Chapter 14
14
‘That’s it, girl, put a bit of elbow grease into it. Good grief, you need another top off an egg if that’s the best you can do.’
Anya raised her head enough to make eye contact with Davy, who was sitting on the closed lid of the toilet like a king on his throne. ‘I can do without the running commentary, thanks.’ Dropping her head back, she scowled up at the stubborn connection bolt underneath the sink in the bathroom of Room 12. If she could carry a bloody four-year-old and a bag full of shopping, then she could damn well get this bolt loose if it killed her.
‘Just offering a bit of encouragement,’ Davy offered in an unusually mild voice. She didn’t need to be able to see his face to know he was enjoying watching her struggle probably a bit too much.
‘Well I can manage fine without it, thanks.’
Once he’d realised how completely useless Anya was at most practical things – well, the ones that had never interested her, at least – Davy had been on a one-man mission to teach her everything he thought she needed to know. This week it was plumbing. The previous week he’d taken her out in the car park and shown her how to jack up a car and change a tyre as well as how to check the oil, refill the washer bottles, and even how a set of jump leads worked. When she’d pointed out she didn’t have a car, he waved off her protests, insisting that these were the kind of things she might need to know one day. ‘What if you and Freya are stranded somewhere in the future because you can’t do something as basic as change a flat?’
Her answer before would’ve been that she’d call a garage and get someone out to fix it, but when Davy had mentioned how much just the call-out fee was likely to be, she’d blanched and decided that perhaps it was worth learning at least the basics. To her surprise, she’d begun to really enjoy herself. Acerbic comments aside, Davy seemed to be having a lot of fun too. He always had an anecdote to go with every task, some of which made her laugh so hard she couldn’t carry on with what he was trying to teach her. And it helped the days to pass. There was a flurry of activity around check-in and check-out times, but there were also a lot of dead hours to fill when someone needed to be around ‘just in case’.
She’d even come to enjoy the ritual of the post book as it was a great way to pick Davy’s brain. They would settle themselves in his office with a pot of tea and a couple of biscuits in the lull after check-out and go through everything. There wasn’t a scenario that came up which he hadn’t dealt with before. At first she’d just sat and written down his instructions, but lately he’d begun asking her what she thought they should do. She was surprised how much she’d picked up already. He also always wanted to know what Freya had been up to, and he’d been thrilled when Anya had presented him with a drawing Freya had done for him. It was pinned up on the wall opposite his desk and she often caught him smiling at it .
Ignoring the ache in her arms, Anya went to work on the bolt again. It shifted a fraction then stubbornly refused to move again. Gritting her teeth, she decided to distract herself from the frustration of the moment to talk over something that had been playing on her mind. ‘Freya is still insisting on dressing herself.’
Davy chuckled. ‘And what was this morning’s combo?’
Anya sighed. ‘A pink tutu over a pair of fuzzy green leggings I bought her last year to wear as winter pyjamas, and a yellow T-shirt with a sparkly panda on the front. Oh, and a red sou’wester.’
‘Ready for all weathers by the sounds of it. Very sensible.’
Anya propped herself on her elbows so she could raise her head and stare at him in disbelief. ‘She looks like a scarecrow, Davy! She’s got a wardrobe full of lovely clothes and every day she insists on going out looking like I’ve dressed her in jumble sale rejects. I don’t know what’s got into her.’
‘Have you asked her?’
She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘Of course I have, but she just gets upset, so I’ve had to back off.’
‘Poor kid’s been through a lot of change.’
She sighed. ‘I know. None of which is my fault.’
Davy shot her a sympathetic smile. ‘That’s not a criticism, pet, far from it. I think you’re doing an amazing job coping with everything, especially after all you’ve been through. Especially having to deal with my grumpy old arse every day,’ he said, smile widening into a grin.
‘I deserve a medal really when you think about it.’
He laughed. ‘That you do. Look, if you want my opinion on it, I reckon it’s about Freya trying to feel in control of something. Her whole world has been turned upside down, and for all you’ve done your best to protect her, she’s been through the wringer. There aren’t many things she can exert her will over, but what she wears is something that she can.’
Anya considered that for a moment. ‘You might be onto something there.’
‘Plus, it seems as if what she looks like is important to you, that you want her looking a certain way, presenting a certain image.’
‘That makes me sound like I used her as an accessory.’
Davy shook his head. ‘No, that’s not what I meant, but you’ve always had a way about yourself ever since you were a kid and it’s natural that you want Freya to look nice too. I think all this nonsense with her clothes is her way of testing you. Her daddy’s gone, she’s lost her home, her friends, everything that was familiar to her, apart from you…’
‘You think she’s afraid she’ll lose me…’
‘All kids test boundaries.’ Davy shook his head. ‘The scrapes and nonsense I’ve seen two generations of Penrose boys go through as they tried to find their way in the world would turn your hair white.’ He pointed to his own shock of white curls for emphasis.
Anya’s eyes stung. The urge to drop everything and run as fast as she could to Ma and Pa’s and scoop Freya up was almost overwhelming. ‘So what can I do to make her feel more secure?’
Davy shrugged. ‘Just keep doing what you’re doing. Let her wear what she wants and don’t let her see that it bothers you. She’ll settle down in time once she understands that she’s a Penrose now and we look after our own.’
‘But we’re not, though, are we? Not by blood.’
He made a disgusting noise as though he couldn’t believe what she was saying. ‘You’re one of us in every way that matters, and so is that little girl.’
‘Oh Davy, that’s a lovely thing to say.’ Leaning her weight on one side, Anya fumbled in her pocket for a tissue to blow her nose.
‘None of that!’ Davy’s eyes widened as if horrified at the idea of her crying. ‘Stop blathering at me and get that sink sorted, we haven’t got all day.’
Smiling to herself, Anya returned to the task at hand. With much muttered swearing she eventually got the bolt about halfway undone when the hotel mobile phone began to ring. ‘Do you want to get that?’ she asked when Davy made no move to answer it.
‘I thought you were the assistant, not me.’
Anya sat up with a huff, only just managing to avoid banging her head on the underside of the sink. She made a threatening gesture towards Davy with the large wrench as she grabbed for the phone with her other hand. ‘Good morning. Penrose House Hotel.’
‘Hey, it’s Rick. Where are you guys? I just popped in to say hello and was surprised to find reception empty.’
Anya rolled her eyes. Everyone was a critic today. ‘We’re in Room 12 sorting out the sink. We won’t be long if you want to wait.’ They’d left a sign up asking visitors to call for assistance, the office was secure and no one could get past the reception area without knowing the code to the internal lock.
‘No, that’s fine.’ Rick hung up, leaving her to stare at the phone for a moment. Well, whatever he wanted it couldn’t have been important. She put the phone down, put him out of her mind and picked up the wrench once more.
A couple of moments later there was a tap at the door and Rick poked his head around the side. ‘Anything I can do to help?’
Anya glanced up at him in surprise. ‘How did you get in here? ’
Rick shrugged. ‘I know the code, of course.’
Of course .
‘Now, what needs doing?’ As if the bathroom wasn’t small enough with her and Davy already in it, Rick decided to join the party, coming to crouch down beside her.
‘The sink’s backing up, so I’m taking off the pipe to see if I can clear whatever the problem is.’
He ducked his head under the sink, his broad chest all but blocking out the light. ‘Do you need a hand?’
Maybe twenty minutes ago when the damn bolt wouldn’t move. ‘It’s fine, thanks.’
‘She’s got it under control, boy.’
‘I’m just trying to help,’ Rick protested.
Resisting the urge to whack them both in the head with the wrench, Anya fixed first Rick then Davy with a steely glare. ‘Go away.’
Davy chuckled. ‘That’s us told. Come on, you can make yourself useful and stick the kettle on.’
Fifteen minutes later, Anya was tucking Davy’s massive toolbox back under the corner of the reception desk where it lived and trying not think too hard about the revolting hairball she’d fished out of the pipework. Her fingers itched with the need to wash her hands again, even though she’d scrubbed them twice after wrapping the mess in several layers of blue paper towels and disposing of it. The door to the office was closed, which was unusual. When she glanced through a crack in the blinds, Davy had a face like thunder. Rick was leaning against the opposite wall, his hands raised in a pleading gesture. Anya turned away. Whatever was going on between them, they wouldn’t thank her for snooping.
She did her best to distract herself. There were half a dozen new emails, all of them sales messages from various suppliers, that she gave a quick scan before consigning to the trash. She’d already printed off the booking details for that day’s expected arrivals, but she double-checked them against the diary and reread their details to make sure there weren’t any special requests she’d missed.
The office door opened and Rick emerged, looking a little upset.
‘Everything all right?’
‘Just family stuff. Nothing to worry about.’
It shouldn’t hurt to be brushed off like that, but after what Davy had said to her earlier, she couldn’t help it. ‘Okay. Is that what you came here for, then? To speak to Davy?’
Rick smiled. ‘Yes and no. Mostly I was just passing and thought I’d see if you’re free for lunch.’
‘Oh.’ Well, that was unexpected. Though she’d dismissed it at the time, Chloe’s teasing comments about Rick having a crush on her came zooming back. A man as handsome as him would surely have his pick of women to choose from, though?
‘I just wanted to thank you for making dinner the other night, no big deal.’
‘Oh,’ she said again, not quite sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed. ‘You don’t have to do that.’
‘Maybe not, but I’d like to. I’m on my way to the café anyway as I’ve got a meeting in the Hub later.’
‘Well I was planning on going there to pick up some sandwiches for me and Davy…’
He smiled. ‘Then we can walk there together at least.’
It would seem churlish to refuse and it would be nice to catch up. She’d hardly seen Rick since that first week of her arrival. ‘I’ll just let Davy know. I’ll meet you outside in a minute.’
When she peeked into the office, Davy was staring unseeing at the drawing Freya had done for him. ‘I’m popping to the café to grab some lunch. Any special requests?’
Davy roused himself from his contemplations. ‘No, pet. I’m not hungry.’
She frowned. ‘You need to eat something…’
He slapped a hand on the desk in front of him. ‘Good God, will you stop fussing around me like a bloody mother hen!’
Anya took a step back, shocked at both his tone and his angry gesture. They might niggle at each other, but it was always in jest. Even when she’d made a silly mistake he’d never done more than roll his eyes or call her a twit. ‘I’m sorry.’
The flash of temper vanished, blowing over like one of the freak storm squalls that sometimes hit the village, turning the sky from blue to grey and back to blue again in a matter of minutes. ‘No, I’m the one who should apologise.’ He leaned forward and rubbed the base of his back on the left. ‘I’ve got a bit of stiff hip and it’s giving me gyp. I should’ve known better than to sit on the hard toilet seat earlier.’ He smiled. ‘I’ll have whatever’s going. No need to hurry back, I’ve got everything in hand here.’
Anya didn’t believe him for a minute. He might well have a pain in his hip but that wasn’t what was upsetting him. It was obvious he and Rick had had words about something. Maybe Rick would give her a clue over lunch, because she didn’t like Davy being out of sorts like this. ‘Well, as long as you’re sure?’
‘I am. Oh, hold on.’ Davy pulled his wallet out of his pocket and fished out a twenty-pound note. ‘Lunch is on me, by way of an apology for biting your head off just now.’
She stared reluctantly at the note for a long moment before deciding there was no point in arguing with him about it. ‘Thank you, I won’t be long. ’
‘Take your time. You’ve got everything ready for this afternoon’s arrivals, I take it?’
‘Yes.’ Anya nodded. ‘Everything’s laid out on the desk ready, but I’ll be back well before then. Mrs Taylor requested oat milk and I’ve already popped a carton in their fridge.’
Davy smiled up at her. ‘I probably don’t say it often enough, but you’re doing a marvellous job. I don’t know what I’d do without you.’
She felt her cheeks warm at the unexpected praise. ‘I’m sure you’d get along just fine, but I love working here, Davy. Thanks for giving me a chance.’
A telltale hint of redness showed on his own face as he waved her away. ‘Go on with you, girl. I’ll see you in a bit.’