The Windmill Café. Poppy Blake

We’d better get…’

      ‘Hi, guys. Where’s Suki?’

      ‘Where’ve you been Felix? The garden party finished two hours ago – it’s almost eight o’clock. You were supposed to be here at 2 p.m. sharp to cut the ribbon with Suki.’

      ‘Can’t blame me for giving it a miss, can you? The lads persuaded me to go to this new Sports bar – a little more exciting that this genteel granny’s outing.’

      Rosie sank back down in her seat. It was obvious there was no way she was going to persuade Mia and Matt to miss out on the live entertainment. She saw Felix flash his camera-ready smile at his three friends, displaying no ill-effects from an afternoon on the booze. His bleached-blonde hair looked as though he had just vacated the barber’s chair – neatly cropped and sporting a touch of gel. His designer jeans hugged his buttocks like a second skin and his multi-striped shirt opened at the neck to reveal just a hint of golden chest hair.

      ‘Hang on a minute.’ Felix jogged back across the lawn to the car park and grabbed a box of craft ale from the boot of a scarlet Jaguar XJS.

      ‘Is that Felix?’ asked William, re-joining them and taking a seat next to Nadia.

      ‘Yes, and it looks like he’s brought another crate of beer with him so he can top up his alcohol levels to get through the evening,’ said Lucas. ‘Look at him. How did he even manage to steer that beautiful vehicle on these winding country roads without ending up in a ditch somewhere? Felix always was a lucky sod.’

      ‘Someone needs to tell him that his drinking is out of control,’ said William as Felix lurched back towards them, staggering under the weight of the bottles.

      ‘Not just Felix with a problem though, is it?’ said Nadia. ‘It’s Suki too. You saw her at the party – but that’s the first time I’ve seen her hook up with a stranger. By the way, Jess says we have a gossip embargo. No spilling the juicy secret to Felix and standing back to watch the explosion.’

      ‘Hey, William, my friend.’ Felix grasped William’s palm and patted him on the back. ‘What’s the word on the high-rolling manager’s circuit?’

      ‘You’re drunk, Felix.’

      ‘I think I’ll make a cafetière of coffee,’ declared Rosie, anxious to escape the soap opera. She signalled for Mia to follow her as she made her way into the windmill, but Mia shook her head, her eyes as wide as saucers. Even Matt stayed glued to his seat!

      ‘Suki’s promised to perform a couple of songs before we go out for dinner tonight.’

      ‘Oh, goody!’ said Felix, unable to keep the sarcasm from his voice. ‘Can’t wait for that unexpected treat. Yes, coffee with a wee dram should see me through one of Suki’s gigs. I thought we were here to chill out, not to be subjected to another “I love Suki” fest.’

      Rosie carried a tray of mugs and two huge cafetières of industrial-strength coffee outside and poured one for everyone. The sun was sinking towards the horizon, sending a kaleidoscope of salmon and indigo streamers across the sky on what had turned out to be one of the most exhilarating and exhausting days of her life – and it wasn’t over yet.

      The early evening air retained its warmth and the aroma of freshly mown grass and crushed lavender excavated painful childhood memories that Rosie had banished into the crevices of her mind and had not examined for a while, nor was she about to now. She checked her watch. It was 8.15 and there was still no sign of Suki getting ready to entertain them with a tune.

      ‘Where do you think she is?’ murmured Mia.

      ‘Relax. Stars always take ages to polish their shine!’ said Matt. ‘And she did have rather a lot to drink this afternoon. She’s probably sleeping it off.’

      ‘Well, I’m not sitting here like a faithful lapdog!’ declared Felix, tipping the final dregs of coffee into his mouth. ‘If Suki insists on dragging out her microphone, the least she can do is be on time.’

      ‘You’ve got to be kidding me! How can you say that when you’ve just arrived over six hours late?’ said William. ‘Look, I’ll go and…’

      ‘No, you won’t!’ said Nadia, pushing William back down into his seat. She obviously hadn’t forgiven him for his lack of support in the ice bucket incident. ‘I will.’ She made her way to the edge of the terrace, but stopped next to the door of the café where Rosie, Matt and Mia were sitting. She glanced back over her shoulder at William, clearly hesitant about disturbing Suki on her own and regretting her refusal of his assistance. She recovered well, and smiled at Rosie and Mia. ‘Would you mind coming with me?’

      ‘Sure.’

      Rosie and Mia got up from the bench and followed Nadia. Matt rolled his eyes and joined them as they made their way across the field to Suki’s lodge. They paused on the veranda, Rosie and Mia exchanging anxious glances, fearful of what they could be interrupting after the afternoon shenanigans and the potential fallout it would produce.

      ‘Don’t you think we should knock?’ asked Matt.

      Nadia shot a quick look at Rosie and Mia, also uncomfortable about disturbing her friend’s beauty nap.

      ‘What are you all waiting for?’ demanded William, as he came up behind them and elbowed Nadia to one side. He strode to the door of the lodge and knocked. ‘Suki? Come on. Have you forgotten that you promised to sing for us on the terrace before we go out for dinner tonight? Everyone’s waiting for you – including Felix! Suki?’

      Silence.

      Rosie met Mia’s eyes. If Freddie was still in there, surely he would have opened the door to shoo them away. William knocked again, this time jiggling the handle and pounding on the door.

      ‘Suki, wake up!’

      Matt stepped forward, lines appearing in his forehead. ‘Is there a duplicate key, Rosie?’

      ‘Yes, of course, but…’

      ‘Can you fetch it?’

      Rosie’s stomach lurched at the tone of Matt’s voice and the genuine concern etched in his eyes. For what seemed an interminable few seconds, her feet felt like they were encased in concrete and she couldn’t move.

      ‘I’ll go,’ said Mia, sprinting off towards the café where they kept the spare keys.

      William was now frantically banging his fist on the sturdy, panelled door. ‘Suki!’

      ‘What’s going on?’ asked Jess, joining them, with Felix not far behind her. ‘William?’

      ‘We can’t wake Suki. Mia has gone for the spare key.’

      Ripples of anxiety surged through Rosie’s veins as a myriad of possibilities spun through her mind, each one more dreadful than the next. Within minutes, Mia was back, clasping a brass ring of dangling keys, pausing on the wooden steps of the lodge as she fumbled to select the correct one.

      Felix snatched them from her. ‘I’ll take those. If anyone’s going to intrude on Suki’s privacy, then it’s going to be me. And if she wants to have a snooze before we go out for dinner then surely that’s her prerogative. Stop gawping!’

      Matt moved to let Felix pass but William held his ground.

      ‘We just want to make sure Suki is okay.’

      Felix opened his mouth to deliver an angry retort, but the look on William’s face prevented him from continuing. Instead, he slotted the heavy iron key into the lock and turned, a loud thud telling the gathering that the key on the inside of the door had dropped to the floor.

      ‘Suki, darling, I’m back. Sorry about being so late, but you know how the guys get when… Oh my God!’

      Rosie closed the space from the steps to the front door in record time and pressed into the room behind Felix, William and Matt. The sight that met her eyes would remain seared in her mind’s