Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 102834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
I felt for the woman, especially since she’d looked on the verge of tears while explaining to me that the photographer would be arriving at ten.
“It’s a great location,” I agreed.
Milly had chosen the small, boutique hotel as our wedding venue, and as soon as I stepped inside and saw the old timey charm of the place, I was convinced. At first, I thought we’d use one of our own hotels for the big day, but then Milly told me about The Aster Cove in Bray. It belonged to Fred Behan, an old pal of her dad’s, and she and her family used to come here on trips during the summer when she was a child. Her father and the owner had lost touch over the years, but when she’d looked him up, she discovered that Fred and his wife still ran the place, despite being in their early seventies, and according to Milly, it had barely changed since she was a child.
The way her eyes had lit up when she’d spoken of going for swims on the beach with her sisters, building sandcastles and then ice cream afterwards on the pier, I couldn’t deny her.
“I mean, it could do with a few upgrades, but I think it has amazing potential,” Tristan went on, and I cast him a curious glance through the mirror.
“Where are you going with this?”
“Well, the location in Cork has been open for almost two years now, and it’s making record profits. I was thinking we could expand again but do it a little differently this time. You’ve been doing great running things, but you’ve said yourself that you’re itching for a new challenge.”
“I’m listening.”
“This location is second to none. I mean, the views are better than any of our other locations. It’s secluded but also close to lots of amenities with just a short drive. Plus, the owners are getting on in years, and I asked around. They don’t have any kids, so no one to pass the business on to. It’s probably why they’ve kept going for so long. But if we make them a generous offer, show them they could retire in style, I think maybe they’d be open to selling.”
I considered the building. It was old, and although lovingly cared for, it would take a lot of money to bring it up to a standard to match our other hotels.
“It’s certainly something to consider,” I told my brother, and his eyes lit up.
“I envision a much more elite experience for this place, like an exclusive stay that captures everything we already do at our other locations but with added luxury, fewer guests, more privacy. We have tonnes of wealthy regulars who’d eat it right up.”
Just as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” I called, and a woman poked her head in. I recognised her as the manager who was always busily flitting about the place. She was a pretty woman in her thirties with curly, light brown hair and amber eyes. Tristan turned at the intrusion, going unusually still when he saw her. Then a slow, charming smile crept over his features, a smile I recognised well. He found her attractive.
The woman glanced at me, then at Tristan, and oddly enough, she went still, too, but seemingly not for the same reason my brother had. Her feline eyes grew wide as she blinked, seeming flustered, then she frowned deeply as she tore her gaze from Tristan to address me.
“So sorry to interrupt, but, um, I just found your wedding planner in one of our storage rooms crying her eyes out. I’m not sure what’s wrong with her, but perhaps someone should make sure she’s okay?”
“All right, thank you for letting me know. I’ll take care of it.”
“Great.” With one final, almost disturbed glance at Tristan, the manager left, and I turned to grab my phone, scrolling to find my sister’s number. She was probably busy with all her maid of honour duties, but I couldn’t think of anyone else who was better at cheering people up when they were sad or depressed. If you could bottle a ray of sunshine, that was Nuala. Her response came moments later.
Nuala: I’m on it!
I made a mental note to buy her something nice when all this was over.
“Who was that?” Tristan asked, full of intrigue.
“I think she manages the place for Fred and his wife,” I answered, still inwardly fretting over the wedding planner.
“Does she have a name?” My brother pressed, and I shot him an irritated look.
“Hey, you can focus on hooking up with pretty women later. Right now, we have a wedding to get through.”
“Sorry, she just looks so familiar.” His brow furrowed, like he was trying to figure out where he knew her from.
“Maybe you met somewhere before,” I suggested. “It’s a small country.”