FIC: Bloom's Hotel 3/8

[sagaluthien]

Story Title: Bloom's Hotel
Author: Saga
Chronology: The very first story for the site and place. To get a hum over the place you have to read this first.
Summary: The very first encounters with Bloom's hotel and their residents. Here you get introduce to the town Donbury, that lies a few miles from the mystic and special place called Bloom's Hotel or Bloom's Land. There lives for the moment eight guy's. It is here you get introduced to them.

Please do not print this, not even for private use.


Chapter 3

Someone shook me lightly, calling my name. I dropped my book, looking up to see it was only Mrs Greene.

“Sorry, I seem to be more tired than I thought.”

“That’s all right, girl, travel always makes me tired however good I sleep.”

We went over to her car and she drove out of town. We were heading in the same direction I had walked earlier. After about one and a half kilometre she turned left and continued on for about another 10 kilometres before turning right. I noticed that the road was quite narrow and that we were surrounded by forest. The trees were very high and it was quite dark.

We continued a bit further, taking a few more turns. Out of nowhere something resembling a wall appeared. We followed it for a few hundred meters as the wall got higher and higher. It had started off being built like a fence, but as we continued along it changed to being built out of stones. The bottom of the wall looked like stones had been used from the ground, getting more stabile as the height increased, and mortar being used to close the joints. It made me think of an old fortress or castle. It somehow looked out of place here in the forest.

The narrow road led to an opening in the wall. Large wooden doors stood open at the entrance. For the first time, I noticed that the road was no longer made from asphalt, and hadn’t been for some time. It seemed to consist of gravel and clay, packed down to make it hard and smooth to drive on.

“We just entered Bloom’s Lands.”

I wasn’t prepared for Mrs Greene to talk, and I jumped in my seat. We had, up to then, been driving in silence and I was hoping to remember the route we had taken. I would need to know it if I was to stay there. My surroundings had taken away my urge to speak. I didn’t want to disturb it more than the noise of the car did.

I sat up straighter, taking in the scenery. What looked like palm trees, big hibiscus and others that I associated with the Mediterranean peppered the landscape. It was weird. I thought I still would be in ‘Germania’, but it would soon get weirder.

The scene changed when we turned the next corner. From the ‘Aegean Sea’ scene, the landscape became bare, much more arid and the soil was a rich red/brown. The trees become sparser, and if I wasn’t mistaken they looked to be eucalyptus. Everything was to my left as Mrs Greene drove on the right side. Looking past her, the trees stood closer, but they were short and very exposed to the sun and wind. Actually, it looked browner on that side, like it could have been on entirely different continent.

Mrs Greene had rolled the car windows down, allowing me to feel how hot it was outside. It was several degrees higher than it was in the town. It didn’t help my already confused mind. Especially when I looked out of the side window and thought I could see snow-crested mountains in the distance. Sure, Mrs Greene had told me the place was mystical and very special. Slowly, I think I started to believe it. As she said seeing it, it was easier to believe, but I don’t know if I was all that ready to accept it.

Another mile or two down the road, the scenery changed yet again, but now to a more familiar one, one I imagined was more natural to the ‘outside’ surroundings. So it was, I began to see what Mrs Greene meant about the excitement of the place. Looking straight forward into the forest, I could get an inkling of a big red barn, most likely the stables. Then the road made a turn and it was to the left of us. The next thing I could see was the main building - the Hotel. It was magnificent… like a castle.

“I thought we would start at the Hotel and you can meet some of the guys. Hopefully, one of them will take you on a tour of it and the grounds around it.”

“That sounds good. I really look forward to seeing who I will eventually work with.”

Even if the ride there hadn’t been too long, it was nice to get out of the car and stretch my legs. The temperature was that of a warm summer day in Sweden and I had to take my jacket off. We walked up the stone steps to enter Bloom’s Hotel.

I pushed open the front doors, letting myself into the lobby, which was big as a large hall. Looking around, I could see the reception area to the left and opposite it were a few ‘islands’ with couches, chairs and tables. Potted plants had been scattered around the entire lobby, giving it a lively ambience. The walls were covered in paintings and tapestries, almost making it look like one was entering a dream or crossing into something similar to ‘Gone with the Wind’. I stopped in the middle turning and looking in all the directions. I could see several doors, and of course, the grand staircase, situated opposite the entrance, which led to the floors above.

The place appeared to be deserted. If there were as many ‘residents’ as Mrs Greene claimed, where were they? A movement behind the reception desk made me turn. Standing behind it was a man who actually looked closer in age to a boy. He was wearing a white shirt, tie and grey jacket. He was dressed as if out of time. Maybe that was the idea, fitting the lobby’s impression of the 18th century manor.

“Looking for something?” he asked.

I just kept staring at him; where had I seen him before? I was certain that I had met him somewhere.

“Madam?!” The boy arched an eyebrow in question.

I roused from my frozen state, finally able to talk as I took a few steps closer to the desk. “Good day, my name is Sunniva Nilsson. I’m here with Mrs Greene about the manager job. I thought we would be expected.”

“So that’s you. Welcome to the Bloom’s Hotel. David at your service.” He offered his hand to her.

She took his hand, shaking it. “Thank you, it’s very nice to meet you.”

Steps echoed in the lobby as Mrs Greene joined us. “I see you have met the bellboy, take no offence David,” she said.

He shook his head. “None taken at all. It sounds much better than ‘Rentboy’, Madam.”

“Rentboy? What sort of place is this?” I had to ask as that terminology sounded less than reputable.

“Don’t despair, Sunniva. It isn’t such a place. It is a perfectly ordinary hotel… but very, very special.” David turned to Mrs Greene with a questionable face as she smile an utterly mysterious smile.

She must have read his mind when she answered him with, “I really haven’t said exactly what the speciality is as I thought it would be easier to do when we got here and she could see the ‘reality’.”

“You are lucky that not all of us are here. Leg has been on one of his trips for over a week and he didn’t say when he would be back, so Joe has been taking care of the stables. That’s where he probably is right now. Paris is probably with him. Then we always have Peter. He seems to spend a lot of time in town.”

“I saw him earlier in the town today with Jimmy. Aren’t they back?” Mrs Greene commented.

“Yes, they are. I think Jimmy is in the kitchen, but I have no idea where Peter is,” David answered, giving her an apologetic expression.

I held up a hand. “Pardon me. You’re really confusing me. I thought Mrs Greene said I would meet everyone that looked after the place?”

“That was the plan, but you’ll learn soon enough why it doesn’t always work to as planned around here. I’ll see if I can get hold of Peter as he’s supposed to be your tour guide,” David told me.

While David went in search of Peter, Mrs Greene suggested we could go, see the restaurant, kitchen and meet Jimmy. She led us to the right; we passed several doors before turning to the left. At the end of the corridor was a large wooden door. Going through it found us in the Hotel’s restaurant. I thought it looked very big since it took up the entire end of the right wing, but somehow, it suited the place. As with the lobby, it was deserted. I began to wonder if they would need extra staff to run the place as it obviously could hold a lot of guests. Where is everyone? Hopefully, I would soon get some answers.

When she didn’t see anyone, Mrs Greene turned to the left to continue through a swing door. It led into the kitchen. As it was all guys taking care of the place, I expected it to be a bit of a mess, but surprisingly, found it very tidy. Someone knew how to keep it well-organized. There were signs that it was in use, but no-one was about. Looking around, I found it to be well-equipped kitchen in possession of everything a star chef could wish for.

“Maybe they all are scared to meet me?” I voiced, gazing at Mrs Greene.

“Not actually, but I fixed it so I would be one of the first to meet you.”

The male voice came from behind me, causing me to turn around to see the owner of the confident voice. I did recognize him from the town as one of the guys I’d been looking at. I assumed he had to be this Jimmy guy that David and Mrs Greene had discussed. At the same time, something didn’t quite fit for me.

It took a moment, but when David appeared at his side, I realised one of the things that was bothering me. Looking from one to the other, they looked to be brothers and if they had been wearing similar clothes, I would have taken them for twins. Seeing them side by side they were uncannily alike in their height and looks. Then I remembered Peter, who I had seen earlier. He also looked just like them. These three had to be brothers. Why wasn’t I told that the Hotel was family-owned, and what was so ‘special’ about it anyway? Bloom must be their family name.

“See something you like?”

Rousing from thought, I realised I had been staring a bit too long. He looked good, but he wasn’t that attractive. Being so close to him I did see one thing… he was too young for me; he couldn’t be much over twenty.

“Not particularly. I was trying to decide what sort of bond you have with David and Peter, who you were in town with.”

A smile snaked across his lips, his dark eyes glinting with amusement. “Now you’ve hurt me. You’ve got Jimmy and I mixed up. I’m Peter Drinkwater.”

“Oh sorry, David said Jimmy would be here in the restaurant. I assumed that you were him.” I quipped.

“Not that wimp. Jimmy left to go pick up something from the Tavern.”

The glimpse I saw in his eyes told me he had told him to do it. I wondered if he always got his brothers to dance at his command. I’m not very found of people that seem to enjoy making trouble. So if I decided to accept the job I would probably need to keep an extra careful eye on him.

“So are you ready to see the rest of the place?” he asked in the next moment.

I arched an eyebrow. “Isn’t that what I’m here for?”

“Aye, and hopefully you’ll want to stay! We need some good-looking women here.”

I felt myself blushing at that remark; I didn’t consider myself as being good-looking. If I had the looks, wouldn’t I have boyfriend? Why did I think that? I don’t usually have any problem with it. Then I remembered David mentioning someone called Paris, so there had to be more women there.

Peter took the lead out from the kitchen and restaurant when he thought I had seen enough of it. David followed us out but returned to reception and through the door behind the front desk, that I later found out was the office.

So my tour began. On the entrance floor there were several rooms of different sizes leading off from the main lobby and the corridors. First, he took me through a door opposite the one through which I had entered the kitchen. It led into a fully capable pub. It had several doors, but the one he chose exited out into the same corridor that ended with the restaurant.

“There is the ladies’ and gentlemen’s rooms. The two other rooms are conference rooms and that corner room taking up half the front wall - that’s a ballroom.” Peter informed me, allowing me a quick look into each.

He took me past the grand staircase and into the other wing as he rattled that off. He led me down to the end of the wing to a large door that led into a large room housing an indoor pool.

“The rooms to the left that we passed were massage and work out rooms. Off to the right there be the locker room and a sauna. If that ain’t your kind of music, the next rooms to right are music rooms.”

I let him talk, desperately truing to remember where things were located. They seemed to be public rooms designed for the guests to relax in.

On the way back, I saw a small corridor. Stopping, I asked Peter what those rooms were. He said that they were nothing of real consequence, just some storage rooms that I would have plenty of time to search through later. During the entire tour, he had flirted with me, throwing me a lot of sexually-oriented hints. I shook my head; not what I liked about a guy at all.

He seemed so confident that I was going to accept the job, I almost turned it down on principle, even though it seemed to be just what I was looking for. I reminded myself that he was just one man and that attitude shouldn’t sway my decision. I liked David a lot better; he seemed very polite.

He showed me that it only looked like an old manor house. Inside, it was fully equipped with all the modern amenities, like elevators. We went up two floors where he showed me one of the ‘short stay’ guest rooms. It didn’t appear to be much different from most hotels. The rooms varied in size; a few single rooms, a lot of double rooms, and four extra large doubles.

The next two floors - the third and fourth floors - were solely used by people needing a more permanent place at the hotel. They were small suites, often containing two rooms and a kitchen or kitchenette. Peter told me that most of them were empty so far as they hadn’t had very many long stay guests yet. While the first two floors held collectively, thirty rooms for short stay guests, the second two floors held eight larger and four smaller suites.

“One of these ones will be yours and you can choose what one you want… well, if you don’t want the penthouse that’s always been there for the manager.” Peter slanted me a mischievous look.

“If I decide to take the job. Maybe I will, or maybe I’ll keep looking around for something else.” Peter really bothered me.

He obviously didn’t get the hint that I wanted him to drop the subject, as he went on. “Actually, there’s already one that’s yours, but if it ain’t to your satisfaction we can always change it.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh please! Can you stop dropping hints about things which may not happen?”

“Oh, I’m certain you won’t say no. Ain’t you felt the connection that’s drawn you here?” Peter had backed me up against the wall, trapping me quite effectively between his arms. His behaviour really didn’t make this decision easy for me. In fact, the idea of working close with him rather made my skin craw with of discomfort. If I pulled up my sleeves, I swear the hairs on my arms would have been standing at attention.

“Please! Peter, let me go. I don’t feel any special connection. Just let’s continue the tour. Is there anything else here that I need to see?” I implored him.

I knew there was one more floor above us, but I was hoping that he would say there was nothing of real interest up there so that we could continue outside, where there was a bigger chance of more people being around.

He licked his lips salaciously. “Do you want to see the wedding suite upstairs? It has a very soft bed.”

I shook my head, pushing him away from me. “In your dreams… but never with me. I don’t think I need to see it. After all… it’s just another hotel room isn’t it?”

“You’re right, it is. What about the penthouse then?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.

I sighed heavily, so very tired of his crude advances. “Can’t you please take me outside instead?”

Hopefully Peter understood that he hadn’t a chance of seducing me, as he shrugged his shoulders and we made our way back down to the ground floor. In the lobby, I saw that David was no longer alone.

The new arrival was the same height as David and Peter, causing me to smile at the thought I had of them all coming from the same mould. This guy was dressed in green, and it looked to me like an army uniform of some sort. His clean-shaven head also heightened the military thought. When we were close enough, he turned to greet us. He stood up very straight, only the salute was missing.

Again, I had to stare at them as I let my eyes wander between the guys. Slowly, I realised who I actually had in front of me.

“Todd Blackburn at your services, Madam.” He offered me his hand.

I had to swallow to find my voice, attempting to figure out how to greet him. I wasn’t really sure of what I was about to say. “You’re not brothers at all. You’re all incarnations of characters Orlando Bloom has played. Is everyone here?”

When I had given voice to my discovery, my legs gave way beneath me. Luckily, Peter still stood close to me, and he was able to catch me, Todd coming quickly to help to assist me to the nearest couch.

It was a lot to take in, not only that they were the characters, but also that Peter was living and Todd appeared to not be paralysed. It really had to be a special place, one that was quite mystical. I fully understood why they had such a restriction as to who they allowed here, that they wanted the people here to have a connection to the place. Who could be mine? None of those here with me now seemed to mean anything to me.

When David handed me a glass of water, I accepted it, drinking greedily. When I felt more comfortable with him, I turned my attention to him, wanting him to say the obvious and explain the whole thing. He didn’t disappoint me.

“We are, as you so eloquently put it, the incarnations of the roles Orlando Bloom has played. So, although we aren’t brothers, we possess the same characteristics that brothers have. There are eight of us here at the present time, and mostly likely, more will come in the future. Each time Orlando makes another film, another ‘brother’ will arrive here. As for me, I was the first here along with Peter. The others have arrived over the years, the last one being Paris back in May.” He smiled softly at me.

I nodded, taking a deep breath. “Oh, I had hoped Paris was a girl. I should have known. Aren’t there any females here?”

“Not permanently, no. We get a bit of help from Mrs Greene, who you met, and a few others from time to time. Once a month, some girls come here to be tutored by Joe. We do hope there will be a few here soon. It does get lonely sometimes.” He looked away, his face darkening.

I bowed my head, mumbling. “Sorry I asked.”

“Oh, it’s all right. You have every right to ask. We are here to answer your questions and tell you what you have to deal with if you decide to take the job offer... which we really hope you will.” His voice was so full of hope, it made my heart both swell and hurt at the same time.

“I need to let it all sink in, so I will not give any answer now.”

“Please… take all the time you need. We know how it must feel being thrown in at the deep end, so to speak. You understand there are still some Boyz you haven’t met yet. There is Legolas from Lord of the Rings. He is the one least like the rest of us. He’s not human, and has blond hair and blue eyes. Then there is Will Turner, Joe Byrne, Jimmy Connelly and Paris.”

I smiled weakly. “I think I know you all. At least that I have seen all his films.”

It felt so awkward to be sitting there with only three of them. How would it feel with all eight? I was very glad that I learned about it before everyone was there, as it made my head spin, and I had something near a thousand questions. I didn’t know where I to start… so I started with the question I desperately wanted an answer to: “Do you know who it is that brought me here… who my connection is?”

“It wasn’t me,” answered Peter, who continued, “I got that answer upstairs.”

Both David and Todd seemed to want to either jump him and beat him or shout at him, causing me to shake my head. “Guys, nothing drastic happened. It’s okay.”

“The connection is one thing we ourselves don’t fully understand, and it’s mysterious for us, too. It can be hidden and maybe it take some time to show itself fully. I do think that, first of all, every single one of us felt you should be here. So if you say no we’ll all be very sad. Then again I can’t say it’s me or who has the biggest connection with you. If you let it take the time and actually meet everyone of us, though, I’m fairly certain that you’ll probably soon know who it is.”

We sat in the lobby talking for almost another half-hour, and at the end I had more facts about the place. I still felt I needed to get out in the fresh air, and now I wanted to visit their little village where they’d told me they all lived.

It wasn’t a minute too late to get out of the Hotel. It didn’t help with it being so big, right then I felt like it was trying to swallow me up. That could have something to do with the information I had recently been given and was still trying to digest.

It was… I couldn’t come up with suitable name to call it. It was like a dream, and I would never in my wildest imagination have believed that a place like Bloom’s Hotel could exist. It was truly mystical. Just seeing a few of the characters in the flesh made my head spin. How would I have felt if I’d seen ALL of them at the same time? The fact that I really fancied their creator did nothing to calm me down. It was so… WOW!

I wondered why they had come to choose me. How did they know I ever existed, let alone was in need of a new job? I had only recently managed to see all the films that Orlando had made, and I was still unsure how I felt about them - the roles that is. I felt like I had too little information, but then too much. I was so confused.

How would I feel after a night? If I understood correctly, they had arranged for me to have dinner there. I somehow felt that I didn’t dare to, but at the same time I was becoming more curious. I had to admit to myself that I had very mixed feelings. I was grateful for the fact that they wanted me to see everything before making up my mind. What should my answer be?

Thinking more about the way I had been feeling lately, I managed to put a few things together, I remembered the dreams that I’d been having on a regular basis since seeing Troy. Could they have had something to do with this place and not just because I had enjoyed the films so much? That was something I knew I had to think about later. Something had taught me to listen to my dreams and intuition.

“Hmm… ma’am, are ya sure you’re feelin’ alright?”

I jumped at hearing the voice. I had forgotten that I wasn’t alone. Todd had followed me outside to show me the important surroundings, and hopefully meet up with the rest of the guys. Turning and seeing him standing at attention made me smile. I remembered the eagerness he’d had for the task; it seemed to exhilarate him to be part of his film. Todd still had the glint in his eyes.

I nodded to him, indicating that everything was okay. I actually thought some of his excitement had rubbed off on me. I felt in that moment that I was ready to see the rest of the place. From what I had seen so far, it looked to be a very interesting place. The property seemed to be immense, and part of me had the feeling that it was somehow endless.

If it was that big I would hopefully be able to find enough space to avoid anyone that might give me the creeps, like Peter Drinkwater. There was the fact of him being a thief, but there was also something more, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I fleetingly felt guilty about the negative thoughts I had towards him. I didn’t like to harbour preconceived ideas about anyone until I had the chance to get to know them personally. At the very least I hoped that I could keep an open mind. I had to admit though, that I was happy for Todd to take over the task of showing me around the rest of the property.

Todd touched my arm. “Ma’am, are you ready to start?”

“Yes please, we can as soon as you stop calling me Ma’am. I’m not married, and I’m definitely not that old! I’m not used to being very formal. Where I come from, we usually call each other by name after introductions!” I smiled at him warmly.

Todd winked at me in an agreeable manner. “Okay, then… I’ll call ya Miss or Sunniva. I mean, if that’s alright with ya.”

“Sunniva is fine by me. What do you think we should look at first?”

“I think it’d a great idea for you to see where we and some of our affiliates live. Oh, and then you should also see some of the surroundin’ grounds. Crap, I just don’t know how much more time we have to before dinner to see it all.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s walk then, man!” I said motioning with my hand that he should start.

A slight blush coloured his face. It was cute. He started to walk, talking me around to the right side of the Hotel. I saw the path that lay there for the first time. I hadn’t noticed it before because it was hidden by the trees that were flanking the Hotel on both sides.

By the look of it, the path was frequently used. The trees formed an alley of sorts, and through them on the left side I could discern the patio and the garden beyond. The place must be beautiful when the plants were in full bloom. After walking for about five hundred meters, the trees started thinning out and I could soon see the edges of several cottages. They lay on both sides of the path. I thought it looked kind of cosy.

“Here are our quarters, one each. Mine is the third on the left side.” Todd motioned with one hand to the little place he called home.

I nodded my head slightly as I counted, “But it’s one, two, three… only seven, aren’t there eight of you?”

“Yes, but Legolas’ cottage lies further towards the forest. Would you like to take a look inside?” Todd gave a short nod and a broad smile.

“That would be nice. Are they all the same?” I asked as I took in the cottages that I could see, finding that they did look the same on the outside.

“For the most part, yeah, they’re laid out the same. Well, not counting Legolas’ place. They are like the suites in the Hotel… they are fashioned after who lives there.”

Of course they would be personal. I could see it already outside. Also I could see that some had been there longer than others. If my eyes didn’t deceive me they were different in sizes too. Probably made after what the guy needed.

We entered Todd’s cottage. His military training was evident all around. It was extremely clean, and everything was in its correct place. If I ever needed anyone to help keep my things tidy, I would certainly know who to ask.

His was one of the smaller cottages. There were two large rooms, one small, and the kitchen was more of a kitchenette. One of the larger rooms contained training equipment. The small room was his bedroom, and his bed was neatly made. Again, his bedroom had not one item out of place.

In the other large room I found things that would be in any other living room. He had a full bookcase, a stereo, a small TV, and a few fancy goods. A display case contained some glasses and bottles. The walls weren’t empty; there were a few framed photos hanging there. I went to look at them, finding that they seemed to be of his army friends.

“We spend most of our time down at the tavern where we have a bigger TV, a pool table, two pinball machines, a jukebox, and other things to entertain us. It also has a bar, a bigger kitchen and a washer and dryer. I thought I’d take you there next.”

I’d seen enough in the cottage, so we went outside and headed down the road. Looking ahead, I saw the beach and the sea. I could taste the salt in the air, which I hadn’t noticed earlier. The sea was empty right to the horizon. There were a few islands dotting the line of the horizon. Off to my right I could see a dock, and I wasn’t surprised to see a ship berthed there.

Turning around and looking back up towards the Hotel, I wondered why I hadn’t seen the masts of the ship from up there. I thought I had probably missed it because the sails were furled. A sound caused me to turn back and look at the ship.

A gust of wind had caused the single flag to unfurl. As I had guessed, it wasn’t a flag denoting the country of origin for the vessel… it was a pirate flag! The small things started to become so obvious, that I decided I wasn’t in a dream... this was reality. It would be interesting to see what else was there that was connected to the residents.

As we started to move off again, Todd pointed out an almost overgrown path. It lay beyond his cottage and could easily have been missed.

“That leads up and into Legolas’ cottage. He more often than not uses a different one an’ we don’t visit his place except when it’s absolutely necessary. That’s why it looks that way.”

He motioned with his hand in the opposite direction, and we continued our tour. He told me the first cottage we then passed was Will’s. Seeing the next I said, “Let me guess, this one is Paris?”

“Yep, you guessed right! It’s the biggest of ‘em all. I have no problem admittin’ that he likes to flaunt it.”

I just nodded and thought to myself that he really was a prince after all. The palace in Troy had been big so it really didn’t shock me.

The next building we came to was the tavern. It was whitewashed with wooden beams, making me think of an old English or German house, maybe even a reverted gingerbread house. It blended in well with their cottages. The double door was open and we could hear cheerful voices inside. Just as we were about to enter, I was almost run down by a guy dashing out. For a moment I lost my balance, causing him to hold onto me until I was steady again.

A few second passed before I realised I was staring into a pair of incredible brown eyes, and I almost forgot where I was and what I was doing. The guy seemed suddenly speechless, and when he realised where one of his hands had landed in the collision, he blushed beetroot red. Breaking the gaze and looking to my left to see that Todd was standing there did little to ease his embarrassment.

Todd turned to me. “You gotta excuse Jimmy here. He tends not to THINK before he acts.”

“It’s okay. Nice to meet you, Jimmy. I’m Sunniva.” I stretched out my right hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, too. You have to excuse me for…” Jimmy muttered a bit sheepishly as he took my hand, shaking it quickly.

“As I said its okay, please let’s forget it.” I hoped to reassure him confidently that I’d already forgotten what happened.

His eyes seemed to have hard time lingering on me, but what he said explained why, “I would love to stay and chat, but I’ve got the job of preparing your dinner this evening.”

“Then you’re excused, but a quick question before you go… are you a good cook?” I teased, really trying to get his mind off of the embarrassing moment.

Jimmy blushed again, almost stammering when he answered. “It seems like I’m the best of us. I mostly fix the meals here.”

He bowed before jumping over the two steps leading up to the tavern to jog towards the hotel. We stayed looking after him until he disappeared around the corner of Will’s cottage.

The tavern was just as Todd had described it, and it was obvious that it was frequently used. I could also see that it was mainly used by men. There were two in there that greeted us. I’d already met one, and the other was easily recognised. He had sort of been the guy who got me interested in the Creator, mostly because he fitted so well into the ultimate man of my dreams - he had the dark, wavy hair, and rich brown eyes. I could have melted for less.

“Good day. I am Will Turner. Peter here says that you will be our manager.”

“Nice to meet you, William, but please call me Sunniva. Peter has been a bit premature in his assumption. I haven’t said yes to the job yet.”

“It would be a great loss if you say no. We all really do want you to stay here.”

“But you don’t know me and I’m not sure if I would be able to manage a place like this.”

“Sunniva, I might be a bit presumptive, but I think you are only being modest now. If we had not felt that you were perfect for the position, we would never have issued the request for you to come here for an interview. You have to take a chance to win,” Will told me with tranquil eyes.

Could this man in front of me only be in his early twenties? It really showed that he had been through a lot in his short life, that he had grown up fast. He was definitely someone I could happily get to know a lot closer.

I fell silent, considering some of what I had heard together with the impression the place had made on me so far. I couldn’t understand why I was feeling both beyond excited and blank as a page with nothing on it. I appreciated the fact that I had been told I didn’t have to make a decision until I had seen everything and met everyone. The only thing I was sure of right then was the fact I needed to get at least one good nights sleep before I could make my final decision.