Chapter 23
When Gaby’s alarm went off the next morning, she shut it off with a groan. She’d spent most of the night tossing and turning and hadn’t drifted off until almost four o’clock.
While lying awake, she’d thought endlessly about Peter and the day they’d spent together and how it had ended in his bed with her wrapped up in his arms. Every moment had been amazing until she’d told him she had to leave and things had become strained and awkward.
She hated the way they’d said goodbye and playing those final minutes over and over inside her head was what kept her awake.
What sleep she did get was filled with troubled dreams that left her feeling anxious and irritated.
For all the rest she’d had, she might as well have spent the entire night with Peter, she thought with a wry shake of her head as she climbed out of bed.
Yes, because spending the entire night in his arms would’ve made this morning so much easier to deal with.
And if you believe that, you’ll believe anything.
With a busy morning ahead, she couldn’t afford to dwell on last night. She showered and dressed and grabbed a quick breakfast of toast and coffee before Harry Goodwin arrived to pick her up at eight as arranged.
Her aunt was still asleep and Gaby tiptoed around downstairs so as not to wake her. Jill deserved a relaxing Sunday morning lie-in while she continued to recover and was probably wiped out from the busy Saturday she’d spent with friends as she gradually resumed her social life.
After returning to Foxglove Street so late the night before, Gaby hadn’t been surprised to discover Jill already in bed.
Jill had left a note propped up against the table lamp in the hallway, saying she hoped Gaby had enjoyed a fun evening and asking her to remember to lock the door when she came home.
Gaby scribbled out a fresh note for her aunt and left it in the same place.
Morning Aunt Jill – hope you slept well.
I got back late last night, sorry to miss you and hope I didn’t disturb you.
Out the door early this morning for my hotel shift with the Goodwins.
Should be back mid-afternoon. Looking forward to spending my last evening here with you! Dinner will be my treat. Love, Gaby xx
Later in the morning, she’d send Jill a text message to check in with her, but a handwritten note would do for now to avoid waking her with a pinging phone notification.
Gaby had just finished propping the note in place when she saw Harry’s car pulling up outside the house. She grabbed her coat and bag and quietly closed the front door behind her so as not to wake her aunt.
“You’re a star to pitch in again and give up your Sunday morning for us, Gaby,” Harry said when she got into the passenger side.
“It’s my pleasure. Remind me again what bookings I’ll be managing today and what’s involved.”
Harry provided a recap while he drove through the quiet Sunday morning streets towards the Riverford Hotel. The venue had a local women’s business network booked in for a breakfast event from nine-thirty followed by a large birthday party booking in the lunchtime slot.
Listening to Harry’s summary, Gaby began organising work flows in her head and problem-solving some of the issues he was already flagging up—a staff member who’d phoned in sick first thing this morning, late adjustments to the business breakfast headcount which meant they’d need to add an extra table to accommodate more people, a calamity with the birthday cake ordered by the family from an external vendor who’d let them down at the last minute and their desperate query about whether they could come up with some sort of solution to avoid disappointing their guests.
They chatted about these problems and the solutions they might come up with. Diving into the work issues straight away stopped Gaby from letting her mind wander to Peter and the day they’d spent together followed by the brief hours they’d spent wrapped up in each other’s arms in his bed.
She couldn’t think about those things without sending her mind into a tailspin. Focusing on the event management duties waiting for her at Harry’s hotel kept those thoughts firmly in check.
The Sunday morning was bright and crisp and when she climbed out of Harry’s car at the hotel she breathed in a refreshing gulp of autumnal air before following him inside and getting to work.
It was a pleasure to be useful in the beautiful hotel with its gorgeous setting and exquisite interiors.
No wonder the place was booked solid. The first time she’d arrived at the Riverford Hotel, she’d taken a moment to admire the character and ambience of the place, and she did it again now as she walked through the lobby and the expansive lounge bar and the restaurant beyond it, before entering the kitchens.
She made a beeline for the head chef who was on duty overseeing the breakfast service and prepping for lunch.
Gaby explained the problem with the special birthday cake that their clients had ordered elsewhere and which wouldn’t now be arriving for the party and asked what could be done to make sure they weren’t left in the lurch.
With a confident nod, the head chef said they could bake and decorate a bespoke cake in the time available and Gaby wrote down the name of the birthday celebrant and the age so that the cake could be personalised.
The chef provided her with details for costs so the client’s bill could be adjusted to reflect the late addition to their booking requirements.
Gaby checked the contact details for the booking and phoned the client to deliver the good news along with the price adjustment. The shriek of delight she heard down the phone made her laugh. It always felt good to meet, and in this case exceed, guest expectations.
It also felt good to deal with problems quickly and efficiently.
Smiling at the progress already made, she left the kitchens and headed to the staff offices located on the other side of the ground floor.
Once she’d stored her coat and bag and scanned the event booking paperwork, she was eager to get started on the rest of the tasks ahead.
The women’s business network breakfast was booked in the garden conservatory room overlooking the lush lawns and with a view of the surrounding woodland. The space looked glorious with the early morning autumn sunshine slanting through the tall windows and French doors.
Staff were already at work putting the finishing touches to the table settings and the serving areas where the breakfast buffet would be laid out.
Gaby sought out the shift supervisor and oversaw the addition of a full new table to accommodate the increased headcount, making sure the repositioned tables still looked smart and attractive once they’d been moved.
Soon, she was headlong into overseeing the layout of hot and cold drinks and food items in line with the booking agreement.
By the time the work was done, she’d also redistributed the staffing allocation to deal with the absence of the waitress who’d phoned in sick.
Gaby would have to put her shoulder to the wheel to help serve and carry, but getting her hands dirty was nothing new to her.
Soon, the women who belonged to the business network were arriving and filling the room with chatter and energy as they mingled and enjoyed the breakfast offerings.
Ninety minutes later, the event drew to a close and the chair of the business network thanked Gaby for the work the staff had put in and for the delicious breakfast which had surpassed their expectations.
As they all filed out of the garden conservatory, Harry hurried past outside the room, a stack of paperwork under one arm and a laptop under the other, and he gave her a thumbs up in acknowledgement of the successful booking that was now drawing to a close.
Gaby paused long enough to refuel with coffee and a sandwich that Harry insisted she enjoy between the breakfast and lunchtime bookings.
While she wolfed down the sandwich and drained her coffee cup, she reviewed the birthday party booking for the lunch slot.
The celebration was in honour of a forty-fifth birthday and ran to fifty guests.
A three-course lunch would be followed by coffee served with the birthday cake the kitchen staff were now providing instead of the original external specialist cake supplier.
Gaby carried her empty plate and coffee cup to the kitchen to check on progress.
When she walked in, the sponge cakes were cooling on metal racks while a junior chef prepared a batch of buttercream icing.
The head chef confirmed the cake would be ready on time for the guests once coffee was served at the end of their meal and Gaby thanked him for making it happen.
With everything in hand with the birthday cake, she returned to the garden conservatory to oversee the room set up for the party. The staff made quick work of the turnaround and when the birthday party guests began arriving at twelve-thirty for drinks, the room was ready for them.
Her work managing the party and the staff kept her busy for the next few hours, but not so busy that she wasn’t able to lend a hand in the lounge bar to help serve an influx of walk-in customers.
She made sure she was back with the birthday party for the showcasing of the personalised cake, which looked fantastic lit with candles as everyone sang ‘Happy Birthday’ and which was devoured with enthusiasm.
By three o’clock, the party guests had gone, the client had thanked her and the team repeatedly for providing a beautiful birthday cake, and she was signing off on the paperwork at the end of the completed job.
“You went above and beyond yet again, Gaby,” Harry said as they walked back out to his car so he could drive her home. “The guests looked very happy with that birthday cake.”
“The kitchen staff deserve the credit for that. All I did was coordinate a solution.”