The Long Weekend. Pt 3
Paula was in her garden when I arrived back at the cottage,
"Hi Shaun, Emma has been trying to phone you, she told me to tell you, there had been a change of plans. She will be coming down tonight and has invited some friends around, so can you fire up the barbecue by around 7pm and has given me a shopping list of things she wants you to get."
I hated the thought of having to go food shopping on a Saturday afternoon, Paula must have picked up on this as she added.
"I'm going into town later, if you want, I'll pick up the things for you."
I thanked her and handed over some money to cover the costs, she laughed at me saying,
"I can see you don't food shop often, there's way too much here."
As a thank you I told her to use whatever was left to buy herself something nice.
I phone Emma and asked if it was okay for me to invite two guests to the little party.
"Let me guess, two women? Right." She replied.
"Right."
"It didn't take you long to get acquainted with the locals, did it?" She giggled down the phone.
I took a quick shower, changed and headed out. I popped into Veronica's shop and invited her and Brenda to the party, she was certainly coming and was sure Brenda would be to.
I was met at the hotel by two estate agents, a woman in her late thirties possibly early forties and an older portly man, who looked at me as if I was something the cat dragged in.
The building I was interested in was a tripled fronted, 5 storey Victorian property. Many tears of neglect had left it looking run down but was structurally safe. We started our tour in the basement, where the kitchen facilities were housed and to my delight and surprise, I found something not mentioned in the property description. An indoor pool, not overly large, but of a size that accommodate the number of guests I intended to have at any one time.
The ground floor consisted of a large lounge, with a bar, a dining room and the reception, large windows flooded it in natural sunlight. The other three floor contained the bedrooms, 10 on each floor, small at he moment, but I had already considered the remodelling of them.
Tour complete, the female agent asked my opinion, to which I replied,
"Subject to a structural report, consider it sold."
The man's face turned into a scowl and in a gruff voice went on to say,
"SON, as much as I admire you confidence and fantasy in owning this place, there is no way any bank or building society will ever lend someone your age the money."
Son, the only person entitled to call me that is my father, it took all my will power to stop me from punching his lights out, but remaining composed, I replied.
"I totally agree with you sir (Spelt cur), it would be financial folly to do so, which is why, tomorrow I shall be accompanied by my accountant, who subject to the report I mentioned earlier, will arrange a cash transfer. You see I intend to have this place fully refurbished and open by the start of the next holiday season."
He stormed out through the door, leaving the woman behind, she apologised for his behaviour and I advised her to come alone tomorrow, as he is in danger of scuppering the deal. She promised to do so.
I got back just as Paula was unloading the car, as she bent over to retrieve he bags from her boot, I noticed her arse for the first time, for a woman in her early sixties it looked firm.
"This place has great views." I called to her.
She turned to face me and saw what I was looking at and said,
"Cheeky."
"Exactly, just what I was thinking." I replied.
I gave her hand to move the things from the car to the cottage, there was bag after bag, filled with food and bottles of wine, spirits and case upon case of various beers.
"Fuck, how many people are coming tonight?" I asked.
"Just a few, but when Emma throws a party, she throws a party."
As we worked preparing the food, Paula turned to me and said,
"The jungle drums have been busy, the rumour is, you're interested in buying the old Regent Hotel,
I was head chef there once."
She gave me a potted history of the place, in the beginning it was a bordello, a house of ill repute, where Victorian gentlemen would take the ladies of the night. As times changed, it became a first class hotel, renowned for it's fine food and wine, that's when I worked there. When the owner died, the son took over. He began cutting corners, quality gave way to quantity and the guests soon began to stay away and the hotel closed, remaining shut to this day.
Talk about dealing you a good hand, seems like mine is a full house. You could see by the way she treated even the simplest of fare, Paula was a perfectionist, a person who could come in handy.
She left to get ready, not before giving me instructions, on what wine needed to be chilled, which needed to breath, what glass goes which each one. If she was this meticulous over a simple get together, just imagine what an asset she could be to my hotel.
I was busy in the garden, lighting the barbecue, stoking the fire pit, arranging chairs when Emma pulled into the drive, she was not alone, in the passenger seat was Aunty June. Both women looked sexy in their summer dresses. The two of them came over, wrapped their arms around me and whispered wait till later.
The door was constantly knocking, couples, single women, solo men all arriving, Paula had taken charge of the food, Emma was introducing me, to the assembled crowd, Aunty June playing the waitress, topping up drinks, serving nibbles. Veronica and Brenda arrived and it was obvious from the way Emma greeted them, they knew each other, very well.
As the evening flowed it became very clear to me, this was not something Emma had done at the last minute, it was well planned, every guest had something to offer in regards to the project. From builders to cleaners to silver service waitresses, everyone could offer experience and advice, all hand chosen.
We ate and drunk into the small hours, guests drifting off until six of us were left, Emma, Aunty June, Paula, Veronica, Brenda and myself.
Aunty June turned to Paula,
"Are you cold sweetheart?" She asked.
"No not really, why do you ask?"
"Because the way your nipples are sticking out, if you are not cold, then you must be horny."