Chapter 5 #2
Of course, Siggy knew why she always chose this spot.
As sure as they sat in the window seat, there would be people coming in for coffee.
For some reason, if the place looked empty, they tended to walk on by.
It was a pity, because Siggy loved the elegant window seat which looked out across the village square, with the great old chestnut trees almost crouched down with heavy branches of huge leaves.
It was the perfect spot to people watch from, or just to sit and look out at the world – or the tiny patch of it that was Muffeen Mòr, pass by.
This place. Sometimes, it felt as if time had stood still.
Except of course, it hadn’t. Nothing ever truly stays the same.
Look at Marcus, so much a part of this place and then when no one was expecting it, all that vitality just gone out like a light.
She thought about him often. Funny, because in real terms, she hadn’t been close to him, but when she stood still in the hotel, it felt as if he was still here, lingering close by, keeping an eye on all of them.
Her father’s van parked up just a little way along the square caught her eye.
She hadn’t realised he was meant to be working in town today.
Siggy could have sworn he was meant to be helping at the retirement home, clearing winter away from the grounds so the residents could make the most of the good weather ahead.
Perhaps he had stopped off to run some errands in the village.
Then, she spotted him standing a little way over on the green, almost hidden amidst the thick tree trunks.
He was talking to someone and Siggy peered a little closer.
Rae was right, her dad was a legend on Pin Hill Island back in the day.
Capped for Ireland – it was a great honour to have someone from such a small place on the Irish rugby team.
Even still, people – especially older people – loved to stop him to chat about the latest match and what he thought were the chances for this year’s Triple Crown.
She realised some time ago that he never complained if he had to have the same conversation ten times over in the one week.
He just stood there and chatted and smiled and tapped people’s backs and said, well, you never know, maybe this year, as if they all had some part in how things would turn out.
People loved her father, no doubt about it.
Siggy caught herself smiling as she watched him, kneeling now on the banquet chair to get a look at who he was chatting to this time.
Fiona Dixon. Her mother’s friend? She was an unlikely woman to want to talk about rugby, perhaps she was offering him a job? But then, as Siggy watched, she saw Fiona move forward as if in slow motion, put her hand up to Kip’s face, as if she was about to kiss him.
No.
No way.
She must have been imagining it. She moved closer to the window, changed her angle slightly. From here, it seemed as if they were much further away from each other. No. No. It must have been her eyes playing tricks on her, surely Fiona Dixon would not have set her cap at her dad?
That would just be ridiculous.
And yet, as Siggy continued to watch them, even as they went their separate ways, she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that she’d seen something completely out of kilter with what she wanted to believe to be true.
Her father and Fiona Dixon – even the vague notion of it knotted her up uncomfortably, drying her mouth and making her feel as if the ground had somehow lost traction beneath her feet.
‘There was a time when you could come in here and order a dinner fit for a king on a Wednesday afternoon. Now, all I have to offer are a few shop-bought biscuits.’ Rae intruded into her thoughts and laughed as she said this, but Siggy had a feeling that it wasn’t really a joke.
‘You know the village has moved on from dinners in the middle of the day like cabbage and bacon or a lamb stew?’ Siggy said. ‘It’s all wraps and paninis these days, you could do those here, if you wanted…’
‘I have a feeling that the wraps and paninis will have their day too,’ Rae said.
‘So, what then?’
‘That’s the question, isn’t it… authentic Italian pizza or ethnic street food – do you think the island is ready for that?’
‘Hmm.’ Siggy wasn’t sure what to say to that. Ethnic street food was a million miles away from anything her mother was likely to serve up for dinner.
‘Wishful thinking, I’m letting my imagination run away with me,’ she said a little sadly then, it seemed to Siggy.
‘So, what’s really on your mind?’ Siggy placed the coffees down before them and took two ginger nut biscuits because she couldn’t resist an open packet of biscuits if she tried. ‘Don’t say, nothing.’
‘No, you’re right, but I’m not sure anyone can help with what’s on my mind now.’ She smiled at Siggy and maybe, that was part of why Siggy liked coming here, because when Rae said things like that, it felt as if they were equals. ‘The truth is, I need to drum up more business…’
‘With lunches?’ She made a face, because surely Rae knew, that there just wasn’t the foot traffic for lunches on the island – not unless she wanted to take on a contract for meals on wheels, and that was hardly a money spinner.
‘God no. Too much work, not enough return, and let’s face it, there’s only me here now.’
‘So, conferences? Events?’ There was a huge market for these apparently, she’d heard her mother talking about it recently.
She didn’t dare mention weddings, although she’d heard her mother saying often enough that the hotel must have made an absolute fortune on those over the years.
Rae had cancelled as many as she could after Marcus’s death.
Siggy could understand that. After all, they’d been such a happy couple, obviously completely devoted to each other, seeing other people starting out on their happy ever after – well, it was probably just too hard for Rae at this point.
‘Maybe between us, we’ll come up with our new USP?’
‘It sounds like you’re all business today.’ Siggy laughed and tucked into her first biscuit.
‘Okay!’ Rae laughed too, held up her hands. ‘I might have borrowed a management and marketing book from the library van yesterday.’ She pointed towards the sideboard where a huge white hardback sat next to the condiments stored there. ‘Between ourselves,’ she lowered her voice.
‘Of course, Aunty Rae.’
‘I don’t want your mother worrying, but the place is not faring well this last year.’
‘It’s probably been the worst eighteen months ever.
’ Siggy reached out and took her aunt’s hand in hers.
‘I mean, come on, give yourself a break.’ If there was such a thing as an annus horribilis, then that’s what the last year was for the Hope Square Hotel and for Rae in particular.
First Marcus died – which was enough to knock anyone sidewards – and just as the funeral was driving towards the cemetery, the council began to rip up the whole square and most of the hotel car park to fix water pipes that so far as anyone knew never needed fixing to begin with.
‘Unfortunately, the bank doesn’t really care about that and neither does the tax man, and both have to be paid.’
‘Oh, Rae.’ So that was it, the hotel was in financial trouble. Of course, she should have seen that from a mile off.
‘Ah come now, it’s not that bad. There’s no good crying over spilt milk, but I must do something about it. And as of now, I’m promoting you to the role of marketing manager.’ She held up her coffee cup in mock salute.
‘Fancy title.’
‘Yes, sorry it doesn’t mean a pay rise, kid, but you know, you’ve got to roll with the punches.’
‘You know I don’t expect payment for my consultancy work.’ Siggy made a face. ‘Anyway, with the family legacy at stake, the least I can do is roll up my sleeves when I can.’ She’d do anything to help Rae out. ‘Actually,’ Siggy said then. ‘You know, Mum wanted me to train as a cook…’
‘Yes.’
‘I’ve always preferred the trade fairs, getting out and meeting people, selling the place, I mean, I’m not sure how good I am at it, but I’ve been going to them since I was yay high…
’ Rae would be terrible at it, they both knew that.
She had as much killer instinct for sales and business as a goldfish in a piranha bowl.
‘I’m sure you’d be brilliant at it, but before we go packing our bags for the tourist fairs, we need to think about our…’
‘USP?’
‘Exactly,’ Rae said, and she took up her cup and raised it to Siggy and they toasted a new beginning for the hotel. ‘To better days ahead. With a bit of luck, we might even earn enough to have cream in our coffees next year!’
*
Later, as Siggy was making her way home, she thought about her new title. Of course, Rae was only ribbing her, but if she could help in any way at all, well, she’d be happy with that.
She must have been daydreaming as she rounded the corner off the town square, because she managed to walk straight into the boy she’d been watching earlier.
‘Oh, I’m so sorry…’ she stuttered. God, she nearly gasped, he was even better looking up close.
She felt her stomach cartwheel, the strong coffee suddenly feeling too heavy for this warm day.
Then, remembering herself, stepped back, embarrassed, knowing full well that she’d managed to stand on his feet as well as almost coming close enough to kiss him.
‘My fault,’ he said and he too took a step back, and almost bowed as if saying sorry to royalty.
‘I’m new here, I should watch where I’m going, rather than look all round me as I walk…
’ He was young, maybe her age, maybe a year older, dark-skinned, eyes that creased up in the sort of smile that made not smiling with him utterly impossible for Siggy.
‘Let’s agree it was both our faults.’ She laughed. ‘I’m Siggy by the way.’
‘Danial. Danial Val. I’ve moved into a cottage,’ he nodded back towards the pier, ‘with my grandmother. The McDaid place?’
‘I know it well. We all wondered who would take it up, as soon as the sign came down from outside, the island grapevine has been alive with speculation.’ She laughed again, she couldn’t help it, something about him made her feel lighter, happier.
‘I’m not sure we are what you were expecting.’ He looked towards the path.
‘I hope people have been welcoming,’ she said then, because she knew well enough, some of the islanders could be a bit off with newcomers. Her mother was not alone in her intense suspicion of anyone who had not been born and bred on Pin Hill.
‘Mostly, but you know, it’s a small place, we’re… different,’ he said, and he smiled at her.
‘Well, I’m appointing myself your official welcoming committee, right now,’ she said and they both laughed at this. ‘You are very, very welcome to Pin Hill Island.’
‘Why thank you, madam of the welcoming committee.’ His voice was smooth, his accent sitting somewhere between Oxford and European, he made another bow, deeper this time, as if he might almost genuflect before her.
He was making fun of her and the sight of him prompted a fit of giggles.
‘Look, I don’t know if it’s okay to say this,’ he stood now to his full height before her.
Unlike most of the other boys on the island, he was taller than her.
Probably, she’d guess, six-three, six-four, it was nice, he made her feel almost delicately feminine by comparison.
‘Maybe, we could go for coffee or a coke or something… if you’re free…
’ He was watching her now, but she could see, he was endearingly self-conscious.
‘I’d like that.’ She stopped herself from adding – very much – knowing that even if it was true, it would make her sound too available.
‘Okay,’ his smile was infectious, so they stood there, gawping and smiling at each other for rather too long, until Siggy remembered, her mother was due to pick her up on her way home. Her mother would not like Danial Val. Siggy knew this without even having to think about it.
‘So, I better get going,’ she spotted her mother pull in on the square opposite.
‘Tomorrow at the coffee shack?’ he called after her.
‘Say around twelve?’ That would give her time to get the breakfast rush over at home with her mother.
‘Okay, that’s a date.’ His smile was amazing.
It felt like pulling herself away from a magnet as she made her way across the square to her mother’s parked Volvo, all the while trying to keep her expression as neutral as possible.
This was a secret she wanted to keep to herself for now, and it felt as if she was hugging something wonderful close to her for the rest of the evening.