Page 8 of Love like the (Real) Reel Thing
“Holly’s family own the cottage where you’ll be staying,” Anthony said.
Holly smiled widely. “When Mr Neary put the word out that you were looking for somewhere, I thought of my uncle’s place. He died a couple of months ago, but Mam’s been great, clearing it out, like.” She wrinkled her nose. “Mam said you wouldn’t put a dog in there but my uncle wasn’t married and –”
Anthony cleared his throat and Holly shot him a quick glance.
“Anyway, she said she’d be delighted to let you have the house. Sure, you’re a bit of a legend around here.”
“That’ll be all for now, thank you, Holly,” Anthony said, his mouth twitching. “We’ll help ourselves.”
With a big smile, Holly moved the trolley closer to Anthony and then left.
“What would you like to drink, Jess?” he asked.
“Oh, coffee, thank you.” Jess wriggled a bit more comfortably into her chair. For the first time since meeting Adam the previous week, she felt she was able to relax. “So, I heard the staff are staying while the film people are here?”
He offered Jess a plate of delicately cut sandwiches. “We’ll have full capacity, so we’ll need everyone except some of our kitchen staff. Blue Star Studios will be hiring their own food trucks, but we’re keeping a couple of chefs on for ourselves.”
“I’ll just need somewhere to base myself while I’m here.” She took a bite of the sandwich and suppressed a small moan. She’d forgotten how good all the food tasted at the hotel. She might also need to take up running. Or at least ask someone to hide the food.
“You’re very welcome to use Ian’s office,” Anthony said. “Oh, make sure you leave your car key with Emily, and she can arrange to have your luggage taken up to your suite. Also, don’t forget to pick up a special security swipe from reception – everyone coming and going from the hotel will need one while the film people are here.”
“I will.”
“So, do you have plans for the rest of the day?”
“I might just get settled in.” Then Jess had an idea. “Actually, I’d love to go riding. Are the horses being stabled here while the filming is happening?”
Anthony nodded. “They are, we’ve six here at the moment. You’re more than welcome to take advantage of the stables. Have you had much experience?”
She smiled. “I’ve been riding since I was a child.”
“Excellent.” Anthony gave her an appraising look. “We have some riding gear in the tack room if you need to borrow anything.”
“I should have everything I need. I usually just leave all my riding gear in the boot of my car.” She hadn’t been riding in weeks – it’d be wonderful to take one of the horses out around the grounds. “I’ll go explore Linford village too – I’ve never actually done that.”
“Hmm, well, you’ll find the locals are very excited about this filming.” Anthony offered her a tray of savoury bites. “Most of them, anyway.”
“Most of them?” She chose a few delicious-looking savouries.
Anthony sighed. “The residents’ association committee refused permission to use the village for the outdoor scenes. They claimed the main street was too small, especially because it’s partly residential. Too much disruption to the local businesses too, apparently.”
“That’s crazy.” Jess picked up her coffee. “Are many of the villagers employed by the hotel?”
“Off-hand, I’d say about half of our full-time staff live in a ten-mile radius, but that number rises when we employ casual labour during the tourist season, and in December.”
“You’d imagine they’d be a lot more open to a movie being made here,” Jess said.
“Hm.” Anthony nodded. “We tried to negotiate with the committee, but they were adamant. So the film people suggested they build a fake village on the grounds. But if we hadn’t had the room, who knows, we might have lost our chance.”
She remembered the set she’d seen in the far field as she’d driven in. “I think people will forget about that by the time the movie gets underway. The locals are going to be very involved – it’s exactly what Linford needs at this stage.”
“I just hope you’re right, Jess.”
She beamed at him. “I’ve a very good feeling about it.”
CHAPTER 5
After lunch, Jess had changed into her riding gear before making her way to the stables behind the castle. The stable manager had helped her choose a beautiful, dappled mare named Ladybird and she’d spent a peaceful three-quarters of an hour riding.
