Page 47 of The Village Inn of Secret Dream

She nodded before giving him a sly smile. ‘Not sure he’d have wanted a fancy restaurant though.’

Pete laughed. ‘We might have to agree to disagree about that.’ Then he looked at her. ‘About this lounge,’ he began.

She sighed, but he interrupted her before she could begin to speak.

‘Look, why don’t you take on the renovation of the lounge,’ he said, thinking quickly. ‘Decorate it however you’d like. And let me deal with the restaurant side of things.’

Belle was shocked. ‘Really?’

‘I trust you,’ he said.

She looked pleased. ‘Thanks. That would mean a lot to me. I’ve got a few ideas. Maybe even some live music once in a while.’

‘That’s an idea,’ he said, nodding his approval.

They were quiet for a while with just the crackle of the logs on the fire to listen to above the odd gust of wind outside.

Pete looked up at Belle once more. He knew he could trust her. But could he trust her with the biggest secret of all?

In that moment, he knew the answer. She was still his best friend, whatever their differences regarding the inn. She would keep his secret because she cared for him as much as he cared for her. And he so desperately needed someone to talk to about it.

So he pulled out his wallet to where the letter was tucked in the very back. He paused before finally holding it out for her to take.

‘What’s this?’ she asked.

He sighed as she stared down at the faded writing on the envelope. ‘After Dad died, we started to clear out a few of his things. Just his underwear and stuff like that. Nothing personal. But, as you would expect with Dad, it was all a bit of a muddle. In his sock drawer, there were various photos and paperwork.’ His mouth tightened in a line. ‘And this.’

She pulled out the handwritten letter inside and began to read.

He knew it off by heart. Knew exactly what it said and what it was. It was a love letter. From a woman called Felicity, telling Todd how much she loved him. How she would always love him. And that getting married to him had been a dream come true.

Belle looked up at Pete with wide brown eyes.

‘You see?’ he said. ‘He was married before Mum. Maybe he still was when he and Mum were married. I don’t know. But what I do know is that it proves that it was all a lie. That love is a lie. That marriage is too.’

Belle looked down at the letter again and reread it before finally folding up the paper and sliding it back into the envelope.

‘I don’t think that this is as bad as you think,’ she said, handing it back to Pete. ‘The letter isn’t dated. And, to be frank, I’ve been stuck in the middle of a loveless marriage. Your mum and dad loved each other, deeply.’ She took a deep breath. ‘You need to talk to someone about this.’

He shook his head. ‘I can’t. It would destroy Mum.’

‘What about Josh?’ she asked.

He sagged in his chair. ‘And destroy my brother’s happy memories too? No, this one’s all on me to carry by myself. I won’t cause my family any more pain.’

‘But you did, don’t you see?’ said Belle softly.

He looked at her, shocked.

‘By holding yourself back,’ she told him. ‘By running away you did hurt them all, especially your mum. Because she didn’t just lose your dad. She lost you too.’

Pete sucked in a deep breath and shook his head as he looked down at the letter he was holding. It was true. He had known it for a long time.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there until Belle leaned forward to cover his hand with hers.

‘Well, whatever you decide to do, I’m here for you,’ she said.

‘Thanks,’ he replied.