Sorrell took a step back and surveyed the room. The chairs were an eclectic mix of textures and patterns, sticking to the grey colour theme with hints of pastels and then vibrant and colourful cushions. The furniture was simple and modernist, while the light fixtures were copper, with lightbulbs that had fancy filaments.

She was pleased with it and even more pleased with the fact that it was all her own design. If Mark had been involved it would’ve been completely different and she knew she wouldn’t like it as much.

That was the weird thing: she wasn’t missing him. When he called it off, by text messages after going AWOL for four nights with no contact, she’d had a small meltdown and then pulled herself together. At first she’d worried about doing it on her own when she’d always planned to be setting up the hotel with him, or even for him. It had taken her just a few days to realise it was a lot easier without him. She didn’t have to consult him on her ideas and when she’d found that the tasks that he’d undertaken hadn’t been done, she’d seen that this had never been going to work with them together since the start. He’d been playing at being an adult.

The strands of fairy lights were left draped over the leather corner sofa for Zack to come by and help her attach them to the ceiling. It definitely was a two-person job, and although she could’ve asked Rayah, or even Keren, to come over and help, she’d been curious to see if Zack would turn up.

She hadn’t missed the looks he gave her, or the way he was quietly attentive without being overbearing. Nor had she missed the heat that radiated from him when she’d touched his arm, or how he’d made sure that his brothers or Jake did not get to buy her a drink.

He’d tried to keep it subtle, but they’d all noticed and Keren and Rayah had brought it up as soon as they’d got back to Rayah’s and opened the prosecco. Then she’d tried to pretend that she wasn’t interested in Zack.

Which was a lie.

She was totally interested.

And completely terrified.

Which was why she was heading to the little one bedroomed building she’d pinned as her own to get changed into something that didn’t look like she’d been spray painted all over and apply at least a little make-up so she felt half human.

Litton Manor was set in two acres of land with three outbuildings. One, the largest, would be suitable to be converted into a small restaurant at some point in the future. The other two were residential buildings, one of which was habitable, the other less so, although it was liveable. The second was larger, three bedrooms and the potential to be extended. It also stood at the edge of the grounds and could be separated from the main building and sold. Sorrell had it as a plan should she need any extra finance in the future, if the hotel didn’t project the numbers she expected.

She changed into skinny jeans and a fitted sweater, swapping into underwear from Victoria’s Secret that she bought two days after her engagement ended. She hated the thought of wearing underwear that Mark had seen or touched for some reason, so had blown a fair bit of the allowance she allocated herself on new bras and panties. They made her feel womanly and more desirable, even if there was no one she planned on showing them to. And there wasn’t, because Zack was not on her agenda. No one was on her agenda.

Raw was how she’d described herself after Mark. Now she felt as if she was healing, but healing was a process and a rebound relationship with someone who was coming into her friendship circle was something she would advise other people to avoid. She needed to take her own advice.

Zack’s car pulled up onto the wide drive as she reached the manor house. She waited for him as he climbed down, his long legs having no problem with the high car. He was dressed in jeans and a sweater that was tight enough to give a hint as to the muscled form underneath and she tried not to stare.

“Sorry I’m a bit late,” he said.

He wasn’t. They’d agreed half past two, as he’d needed a trip into the city and she’d been into town to speak to Abby from Scott’s bar about some shifts at the hotel. The woman was in need of any extra she could get and Sorrell wanted reliable staff.

“If you are it’s by about thirty seconds,” she said. “You ready for some climbing?”

“I thought I was holding the ladders?” He gave her a wicked grin.

“Ah,” she smiled. “You didn’t say you were afraid of heights.”

This time his grin was smug. “There’s not much I’m afraid of. Am I actually putting up the fairy lights?”

“And these lantern things,” she said, slightly nervous.

When she knew she had help to put the fairy lights up she’d bought a few extra fiddly bits that she wouldn’t be able to sort on her own. Everything apart from the finishing touches were done now; she felt a cocktail of anxiousness and excitement about tomorrow when her first guests would check in, which was fuelling her to get everything absolutely perfect. Then maybe next week when she felt more regulated, she would treat herself to a massage and a facial at the beauticians in town.

Zack’s eyes glinted in amusement. They were a light hazel with green flecks, and would have been the only eyes she’d seen that colour had she not met his brothers.

“And what else is there for me to do?”

“I’ve a couple of pictures that need hanging and a shelf to go up. I do have a drill, and I can use it, but I’m worried I’ll screw it up and make a mess of the wall. Are you good with power tools?” she said.

Zack almost choked on his laughter. “Sweetheart, I grew up on a farm. I could use a drill before I could write my name.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not true,” she said as they went into the manor house.

“Maybe not quite but it wasn’t that far off. There may have been an issue with Scott and an electric saw at some point, but let him tell you about that. And it didn’t involve Keren.”

She watched him looking around the entrance hall and the reception desk that were completely different to how they had been even a couple of weeks ago, let alone how it had been when it was Sunrise.

“You’ve done an amazing job,” he said. “Are bookings still growing?”

“Since the website went live bookings have been more than I anticipated. I’ve had articles in a few magazines and on the odd blog too, which has helped.”

She led him through the lounge and snug with its quirky bookcases displaying a range of fiction and non-fiction, along with ornaments and curios. The flooring was wooden, with rugs scattered through near the chairs and sofas.

“I can’t believe how different it is,” he said, walking slowly. “This must’ve cost you a fortune to do.”

“Probably not as much as you think. I sourced a lot through salvage companies and had an acquaintance reupholster and paint the furniture, although some is new. My aunt makes curtains and cushions and wouldn’t charge for the time, just the materials,” Sorrell explained, feeling like she was rambling. Mark had no interest in the soft furnishings, so why Zack would be remotely interested she wasn’t sure.

“She did a good job,” he said. “Has Gran seen this yet? She’d approve.”

“She bobbed in a couple of days ago and booked a room for her granddaughter and husband,” Sorrell said. “She did look at the hemming of the curtains.”

“I’d like to say that I don’t know what that is so I can hold on to my man card, but having project managed building a new care home, I can’t lie,” Zack almost mumbled.

Sorrell smiled. “I’ll let you keep your man card. I wouldn’t tell your brothers though.”

“Fuck no,” he said, heading into the extension and what Sorrell had termed the sunroom. “There’s a lot I don’t tell my brothers and Jake. This is incredible. You’ve totally changed the place.” He looked up at the glass roof, white metal piles supporting across it. “You want the fairy lights wrapping around those?”

“Yes,” she said. “I know it’s going to be fiddly…”

“Let me give Scott a call. I know you’re handy—you’ve overseen all of this—but between me and him we can have this done in no time. Is that okay with you?”

Sorrell picked up the string of lights and fiddled with them. “Of course. The quicker you can get it done the better—I’m sure you’ve got plenty to do today.”

He frowned and shook his head. “I’ve nothing else to do today. I can help you out with whatever else needs doing. It’s just for something like this, where height is involved, Scott’s useful. He has no fear.”

“Apart from Keren,” Sorrell said, fiddling even more. “He looks terrified sometimes when he sees her.”

“Has she told you what happened yet between them?” he said, sitting down in one of the weathered leather chairs. His long legs spread wide and she imagined straddling him in that chair, his big hands holding her ass and then his fingers exploring.

Sorrell stood up a little straighter and hoped to God that she wasn’t blushing. “Keren hasn’t said anything. She won’t even acknowledge his name.”

“Neither will Scott,” Zack said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He made a call and then spoke quickly, asking Scott to come over and bring a wide plank of wood and another set of stepladders.

“You sure this will be safe?” Sorrell said, sitting down eventually. She was still playing the image of herself bracing her arms on the back of the chair while those fingers conjured magic.

“No, but we’ve done stuff that really isn’t safe. Just don’t mention Keren,” Zack said.

“Were they ever friends?”

There was a nod. “Up until they were a bit more than kids. Then all of a sudden he started walking out when she appeared and she pretended he didn’t exist. Neither of them have ever said why,” he said. “They will both still go to stuff now even if they know the other will be there. For a while, they wouldn’t turn up.”

“Doesn’t Rayah know what happened?” Sorrell said, twisting one of the lines of fairy lights around her fingers to untangle it.

Zack rubbed his chin. “No. What do you want to do after we’ve got everything sorted here? You must need to get away for a bit. Want to have a drive out somewhere?”

“I thought I was cooking you something to eat?” she said, feeling something in her stomach twitch. It wasn’t unpleasant, it was just unfamiliar.

He shook his head. “I’m not one to turn down home cooking, but do it another night, when I’ve herded alpacas from your rose garden or something.”

“Gran mentioned two of them managed to find their way into town.” Sorrell watched his hands and tried to stop from being obvious. “Jake came legging it down the high street.”

Zack nodded. “Yep! That’s how my family rolls—chasing alpacas through the town centre like it’s perfectly normal.” His expression became studious and she was the subject. “Give it a couple more weeks and you’ll start to see how crazy this place is. Christmas is like nothing else. There are traditions going back centuries that we still carry out. Have you heard of Mummers’ plays?”

“I’ve read about them. Where groups of people dress up and perform short acts, moving from house to house,” she said. She’d done some research into the area before buying the manor house, knowing that the area with its oddities would be a good part of the attraction to potential guests.

“There will be at least four groups going round the pubs and bars this year,” Zack said. “Alex is in one of them, and Jonny. I think his kids will be in it too. It used to be that the actors would keep the money, but it’s all donated to a chosen charity. I think this year it’s the mountain search and rescue teams.”

“I saw them head out on Monday,” Sorrell said, hearing a banging at the door.

“A climber had a fall. Broke his leg and needed help getting back down. He was stuck in a bad section with a sheer drop just below,” Zack said. “That’ll be Scott. I’ll let him in.”

Sorrell watched Zack walk down the hallway to the door, his jeans hanging around a very nice grabbable ass. She hadn’t slept with anyone since a few weeks before she and Mark split up. The fact that they hadn’t had sex for a few weeks before splitting should’ve been a sign of what was to come—she’d realised that later. But she’d been so busy with the hotel and getting everything up and running and he’d been working all over the country. Or so he’d said.

Zack made her think of bed, and not sleeping in. His height and build and the energy she sensed was coiled up in him made her want to find out what buttons she needed to press to release it. How far could he be pushed before he would snap? What would he be like when he lost that element of control he wore like a badge?

“Hi Sorrell,” Scott said, coming through. Between the two of them, they made the doorway look small. “What are we putting up?”

Zack passed him a line of fairy lights. There were three different types and she’d drawn a plan to show where she wanted each type to be placed. Plus, there were the other lights she’d bought, ones that reminded her of evenings in the summer, that should be hung outside for fireflies to dance around.

Sorrell expected Scott to be sarcastic, to tease her about the lights, but instead he got on with it, debating with Zack about the best way to do it, lining up the stepladders and putting the plank across to create a platform.

Just over an hour later there had been no casualties and all of the lights were where she wanted them, all working. The two men who had helped her looked pleased with themselves too, clearly having enjoyed being her heroes.

“That’ll look pretty fucking good when it’s dark,” Scott said, pulling on his thick jacket. “I’ll come up this weekend and have a look. Give you a lift in the bar if you want too, maybe come up with a signature cocktail.”

Sorrell’s grin was wide. “I don’t want to steal your business.”

He shook his head. “There’ll be enough to go round. You being open will draw new people here. Right, I’m heading back to town. You coming in later?”

“No, we’re heading out for the rest of the day,” Zack said, looking at Sorrell. “Just have a few more bits to do here.”

Scott gave a slight nod. “Where’s he taking you?”

“I’m not sure,” she said. “We didn’t get that far in the conversation.”

“I was thinking Chatsworth House,” he said. “The house will be decorated for Christmas and they have the markets on.”

“Good move.” Scott nodded. “It’s always good there. Have a nice time.”

He took himself out, leaving Sorrell alone with Zack and her thoughts. She wasn’t entirely sure what to say or do and searching for an excuse to not go seemed impossible.

“You don’t have to go to Chatsworth or wherever if you don’t want,” she said. “It’s enough that you’ve helped me with this. I need to put a picture…”

“Sorrell,” he interrupted, stepping towards her. “I would really like to take you out somewhere. I get that you’re probably not that interested in seeing anyone so it can be just as friends, if that’s what you want, but no strings, nothing expected, let’s just drive out and go somewhere.”

“Okay,” she said, a huge giant knot pulling tighter in her stomach. “Let’s go.”

“I’ll do the pictures first.”