Chapter 6
Evie
Abby wasn’t what she’d expected.
Evie sneaked a look at her as they walked back to the hotel.
How did she walk in those shoes? If Evie had worn something similar she would have twisted her ankle and ended up using crutches.
Abby seemed to have no problems. She was long-limbed and elegant, like a gazelle. Next to her Evie felt like an overenthusiastic
labrador.
She started to smooth her hair but then gave up. It didn’t matter what she did, she was never going to look as poised and
elegant as Abby.
If Evie had just stepped off a long flight followed by a train and car journey, she would have been a crumpled mess, but she
was willing to bet that Abby had never been crumpled in her life.
Her make-up was subtle, her hair twisted into an elaborate knot on the back of her head.
Her white shirt was perfectly cut and pristine.
Everything about her suggested discipline and control.
She’d said she’d worked in all the different areas of hotels, but Evie was struggling to picture her cleaning a toilet.
She might have felt intimidated, but then she remembered that little bonding moment over the scone when they’d laughed together.
There had been nothing distant about Abby at that moment, which was presumably why Evie had suddenly opened up and spilled
all her worries. And to be fair Abby had listened attentively. She’d seemed almost as annoyed as Evie that a stranger had
been poking around the hotel.
She really seemed to care, and for the first time since Evie had taken over the job from Gerald, she felt as if she had someone
in her corner.
Talking to Abby had lifted her mood a little and Evie felt more cheerful as she showed her round the hotel, introducing her
to staff members, who were universally welcoming.
Fortunately, there seemed to be no disasters ongoing at that particular moment. No pipes had burst. No guests were complaining.
None of the staff were asking to leave early to handle a family crisis. No one was taking an elongated lunch break.
Abby herself was reserved, greeting people politely but formally, listening while they explained their role in the hotel.
Evie was impressed by the interest she showed and the questions she asked. Most of the staff just took care of their role
(and sometimes not even that!) and didn’t worry about the rest of it. Abby was interested in all of it. Interested and engaged.
“Ooh, it will be good for our Evie to have reinforcements,” Pat said cheerfully. “You’re very welcome here. We’re a friendly
bunch, so don’t hesitate to ask us anything. Where will you be staying while you’re here?”
“We’ve booked her into the Lookout at the Smuggler’s Inn,” Evie said. “I’m taking her over there when I’ve finished the tour.”
“Lucky you.” Pat winked at her. “If I were twenty years younger I’d be booking myself in there, too. And maybe doing a little
sleepwalking and finding myself in the landlord’s apartment.”
“Thank you, Pat.” Mortified, Evie moved on hastily. “Now I’ll show you the kitchens.”
Abby glanced over her shoulder and watched Pat vanish down the corridor. “What did she mean by that?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all. Ignore her.” She should have gathered the staff together and given them a talk on appropriate behaviour.
“But why would she want to find herself in the landlord’s apartment?”
Evie sighed. She should probably be honest. Abby had a right to know what she was dealing with. “Because Tristan, the landlord,
is single and particularly good-looking, and because everyone in this village is obsessed with meddling with other people’s
love lives. Please ignore it. That’s what I try and do.”
Abby gave her a curious look. “They meddle with your love life?”
“Oh yes. You get used to it.” That wasn’t exactly true of course because she’d never got used to it. “It’s particularly bad
in your teenage years when you’re gawky and uncertain about who you are and everyone has an opinion. For example, my first
kiss was round the back of the pub and I thought we’d been discreet. Then the next day four different people told me they
didn’t think he was right for me, and they also told my dad.”
Abby laughed. “That must have been a little limiting.”
“Very limiting. And it still happens.” She thought of Martin, and then pushed the thought aside. She wasn’t going to let Martin ruin what was otherwise a perfectly good day.
“I can’t imagine living in a place where everyone knows everyone else.”
“Well, it’s heaven or hell, depending on your taste. It’s impossible to keep secrets in this place. On the other hand if you
want everyone in the village to know something you don’t have to waste time or money on a mailing. Just tell Marie in the
ice cream shop. And while you’re there order a scoop of her vanilla and honeycomb.” She pushed open the doors that led to
the kitchen.
Every surface gleamed and the staff were in the process of prepping for the evening.
There was no sign of Luca but Evie made a mental note to thank him for organising his domain so well.
“This is where the magic happens.” Evie paused as Alina, one of the receptionists, stuck her head around the door.
“Evie! There you are. The Hunters just checked out. They were complaining that their breakfast was cold so I removed it from
their bill and offered them a free night next time they’re staying.”
Evie felt a ripple of frustration and resisted the urge to bang her head against the wall. They couldn’t afford to overcompensate.
“Did they complain about their breakfast at the time?”
“I—I don’t know.”
“I did a walk-around this morning and all they said to me was ‘good morning.’ We encourage guests to tell us right away if
they encounter anything during their stay that falls below the standard they were expecting. We can’t fix something at the
end.”
“Right.” Alina looked confused. “I thought our aim was to have happy guests.”
“It is, but we need to do that while keeping an eye on our profit. It isn’t all about discounts. Sometimes we just need to do better.”
Alina nodded. “It’s just that Gerald always—”
“I know,” Evie interrupted quickly, conscious that Abby was listening, “but next time there’s a problem give me a call and
I’ll talk to them.”
“Okay. I’ll do that.”
Alina left and Evie led Abby back to the office. She wished Abby hadn’t witnessed that. It was mortifying. She’d wanted to
impress Abby, and instead that encounter had been a demonstration of staff inexperience and her own ineptitude as a manager.
Abby wasn’t to know how hard Evie had worked to try and change things. She was probably wondering what sort of outfit she’d
joined.
Her mood deflating again, she grabbed her bag from her desk. She hoped the Hunters weren’t going to leave a bad review. It
was true that Gerald probably would have offered them a big discount, but she was fast becoming aware that his misplaced generosity
(or maybe it was his aversion to conflict) was one of the reasons the hotel was losing money.
Pushing that aside, she smiled at Abby as if nothing was amiss. “I’m going to take you down to the village now and get you
settled in your new home. I can show you around so that you can orientate yourself.”
They walked to the back of the hotel where Evie’s car was parked and loaded Abby’s luggage into the back.
“It’s stunning,” Abby said as they drove back along the coast. “And it’s such a pretty day.”
“Yes, you timed it well. Which is good. I want you to see it at its best. Hopefully it will stop you wanting to run away from
us.”
“Why would I run away?”
Because this place is slowly collapsing and you don’t want to be buried under the rubble.
Evie concentrated on the road. It had been easy to tell Abby about the weasel and her concerns for the future of the hotel.
Not so easy to confess that she was struggling to manage the staff. That felt too personal.
“I’m really pleased you’re here, that’s all. Relieved. I’m sure you’re in demand and I don’t want head office to snatch you
away and put you elsewhere yet. I’ve been desperate for help.”
Abby was silent for a moment. “So you don’t mind that head office sent me?”
“Are you kidding? I could hug them.” Evie waited for a gap in the traffic and turned into a narrow road that led steeply down
towards the harbour. “I’d been telling them for a while that it would be helpful to have a conversation about the way things
are.” She slowed down to allow a mother with a toddler to cross the road safely.
“You contacted them? And what did they say?”
“Nothing. They didn’t respond.”
“So did you try again?”
“A couple of times, but after that I stopped. I didn’t want to be a bother. I assumed they were busy.” And Evie knew that
feeling. “They’re expanding a lot so we’re not a priority.”
“Every hotel is important. I’m sorry you had that experience.”
“You have no reason to be sorry. It’s not your fault! You’re a worker bee like the rest of us.” Evie shot her a brief smile.
“Anyway, everything is good now. And they sent me you, so I’ll forgive them.”
“You’d better get to know me before you form a judgement.”
“I know enough. From the moment you set foot inside the hotel you’ve been asking sharp, pertinent questions. I can tell you’re exactly the person I need to help me get everything back on track. Dare I ask what your first impressions are?”
Abby looked thrown by the question. “I—the position is exceptional of course. The staff approachable and friendly. From what
I’ve seen so far you seem to be a close-knit group. Supportive.”
A little too close-knit on occasions, but that wasn’t something Evie was ready to discuss.
The road narrowed still further and Evie swung into a parking space. “This is my space. Can’t go further into the village
or we’ll be stuck. Tourists do it sometimes of course. They ignore all the massive notices and try and park on the quay when
the tide is out. Then the tide comes in and they’re annoyed that their car is filled with seawater. They seem to think we