Suddenly Last Summer (O'Neil Brothers 3)

“The doctors are very pleased with him.” It always surprised her how quickly bad news spread, but perhaps that wasn’t so surprising given the size of the resort and the fact that some of the guests had been coming to Snow Crystal for years.

“I saw him on that new bike of his with his dad. Looked so pleased with himself. Such a shame.”

“His poor mother. They’re saying if it hadn’t been for Dr. O’Neil the boy would have died. He’s a real hero.”

“Is he doing all right, Chef?” Even Tally, the head waitress whose customer service was second to none, left the table she was serving to get an update.

Élise murmured words of reassurance, expressed a hope that everyone was enjoying their meal despite the events of the day, and moved around the room.

At every table she faced the same questions. The same exclamations. The same talk of Sean’s heroics until in the end she took refuge back in the kitchen.

“All anyone can talk about is Sam and Sean.”

“How is the little guy, Chef?” Antony, her newest recruit, and the most junior member of her kitchen staff, looked up from dicing vegetables. “He was in here last night eating his favorite pizza. And he told me he loved his chocolate birthday cake. Great kid. Good job Dr. O’Neil was there.”

Élise ground her teeth and forced herself not to pounce.

“Sam is doing well. But it’s important that we don’t all lose focus. Our guests will still expect to eat good food. They don’t want the staff to fall apart.”

“Yes, Chef. I mean no, Chef.” Antony looked nervous and she felt a flash of guilt.

She was a perfectionist, that was true. People were paying good money to eat her food and they deserved it to be just right. But she wasn’t a bully.

And she knew that in this case her temper didn’t originate from a fall in standards, but the fact that she kept imagining Sam waking up alone and wondering where Sean was.

I won’t leave you, that’s a promise.

Poor Sam. He was about to learn at an early age that people made promises when it suited them and then broke them without a second thought.

She kept imagining Sean’s long, strong limbs entangled with those of the nurse.

But mixed up with those thoughts was an entirely different vision of him, this time with his hands sure and steady as he worked to save Sam. She kept hearing his voice, reassuring and kind as he’d calmed the panicking child. And then she kept seeing him, sitting by the boy’s bed and smiling at the nurse.

“Merde.”

Antony jumped. “Chef?”

“Nothing. You are doing well. I’m lucky to have you on my team.” She forced herself to get on with her job, furious that she’d allowed herself to be so distracted.

By the time she’d finished her shift, she’d worked herself into such an angry state that she walked the distance to Heron Lodge in half her usual time.

She took the steps to the deck two at a time and stopped dead when she saw Sean sprawled on the chair on her deck.

He was the last person she’d expected to see.

Her heart lifted and then a breath hissed through her teeth and all the anger she’d kept contained throughout her shift burst to the surface. There was no question of reining it in.

“What are you doing here? Get off my deck you ’orrible lying piece of—” She used a French word and saw his expression shift from warm to wary.

“Sorry?”

“You expect me to greet you with open arms after what happened? How do you think I feel?”

He was very still. “I should imagine it was upsetting to witness.”

“Upsetting? That is an understatement. For a while I thought you were a hero but now I know there is nothing heroic about you, Sean O’Neil.” The emotion of the day spilled out unrestrained. “Nothing.”

“I agree. I was just doing my job.” Mouth tight, he rose to his feet. “Look, it must have been pretty shocking for you, I understand that. Why don’t we—”