Chapter Six
Saturday, 28 th October
The alarm on her phone shrilled out, and Stacy rolled over and stared. Wow, she’d slept for eight hours straight; must be all this Swiss air. She lay listening, but the flat was filled with silence. Was Rico still asleep, or had he gone downstairs already? Or doing something quietly in another room? It was weird, this flat-sharing, though in a way it was no different to what she’d done as a student nurse. She’d shared a unit there too, and her flatmates had been strangers at the start. This only felt odd because she was all alone in a different country.
It turned into a half-work, half-play day. Rico had gone to pick up some last-minute supplies for that night’s aperitif, and Stacy spent the morning looking round the shops in Rorschach, then the afternoon in the office behind the Lakeside reception, sorting through the advertising files Rico’s mother had kept on the hotel computer. It was all pretty straightforward, and with the new spa facilities they’d be able to advertise on sites which were more medically orientated, too. She started a list of these, then went into the restaurant for hot chocolate, feeling very virtuous and more positive about her new job. It was going to be fun to help set up the spa, and when the first guests arrived in January, she’d be able to use her nursing training again, but in the way she wanted, far away from blood and guts and drama.
It felt odd, sitting here sipping chocolate all by herself. The room was set up for the aperitif, with most of the tables and chairs removed to give people space to mingle. The terrace bar was closed for the winter, though drinks and snacks were available here in the restaurant, which would stay open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings all during the renovation period. The atmosphere was lacking in the cosiness generally found in British pubs, though, so it might be an idea to do something about that, later on. It was something to talk to Rico about. A hotel like Lakeside needed a bar as well as a restaurant all year round.
Stacy drained her cup – time to get ready for the party, hooray. All this being alone was doing her head in.
Back in the flat, she pulled black trousers from the wardrobe, then rummaged through the tops hanging there. Blue and green silk off-the-shoulder? Black and silver with elbow sleeves? She settled on the black and silver, and wielded her mascara brush, determinedly ignoring the nervous churning in her middle. This would be her first chance to make some friends here, and she wanted to look her best. Okay, a squirt of perfume and she was ready. Stacy grabbed her bag and ran downstairs, ignoring the lift. She could work off a few calories before the party started.
A murmur of voices was coming from the restaurant as she crossed the reception area, and Stacy hesitated in the doorway. The room was already full of people, and she couldn’t hear a single word of English in the buzz of Swiss German around her. Rico had left an hour ago to pick up some elderly cousins and was still nowhere to be seen.
‘Hoi, Stacy!’ Eva, one of the waitresses, swept past and offered her a tray of prosecco.
Stacy took a glass, grinning inwardly. The fact that everyone here said ‘hoi’ instead of ‘hi’ still made her jump. She spotted Karen talking to a middle-aged couple by the window, and made her way over.
‘Hello, I–’ Stacy’s voice faltered as the receptionist raised her eyebrows.
‘Ah, Stacy. You could ask Eva what you can do to help, perhaps?’ Karen resumed her conversation in Swiss German, and Stacy’s cheeks flamed. The couple Karen was talking to looked embarrassed, and all Stacy could do was smile weakly and slink off. This wasn’t the time to ask Karen what the hell she thought she was doing.
In spite of her indignation, Stacy went to look for Eva. Waitressing wasn’t in her job description, but it would give her something to do, and she might be able to strike up a conversation with a few people.
‘Stacy!’
Help, another female voice calling her name. Stacy about turned and almost bumped into Flavia, the hotel’s youngest employee. They’d met in the summer when part of the kitchen floor had given way and Flavia had fallen into the resulting hole.
‘Flavia! You can’t imagine how glad I am to see you – how are you?’
Conversation was a touch tricky, as Flavia’s English was only slightly better than Stacy’s German, and the other girl obviously hadn’t understood what she’d said. Stacy repeated her ‘how are you’ in German, and Flavia’s face lit up. She spoke in slow High German.
‘You’re learning German? Very good! Prost!’
Stacy clinked glasses, and replied in English. ‘Cheers! And are you learning English?’
Flavia sipped, her cheeks pink. ‘Yes! We can help each other, yes?’
Rico came up behind Stacy. ‘Hi, ladies. Nice to see you’re getting reacquainted.’
Stacy winked at Flavia, and they both laughed. ‘We were glad to find each other! Everyone else seems to know all the others already.’
Rico looked around. ‘Come on. I’ll introduce you to a few more people.’
***
Rico put a hand under Flavia’s and Stacy’s elbows, and manoeuvred them though the crowd. As far as he could see, everyone he’d been expecting had come. They ranged from the people who’d be heading the renovation, to current and ex-employees from the area, to yet others like Stacy who’d be a part of the new Lakeside. They stopped beside Andi the project manager, who was talking to Roland, the guy in charge of tiling the spa area. Both spoke good English, and Rico introduced Stacy, swallowing a stab of jealousy as Roland’s eyes lingered on her face. Soon, though, they were all in the middle of a conversation about the best tourist spots in Switzerland, and Stacy was looking happier than she had since arriving. Even Flavia was managing the odd remark in English. But heck, look at the way Roland was chatting Stacy up, flirting unashamedly with her – he even put a hand on her arm at one point. Rico was meanly glad when she moved to the side almost immediately. He grabbed a glass of orange juice from a passing waitress and sipped.
Karen appeared with a few people from Grimsbach town council, and Rico found himself in a separate group. He chatted for a few minutes, then moved away to greet some new arrivals from the local paper. When he returned from having his photo taken in front of the hotel, Stacy was nowhere to be seen, and the waitresses were doing the rounds with canapés. Rico accepted a miniature cheese flan and strolled up the room, his heart sinking as he realised that Flavia, Andi and Roland were also absent.
This was ridiculous – and stupid. He had the hots for a girl he barely knew. She certainly didn’t feel the same way about him, and just to make things easier they were sharing a flat. Now he felt like some slimy green-eyed monster, worried in case his girl was talking to other men.
But she wasn’t his girl…
***
Stacy stood in the corner of the large conference room, sipping her prosecco and listening as Andi pointed out the spaces the tubs were going to occupy.
‘…and at the back we’ll have your medical room, Stacy, and some storage.’
Roland moved closer to Stacy. ‘And it’ll all be tiled white, with some blue and green patterned areas to break up the starkness.’
He gave her what was probably supposed to be a seductive smile, and yikes… He was practically on top of her now. Stacy stepped away, catching Flavia’s eye. The other girl immediately slid between her and Roland, and his face fell a mile. It took all Stacy’s self-control not to laugh when Flavia leaned even closer to Roland, murmuring something in Swiss German.
Roland drained his glass. ‘We should get back to the party.’ He wheeled round and left the room, followed by Andi, who wagged a finger at Flavia as he passed.
‘What did you say to Roland?’ Stacy gave Flavia’s arm a shake as they followed on.
Flavia smiled innocently. ‘I told him about your boyfriend the boxer. Was that wrong?’
‘It was perfect,’ said Stacy, highly entertained. Flavia wasn’t as na?ve as she sometimes seemed. It was a pity they wouldn’t see much of each together until the hotel reopened next year.
Back in the restaurant, the party was still buzzing, and Flavia grabbed two glasses from a passing waitress and handed one to Stacy.
Stacy took it reluctantly. She needed something to mop all this prosecco up.
As if he’d heard her thought, Rico approached, threading his way through the crowd with a plate of canapés in one hand.
‘Hello, you two. Thought I’d lost you. Try a very garlicky shrimp puff. It’s going well, isn’t it?’
Stacy took a puff, looking round the party guests – all she could see was happy faces. ‘It’s going brilliantly. We’ll need to invite them all back for the opening do in January.’
She caught Karen’s eye across the room, startled when the older woman scowled, then moved away to speak to someone. Stacy took a deep breath. She would have to get to the bottom of whatever was going on with Karen. It was going to be hard to work together with the receptionist looking daggers at her all the time.
Rico slid his sleeve up to see his watch. ‘Time for my speech, then we’ll finish up. And when everyone’s gone, we’ll eat all the leftovers. Wish me luck!’ He grinned at her, then strode across to the other end of the room and stepped onto the small podium there.
Stacy didn’t understand his speech, which was in Swiss German, but the party guests lapped it up. Oh, dear – listening to everyone laughing at whatever Rico was saying was making her feel like an outsider again. The German course she’d taken back in Elton Abbey wasn’t going to be much use here, with everyone speaking the Swiss dialect. The applause at the end of the speech was deafening, though, and Rico’s face flamed.
Flavia leaned towards Stacy as they stood together, clapping. ‘He likes you, doesn’t he?’ She nodded significantly at the podium.
Stacy jerked. ‘Rico? Why do you think that?’
‘The way he looks at you.’ Flavia smiled sweetly, and turned to speak to a couple on her other side.
Stacy watched Rico as he moved across the room, shaking hands and saying goodbye as people drifted to the door and out into the chilly October evening. First Emily matchmaking, now Flavia… Rico was her friend, that was all, and after David it would be a while before she was ready for anything more than friends.
She smiled as he joined her again, then her heart did a sudden nosedive. Oh heck, look at those hopeful eyes. Her job here might be about to get complicated.