Fraser shook his head. ‘I’ve one last crate to get,’ he said and he left.
‘It’s not my fault by the way,’ she called, but he was already gone.
26
Effie couldn’t think straight and didn’t know where to go. She dashed through the hotel with hot tears stinging her eyes. She wasn’t sure what she was most upset about: Liv’s hurtful and unjustified words or the thoughts they were triggering. But she knew in her heart that John was the real thing. He’d been able to connect with her like nobody else had. He seemed to know what she was thinking before she did and he always made her feel better about herself. She took a breath, she had no reason to question John, he’d only ever been lovely to her and he was selflessly giving his time to help others for goodness’ sake. She shook any doubts from her mind.
John was real. But then did that mean that her relationship with Liv was fake? The woman she thought she’d found a friend in had very quickly turned on her. Maybe she was jealous. Liv didn’t have anyone special in her life – she’d told Effie that. But it didn’t give her the right to say unkind and untrue things about John. Effie felt betrayed – she’d trusted Liv with her darkest secret. Well, apart from the time she ate the golden syrup and replaced it with cod liver oil – she’d never told anyone that. But she was pretty sure Dolly had worked it out quite quickly.
When Effie slowed down she found she was in the lobby where a draught from the front door made her shiver. She was about to go and curl up on her seat in the library when the door opened, giving her a start.
‘Hello,’ said Robbie, jolly as usual. His smile shifted. ‘Is everything okay?’ He looked past her furtively. ‘Can I help in any way?’
Her lip wobbled and she had to fight the tears from escaping. Why was it that you were fine until someone said something kind to you? She needed to think quick – not something she was known for. Robbie was looking increasingly restless. ‘I’ve a friend in trouble,’ she said, realising as soon as she’d uttered the words that this was the worst thing to say to an alert police officer such as Robbie.
His eyebrows twitched. ‘Trouble? What kind of trouble? Have they committed a crime?’ He was already reaching for his notebook.
‘No!’ said Effie a little more forcefully than the situation warranted. ‘They’ve just got themselves in a pickle really and they’re a long way away so I can’t help. That’s all. There’s nothing you can do.’
Robbie’s hand moved away from the notepad and his face returned to neutral. ‘That’s tough but I’m sure there will be someone local who can help them. Would you like me to look up any agencies? There are all sorts of support systems available for a variety of predicaments. Women’s refuge? Shelters? Citizens Advice?’
He made her smile even though he wasn’t trying to. ‘It’s okay, Robbie. I’ll work something out.’ Although she had absolutely no idea how she was going to do that.
*
Liv unpacked the next crate and put away all the food. There was such a lot of ingredients. How many was he expecting for this showcase dinner?
‘Right,’ said Dolly wheeling herself into the kitchen. ‘I’ve spoken to my friend Winnie who has called Meredith and she’s put our plight on their staff WhatsApp thingy. I said for anyone who’s interested to come here for six o’clock so Fraser can brief them for what’s needed tomorrow.’
‘You star. He’ll be over the moon,’ said Liv.
Dolly held up a hand. ‘I think we wait and see how many turn up first. If we raise his hopes it could be an additional blow.’
‘Fair enough. But yay! Showcase dinner could be back on.’ Liv crossed her fingers and Dolly did the same.
As the kitchen door opened it bumped into the back of Dolly’s chair, making Jock’O bark his annoyance. ‘Whoops, sorry,’ said Fraser, squeezing past the wheelchair. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked.
‘Nothing,’ said Liv putting some onions back in the crate and then taking them out again.
‘There’s something up.’ He pointed at Dolly. ‘Are you plotting?’
She held up her palms. ‘Now there’s a thing to accuse your grandmother of,’ she said giving him a look worthy of Lady Violet Crawley. Jock’O barked again. Dolly lifted her chin and manoeuvred her chair out of the kitchen, giving Liv a sly wink as she left.
Liv got mugs out and without asking made Fraser a brew. She pushed the mug in front of him. ‘Penny for them,’ she said.
‘Thank you. Sorry, what?’
‘You were miles away.’
‘Aye, I wish I was, that’s for sure. I’ve been a fool.’ He looked downcast and she so wanted to tell him about the rescue mission and the staff from the tearooms but perhaps Dolly was right – what if none of them showed up? She checked the clock. Only twenty minutes until, hopefully, they arrived.
‘Don’t go putting yourself down. Look what you’ve achieved.’ Fraser snorted in response. ‘You saw an opportunity and you took it. This hotel was sitting here doing nothing and you breathed new life into it.’ He gave her a sideways look. ‘Well, you made a good effort at CPR anyway and who knows? It may still be resurrected. There’s still a faint pulse. I’m going to stop with the medical references now,’ she said.
He scratched his head. ‘I wish I knew what Dad was planning. Why is he selling this place now?’
‘Ask him,’ said Liv. ‘Oh yeah, you don’t know where he is. Sorry.’ There was a moment’s silence. ‘But the estate agent must have contact details. Ask him to pass on a message or for a tenner he might give you some information.’ Fraser looked aghast. ‘Worth a try I reckon. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.’
Fraser sighed. ‘But after all this time what would I even say to him?’
