Chapter Eleven
Thursday, 2 nd November
Stacy rolled out of bed and opened her wardrobe for some ‘proper’ clothes. No jeans today; she and Rico were conducting interviews for the spa nurse and attendant jobs. She dressed carefully, then grabbed a piece of toast and left the flat. The first interview was at nine, and they should go over the list of interview questions again before they started.
Downstairs, Rico was vacuum-cleaning the front hall, and Stacy laughed out loud.
‘That’s a nice managerial job! I guess the cleaners aren’t in today?’
He switched the vacuum cleaner off. ‘In this mess? You’re joking. They won’t be here until Friday, to get the restaurant ready for the weekend. I’m beginning to wonder if it’s a good idea, staying open for food at weekends, but it’ll bring in a few francs. We need all of those we can get.’
‘As long as restaurant guests come and go through the side door, I don’t see a problem. We should get some business from curious locals as well as people from further away wanting to eat overlooking the lake.’
‘That’s what I’m hoping. Okay, we’re doing the interviews in the restaurant. We can stick two or three chairs for waiting candidates over there where the sofa normally is. Karen’s here today, so she can greet them and show them where to hang their coats. Do we need anything else?’
‘Water?’
‘Good thinking. I’ll organise that, you bring the chairs from the restaurant.’ He strode off round the back, pulling the vacuum cleaner behind him.
Stacy fetched three chairs from the restaurant and placed them along the wall at the far end of the hallway. It was more like a dentist’s waiting room now, and come to think of it, that was probably how the candidates would feel.
‘What are you doing?’
Karen’s voice behind her made Stacy jump. Help, she’d been here a whole week, and Karen was as unfriendly as ever. The receptionist marched across and slid behind the desk, where she thumped her handbag down and shrugged out of her thick winter jacket.
Stacy went to stand on the other side of the desk. This was no way to work together; they would have to break out of this rut of unpleasantness.
‘We’re getting ready for the spa staff interviews. People can wait here, and we’ll call them into the restaurant one by one.’
Karen looked as if she wanted to roll her eyes. ‘Remember it’s Rico’s decision who comes to work here and who doesn’t. I wish Ralph was here too. He never makes mistakes about the staff.’ She whisked her jacket and bag into the office behind reception, and the door fell shut after her.
Stacy was left with her mouth all but hanging open. Was Karen implying that Rico’s appointment of her as spa nurse had been a mistake? As for Ralph never making mistakes, that was nothing less than ridiculous. Ralph was the one who had run the hotel into the ground. It was completely understandable; he’d just lost his wife, but the consequences for Lakeside had been disastrous.
Karen didn’t reappear, and Stacy left her to it. If the woman wanted to sulk in the office, then let her. She went on into the dining room, where Rico was setting out glasses on one of the tables, placed by a window for the interviews.
He sat down and opened his laptop. ‘Okay, first up is our only male interviewee, Peter Gassner, for the spa nurse job. Aged thirty, currently employed in a private clinic. Then we have Margrit Koller, forty-two, currently unemployed because she’s been caring for her father, who died recently. We can start as soon as Peter Gassner arrives. He’s due in five minutes.’
They spent a moment looking through the interview questions, then Stacy stood up. ‘He should be here now. I’ll fetch him in.’
Back in reception, Karen was standing behind the computer on the desk, and the row of waiting chairs had been shifted to the other side of the hallway. Stacy had to swallow her indignation – how petty was this? Thanks, Karen. A young man was waiting, though, and she called him through.
They spent half an hour with each of the first two candidates, both of whom had good qualifications and seemed keen to work at Lakeside, though Stacy couldn’t help wondering why such a young man wanted a low-key job like spa nurse after working several years in large general hospitals. They weren’t guaranteeing a full-time job, either, it would be sixty to eighty per cent at the start. He didn’t give a very concise answer when she asked about it, so they’d need to check his references carefully. Margrit Koller was clearer; she wanted a local job that would still allow her to spend time with her recently widowed mother, who wasn’t coping well with her bereavement.
The three women they interviewed for the spa attendant jobs would all have been suitable, though Stacy favoured the two younger applicants. Both lived locally, they were definitely more sportive than the older woman, and their English was better, too. It was after twelve when Stacy showed the last candidate out and came back to Rico.
He was frowning at his list. ‘Shall we discuss this over lunch? There’s a gourmet jar of spag sauce in the kitchen. I’ll give Andi a call about the new skip, then I’ll join you upstairs.’
Stacy trailed out to reception with the notes she’d made, then stopped dead. The office door was open, and Karen was hunched over the table, her face in her hands and her shoulders shaking with sobs. Stacy hesitated. Something must be horribly wrong for Karen to be crying like this at work, but she wasn’t the person to go and offer help.
At that moment, the office phone rang. Karen wiped her face on her sleeve, then lifted the handset. ‘Lakeside Hotel, how can I help?’
Stacy slid round the corner and jabbed the button for the lift. Something needed sorting there.
***
Rico ended his call with the project manager and jogged through reception, which was deserted, so Karen must have gone home for lunch. The lift wasn’t there, and he started up the stairs instead. He’d been sitting for most of the morning; some exercise would do him good.
Upstairs, Stacy was emptying a jar of arrabbiata sauce into a pan.
Rico leaned on the door. ‘I was going to cook. But thanks.’
She gave him a pointed look. ‘This isn’t cooking, this is heating up. You’re on the clearing away afterwards.’
Rico went to wash his hands, his heart singing. It was always so good when she kidded with him. Ten minutes later he was sitting opposite her at the table, the little flame of hope in his heart burning painfully as she passed him the Parmesan.
He forked up a mouthful of spaghetti and chewed, then nodded at his notes on the end of the table. ‘Shall we start with the easy part – the spa attendant jobs. What did you think?’
‘All three have good qualifications, but while it’s true the last candidate has more experience, I would give the jobs to the two younger women. They fit the image of a spa more, and their English is excellent.’
‘I agree. We’ll call in all their references, of course, but I think–’ He squinted at his notes again, ‘–Sabine and Jasmin are more suitable too. What about the spa nurse?’
Stacy put down her fork. ‘I favour Margrit. I don’t get why Peter wants to work here. You’d think at his age he’d be aiming for promotion, making a career for himself.’
‘Ye – es. On the other hand, I’m sitting very near another nurse who specifically wanted a low-key job. Maybe he’s the same, and having a bloke would have other advantages too.’
She leaned her chin in one hand. ‘Touché. Isn’t that sexist, though?’
‘No more than choosing the younger candidates would be ageist. We want the best person for the job, that’s all.’
‘I know, but…’
She screwed up her face while she thought, and Rico’s heart rate soared. She was so lovely. Oh, if only…
Stacy went on. ‘I liked Margit better. There was something shifty about Peter, though his qualifications are good.’
Rico sipped his water. ‘I didn’t notice anything, and I think there could be times when we’d be glad to have a bloke there and not a woman. I don’t think we should dismiss him just like that. I’ll call in his references as well as Margrit’s, and we can take it from there.’
Stacy put her fork down. She wasn’t going to let that go. ‘There are other blokes around in the hotel – what do you think we’d need him for? To protect us? Because that’s ridiculous. You come across awkward people in every hotel and spa and hospital and – everywhere. Nurses are trained to cope with that, and having a man around won’t make a difference if someone does kick off. We’d be better installing a panic button for the staff to press if real help was needed.’
Rico stared at his glass. She was right, and oh, he’d let his heart rule his judgement there. The best person to protect Stacy was Stacy, and she was perfectly capable of dealing with any situation that could arise.
‘Okay. Sorry. But to be fair, I’ll call in everyone’s references, and we can sit down together in a day or two and make the final decision.’
‘Agreed. But before we go, Karen seems really upset about something. I saw her crying earlier on. It would be better if you asked her if she’s okay. She’d probably fling any offer of help I made back in my face.’
Rico got up to clear off the table. ‘I’ll speak to her. She’s still not behaving well with you, is she?’
Stacy gave him what he could only describe as a black look. ‘That’s my battle, remember? You’re asking if her if she’s okay, nothing more.’
She stomped out of the kitchen before Rico could reply, and he filled the dishwasher glumly. He wasn’t getting much right today, as far as Stacy was concerned. Being a hotel manager wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.