Chapter Thirteen
Friday, 9 th June
R ico heaved his case onto the bed to unpack. Home again, and their whistle-stop tour of Grande establishments had shown them that the chain was both successful and well off. The two four-star hotels they’d stayed in were more modest than the Seeblick, but they were still head and shoulders above what Lakeside had become. No – what Lakeside had deteriorated into, and oh, this wasn’t what Mum would have wanted for her hotel. Rico hung up his suit, scowling at it. According to a nightclub manager they’d talked to, Grande were set to expand in all directions. Would it be so wrong to sell Lakeside and have it turned into something as successful as these other hotels were? Grande even had a six-star hotel – they hadn’t stayed there, but they’d gone in for a drink and a nosy round the first-floor conference facilities, and Dad was sounding more and more convinced about selling up if Grande were interested. Rico flung his shoes into the bottom of the wardrobe. Really, what option did they have? Overnight guest numbers had been in single figures almost every night since he’d arrived back at the end of May, and there was little prospect of a full house for the rest of the season. It was time to let go, and maybe he could accept it now, to make Lakeside successful again.
The flat door banged as Ralph came in. ‘I’ve arranged a staff meeting at eleven tomorrow,’ he called. ‘You and me, Karen from reception, and Peter from the restaurant. We’ll discuss options and how best to proceed, and I’ll set the ball rolling with Grande next week.’
‘Okay.’ Rico abandoned his case and went through to the kitchen. ‘Fancy a beer? Or food?’
‘Both,’ said Ralph. ‘It’s mushroom risotto downstairs tonight. Let’s have some sent up.’
‘I’ll fetch it.’ Rico was glad of the excuse to escape Ralph and his enthusiasm for not being a hotel owner. He ran down to the kitchen and put in the order, then wandered out to the terrace. The terrace bar was medium full, day tourists mingling with locals enjoying a drink at the end of the working week.
‘Should be a busy night, in this weather.’ Alan was gathering empty glasses and looking unusually happy about it.
‘Hope so. Nice to see a man look so cheerful about hard work.’
Alan grinned. ‘Hard work, good pay, and the prospect of a couple of days at home next week. It’s my parents’ thirtieth anniversary next Friday, so I’m heading back for the celebration.’
Rico swallowed. Alan’s family lived in Leeds. Would his weekend include a visit to Emily too? If it did, it was more than likely he’d see both girls, and oh… He’d been trying not to think about Stacy. There was no point; she was probably planning her wedding right now. Had Alan noticed how he felt about her? Hopefully not. And now he should say something; Alan was waiting for a reply.
‘Thirty years, huh? Buy them a drink from me – I’ve got a couple of tenners somewhere. I’ll look them out for you.’
‘Rico! Your risotto’s ready!’ The voice came from inside, and Rico left Alan to his glasses.
A plate in each hand, he trailed back to the lift. Between Ralph and his ‘let’s sell up’ joie de vivre, and Alan and his prospective visit to England where he might well see the girl Rico would give anything to have in his life, Lakeside wasn’t a comfortable place at the moment.
***
Stacy rummaged in her bag for her key to the flat. Friday night, hallelujah. Pen ’n’ Paper was closed on Sundays, and her parents were working tomorrow, so she had all weekend off. Bring it on.
She stuck her head into the living room, where Emily was doing her exercises. Poor Emmy, it must be boring sometimes, not having a job to go to and her summer holiday over already.
Emily looked up, sweat shining on her brow. ‘Pub tonight? I think I’ve earned a G oh, to be in Switzerland…
***
Emily’s pink cheeks and thoughtful mood lasted all the way to the pub, and Stacy gloated inwardly. Emmy wouldn’t admit it, but at long last things were looking up in her life. She was walking short distances without her stick now, and her limp was improving all the time. And hopefully, this visit from Alan would convince Emmy they might have a future as a couple. So come the autumn, Emily would be better, Alan would be home for good and, and she…
Her happy thoughts came to an abrupt end. Come the autumn, it was odds-on she would still be trying to get David to agree to a wedding date and Mum would still be breathing down her neck about it, and what she’d be doing for a job was still shrouded in mystery. Too many ‘stills’. That said, nursing jobs were plentiful at the moment, so finding one wouldn’t be a problem, and they’d waited all this time to get married. What difference would a few more months make?
Emily walked carefully back from the bar, a G&T in each hand. ‘You look a bit grim. And poor David, if he’s involved in helping out with that.’ She nodded at the TV high in the dartboard corner, where a news channel was showing ambulances speeding up to a hospital.
Stacy took a sip of her drink. This was where she should ’fess up. ‘He said it would be good experience, but – oh, Emmy, I know I’m being daft, but…’ David’s attitude to the wedding and all their non-plans came tumbling out, and Stacy felt better with every word.
Emily’s mouth was one round ‘ooh’ of indignation. ‘That’s ridiculous. You are so not being daft. Other people manage to plan weddings round their medical careers, why shouldn’t David? Anything that worries you should worry him too. Tell him you want to fix a date, end of.’
Stacy’s worst fear came out in a whisper. ‘Supposing he won’t? He keeps sliding out of it. And there’s no reason we couldn’t wait another year or two, is there?’
‘Now that is daft. He will. Why wait? He loves you, doesn’t he?’
‘Yes, but…’ Stacy sagged into the narrow pub bench. He did love her, didn’t he?
‘No buts. You make sure you see him this weekend, and come back with a date for that wedding, or else!’ Emily sat back and sipped her drink, her face thoughtful and a little smile tugging at her mouth.
A lump rose in Stacy’s throat, and she took a big swallow of her G&T. Unless she was very much mistaken, Emmy was at the start of something big, and oh, she and David had been there too, once upon a time. The heady first feeling that, yes, this might be the one, then the days when you knew he was and you were both in that wonderful, gooey, loved-up stage where the world and everything in it was rosy. How great it would be to get that feeling back again – and surely planning their wedding would help?
***
Lakeside became even more uncomfortable on Saturday morning. Ralph had organised the meeting with Karen and Peter in the smaller of their two seldom-used conference rooms, and Rico sat down beside Karen, his heart thumping nervously. This was where the ‘selling the hotel’ idea was going to get horribly real, wasn’t it? Telling other people about it was only the start, and where it would lead to was still swathed in uncertainty. Ralph had refused to discuss anything more last night, saying they’d need to talk it through again the next day anyway, and four heads were better than two.
When Peter, the restaurant and bar manager, arrived and took his place, Ralph sat up straight and glanced round the little group with a new firmness in his manner.
‘I’ve decided to leave Lakeside,’ he announced, leaning on the table top and looking from one face to another. ‘I’m going to live near my brother and his family in Lugano.’
Rico looked at the other two. Peter’s face was shocked, but Karen was nodding.
‘To be honest, Ralph, I’ve been expecting this, and I’m sure we can all understand,’ she said. ‘When are you going?’
‘As soon as we get a solution for the hotel organised. I don’t want to have to travel up and down – a clean break would be better.’
‘Does that mean you’re selling up?’ Peter poured them all mineral water. ‘Rico, what are your plans?’
Rico’s throat closed. The next half hour could determine his entire future. ‘I don’t want to lose the place,’ he said at last. ‘But I don’t feel I can run it, either. My idea was to get someone in to do that for us, but the way things are going that doesn’t seem to be a financial possibility.’
Karen patted his hand. ‘You have your own career, Rico. I can see you’ve been planning, Ralph. Tell us about it.’
Ralph handed out the brochures he’d gathered from the various Grande hotels, and went on to outline what he and Rico had done that week. ‘It’s something Edie would have approved of, I think. I’d hate to sell to someone who only wanted the place for the land.’
Rico listened as they talked. If Grande built Lakeside up again as a Swiss chalet hotel, it would still be Mum’s dream, even if it wasn’t her ‘English hotel in Switzerland’ any longer. Could he live with that?
He stared out of the window to the sun-soaked shrubbery, resigned acceptance to the idea growing. He could, yes, if he had to. A nice Grande hotel, built up on Mum and Dad’s hard work. He could still visit, hell, he could still open up his business in Grimsbach, if he wanted to. All that would change was he’d be visiting his father in Lugano instead of here. It was a tough decision, but maybe it was the right one.
The meeting ended with them all agreeing that Ralph should email Grande, and they’d wait and see what kind of interest came back.
Ralph gathered his papers. ‘And if they say no, we’ll think again. But with our location by the lake, I don’t think they’ll turn us down.’
Rico got up, his head full of thoughts and plans and hope and regret. He didn’t think Grande would turn them down either.