had always been never explain, never apologise. He’d learned that from their mother, too, Marc thought bitterly. She’d run a mile, and further, as soon as Joel had turned eighteen, and never looked back from her house in Spain. They’d all survived, but the scars were there.

‘You’re here now,’ Marc said, slightly roughly. ‘That’s all that matters.’ He stood up to look at the moonlit view across the lake.

‘I can see why you love it here.’ Joel turned away from the window, and to Marc’s surprise, his eyes were glistening. He watched as Joel rubbed impatiently at them. ‘Sorry. I don’t know what it is, but I’m feeling a bit out of it tonight.’

‘Must be all the booze,’ Marc quipped.

‘Maybe.’ Joel looked at him again. ‘Thank you. I know I kind of sprung this extended visit on you, but… I needed to see you. To be here. To remember that I do have a family.’

‘Bloody hell, Joel, what’s brought all this on?’ Marc sensed there was more to this than met the eye. Perhaps now wasn’t the time to get to the bottom of it, but he vowed he would before Joel left again.

‘Oh, nothing.’ Joel gave him an unconvincing smile. ‘Christmas makes me sentimental. But let’s not talk about that. Let’s talk about you and Lauren. What’s your next move, buddy? Wine? Dancing? Dinner?’

And just like that, Joel the extrovert was back in the room. Marc sighed. ‘I like her, and she likes me. She’s coming for dinner tomorrow. We’re taking it slowly.’

‘Really? When you’ll have an empty house for the whole night?’ Joel raised a suggestive eyebrow. ‘Let me know if you need a few seduction tips. I mean, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? I bet you can hardly remember how you pulled Tessa, it was so long ago!’

Marc didn’t grace that with a response. The last thing he needed was sex tips from his younger brother. Besides, nothing like that was going to happen. Slowly was the name of the game, and he was happy with that. Honestly.

45

The following day, there was one more hurdle for Marc to jump. Noah, excited to impart the news about the possibility of Marc agreeing for the lake house to be a location for the music video, had wasted no time in breaking the news to Bella. The resulting tentative agreement from Marc that morning had meant that Samira Khan, who’d be directing Bella’s video, had sped down from Bristol to give the interior a recce. Now, the three of them were standing in the living room, checking out the ‘set’.

‘Wow, Bella, you weren’t joking about the view!’ Samira, dressed in skinny jeans, spike-heeled boots and a baggy black sweatshirt that revealed one shoulder, glanced back to where Bella and Marc were standing. ‘I can’t believe no-one thought to use this place as a location before. It’s stunning!’

Marc felt a glow of pride, despite the fact that the house had only been his for a few weeks. Even though he had some doubts, after his conversations with Bella and Noah and seeing the enthusiasm of the director now that they were in situ went a long way to reassuring him that letting them borrow his stunning view for a few days wasn’t a terrible decision.

‘So, with your permission, Marc, I’d like to bring the crew in on Monday week, ready to shoot before the sun gets too bright. The weather’s great at the moment – we don’t need the sun, as we can add more light in post, if we need to.’

Marc nodded. ‘Fine. The boys’ll be at school then, and I’ll be working in the office at the back of the house, so you shouldn’t get any interruptions from us, although the kids will be home again by about four o’clock.’