Chapter 36
‘She’s on a break,’ the ponytailed bartender said, when Issy asked for Georgie at the bar.
After the realisation had struck her—that George Mobile was Georgie-the-waitress—Issy had called her mother to ask her about the lovely waitress who’d looked after them on Christmas Day.
She’d made something up about wanting to contact her regarding an upcoming event she was organising for the staff (‘You know how it is, Mum! It’s impossible to find good people!
’) and Heather had told her she would find Georgie at the Red Lion Hotel.
So here she was. Issy wasn’t sure what she was planning to say when she came face to face with Georgie, but she strongly suspected Hugh was cheating with her, so she wanted to suss her out.
She followed the bartender’s pointed finger and saw Georgie sitting at a high table in the corner with Meg, the academic. It struck her as an unlikely pairing.
‘Issy! Hi!’ Meg said, frowning, when Issy reached the table. ‘Ah, this is—’
‘Georgie. Yes, hello.’ Issy gave Georgie a tight-lipped smile, then turned to Meg. ‘We met on Christmas Day.’
‘Hi,’ Georgie said, flipping her long, tousled hair from one side to the other. Issy shuddered, picturing Hugh’s hands in that hair.
There was an awkward silence. ‘Do you want to have a seat?’ Meg offered.
‘Thanks.’ Issy sat down. ‘How was your Christmas, Meg?’
‘It was …—’ she searched for a word, ‘—eventful.’
Issy let out a little laugh, thinking of her own eventful Christmas Day. Meg and Georgie looked at Issy as though they were waiting for her to explain what she was doing there.
She cleared her throat, wishing she’d given more thought to how she would approach the conversation. ‘Thanks for helping out the other day,’ she said to Georgie.
‘All good,’ Georgie said, chewing gum.
‘I didn’t know you knew my fiancé, Hugh.’
Georgie frowned. ‘Hugh?’
‘Yes. You were talking to him after lunch.’
‘Oh, he just came looking for another beer. I just know him from around here, you know,’ Georgie said vaguely.
‘So you grew up around here, then?’ Issy asked.
Georgie nodded.
‘Georgie’s dad worked at the Ashworth Park,’ Meg said.
‘Really?’ Issy replied.
Georgie nodded, unsmiling. ‘For twenty years.’
‘Wow, he must be one of our longest-serving employees. Did he retire?’
‘Not exactly.’ Georgie bit her lip, brow furrowed.
‘Tell her, Georgie,’ Meg said.
Georgie shot her a look.
Issy glanced from one to the other. ‘Tell me what?’
‘Georgie’s father had an accident at work—’
‘Meg—’ Georgie interjected.
Issy frowned. ‘An accident? At the hotel?’
‘She doesn’t want to know—’ Georgie said to Meg.
‘I do want to know,’ Issy said. ‘Please tell me, Georgie. I’m listening.’