“I bet you’re really cool in a crisis.” Hattie tugged off her boots. “That explains why you were so calm when Stephanie and Chef Tucker walked out and I was in a panic.”
“It’s easy to be calm when it’s not your problem.”
“Maybe. I am bad at decision making. I’m so afraid of making a mistake that I end up not making a decision at all.”Hattie picked up her own glass. “I hate that about myself. I’d like to be confident and decisive.”
“Everyone has something they don’t like about themselves.”
“Do you?”
This was proving to be a very uncomfortable conversation.
Erica hesitated. “I find it hard to express emotions, even when I really want to express them. It’s as if they are jammed inside me.” She couldn’t believe she’d just said that aloud. She half expected the world to collapse, and was surprised when all that happened was that Hattie nodded.
“Now I understand why you were so freaked out when I hugged you,” Hattie said. “It wasn’t because it wasme, but because I was basically a stranger.”
“I was outside my comfort zone, that’s for sure.”
“And I know how hard that is. I’ve been out of my comfort zone every minute of the last couple of years. Most days I feel as if I’m never going to find my comfort zone again.” She pulled a face. “Do you think I’m doomed to spend the rest of my life in my discomfort zone?”
It was hard to be distant with someone so likable.
“I have a feeling you’ve reached a turning point.”
“Let’s hope so.” Hattie curled up on the sofa, tucking her legs under her. “So how does your job work? Companies call you when something awful has happened?”
“Sometimes. If they’re wise, they get me in before it happens. I work with senior teams to try and identify all the possible areas of vulnerability. Then we put together a plan. But not everything can be predicted. The unexpected happens.”
“It certainly does.” Hattie leaned back against the sofa. “Life is full of bombshells you never saw coming.”
“And you’ve had a few of those.” Erica took a sip of wine. She’d thought she didn’t want to get involved, but now she discovered she wanted to know more about Hattie. “You’ve had a tough few years. How are you coping?”
Hattie shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t ask myself that. I just deal with today’s problem and then move on to the next one.”
“That sounds like an excellent strategy.”
“It’s the only strategy, really,” Hattie said. “I’ve learned that there’s not much point in having a plan because something always derails it.”
“I should imagine there are plenty of interruptions and disturbances, what with running an inn and being a single mother.”
“You have no idea.”
Erica put her glass down. “Actually, I do. I was raised by a busy working single mother.” She regretted the words the moment they left her mouth. “I apologize if that was tactless.”
“Tactless because Dad was the one who left her as a single mother, you mean?” Hattie removed a small toy wedged behind her back. “That’s not tactless, that’s honest.”
She’d expected Hattie to sugarcoat it. To tell a version that bore no resemblance to the real version. “You’ve obviously known about me a lot longer than I’ve known about you.”
“It seems that way.” Hattie leaned across and topped up Erica’s glass and then her own.
“Thanks. So when did you find out?”
“About you?” Hattie put the bottle down and snuggled back on the sofa. “I’ve always known.”
“Always?”
“Yes.” She took a mouthful of wine and nodded. “This is good.”
Erica was more interested in the conversation than the wine. “What do you mean,always?”
