Chapter Thirty-Seven
Monday, 15 th January
Kim slid a mug across to Stacy on the other side of the kitchen table, and sat down opposite.
Stacy smiled her thanks. ‘It feels like forever since I’ve had a German lesson with you and Ben.’
‘It’s been a week or two. Ben’s been dying to show you his Christmas presents, haven’t you, sweetheart?’
Ben appeared with an electronic game his grandmother had given him, and Kim rolled her eyes. It was the kind of thing that kids loved, but it was driving her crazy with all the beeping and howling it did. She managed to persuade him to build up his new zoo in a corner of the kitchen, then came back to the table.
‘How are things at the hotel?’
There was a little pause while Stacy sorted out what she wanted to say in German, then she sighed.
‘The hotel’s fine, but I’m going to miss Emily this week. It was so nice having her and Alan staying with me. We shared a flat for ages, you know, and I got used to having her around to bounce things off.’ She reached out and touched Kim’s arm. ‘Not that I wouldn’t bounce stuff off you, too, it’s more her actually being there in my home that I miss.’
‘I can understand that. I’m dreading when Tobias will be away for work for days on end, and that starts in January.’ Kim hesitated. Stacy’s German was coming on a lot, but she wasn’t sure it would be up to what she wanted to ask. Plus, it would be best if Ben didn’t understand what she was about to say. A quick word in English might be best.
‘Stacy, tell me to shut up if you don’t want to talk about this, but – is there anything between you and Rico?’ When she thought back to her conversation with Rico on the stony beach that day, it was clear he wanted there to be a whole lot between them, but what did Stacy think?
Stacy slumped. ‘I’m in a bit of a mess with my relationships. I spent so long letting my feelings about David dictate what I do, and even now, when I’ve banished him to the distant past, I can’t seem to get my life sorted.’
Kim snorted. Talk like that wouldn’t change anything, would it? Action was what they needed here.
‘Heavens, woman, is anyone ever completely “sorted”? I take it that Martin’s no longer around? And you like Rico, he likes you – what’s the problem?’
‘You’re right, I do like Rico, but I don’t know if he does like me in any other way than as a colleague he’s friendly with. Plus, there’s the problem I can’t tell you about, though it wouldn’t stop him doing anything he wants to do, including letting me into his life. But he pushes me away all the time now.’
‘Could whatever it is be more of a problem than you know about?’
Stacy chewed her top lip. ‘I don’t think so. But the same thing would apply even if it was. There’s nothing to stop him confiding in me, and I know I could help him. But that’s obviously not what he wants. It’s hopeless, Kim.’
Put like that, it did sound as if Rico didn’t want Stacy’s help with whatever it was, so Stacy could be right about it being hopeless. Kim grimaced. On the other hand, it might still be helpful if she banged their heads together.
Ben trotted back and pulled at Stacy’s sleeve. ‘Come and see my zoo!’
Okay, back to the German lesson. Kim sat playing zoos on the floor with Ben and Stacy, which increased Stacy’s vocabulary quite considerably. It wasn’t spa vocabulary, but talking about anything helped you gain fluency, and Stacy was making huge progress there.
And she was going to do her utmost to get Stacy’s love life making progress too. Not to mention Rico’s.
***
Rico was in reception, organising the guest bookings file in the computer. It was really Karen’s job, but there was a limit to what she could do in two days a week, and tomorrow she and Stacy had to sort out a spa bookings system. Saturday would see the hotel swing back into action, with all the staff working the hours they normally had, and he couldn’t wait. Keeping busy was the only way he could forget what might be going on in his lungs for a few minutes.
The front door swung open and he looked up to see Kim approaching, pulling off her gloves and hat.
He grinned. ‘No Ben today?’
‘He’s gone to the vet with my neighbour and her dog. We met her on the way out, and you couldn’t see Ben’s heels for dust when he learned where she was going. He loves animals.’
She came and leaned on the desk, and Rico abandoned the computer. ‘Stacy’s not here. She’s gone into town to get some medical bits and pieces for next week.’
‘Doesn’t matter – you’ll do too, if you have a moment?’
‘Sure. What’s up?’
‘It’s about your hotel beautician. Stacy mentioned she wasn’t working full time, and I was wondering if it would be possible to hire the room just for one or two hours a week on the days she wasn’t here? I’m continuing my manicure business at home. I’d like to do facials again too, but I don’t have the facilities in the dining room.’
Rico thought swiftly. Theoretically, there was no reason not to agree, but it would be best to run the idea by Stacy and also Viola, the beautician, before he agreed.
‘That sounds possible – can I get back to you about it?’
‘Lovely. Thanks. Stacy’s good at her job, isn’t she?’
Rico gave her a pointed look. Was there more to Kim’s request than met the eye? She was standing there with a seemingly innocent expression on her face. He could be sure that Stacy hadn’t told her anything about his problem, but Kim was Stacy’s friend, and she might have her own agenda here.
‘She is. She’s looking forward to the opening.’
‘I know. You and she make a good team.’
Kim definitely had her own agenda, and the best way to deal with it was with humour. Rico wagged his finger at her.
‘We are a good team, but it’s a business team only, Kim Burri, so take your matchmaker hat off right now. Anything more than co-workers is not going to happen for Stacy and me.’
She wrinkled her nose at him, then grinned. ‘Whatever you say. But my question about the room is real, so please run it by your co-worker, and tell her I’ll see her for another German lesson soon.’
‘Will do. One of us will let you know, huh?’
She left, and silence fell over reception again. Rico went upstairs to make coffee. Being alone was doing his head in. He caught sight of his reflection in the door of the microwave, and yet more fear crashed over him. Had his cheeks always been so sunken? Or was it the darkness of the reflection in the black glass door? He’d lost weight after the accident, but Dad’s doc in Lugano had said that was to be expected and he’d soon regain it.
Or was it the ‘infection’ he’d had that was causing it? Cancer did that to you. Mum had been a shadow of herself, the last couple of weeks. Oh God, no.
He dived through to the bathroom and pulled out the scales. Okay, he’d been seventy-three kilos, the last time he’d been at Doctor Grasso, about three kilos less than his normal weight. Now he was… He stepped on the scales. Seventy-one kilos. He was losing weight. Hell, hell, hell.