The Once in a Blue Moon Guesthouse: The perfect feelgood romance

‘A kitten?’ Paige yelped. ‘Oh my God, it’s adorable.’

Through her confusion, Robin felt a surge of love for the helpless creature. She looked at her mum. Sylvie Brennan had her hands clasped together, the look in her dark eyes both defiant and tentative, ready to accept either congratulations or rebuke for the decision she and Ian had made.

‘Mum,’ Robin started, ‘what is this – he, she – for?’

‘He’s for you,’ Sylvie said. ‘For when we’ve gone.’

‘A perfect replacement, I’d say,’ her dad chuckled and put his hand on Sylvie’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

‘I don’t need a kitten,’ Robin said softly, though already she knew that she wanted him, that he was hers, and she would struggle even to release him from his temporary bed in her arms.

‘We don’t want you to be lonely,’ Sylvie said, shooting a nervous glance at her husband, the two of them sharing tight smiles. ‘Now that you’re taking this on all by yourself.’

‘Does this look lonely to you?’ Robin asked, giving them a warm smile. ‘I’ve got Molly and Paige, Jim and Kerry, and—’

‘About a hundred fish,’ Kerry added.

‘Which I’m sure Mr Kitten here is going to absolutely adore, aren’t you, Mr Kitten?’ Molly stroked a small black paw, her voice taking on a soppy tone.

‘I promise, Mum,’ Robin said, ignoring her friend, ‘you don’t need to worry about me.’

Sylvie nodded but her hands wrung together, the knuckles white, and Robin could see the gleam of tears in her eyes.

‘Oh, Mum, don’t cry.’ Robin stepped forward, carefully removing one arm from the kitten, holding him tightly against her with the other hand, and gave her mum an awkward, one-sided embrace.

They looked at the small, black bundle to avoid seeing the emotion on each other’s faces.

‘We’ll look after her, Mrs B,’ Molly said, patting Sylvie on the shoulder.

‘I know you will,’ Sylvie said.

‘What if the guests don’t like cats?’ Paige asked, stroking the kitten between the ears. His purr increased as if she’d found the volume button. ‘Some of them might be allergic,’ she added, though her gaze was adoring.

Robin grinned. The kitten was magic. Anything small and soft and vulnerable had a powerful effect on people. ‘I’ll make sure I put it on the website – the guesthouse comes with a cat – and a couple of the rooms are going to be dog friendly anyway.’

‘I’m still not sure that’s the best idea.’ Sylvie’s voice was sharp through her sniffs. ‘It’ll mean an awful lot of extra work.’

‘I don’t think it will,’ Robin countered. ‘Why would people with dogs have less respect for the guesthouse than those without? And as long as we clean the rooms thoroughly in between, I can’t see how it’ll be a problem.’

‘There’s always the possibility of accidents,’ Sylvie said.

‘Accidents happen in every walk of life,’ Molly added sagely. ‘You just have to be as prepared as possible.’

‘Exactly.’ Robin took a deep breath and turned away. ‘Now, where am I going to put him? I can’t leave him in here.’

‘We’ve set up a basket in the kitchen,’ her dad said. ‘We’ll take him back down now, love. Just packing the last bits into the car.’

Robin nodded and went to pass the kitten back, then realized she wasn’t ready to give up either the furry bundle or her parents quite yet. She followed them to the doorway, then turned.

Jim waved her away. ‘Go on, we’ll be fine with the fish.’

‘All under control,’ Molly said, smiling. ‘Bye, Mr and Mrs B, have a great trip. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t!’

The three of them stood on the front step of the Campion Bay Guesthouse. The April day was crisp but clear, the wind buffeting Robin’s curls around her face, the chill snapping at her fingers and cheeks.

‘So you can start on the attic room now, then?’ her dad asked wistfully. ‘What’s that one going to be called?’

‘Starcross,’ Robin said. ‘I’m going to get a telescope for the balcony.’

‘You’ve worked wonders,’ her mum said. ‘It looks like a new place before it’s even finished. I can’t imagine …’ She shook her head. ‘We just didn’t have the fight any more, but with all that you’ve done, I wonder if we should be staying, helping you. It’s a huge task, running this place on your own, my darling.’

‘You’ve already helped me so much, though,’ Robin said, a lump forming in her throat, ‘with the renovations over the last few months. And you know I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without some of Grandma’s inheritance.’

‘You’re keeping the Campion Bay Guesthouse going, love,’ her dad said. ‘You have no idea how proud we are that you’re taking it over, what it means to us to see you here – to think of you running it – and to see how far you’ve come since you lost Neve.’ He embraced her, his hug solid and comforting. For a moment, Robin wondered how she’d ever be able to survive without it, but then she steeled herself. Now was not the time to fall apart.

‘I’m doing it for you,’ Robin said, ‘and for her. For all of you. And I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.’

‘You’ve got The Bible?’ her mum asked. ‘It’s got all you need to know, all our tips and tricks. Though of course you have your own ideas, and you’ll probably end up adding to it more than you refer to it.’

‘It’s got pride of place,’ Robin said. ‘I’ll use it all the time.’

‘And Skype us, won’t you?’

‘You too,’ Robin said. ‘Call me once you’ve arrived.’ Their goodbyes seemed far too short for such a permanent departure, but once she’d watched the maroon Volvo estate disappear down Goldcrest Road and turn the corner, her cheeks streaked with tears, she couldn’t feel her feet for the cold. She turned to see Molly standing on the top step, the kitten in her arms.

‘No time for tears,’ Molly said gently. ‘We’ve got the last room to transform. You, me, and this bundle of fun. Any idea what you’re going to call him?’ Robin joined her friend in the hallway, accepting the kitten from her and bringing his warm, purring body close to her face. There was a tiny half-moon of white beneath his chin, but other than that he was a perfect, silky black. She thought of her inspiration for Starcross, thought of Neve and how much she would have loved a cat – a mascot for Once in a Blue Moon Days.

‘Eclipse,’ she said, kissing the kitten’s nose. ‘I’m going to call him Eclipse.’

It was the last day of the old Campion Bay Guesthouse, the last day before Robin opened up her doors and invited in her guests. The website was up, with images of all the new rooms. On the first floor was Rockpool, with its aquarium feature, and Wilderness, the reclaimed wood furniture offset by subtle, outdoor hues in sage green and powder blue, injections of colour coming in the form of stained-glass murals on the walls. On the second floor was Canvas, her gallery-inspired room with Arthur Durrant’s Campion Bay at Dawn as the feature painting, set against a white and pine background, and Andalusia, which was in the style of Neve’s favourite region in Spain, her home country. For this room, Robin had concentrated on textures to create the effect she wanted. There were fabrics in warm reds and golds, a terracotta feature wall stood out from the clean white of the other three, and the furniture was polished walnut save for the black wrought-iron bed frame.

Starcross had had to wait until last, when her parents had gone and she could move into their old rooms downstairs. They had worked solidly, finishing it in less than a month. It was the room she was most proud of, and most apprehensive about. While the other rooms were influenced by either her or Neve’s passions – Wilderness and Rockpool signifying her return to Campion Bay, the beach and the exposed wild land along the top of the cliffs; Canvas and Andalusia representing Neve’s love of art and of her home country – Starcross belonged to them both. It was about her fascination with the stars and Neve’s compulsion to find meaning in them. It had been Robin’s childhood bedroom and was modelled on the luxury suite Neve had fallen for. It held more meaning than she would ever reveal to anybody else, because it held pieces of both their hearts.

The new, pealing doorbell resounded through the guesthouse and Robin stopped grappling with the GuestSmart software to go and answer it. On the doorstep she found Molly, Paige, Paige’s boyfriend Adam, Mrs Harris from the Seaview Hotel and Tim, wearing an expertly crumpled white linen shirt, a pair of sunglasses wedged in the open collar. A black gleaming Audi was parked against the kerb.

‘Surprise!’ Paige shouted.

‘What’s going on?’ Robin glanced behind her to check that Eclipse, three months old and adventurous despite his tiny legs, hadn’t followed her to the doorway.

‘Your social media campaign must have worked,’ Molly said, ‘because everyone seems to be aware that you’re relaunching tomorrow. Paige, Adam and I wanted to have a shufty at the finished rooms, and we picked up these stragglers on the way.’

‘Tim’s brought champagne, so Mum said we’d best let him in.’ Paige grinned and Tim caught Robin’s eye, nodding her a greeting. Robin returned it with a nervous smile.

‘Well then,’ she said, ‘you’d better come in.’ She let them file into the wide hall and showed them into Sea Shanty, which ran the whole length of the house, the sea view at the front, French doors to the patio at the back. The garden could be reached through Sea Shanty or through the kitchen, and similarly Sea Shanty had two doors – one straight into the kitchen, and one into the hall. When she was much younger, Robin and her school friends had made a game out of running in a loop through the kitchen, living room and hallway, until one of her friends, too giddy from going round and round, had broken her toe by running into the doorframe instead of through the gap.

The room was split into two areas, the fireplace acting as a divider, and the long table was towards the back of the house, nearest the patio garden. It had wooden benches rather than seats, and Robin had decorated it with flowers in vases, lighthouse-shaped salt and pepper shakers, and a ceramic bowl filled with interesting shells and pebbles she had picked up on the beach.

Towards the front of the house the room became a cosy living area, with navy sofas looking out on the sea, blue-and-white striped cushions and a patterned rug over the floorboards. Hints of postbox red added brightness; the shade of a reading lamp, a print on the wall of a rainy city scene, monochrome apart from red umbrellas. Against the near wall was Mum and Dad’s ancient upright piano, freshly tuned for whenever Robin found the time – and courage – to play it again.

‘Can I give Mrs Harris a tour?’ Paige asked.

Robin looked at the older woman, wondering what her motive was. She had always been friendly with Robin’s mum and dad, and had never shown signs of being outwardly competitive. Now she looked somewhat disgruntled, her beady eyes trained on Robin, her arms folded over a green flowery apron.

‘Let me come with you,’ Robin said slowly. ‘I’d like to show Mrs Harris myself.’

‘And I have to show Adam Starcross,’ Paige said. ‘It’s my favourite room, and we’ve not seen it finished yet. We’re going to stay in it when—’ She stopped abruptly as she caught Molly’s eye, and Robin saw the look that passed between them.

‘Come on then,’ Robin said, hoping to defuse the tension, ‘let’s all go together.’

‘Tim and I will sort out the champagne.’ Molly took the bottle from him, and while Tim showed no signs of being upset, Robin imagined he hadn’t expected to share it with quite so many people. He gave Molly an amused smile and followed her into the kitchen.

Robin let Paige lead the tour, her and Adam’s enthusiasm at the rooms they’d worked on together giving it the kind of positive sales pitch that Robin had dreamed about, but Mrs Harris remained resolutely silent. She peered closely at everything – the spotlights and sound-systems built into the walls, a stained-glass mural in Wilderness, the freestanding bathtub in the rustic en suite of Andalusia – the only bathroom big enough for more than a drench shower. As the tour continued and Mrs Harris didn’t utter a single word of delight or approval, Robin’s nerves took hold. Was this how everyone was going to react to the new bedrooms? After a fortnight without bookings to make sure she had time to get everything finished, she had four out of the five rooms occupied from lunchtime tomorrow. The thought that they might not like what she’d done was too traumatic to contemplate.

Paige pushed open the door of Canvas and Mrs Harris stepped inside, her attention immediately turning to Campion Bay at Dawn. Robin held her breath, and a quick glance in Paige and Adam’s direction elicited uneasy shrugs from them both.

‘Where did this come from?’ the older woman asked, failing to turn round.

‘Uhm, well, it was painted by a local artist. Most of these were, actually,’ Robin said, gesturing at the other paintings. ‘Some Mum and Dad had dotted throughout the guesthouse, and others I’ve been buying in the run-up to today.’

‘It’s very modern,’ Mrs Harris said, turning. Her hands were squeezed into tight fists on her hips, and her iron-grey hair was piled up on her head, accentuating the sharpness of her features. ‘What’s the point of having so many paintings in here?’

‘Because they’re beautiful,’ Paige rushed, and Robin was touched by her loyalty. ‘The whole room is. All the rooms are. Whether you want the calm and quiet of a gallery, or to be transported to rural Spain, or get to sleep under the stars or on the beach without the cold or sand in your pyjamas. You get all the experience but with comfort to match. Don’t you see, Mrs Harris? I would pay all I had to sleep in one of these rooms, to have an unforgettable experience.’

Robin inhaled, a lump forming in her throat at Paige’s explanation, at the way she had understood her vision for the guesthouse so completely. ‘Paige—’ she started, her voice a whisper.

‘Why change it?’ Mrs Harris asked, cutting her off. ‘Sylvie and Ian had these rooms lovely and simple. Why all the fancy-pants arty stuff?’

‘I wanted to refresh the guesthouse, to try something a bit different.’

‘Change is unnecessary,’ Mrs Harris said. ‘And mark my words, the grass isn’t always greener; the sky could be just as grey, the tea just as weak on the other side.’

‘Right,’ Robin said, wondering if Mrs Harris was about to launch into a cliché-ridden song. ‘But it can be positive. And everything moves forward, whether we want it to or not. Why not be in control of it?’

Mrs Harris gave her such a long, piercing look that Robin felt her skin prickle.

‘Do you want to come and have a glass of champagne?’ she asked, an edge of desperation in her voice.

‘At eleven in the morning? Good Lord, no. This is what I mean. You with your crazy rooms and your drinking in the morning and your fancy bathtubs. Why is that man here? That developer? You’re conspiring with him, aren’t you? I know what he wants to do, and you’re a part of it. If he had his way, Goldcrest Road would be razed to the ground and replaced with a huge, seaside shopping complex. This,’ she said, jabbing her finger at Robin, ‘is the first step.’

‘No, not at all. How could—’ But the older woman walked straight past her. ‘Mrs Harris?’ Robin hurried after her.

‘I’m going home now,’ Mrs Harris called up. ‘I’m going to see to my own guests. They know what to expect, they know they can trust me.’

Mrs Harris swept down the stairs and out of the front door, leaving a trail of sweetly floral perfume in her wake. Molly appeared in the doorway of Sea Shanty, a glass of champagne in her hand, and Tim peered out over her shoulder.

‘Mrs Harris didn’t like the rooms, then?’ Molly asked. ‘Don’t pay any attention to her, she’s just jealous because her hotel’s stuck several centuries back.’

Robin stopped on the bottom step and leaned her arms on the banisters. ‘She accused me of being involved in some huge, destructive plot to demolish Goldcrest Road and replace it with a shopping complex.’

‘What?’ Molly’s eyes widened. ‘What planet is she on?’

‘Planet suspicion,’ Robin said, her gaze going to Tim, who looked as relaxed as ever, no suggestion that Mrs Harris had touched a nerve. ‘She thinks I’m in cahoots with you.’

‘Me?’ Tim’s eyebrows shot up.

‘You. You’re responsible for this plan, apparently, and me taking over the guesthouse is the first step.’

‘Because launching a brand new seaside B&B is definitely the right course of action when the building’s about to be demolished.’ Molly rolled her eyes and tapped her toes against the floorboards.

Robin sighed. ‘She’s nervous. She feels threatened – not by this place, specifically, but by any kind of change. Apparently things should just carry on, exactly the same as they always were.’ She caught Tim’s gaze and he flashed her a knowing smile. Robin swallowed. ‘I’ll go and talk to her later,’ she rushed. ‘See if I can reassure her that Goldcrest Road isn’t about to disappear in a cloud of fancy restaurants and TK Maxx stores.’

‘God, I’d love a TK Maxx in Campion Bay. This playsuit came from the Bridport store.’ Molly did a slow twirl in the hallway, and Robin nodded approvingly. The playsuit was hot orange, Molly’s lipstick matching, the overall effect with her blonde hair and smooth skin was tanned, summery and utterly gorgeous. From Tim’s expression, she could see he was also a fan.

‘Don’t give him any ideas,’ Robin said and then, realizing how that might sound, tried to clarify. ‘About building a TK Maxx, not about …’ She gestured lamely at Molly’s outfit. ‘Though of course it’s up to you what you … It isn’t any of my …’ She stalled, mortification presenting itself as a red flush across her cheeks, her friend and her ex staring at her with confusion. ‘Is there a glass of champagne for me?’

‘Of course!’ Molly thrust one into her hands. ‘Where are Adam and Paige?’

‘Still upstairs.’ Robin clinked her glass with Tim’s, and then Molly’s, her toast lodged in her throat as she saw Molly’s expression.

‘You left Paige and Adam alone in one of the bedrooms? It wasn’t Starcross, was it?’

‘What’s Starcross?’ Tim asked. ‘When do I get a tour?’

‘They’re in Canvas,’ Robin said. ‘And I don’t see why you’re worried. It’s daylight, and it’s not like they’ve booked the room, is it?’

Molly shook her head, pityingly. ‘They’re sixteen, Robin. I find it hard to trust them alone together in any room with a soft surface – or a wall, for that matter.’ Molly hurried up the stairs, her low heels tap-tapping on the wood. ‘We need to watch those two, it’s worse than when she was a toddler. I thought her getting into the biscuit cupboard was bad enough, but now when I compare it to Adam getting in – well, you get the picture.’

‘I heard that, Mum!’ Paige screeched. ‘Oh my God, could you be any more embarrassing? We’re just Snapchatting!’

When they were alone, Tim took a step towards Robin. ‘She’s worried about her daughter losing her virginity in one of the guesthouse rooms? Wouldn’t that be a turn-up.’ Robin focused on his chin, on how close his shave was, rather than meeting his gaze. But she couldn’t help smiling, the memory distant but still there – the excitement, nerves, the clumsiness, the fear of being discovered by her parents as they snuck into the bedroom – now Wilderness – when it was unoccupied. At the time her attic bedroom hadn’t seemed exciting enough for what they were planning, and there was more chance of them being discovered there, despite it being at the top of the house.

‘You brought your dad’s homemade wine,’ she said, the smile becoming a grin as she finally caught his eye. ‘It was awful. And those Superman boxer shorts.’

‘Hey,’ Tim said, but he was smiling too. ‘I seem to remember you had made an effort as well. Lilac matching underwear.’

‘From Debenhams,’ Robin said. ‘I loved that underwear. I felt so grown up.’

‘I was fond of it too. God, it was awkward, wasn’t it?’

‘It was,’ Robin admitted. ‘But somehow perfect.’

‘You’d better not let Molly know that you’re an advocate of losing your L-plates at sixteen, or she’ll never let Paige round here again.’

‘I’m not an advocate, you’re the one who brought it up.’

‘It was hard not to,’ Tim said. ‘This house is full of memories.’ He glanced around the hall, as if picturing how it had looked all those years ago. ‘I seem to remember we had lots of opportunities to get better.’

Robin swallowed. ‘We did.’ While the memory of their first time together was sweet and nostalgic, and held no lingering feelings of passion for her, there were plenty of memories that did. She was finding that, though she’d spent less than an hour with him since she’d been back, those feelings were being brought to the surface, like a stick churning the mud up from the bottom of a lake. They were swirling through her, clouding her thoughts, not entirely welcome.

‘Robin,’ Tim murmured, his face close to hers.

‘I need to get on, I need to check everything’s ready for the guests.’

‘You’ve not shown me the rooms yet.’

‘Another time,’ she said quickly. ‘I’m sorry, I know you’ve come here specially, that you’ve brought champagne.’

‘I can bring more,’ he said easily. ‘Just tell me when.’

She nodded. ‘I appreciate you coming round today.’

‘I wouldn’t miss it. Now that we’re reacquainted, I feel like I want to know more about the last fourteen years. I want us to get to know each other again.’

‘I do too,’ Robin whispered, his eyes on her suddenly uncomfortable. She forced herself to look at him, at the linen shirt, his blond curls and his open, easy expression. She wanted to move forward with her life, to start a new chapter, but Robin was in danger of being dragged backwards by her ex-boyfriend, whether deliberately or not. As he said goodbye, giving her another warm, lingering kiss on the cheek, and Robin was left standing alone in the hall, she wondered how much danger she was actually in.

Robin had never been able to resist Tim. Only the pain of him being unfaithful while they were trying to make long-distance love work had been devastating enough to sever her attachment to him all those years ago. Now, despite the growing up she’d done, and all that she’d been through, she felt herself weakening in his presence. But she wasn’t convinced the feelings were real, as opposed to simply the cosy nostalgia of happy memories. She felt all at once like the grown-up, thirty-three-year-old Tim was a complete stranger, and equally, that she knew every inch of him.

But she had to push thoughts of Tim aside. In twenty-four hours’ time her first guests would be arriving at the new and improved Campion Bay Guesthouse, landlady Ms Robin Brennan, ably supported on breakfasts and changeovers by Paige Westwood, with Eclipse the kitten adding the cute factor. Suddenly worried that the kitten had strayed somewhere he shouldn’t have, Robin left Molly and Paige quietly bickering upstairs and went to seek out the newest member of the Brennan household.

Chapter 4

‘Mr and Mrs Barker.’ Robin smiled up at the couple as she stood in front of the computer and clicked through to their reservation. ‘So lovely to see you.’ Her palms were sweaty, as they had been all day, and she felt like she’d had a whole pot of coffee to herself, despite having stuck to a single cup when she’d woken at six o’clock after a restless night. This was it, her guests were checking in; there was no time to turn back.

‘Sea’s looking pretty choppy today,’ Mrs Barker said in response. ‘Bracing.’

‘It is,’ Robin agreed. ‘The wind’s up a bit.’ She clicked that her guests had arrived, and a confirmation sheet printed out on the sleek black printer behind her. ‘Are you planning on swimming?’ She placed the paper in front of them. ‘If you could check the details and give me a signature, I can show you to your room.’

‘Love to swim in the sea,’ Mrs Barker confirmed, while her husband leaned his wide frame over the paper, squinting slightly. ‘It’s always biting where we live in Wales, so the south coast should be a welcome change.’