Page 4 of Happier Days (Family Life in Somerley #1)
CHAPTER FOUR
Jack Broadhurst made coffee and took it out onto the decking of his lakeside home. It was the middle of April, the days slightly less grey and miserable, nights still chilly, but the promise of summer was around the corner.
Close to midnight, he wrapped a thick blanket around himself as he settled on the wicker settee, facing the water. Except for the occasional hoot of an owl, or cry of a fox, it was deathly quiet, just how he liked it.
Sapphire Lake was named due to the arresting shade of its water. It was beautiful, no matter what time of year, or whatever the weather. On bright winter and summer days, it was almost like the colour of the jewel itself. Even on the dullest of days, it had an indigo sheen.
To Jack, Sapphire Lake was home, and even though he’d felt unsettled for a while now, he wasn’t sure he could ever move away. There was too much keeping him here, no matter what he was going through right now.
Graham, his Labrador, jumped up beside him.
Jack had gone to bed an hour ago but, unable to drop off, had got up again.
He’d been hoping a good night’s sleep would bode him well for the busy day he had planned for tomorrow.
But, as usual, his mind wouldn’t shut off. There was too much to think about.
For starters, he was worried about his parents, Stella and Max. His father had suffered two mini strokes recently, and Jack knew Stella was feeling the strain of Max continuing to do the same amount of work as before. Max had always done every odd job he could and showed no signs of stopping.
Now, despite some bookings for the new year, Stella had come up with an idea to revamp their promotional material before the summer season started.
What Jack really wanted to do was finish the extension that had been abandoned, and also tidy up a few areas.
He’d offered the money required to complete it, but his parents were refusing to consider it.
His mum was the stubborn one. Each of her offsprings shared the same streak of dogged determination.
The Sapphire Hotel had been in their family for four decades, bought by his parents when they were in their twenties.
A regal building set over three floors, it boasted six luxury and twelve standard bedrooms, a restaurant, and small function room, all set within eight acres.
It was well known in the area, with lots of returning clientele, plus an almost daily water-loving brigade.
Jack wasn’t sure they needed new marketing material, but he’d gone along with it to appease his mum.
Secretly, he thought she was trying to bring him back into the fold any way she saw fit, giving the project to him, rather than his sister, Eliza.
Because since the death of his twin brother, Dan, it had lost its allure, and Jack had almost gone to ground.
The fallout had made him a recluse. And, deep down, even though he loved his lakeside property, he knew he couldn’t hide away forever in case anyone mentioned the incident.
But at least the angst might not follow him to somewhere new.
Dan’s betrayal still hurt. Jack found it hard to talk about, so he’d closed himself off from most of the people he knew.
The two-year anniversary of his death had recently passed. Jack couldn’t believe his brother had been gone that long. Dan had fallen while out for a walk. Jack’s ex-wife, Katrina, who had been walking Graham, had come across him shortly after it had happened.
Dan was rushed to hospital but had never regained consciousness. The life support was switched off after three days, when there were no signs of brain activity.
Jack and Dan had been identical twins, alike in looks but different in so many other ways.
Where Jack was happy to be alone to do his work, Dan had been the loud one, always up for a night out and a laugh.
To see Dan in the mortuary, with one tiny cut above his eye and a bruise on his cheek, you’d be forgiven for thinking he was sleeping.
On the outside he seemed fine, a bit like Jack when he built up his armour to protect himself from the grief.
For weeks after the funeral, Stella insisted he join them for something to eat, knowing that if she didn’t her son would wither away.
Most nights, he’d refused her hospitality, choosing a ready meal or toast with something simple.
Coming up to forty, he didn’t need babysitting, even with the best of intentions.
Graham stood up, turned full circle, and then flopped down again with a contented sigh. Jack chuckled as he idly stroked him. Oh, to be a dog without a worry in the world.
Taking care of his pet was the reason Jack went out each day. Graham would go with him on long walks around the lake, or on a run through the woods. They’d visit the hotel together when Jack was needed, which was as often as his mum could get him there. She was always coming up with something.
Jack yawned, then patted Graham’s head before standing up and stretching. Graham stayed where he was, determined to eke out a few more minutes, so Jack gazed into the night again, enjoying the isolation despite the loneliness. He wished his mind would still, like the water he could see before him.
He turned back to Graham and picked up his mug. ‘Come on, fella. It’s time we should be going.’
With a groan of annoyance at being moved from his comfortable position, the dog jumped down and followed him inside.
Jack’s Virgo habits were good for the most part, except for the ones where he was his biggest critic. It made his work particularly stressful at times. Worse, he could come across as aloof because of it.
Tomorrow he would need to keep that under control. He was looking forward to seeing Ava Summer, or Ava Wilton as he’d known her back then as a gangly teenager, but he didn’t want to mess anything up with his meticulous ways and petty pickiness.
The revamp was important for his family. A lot depended on it for the future. It was imperative he made a good first impression, too.
Or a second one.