Page 33 of The Perfect Gift

Kat nodded. ‘If Adam and Russ – Harry’s old boss at the restaurant – hadn’t come in as backers we’d have struggled to secure the finance we needed to open the cookery school. It was a shop before we took it over and Adam’s practical building experience was a godsend. The owners retired and wanted to move away to be nearer their children and grandchildren. As well as the shop, they wanted to sell their family home, and Adam bought it from them.’

‘A second-hand queue jumper. Like I would be if I rented the cottage long-term.’ No wonder they’d gone quiet when she’d told them she was thinking of hanging on to it. Frankie’s dream of making a home for herself in Halfmoon Quay was crumbling before her eyes.

‘Oh God, I wasn’t talking about you either!’ Chloe closed her eyes and blew out a long breath. ‘It’s not your fault. It’s not anybody’s fault, it’s just a fact of life for us. The village would die without the tourists who visit us, but it’s a double-edged sword. People fall in love with the Quay, just like you did, and they want to own a piece of it.’ Chloe sighed again. ‘I get it, I really do, but it’s hard because that demand squeezes us out. That’s why we end up in flats above shops and businesses – or living in the summer house at my parents’ in my case,’ she added with a wry smile.

Frankie didn’t feel much like smiling. She’d known it was a mistake to get too attached to the cottage, to the village and the people who lived there. How many more times would life have to prove to her she was better off on her own before that little girl inside stopped hoping and accepted the truth? ‘I didn’t think about any of that. I just liked it here.’

‘And we like you being here with us, Frankie,’ Anya put in. ‘It’s like Chloe said, none of this is about you, it’s just a fact of life and we have to find creative ways around it, like Rick and I have by moving in with his grandparents. Don’t get me wrong, I love living with Ma and Pa, and Freya is absolutely thriving under their care and attention. But if we hadn’t come to an arrangement with them, Rick and I would be stuck for somewhere to live.’

‘The cottage was a real windfall for Matt,’ Chloe said. ‘It was only thanks to Mrs Jenkins telling Ma she was struggling on her own and thinking about moving into the local retirement village that Matt found out about it. Mrs Jenkins had been on her own a long time and the cottage had got quite run-down, but she couldn’t bring herself to let it go. Matt came to an arrangement with her – he would move in and refurbish the place and in return he’d pay lower than market-rate rent. She was delighted because it gave her the breathing space she needed and Matt’s hard work would improve the market value. In the back of his mind he always hoped that once she was ready to sell it, she’d agree to let him have it, but they hadn’t quite reached that point. When Ed wanted to move out of home, Matt offered him a room in return for some hard labour and a bit of rent to go towards the cost of the refurbishment works.’

So that’s why he had a key. That was about the only thing from Chloe’s explanation that made sense to Frankie. It was so hard for her to concentrate on anything other than the bitter disappointment churning in her stomach. ‘Who’s Mrs Jenkins? I understood the landlord was someone called Charlie Hicks. That’s who the production company have been renting it from and he’s the one arranging the contract for me.’

‘Charlie Hicks is an arsehole.’ Chloe’s expression wasn’t the only one that darkened.

Issy leaned forward and placed a hand on Frankie’s arm to draw her attention. ‘Charlie is Mrs Jenkins’ great-nephew by marriage. His nan and Mrs J’s husband were brother and sister. After never bothering with her before, he’s recently decided Mrs Jenkins needs his help.’

‘Only because he thinks he can get something out of it,’ Chloe chipped in, a deep frown still etching her brow. ‘Your production company put feelers out with the local estate agent and Trevor blabbed about it in the pub. Charlie was there and he knew where he could get his grubby hands on a lovely little property in excellent condition.’

‘But he couldn’t just force your brother out, surely?’ Frankie asked her, horrified that the whole mess seemed to be getting worse by the second.

‘Matt and Mrs Jenkins didn’t have anything in writing.’ Chloe narrowed her eyes. ‘And don’t think I haven’t given him a hard time about that!’ She shook her head as if she couldn’t believe Matt would be so foolish. ‘The trouble with Matt is he always sees the best in people, and Charlie Hicks is as far from that as you can possibly get. He went behind everyone’s back and told Trevor he was looking after his great-aunt’s affairs and offered the cottage up. Trevor sent the details over with the other properties to the production company and it was one of the ones they chose.’

The washing machine churn in her stomach was starting to make Frankie feel sick. She’d been given the option of a suite in the hotel along with a lot of the cast and crew but she’d wanted a space of her own. She could remember her delight when she’d spotted the cottage in amongst the half-dozen rental options the production team had sent through. It had such a homely feel compared to the neutral, practical set-ups of the other places on offer that she’d fallen in love with it immediately. Because it had been somebody’s home. She swallowed hard against the burn of bile in her throat. ‘I’m sorry. I had no idea. I should’ve just taken a room in the hotel.’

‘No one thinks this is your fault!’ Kat burst out.

‘Oh, God, no, not at all!’ Chloe added, her eyes wide with contrition. ‘The only people to blame are Matt for not protecting himself better and that money-grubbing snake Charlie.’

‘I think it’s a bit harsh to blame Matt,’ Kat protested. ‘It’s like you said, he sees the best in people and that’s because he’s such a decent person.’

‘Too decent for his own good,’ Chloe grumbled. She met Frankie’s gaze. ‘You have to understand how important the production company coming here was to everyone. The community relies heavily on tourism so things get tight this time of year. A sudden influx of income makes a huge difference and Matt understood that. He and Dad benefited directly because they needed local carpenters, for a start.’

‘Having the hotel fully booked has been huge for me and Liam,’ Issy added. ‘And having lots of new customers in the café means I’ve been able to set money aside for some upgrades I want to do before the next summer season.’

‘Getting the catering gig has given Harry and me breathing space too.’ Kat sighed. ‘You’ll be hard pushed to find a family in Halfmoon Quay who haven’t benefited in some way from the show being filmed here.’

‘And that’s why none of you said anything to me,’ Frankie said in a flat tone.

She understood everything now. The reason she’d felt so at home at Halfmoon Quay wasn’t because she fitted in here, it was because everyone had gone out of their way to suck up to her. They’d befriended her because it had been expedient to do so rather than there being any special connection. Which made much more sense when she thought about it. The four of them had known each other for most of their lives, they were a tight-knit unit connected by more than just bonds of friendship, they were a family. How naïve of Frankie to think she had a place amongst them.

It took every ounce of acting skill she had to plaster on a smile. ‘Well, thanks for explaining everything. And thank goodness I said something before I’d signed anything. You can tell Matt not to worry about the cottage. I’ll let my agent know I’ve changed my mind about renting it.’

‘Oh, Frankie, are you sure?’ Chloe looked almost stricken, but no doubt she was just trying to cover her relief. Frankie didn’t blame her, not really. She was just looking out for her brother, after all.

Frankie locked her expression and nodded. ‘It was a silly idea, really, a flight of fancy. I’ve got so many commitments in my diary that I’d hardly be able to make proper use of it anyway. I’ve already got one property that sits empty for weeks at a time, it would be foolish to take on another one.’

She gave the kind of laugh that would’ve prompted a director to shout, ‘Cut, try again,’ but this was real life and there was no take two. She raised her glass to the others, trying to pretend they weren’t all watching her with expressions that ranged from concern to sympathy. ‘This is my first girls’ night, remember? Let’s just forget about the cottage and enjoy the evening.’

‘We can ask around and see if there’s somewhere else,’ Issy suggested. ‘There’s plenty of holiday rentals unoccupied at this time of year.’

But none of them would be the beautiful, cosy cottage she’d set her heart on. Frankie shook her head. ‘Let’s leave it for now. I’ll have a proper look at my diary and maybe try and find a couple of weeks over the summer to pop back and visit.’

‘Oh, that would be great!’ Kat said, leaping on the suggestion as Frankie had hoped. ‘You’ll love it here in the summer, there’s so much to do.’

The four women chattered away, reeling off a list of things they could all do together when Frankie came back. She smiled and nodded and went along with it, knowing deep down it would all come to nothing. Once she left, it would be like the end of filming. Their lives would go on without her, as hers would go on without them. They’d swap a few texts, make a few plans and slowly drift apart.

The conversation moved on to what they might watch on TV and Issy got up to fetch the takeaway menu. Frankie took her turn in choosing a couple of dishes, though the last thing she felt like was eating. Part of her wanted to just get up and go, but it would only make things even more awkward. She’d go through the motions tonight, and tomorrow she’d head back to London where she belonged.