Chapter 26
Caffè all’americana – espresso with hot water. Good for
steeling the nerves
A ngel settled in, as if born, to pub life.
She and Skip had a few days sniffing around one another suspiciously and then decided to ignore one another.
She found her spot on the opposite side of the wood burner to him and spent most of her time snoozing unless she heard the rustle of a packet of crisps, at which point did the mournful spaniel act and begged a few.
Livvy kept a watchful eye out. Not everyone appreciated a springer drooling at their knee and she was only let into the bar when food wasn’t being served.
For the rest of the time she seemed content to lie in her bed in the back corridor next to the kitchen, reaping the odd scrap of meat or carrot from Fabio. Although slightly subdued, she seemed to be taking her change of accommodation in her stride.
Good to his word, Mark had walked her early in the mornings.
However, as he’d now gone to collect his sister from London before they travelled to York for Christmas, Livvy was forcing herself out of bed in the chilly early hours for a quick run on the beach.
The walk back up the steep hill to The George almost killed her at first but her thighs were getting used to it.
Eli was besotted and often took Angel out when his lunchtime shift ended.
The springer endured it all with a stoical acceptance.
At night, Livvy allowed the dog to sleep on the end of her bed.
She was grateful for the warm weight on her feet and put up with the odd snorting snore.
Thankfully, the icy cold weather was putting paid to any nocturnal teenage action in the car park and Angel’s guard dog prowess was so far untested.
The pictures of Livvy clambering out of the cherry picker after putting up the Christmas lights had hit the front page of the Lullbury Bay Echo .
The community Facebook pages were a buzz of chatter.
The George and its intrepid new landlady had even been given a double-page feature spread in the newspaper, its headline, ‘Lights Go Up, Up, Upmarket and Away’.
Livvy hadn’t been too happy about the emphasis on her family background, but publicity was publicity and, along with the December frosts and the town’s love for all things Christmas, had brought welcome extra trade to the pub.
They were almost always fully booked for food and, for the first time, Livvy felt she might be making serious money.
She was puzzled, however, when examining the accounts, to see profits not as solid as expected.
‘Must ask Mark to take a look,’ she murmured, worried she was coming to rely on him a little too much.
She pinned the photograph of her in manure smeared jeans and with Gerry’s hand splayed on her bottom, to the newly installed noticeboard in the entrance hall.
It made her giggle. The cuttings were framed by more cards from customers and a cheery border of frothy silver tinsel.
The bar, with its lavishly decorated tree in the corner, and reams of white and silver tinsel looked happy and festive.
The walls remained bare, but Dave Wiscombe had brought up three of Vivienne Little’s seascapes which hung in pride of place in the restaurant.
It now had its own tree, and with sprigs of ivy, and holly gleaming with bright red berries, in bud vases on each table.
The George was gearing up for its first Christmas.
However, if Livvy felt as prepared as she could be for her first hectic Christmas season in the pub, she was less equipped for her parents’ visit.
‘Well it’s rather basic, darling,’ Penny Smith-Lygott announced as she came downstairs from unpacking. She gazed dismissively around the bar. ‘It’s going to take an awful lot of work.’
Livvy fumed silently. It was just as well her mother hadn’t seen the pub before its refurb.
‘I like the bar,’ her father said.
‘Thanks, Dad. It’s cosy, isn’t it?’
Penny flicked a finger over one of the scrubbed pine tables. ‘Homely, I suppose.’
‘Mum, it’s a pub bar, not The Ritz and I plan on doing up the restaurant a little more luxuriously when I can.
The place has already had quite a lot of work done but I’ve more planned for the future.
I’ll get the B&B side of things up and running and I’ll landscape the beer garden and then tackle the outbuildings.
’ Sticking up for her little empire, even though her heart was hammering against her ribcage at the predictable criticism from her mother, she added, ‘But I can’t do everything at once. Not until I’m established.’
‘Well, it’s a shame not to have the bedrooms done,’ Penny sniffed.
‘Oh, do give it a rest,’ Brian Smith-Lygott groaned. He winked at his daughter. ‘Ever since we decided to properly retire, your mother has been channelling the Hotel Inspector.’
‘Nothing wrong in having standards, Brian,’ Penny responded, crisply. She narrowed her eyes at her daughter. ‘If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.’
Livvy wondered how she was going to get through the next week. ‘What about a coffee?’ she suggested brightly. ‘Before you have lunch. Fabio’s made a delicious cataplana as a special today. The fish is from the wet fish shop in Lullbury Bay’s harbour. Can’t get much fresher than that.’
Penny’s nose twitched. ‘Fish stew?’ She tweaked a carefully blonded hair back into place. ‘Oh, Olivia!’
‘Yes, with local mussels too and home-made bread.’ Livvy winced at how defensive she sounded. She resented how her mother always brought that out.
‘Sounds delicious.’ Her father beamed. ‘And we’ll go for two Americanos if that’s possible. Might have a quick snifter with mine, darling, as it’s so cold.’
‘Brandy, Dad, or a whisky?’
‘Single malt if you’ve got it.’
‘Of course. Go and warm yourselves up.’ As Livvy made the coffee, a familiar slow-gaited shuffle alerted her to an arrival. ‘Usual, Pete?’
‘Ar. Reckon a cider would go down a treat. And a packet of cheese and onion. Buggerin’ freezing out there.’
‘You do look cold.’ The old man’s face and knuckles were reddened by the chill wind.
‘Go and get yourself warmed up. I’ll bring it over.
’ She turned and her smile faltered. ‘Oh. Looks like your seat’s has been taken.
’ Her parents had bagged the table by the wood burner.
Skip, taking no notice, had slumped in his usual spot on the rug in front.
‘What a jolly gorgeous collie,’ her father exclaimed, not giving Livvy time to warn him Skip wasn’t friendly. She watched, open-mouthed, as Brian rubbed Skip’s tummy, and the dog rolled over in ecstasy.
At the bar Pete narrowed his eyes and harrumphed. ‘Who’s that then, taking liberties with my Skip?’
‘It’s my dad. My parents have come to stay for a few days. Looks like he’s joined the exclusive and very short list of humans Skip tolerates.’
‘Where’s our Angel today?’
‘Eli took her for a run on the beach. They’ll be back for the lunchtime service.’
‘Reckon I’ll go and join your folks, then.’
Livvy winced and then shrugged. If her father could win over Skip, he could cope with Old Pete. And her mother would just have to put up with it. ‘Fancy today’s special, Pete? On the house,’ she whispered. He looked as if he could do with a hot meal.
The old man brightened. ‘Don’t mind if I do, young Livvy.
’ He fished in his greasy tweed coat. ‘And here you are, my lovely.’ Handing over a battered Christmas card, he added, ‘Place has come alive since you took over.’ There was a suspicious glitter in his rheumy eyes.
‘The boys have really appreciated you keeping the skittles alley open. And those burgers were the business.’
She took the card, feeling her throat close with emotion. ‘Oh, Pete, thank you.’ After all the hard work of the last few months, it was good to hear she was doing something right. ‘I’ll put it up in pride of place.’ Sniffling, she said, ‘I’ll go and find out how Fabio is doing with those specials.’