‘It’s been three in as many days, Bill.’
‘Tonight was definitely off,’ Bill is saying now, ‘but she needs to …’
‘Maggie said she suggested a two-hundred-pound bottle of Malbec to her earlier, and then suggested the house red, and finally plonked it down on the table without pouring a single glass. Really basic stuff, Bill.’
I froze. It was true. I had done that, butMaggie, the lovely lady from Stornoway, hadn’t been annoyed. We even had a laugh about it.
‘And overall she lacks confidence, Bill. Not only in the way she carries herself, but when she’s on the floor. She’s a totally different person from the one I met at the Wine Awards. She was so confident. I mean, I suppose she was quite tipsy. Did you really check her out thoroughly?’
‘You saw her CV too, Irene,’ Bill says, and there is a slightly dark edge to his voice. I recognize it. Blame-sharing.
‘But in the Skype interview?’
‘She was lovely, smart. I mean, she was perfect. Let’s give her a few days, okay?’
Wait. Skype interview? Heather never mentioned an interview.
‘I am under a great deal of pressure from all this, Bill. The renovations have ballooned in cost. Russell is great for the bottom line, but come on, Bill – he never speaks to our regulars. He’s disengaged.’
‘Russell is great,’ Bill says.
‘I know. I know,’ Irene replies. ‘But I’m feeling more than a little railroaded here. This isn’t the Loch Dorn I know. New chefs, new sommeliers, new ruddy paint. And the regulars say nice things, but … You know, it’s not them, is it? And James feels extremely downtrodden.’
‘You love him,’ Bill says more gently. ‘But you know, deep down, he wasn’t ready to do this.’
‘Perhaps,’ Irene replies.
Then there is a long silence and I realize the only sound I can hear is my heart thumping in my chest. I am glad I’m not the only problem, but I realize I am perilously close to disaster here. Could I get fired? What would that mean for Heather?
‘I’ve pulled the press release,’ Irene says, ‘until she settles in.’
Press release. Jesus, there was going to be apress release about Heather?
‘It’s just teething problems,’ says Bill, as I hear the clink of a glass. I imagine him pouring her awee dramto calm her nerves.
‘Three complaints in three days,’ says Irene again. ‘And she’s not been properly tested. Imagine if we had a full restaurant?’
‘That would be nice,’ Bill says, and then I hear Irene let out a small laugh. ‘Here’s the facts,’ Bill starts firmly. ‘She’s a long way from home. She’s taken a tumble this morning and was obviously very tired and shaky during her first handful of services. Her CV is robust. James likes her a lot …’
James likes her a lot. A little thrill interrupts the horror, for a blessed moment.
‘I hope I don’t have to worry about James too,’ Irene says. ‘I couldn’t bear to see him hurt again.’
‘Don’t stress. You leave Heather with me. I’ll get her up to speed,’ Bill says.
‘Are you sure you can?’
‘Irene, I vetted her. She’s brilliant. I called all three of her references and they were absolutely glowing.’
‘And I absolutely loved her, when I met her. There is no denying her charm. We just need to see her experience,’ Irene agrees, her voice sounding softer.
‘She’ll be fine. She’s got a couple of weeks of reduced service while we all get ready for the relaunch. And she’s got two days off now, to regroup – hopefully to catch her breath and catch up. Let’s get through the two weeks and then discuss? Deal?’
I hear the scrape of a stool on the floor, and I quickly slide back from the door and slip out into the courtyard. It’s 12.03 a.m. and it’s cold.
As I walk back to the cottage, I wonder about the Skype interview with Heather. Did they have one? They couldn’t have, or Bill would have known straight away. In fact didn’t he already comment that I didn’t look like my cat picture?
I am too tired to make sense of it.
