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“Like what?”
“I don’t even know. I need to take over the running of the club for a start. Although Daisy seems to have everything in hand for now.” She shook her head. “Poor Daisy. She’s had a rough time of it.”
“She seemed pretty relaxed just now,” Hugh remarked.
“She’s relieved she’s not losing her job,” Allie said. “Which isn’t something she’d ever have had to worry about if I’d kept an eye on things.”
“You can’t blame yourself,” Hugh said.
“The business belongs to me, which means it’s my responsibility. The employees were my responsibility, and I looked the other way like some spoiled little princess.”
“I think you’re being too hard on yourself,” he said, holding her tighter.
Allie untangled herself from his embrace to look him in the eyes. “We still need to talk properly. I haven’t forgotten that. If you’re annoyed with me you have every right.”
“I’m not so much annoyed as …” He sucked in a deep breath. “Yeah, okay I was annoyed. It felt as though you’d lied to me, and even if you didn’t outright lie, I keep looking back on our conversations and thinking that everything was a bit … not quite how I thought it was.”
Allie wanted to jump in and argue but held back, knowing that her being defensive wasn’t going to help matters. Plus, it was difficult to argue with him when he was right.
“I keep thinking about conversations we had … like when we were making the plans for the golf course, and I suggested that you could show the plans to the owners …”
“I almost told you then,” she said weakly. “But I knew it would change things, and I was just enjoying being with you too much.”
“I kind of get it,” he said, forehead wrinkling. “I don’t suppose it matters, as long as you’re not hiding any other deep dark secrets?”
“Nothing. I promise.” She ran her finger through his hair, which was perfectly neat as always. “Did you get a haircut?”
“Yes.” He ducked away self-consciously.
“It looks good,” she said. “I also think it would look good longer …” She grimaced. “I have a confession to make …”
“You just promised there were no more secrets,” he said with a hint of an eye roll.
“It’s not a secret, only that I was talking to Verity and she mentioned some stuff about your mum.”
“Ah.” He sighed. “What did she say?”
Allie took a moment, trying to figure out how to be diplomatic. “That your mum was controlling and …”
“Mean?” Hugh suggested.
“She didn’t say that.” Not so succinctly anyway.
“She’s not in my life any more,” Hugh said, lifting a shoulder in a shrug. “And it’s better that way.”
“I guess after hearing about your mum, it made more sense that you need to have things just so.”
His brows drew together. “How do you mean?”
“The way you like everything to be neat and tidy – in your house, and also with your appearance …”
The blank look he gave her made her nervous and she wished she hadn’t said anything.
“You think I’m the way I am because of how my mum was?” Hugh asked.
“Maybe.” She swallowed hard. “But also maybe not. I don’t know.”
Hugh held her gaze for a moment then leaned forwards, propping his elbows on his knees as he rubbed at his temples. “Oh my god,” he said. “How did I never see that?”
