Lisa popped her head up, her blonde hair sticking out from he head in wild strands. Her cheeks were as pink as her nose in the frost-bitten air.
‘You’ve got a face on you tonight.’ She tipped her head.
‘I’m not sure even I can be smiley when shovelling.’
‘At least it’s salt and not Merv’s leftovers today.’
‘True.’
I rubbed a cold hand over my jaw and put down my shovel for a moment. ‘I like the event planner.’
Lisa grinned. ‘Like her, like her?
‘Big time.’
‘And that makes you…sad?’
‘No. I’m just trying to figure out how to get closer to her. She’s a bit guarded.’
Lisa considered my words for a moment. ‘Some people are like that because it’s how they were taught to cope. Doesn’t mean they want to be.’
‘Have you tried inviting her out for something fun? Something that’s not cooped up in the manor? You men always make things harder than they need to be. The quiz is on at the pub tonight, right?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Take her. Let her see you in a less pressured environment. If you’re stressing, she’ll be stressing.’
‘You make it sound easy.’
‘That’s because it is,’ she said.
Maybe Lisa had a point. The worst Amanda could do was say no. ‘I’ll ask her.’
‘Good. And maybe try a shower and a real shirt. You don’t always need to look like you’re about to dig up the garden.’
It wasn’t as easy as Lisa had said it would be.
Inviting Amanda to the quiz led all the adult clients to decide to come too. So rather than a quiet night away from her clients, I’d managed to gift Amanda a night with them in a roasting local pub rather than an expansive manor house.
By the time we got to the Tipsy Otter, the place was already packed. Half the village had crammed in, coats over the backs of chairs, cheeks red from the cold and the clink of glasses filling the air. The smell of mulled cider filled the air with notes of cinnamon and apple.
The Petersens walked in ahead of us in a gaggle of excitement. You’d think they’d entered Narnia rather than a pub in Scotland. Just about every little detail thrilled them.
Amanda hovered like a sheepdog. Circling them with antsy attention.
‘It’s so cute,’ Rita said, clutching her scarf even though it was roasting indoors.
‘It’s certainly busy,’ Bill, Rita’s son, added..
‘I’m sure you’ll have a fab time,’ Amanda said, her face not nearly as convincing as her tone. She got the nine Australians settled at a far too small table near the bar before hovering nearby.
‘Relax,’ I said, fighting the urge to wrap my arms around her waist. ‘They’ll have fu.’
‘They might hate it.’
‘Who hates a quiz night? Look at them, do they look like they are hating it?’
She didn’t look convinced.
