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‘Hang on,’ she said.
Ben heard the click of her phone being put down somewhere. There was more rustling, then she picked up the phone again.
‘Were you just getting undressed?’ Ben asked, the image waking up his exhausted body instantly.
Luce gave a low laugh. ‘It’s gone midnight and I am more than ready to be out of this dress. Besides, if we’re going to have this conversation I want to be comfortable while we’re doing it.’
‘What conversation?’ The word made Ben nervous. He usually tried to avoid being in any situation with a woman that required him to have a serious conversation.
‘The one about my family and why you’re so offended by my taking care of them. And don’t think I didn’t notice that we managed to not have this conversation at any point where we couldn’t just hang up on each other.’
‘Well, we were a little preoccupied at certain points.’
‘Ben?’
‘Yeah?’
‘We are not having phone sex.’
Damn. ‘I know that. So—go on. Tell me about this dinner.’
Luce sighed. ‘It wasn’t just a dinner. It was for my brother Tom. He’s had a rough time of it the last few years. Longer, really. But when his marriage broke down a couple of years ago he totally fell apart. And because he was in such a state my mother was beside herself, too. It was just when Dolly was applying to drama schools and, well...’
‘You got stuck trying to hold everyone together?’
‘Yeah. Anyway, this was the first time since then that Tom’s met someone he’s wanted to introduce us to. First time he’s seemed interested in anything, let alone anyone, since Hattie left him.’
‘And you didn’t want to risk it not happening?’
‘I just... It was a big deal for my family. And he’ll be with her tomorrow. This was our only chance to be all together.’
‘I get that.’ Ben thought about Luce, alone in that big house, trying to make her family happy so that she could finally relax enough to find some happiness herself. ‘I guess I just don’t get why they’re all your responsibility.’
‘Who else would look after them?’
It was a throwaway comment, Ben knew. Self-deprecating, accepting the inevitable. But could he hear a real question under it? Was she ready to cast off some responsibility?
‘Maybe it’s time they learned to look after themselves.’
‘Maybe.’ She didn’t sound entirely convinced, but it was a start. ‘Did you make your meeting with your brother in the end?’
‘I did.’ It was the reason he’d called, actually. ‘He has some new ideas for the business. A new role he wants me to take on.’
‘Sounds interesting.’
‘It is.’
‘You don’t sound sure.’
‘It’s a lot to take on.’
‘A big responsibility.’ To her credit, she didn’t mock him for that. ‘Tell me about it.’
How to explain? ‘Well, you have to understand when my dad ran the business it was all about turnover. He bought up a hotel, made it a functional and decent place for businessmen, then moved on to the next one. Over time they became higher and higher end, with more amenities and luxurious surroundings, but the basis was the same. It was somewhere to work.’
‘And that’s where you grew up?’ Luce said, surprising him with the sympathy in her voice. ‘That must have been—’
‘It was fine,’ Ben interrupted. ‘I got to travel the country before I was ten and the world before I was twenty. Not many kids had that chance.’
‘No, but most kids had a home instead of a hotel.’
She sounded as if she wanted to ask more questions, and Ben really wasn’t in the mood to be psychoanalysed, so he moved on quickly.
‘Anyway, Seb wants to change the model. He wants us to look at adding more boutique hotels to our chain. Maybe even some family-friendly ones.’
‘That sounds great. He wants you to run this?’
She sounded surprised, but Ben was too tired to be offended. ‘Starting with the Royal Court in Chester.’ Ben closed his eyes, remembering Seb saying, ‘Just because you’re good at doing what Dad did, it doesn’t mean it’s what you have to do. It doesn’t always have to be about the quick fix and moving on. I think you’ll enjoy the challenge of long-term development more.’
Was he right? Ben supposed he’d find out soon enough.
‘So you’re heading back to Chester?’ Luce asked.
‘Not yet. Got to visit some of our hotels on the continent first. But I should be able to get there in a few weeks.’
