Page 25 of The Village Inn of Secret Dream

Pete nodded. ‘That’s good news indeed,’ he said.

In actual fact, that was a small break and heaven knows he needed one.

‘Well, I’ll get the solicitors started on everything,’ said Pete.

‘Great,’ said Mick, holding out his hand for Pete to shake. ‘Once again, thanks for this, mate. It’s taken a huge weight off our minds.’

‘You’re welcome,’ said Pete, realising that the heavy weight had now transferred to his own shoulders.

He wandered outside, grateful for the fresh morning air, to try to clear the headache that he couldn’t seem to get rid of. There was a distinct chill in the air as if autumn was ready to get going.

As he headed back over the pedestrian bridge, he looked around for Belle but couldn’t see her anywhere. He desperately needed to talk to her, but it seemed that everyone else was wanting to talk to him that day.

First, Stanley and Frank came up to shake his hand.

‘Well done, sir,’ said Stanley, grasping his hand and shaking it up and down. ‘We heard the great news. What a marvellous thing for the village to have The Black Swan saved.’

‘It certainly is,’ added Frank, once he had the opportunity to shake Pete’s hand as well. ‘Something for us all to celebrate.’

‘Isn’t it wonderful?’ said Cathy beaming, as she headed down the steps of the shop with Grandma Tilly.

‘It is,’ said Stanley. ‘It can do only good for the local economy and jobs to have the inn brought up to scratch at last.’

‘Family discount on a sherry, I hope?’ said Grandma Tilly, with a grin.

‘Of course,’ said Pete quickly.

‘Best of all, it means we get to enjoy you for a bit longer,’ said Cathy, stepping forward to give her son a huge hug. ‘First the shop and then the inn!’

Pete smiled at his mum as she stepped back. ‘Well, here’s hoping that some of that Kennedy luck will rub onto me too.’

‘I’m sure it will,’ she told him.

‘So what are your big plans for the inn?’ asked Frank.

‘It’s a good size,’ said Pete, trying to think like a property developer. ‘Run properly and with some decent decoration, I reckon I could turn it into a decent gastro restaurant.’

‘Gastro restaurant?’ Stanley’s grey eyebrows shot up in surprise. ‘Is there much call for that around here?’

‘There should be,’ said Pete. ‘I mean, think of it. It could be a real opportunity for change.’

‘Folks around here are a bit twitchy about change,’ said Grandma Tilly with a frown.

‘I know what I’m doing,’ lied Pete, trying to sound more confident than he actually was. ‘I have experience in owning a decent restaurant.’

Cathy thought for a moment before nodding. ‘Okay, I can see it could be really good for the village if it’s a success.’

‘Which it will be, of course,’ said Grandma Tilly. ‘Right, who’s for a coffee. I need to head back in. Wind’s turned to the east today.’

Pete hesitated before he followed them back into the shop, turning around to look at The Black Swan Inn once more. Maybe he could do this after all. It would mean staying on in Cranbridge for a while longer whilst he turned the business around, but as long as he kept his nerve and didn’t blurt out the secret he was keeping from his family then perhaps it would turn out all right in the end.

13

After bawling him out that morning, Belle was finally ready to face Pete as they sat around one of the tables in the inn lounge with Mick and Angie to discuss the future later that day.

She knew that she had no choice in the matter. That they all had to move on. But she was still shocked about how very unsettled her life had become so quickly.

A small part of her was anxious to hear Pete’s plans, especially as they appeared to involve her.