Chapter 12
TWELVE
Kasia, resplendent in a crisp white shirt that looked as though it had just been ironed, motioned to the chair opposite.
Marianne sat. “Thank you for seeing me, I appreciate it.”
Kasia observed her, her hazel eyes hooded. “You’ve got Joey to thank for this.” She straightened a little. “It’s not that I don’t understand how good a chef you are. I’ve eaten your food; I’ve seen the awards and the accolades. I just don’t understand how you could consider working on this little island in our family restaurant.”
So Kasia was going to make it difficult. Marianne held up a hand. “You know the circumstances. I wouldn’t have chosen it after running my own restaurant for a few years. But I don’t want to go back to the city and your restaurant has a good reputation.” She smiled what she hoped was an engaging smile. “I’ve eaten here, too, remember?”
Kasia crossed her hands on the desk. “But for how long? We can’t afford to be messed around when you realize it’s not challenging enough, or you’re not treated with enough reverence.”
Marianne cleared her throat. “I’m not that kind of chef. I run my kitchen with mutual respect, but it’s a no-go zone for egos.”
“We’re a small organization and if something goes wrong, we’re all hands on deck. You could be asked to cover for sickness at short notice.”
Marianne felt some of the tension leave her shoulders. “That’s no problem at all. My difficulty is usually staying out of the kitchen.”
“It may not just be the kitchen, though. Tom occasionally covered front of house in an emergency. Are you prepared to put your hand to anything?”
Marianne couldn’t hide her surprise at the question. “I’m a chef, I don’t do restaurant duties.”
Kasia laughed. “That’s what I was afraid of.” She sat back. “Look, Marianne, I know it’s ridiculous to ask you these questions, but that’s what I need, which is why I didn’t think you were the right fit for us. I’d like to help you out, but this hotel and my family and staff come first. I have to do what’s right for them.”
Marianne panicked. She’d assumed her reputation would get her the job without any issue, but Kasia wasn’t looking for an award-winning chef, she was looking for someone who fit. “You’re right. This isn’t a perfect match, but I really need it. Please. I’ll try to adapt to whatever you need from me if you give me a chance. One thing that’s assured is that I’ll put the hours in.”
Kasia’s expression was still guarded. “If we did give you a trial, what about Denny? How will you manage?”
Her confidence took another dive. “I…I don’t know yet. I’ll need to arrange a childminder. I haven’t been here long, but I didn’t want to make any arrangements without a job. I’ll need to find accommodation, too.”
“You will. Joey is the kindest person I know. Please don’t take advantage of that.” The protectiveness in Kasia’s tone was evident.
“I know. They’ve been so good, but I can’t take over their house any longer. I’ll look for a home for us.”
Kasia’s face softened. “We’ll have Tom’s old room, but it’s not suitable for a child to live in. I’ll give you a list of rentals, but there’s a shortage in the summer months.” She cleared her throat. “For now, you can move back into the cottage you stayed in. It’s free for a couple of weeks until the midterm break.”
Marianne felt relief spread through her and she realized how much tension she’d been holding. She’d never been so desperate for anything and here she was begging for a job where she might be asked to make up the beds, for fuck’s sake. She made sure to show how grateful she was. “Thank you so much, Kasia. I won’t let you down.”
“A month’s trial and then we’ll look at a contract for the rest of the season. I need commitment from you, too.” Kasia stood and she followed her to the door.
“I literally have nowhere else to go. I need this chance to get back on my feet and I’ll always be grateful you gave it to me. I promise I’ll raise the reputation of your restaurant in return.”
Kasia opened the door and Joey, holding Denny, and Tierney looked up from where they were standing, pretending to be deep in conversation. Tierney’s eyes were wide.
“Marianne’s going to do a month’s trial and we’ll take it from there.”
Joey’s white teeth shone in their weather-beaten face. “Great news.”
Marianne smiled back. “And in even better news for you, Kasia says I can stay in a cottage for a couple of weeks while I find accommodation. You can have your home back.”
Joey blinked. “Ah, that’s not urgent. My dad’s enjoying the company, to be honest.”
Tierney turned to them. “But your back’s not enjoying the couch, is it? So, let’s make this work.” She turned back to the reception desk and opened her laptop. “Gotta get on, now. Let us know if you need any help moving in.”
Kasia stepped forward and held out a hand to shake Marianne’s. There was a touch of steel to her grip. “Welcome to the team. I have high hopes this can work well for all of us.”
Marianne didn’t try to match the grip. “Thank you. When do I start?”
“Tom leaves on Friday. How about we give you today to settle in and you start with him tomorrow for lunch service? Will you be able to find childcare by then?”
Marianne hesitated. Would she? She’d hardly left Joey’s cottage since she arrived. This place was unknown to her.
Tierney looked up from her laptop. “Would you like me to put you in touch with Bridie? She minded all of my cousin Aoife’s kids before they started school.”
“Oh, yes, please.”
Tierney picked up her phone. “I’ll text you her number.”
“Thanks to you both. I’d better get going and start moving in, then. Thank you again for the opportunity.”
Joey moved to follow her to the door, Denny settled on their hip.
“We’ve not had our delivery today, Joey.”
They looked up, blinking in the face of Kasia’s sharp tone. “It’s on the boat. I’ll bring it up shortly.”
“Thank you.” Kasia turned away as they left.
“I don’t think Kasia likes me much.” She watched Joey buckle Denny into the truck as if they’d been doing it all their life.
Joey ducked back out of the cab. “Oh, she does, sure enough, or you wouldn’t have a job at all.”
“She doesn’t show it.” For all her pleading and promises, Marianne couldn’t suppress the feeling her skills and reputation had been put aside in favor of needing a general dogsbody.
“Tierney, the hotel, and the island are her priorities. She just wants to make sure you fit.”
They got into the truck. “Well, I don’t, do I? I’m a fancy chef who’s down on her luck, and she thinks I believe I’m too good for this place.”
“She’s kind of correct, isn’t she?” Joey grinned as they reversed out of the hotel car park and took the track to the east end of the island.
“Oh, Joey, don’t you start. I’ve prostrated myself before her and promised to wash the dishes. They should be grateful I’m here.”
Joey frowned and kept their eyes on the road. “I’m sure they are. Hey, are you sure you want to move into the accommodation until you’re sure about the job? I can stay at Dad’s a while longer.”
“You told me you had a bed. Now your friends think I’ve thrown you out so I can have the place to myself.” Why the hell was she taking her frustration out on poor Joey? She held a hand up as Joey’s mouth moved wordlessly. “I’m sorry, that was mean. You’ve given up your house for me, and you knew I wouldn’t allow that if I thought you didn’t have a bed.” She squeezed their solid arm.
Joey blinked, started to speak, then stopped. She wondered what they had been about to say. They cleared their throat. “It’s been a pleasure to help you, Mari. Anytime.”
They pulled up at the cottage. Mari leaned her head back onto the headrest. “I think I’m sure about this. I need something different; I don’t want to go back to Dublin, and I like it here.” She didn’t add “for now.”
“Your friends need a chef. I’m a chef. It should work, shouldn’t it?” She had meant it as a rhetorical question but there was an underlying need for reassurance.
“You’ll be wonderful. I’ll bring you the best seafood and you’ll do amazing things with it. Kasia will be happy, Denny can go on the beach every day, and we’ll have a grand summer.”
She laughed. “Thanks, you’re a good friend.”
Joey led the way into the cottage, holding Denny by the hand as he ran inside. “Boat.”
“I represent one thing for this kid. He wouldn’t know I existed if I didn’t have a boat.”
Marianne laughed. “Oh, he loves you for more than your boat, I’m sure. He likes your bedtime stories.”
“They’re about boats, mainly.” Joey grinned.
“He’ll miss them when we’re at the cottage.” She would miss them, too. Joey’s gentle voice calmed her.
Joey turned back from showing Denny the model boat once again. “I can drop in any time and read to him. And if you need me to watch him for a while in the evenings, I can help out. It’ll take you a while to get into a routine.”
Marianne would need to take Joey up on that offer. She had no idea how she’d juggle everything. She would need to focus on her new kitchen. The last thing her career needed was for her to mess up in this low-key holiday establishment.
“Is that everything?” Joey took the large holdall that held most of Marianne’s worldly possessions. Now she had a new base, she would need to go back and pick up some extra belongings from storage. Amira may have taken the furniture and their joint belongings from the flat, but she’d made sure to pack away her knives and kitchen equipment. Other than that, she really was starting from scratch at age thirty-four, and that felt hard.
“Are you okay? Joey was watching her. “It must be difficult to have to jump into a new life without any time to mourn your old one.” They were way more intuitive than they let on.
“It’s what I have to do, for Denny.” But she knew it was as much for herself. She wondered if the best thing she could do for Denny in the short term might be to go back to Dublin and face her peers, but she was determined not to do that.
It probably wouldn’t be a good move for Denny, either. She’d end up staying with her mum and Marianne didn’t want her child to witness that kind of parent/child relationship. She picked up Denny and pulled him close, but the sharp edges of the model boat dug into her shoulder. “You’ll need to leave that here. It’s Joey’s.” When she tried to pull it from his grip, he let out a howl.
“It’s fine, he can have it. I only built it out of boredom.” Joey reached over and took the boat from Denny’s grasp. To Marianne’s annoyance, Denny let go immediately.
“Denny, you can have the boat but it’s for looking at, not for playing, okay? You’ll need to put it on a shelf where you can see it.”
Denny nodded and carefully took the boat. “Boat.”
“Oh, Denny.” Marianne buried her face in his soft hair. “Will you ever say mama?”
“Joey,” Denny shouted, and she pulled back in shock.
Joey’s eyes opened wide. “Oh. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. You have a boat. I can’t compete with that.”
It did sting though. She’d always worried Denny would say “Mummy” to Amira first. Now here he was saying the name of someone he’d only known a few days. She hoped she wasn’t causing him irreparable harm.
She sat silently as they drove back to the Waterside and hopefully, at least for now, their new home. Could she make this work? The dread of going back to her mother’s house would have to work as incentive enough.