Alain was already in the office when Belinda arrived the next morning. BB greeted him enthusiastically, Belinda less so.
‘Twenty-four hours late, but you’re back,’ she said, stating the obvious. ‘Your weekend in the UK go okay?’ If she thought Alain was going to explain and apologise for his absence, she was wrong.
‘Yes thanks,’ Alain said and carried on reading his emails.
Belinda busied herself spooning coffee into the cafetière and making the coffee. Alain took the mug she handed him a minute or two later.
‘Thanks. No croissant?’
‘Didn’t bother to buy any. The ducks enjoyed yours yesterday,’ Belinda said, sipping her coffee. ‘Incidentally, we should exchange mobile numbers in case of emergency.’
‘No problems ’ere while I was away?’
‘None that didn’t exist before. The cleaning and clearing has virtually finished, you need to organise people to paint the shower block and the toilets. The cleaners are making a start on the cabins. Oh, and your friend Hervé called in to ask about holding a vide-grenier. He’s coming back with full details. Also, there’s a campsite between Brest and Roscoff that we need to visit together. Apparently they have a couple of pods. We can see how they fit in and ask their advice on which to go for before we order any for here.’
Alain pulled a face. ‘You know ’ow I feel about that. I don’t want to get involved with them. You go.’
Belinda looked at him exacerbated. ‘You have to be involved. You’re going to be the one managing them when the camp opens and I’m back in the UK.’
Alain shrugged. ‘I will worry about it when – if – we get any bookings for them.’
‘We’ll get bookings.’ Belinda stared at him and reached a decision. ‘Right. I’ll ask Nigel to book a night ferry, I’ll meet him at Roscoff, we’ll spend the day sorting Pods out and he can go back on the evening ferry.’
Before Alain could answer, the office door opened and a delivery man stood there, electronic signing device in his hand.
‘Three parcels for Marshall,’ he said, holding the device out. ‘Where do you want them?’
‘Manager’s cottage,’ Belinda said, scrawling a signature with her finger before following the man out. ‘I’ll show you.’
At least unpacking parcels would take her mind off Alain’s stubborn refusal to have anything to do with the pods. She didn’t, of course, have any intention of dragging Nigel over here when she was quite capable of making a decision herself. She’d only suggested it in the hope that Alain would change his mind. But she could really do with a second opinion before she committed to spending a large sum of Nigel’s money. She’d been hoping that Alain would agree to accompany her and she’d be able to change his opinion about the pods. She’d see if Fern would like to go with her instead, they could make a day of it, have lunch up on the coast.
It took Belinda a couple of hours to unpack and put the contents of two of the boxes away in the cottage. Knowing that the hotels back in the UK all had surplus equipment stacked away, it had made sense to make use of it rather than buy new. Bed linen, towels, pillows, cushions, cutlery, electric kettle, crockery – Nigel had sent everything she’d itemised to make the cottage as comfortable as possible.
She smiled as she unpacked the third box, a bean-to-cup coffee machine that was surplus to requirements in one of the hotels. She’d enjoy using that while she was living here.
She was up in the bedroom at the front of the house making up the bed when she heard footsteps on the stairs.
‘Who’s this for?’ Alain asked, appearing in the doorway.
‘Me. I told you that as soon as the place was clean and user-friendly I intended to move in. More convenient to be on site and it saves Nigel some money.’ Expertly she did the last hospital corner on the bottom sheet before reaching for the duvet cover and shaking it out flat on the bed. ‘While you’re here, you can give me a hand putting this on.’ Not giving him the chance to refuse, she handed him a corner of the duvet and began to push the opposite corner up into the cover with its pretty red poppy design.
Without a word, Alain did as she asked, although she could almost feel the tension emitting from him as he worked. It was a strangely intimate thing to be doing with a man she barely knew, she realised, before pushing the errant thought away.
‘Thanks,’ she said, reaching for a pillow and slipping it into a pillowcase. ‘Did you want me for something?’
‘I come with you to look at the pods. Let me know which day.’
Belinda looked at him, surprised. ‘You’ve changed your mind? Okay. I’ll ring the site and book an appointment,’ Belinda said, longing to ask him why he’d changed his mind, but Alain had already turned away and was going downstairs.
Making her way downstairs, Belinda glanced in the small sitting room, which was cosy and inviting now the clean loose covers were in place on the settee and the armchairs grouped around a coffee table in front of the clean log burner.
Her mobile buzzed. Nigel. Just the person she wanted to talk to.
‘Hi. Thanks for the delivery. Planning to move into the house this week. Everything all right your end?’ she asked, but Nigel’s words drove everything she needed to say out of her mind.
‘Need to give you the heads-up about a change of plan,’ Nigel said. ‘Reckon you can finish getting things ready for Easter over there in the next few days and come back here a week early?’
‘Honestly? There’s still so much to organise – staff to find, the café to organise, the cabins to refurnish, the small shop has to be stocked. And I haven’t sourced any pods yet. Why?’
‘I might need you to stay back here for a bit after Easter. Maybe indefinitely. Alain’s going to have to cope on his own. Molly’s not well.’ Nigel’s voice was gruff. ‘Got to have an operation before Easter and then several weeks convalescence.’
Belinda took a deep breath. ‘Oh, poor Molly. Okay. I’ll work on getting the site ticking over for camper vans and tents but put everything else on hold until later in the season. I doubt there will be much business around before June anyway. Give my love to Molly.’
Belinda made her way back to the office, deep in thought and worrying about Molly. Whatever was wrong with her Belinda prayed it was nothing too serious. A flash of disappointment that she was having to leave early surprised her. She’d got so used to living in Brittany and working at the campsite that it would be an unexpected wrench leaving. Alain was nowhere to be seen and she guessed that he was out on the site checking on the workers. She sat down at the desk, opened her laptop and started to make notes about the jobs that had suddenly become urgent. Finding staff was definitely top of the list. Half an hour later, when Alain appeared, she had a plan of action in place.
‘Our day of sourcing pods is off, I’m afraid. Nigel phoned earlier,’ she said, looking up at him. ‘Molly is ill and he wants me back early. Might even want me to stay on indefinitely.’ She pressed a key on the laptop and the office printer sprang into life. ‘I’ve worked out the essentials that need to be in place here before I leave in five days’ time.’ She got up and crossed over to the printer and picked up a sheet of paper and handed it to Alain. ‘Emergency action plan. I was going to move into the cottage tomorrow, but I think I’ll stay on at the auberge now. You’ll have to move in once the site opens and I’m away. At least the bed’s made.’
Alain looked up from the paper. ‘I can see why Nigel calls you his wonder woman. You’re good.’
Belinda shrugged. ‘It’s my job. I’ve buzzed the cleaners, asking them to call in here before they leave. I’m hoping that one or two of them will want some part-time work other than cleaning. We need a receptionist, a general help and a groundsperson/handyman – all to start before Easter. We’ll need more people once the season gets underway, but that should get you over the Easter hump. Any of the men looking for a seasonal position as groundsman?’
‘I do it with Bernie,’ Alain said.
‘You’ve spoken to him about staying on site and helping out?’
‘Not yet, but I will.’
‘I’m going to call in on the village shop tonight on my way to the auberge. Talk to them about stocking the shop with the basics and maybe even running it. It’s doubtful that the café will be organised and in a fit state to open for Easter, so it can just stay closed,’ Belinda continued. ‘We won’t make any announcement about the campsite being open, we’ll just settle for any passing trade. You’ll have to make sure, though, you explain about the lack of facilities to any hopeful campers. Camper vans and caravans are usually self-sufficient for cooking, any visitors in tents who pitch up without a camping stove will have to go to Yann’s to eat.’
‘Stop worrying, pas un problem,’ Alain said.
Belinda hoped he was right. Hopefully she’d covered everything but in truth there was still so much to do she wasn’t sure they’d be ready by summer let alone Easter.
Later that day, Belinda told Fern about her change of plans and checked it was all right for her to stay at the auberge until she returned to Devon.
‘You don’t need my room for a booking?’ she asked. ‘It will make my life easier not having to cater for myself on top of everything else I have to do before I leave.’
‘No bookings until Easter, then it’s only one double for three nights. Although I did have a phone call this afternoon from Carhaix tourist office, asking if I had a vacancy for the next few days. But I haven’t heard anything more, so I guess they’ve found somewhere.’ Fern looked at Belinda anxiously. ‘Does this mean you won’t be coming back?’
‘No idea really what’s going to happen,’ Belinda said, surprised at the feeling of sadness that swept through her at the thought of not returning to Brittany and cementing her friendship with Fern.