‘I’ll put the radio on,’ I say eventually, when the creaking speeds up.
‘Good idea,’ Mum replies, not looking at me but at the sausages she’s prodding with a spatula. I can see a flush on her cheeks. Soon Radio 1 obliterates the creaking – once it would have been Adrian and me, when we first met. If Adrian had been here with me now we would have been in hysterics and, in that moment, I miss him. I miss the way things used to be between us.
The teenagers come down first for breakfast, about nine o’clock. They barely make eye contact with me as they slink into their seats, and when they talk to each other it’s in very low voices. They’re staying for two nights, and I try not to feel uneasy that we’ve had no more bookings even though it’s half-term week. I remind myself that the house was practically derelict before we bought it and had been standing empty for over a year. It had been a type of boarding-house once, but that was decades ago. When we’d first met Kath and Derek at the Seven Stars, they’d told us how busy they always were and how they’d wondered why nobody had thought about turning this place into a guesthouse again. It had given us hope that it would be a good business venture, not something that could potentially bankrupt us, but now, as I glance around the empty dining room, I feel a twinge of anxiety.
Mum must notice because when we return to the kitchen to put more sausages on, she says, ‘I know bookings are a bit sporadic at the moment, but I think it will be quite slow until the Easter holidays.’
‘We should advertise on those Brecon Beacons websites,’ I say, throwing another sausage into a pan.
‘You might be right,’ she agrees, running her hands down her apron, then going to put the kettle on. ‘You look like you need a cup of tea.’
‘It’s a pretty village,’ I muse. ‘There’s the little café and the gift shop, the church, great walks, and it’s only a few miles from that lovely market town, Crickhowell.’
She clicks her tongue. ‘Stop panicking. We have quite a few people booked in on the weekends leading up to Christmas. And we still need to decide if we’re going to have paying guests over the Christmas period itself.’
My heart sinks. I hadn’t wanted to but we don’t have much choice. Not if we want to start breaking even. ‘Maybe.’ I think of the girls. It can still be special for them, even if we are open to the public.
‘Have you heard from Selena?’ I move away from the sausages to get a plate. I can see Janice and her dog settling themselves at a table next to the teenagers.
My mum shakes her head. ‘She rang me earlier in a bit of a state. Poor child.’ I’m not sure if she’s referring to Ruby or Selena. ‘She said she’ll ring back when she knows more. Here, drink this.’ She hands me a mug. ‘You look exhausted. You could take those bags under your eyes on holiday they’re so big. I’ll just go and see what Janice wants for breakfast.’ She bustles off.
At least Janice is staying for the week, as are the Greysons.
It suddenly gets busy as the Greysons also come down for breakfast, disrupting the peace and quiet. Janice frowns at the two boys as they shove and jostle for a place at the table. I’m dashing around, plonking eggs, sausage and bacon on plates, when Amelia and Evie come in, still in their pyjamas. They look cute but out of place among the other guests, who are all dressed and ready to go out for the day. Mrs Greyson is even wearing dark red lipstick along with her hiking boots. I smile to myself, wishing I could look glamorous in hiking gear, when I turn to see Evie by my side. ‘I’m starving,’ she moans.
‘Me too,’ says Amelia. Her pretty face is dour as she examines her fingernails, and I know it’s for the benefit of the younger Greyson boy, whom she can see through the open dining-room doors.
‘Can you just get out from under my feet for two minutes while I finish serving the guests? Sit at the breakfast bar,’ I say, rushing out into the dining room with two plates of food. Mum follows me with a tray of tea and toast.
‘This is more exhausting than I imagined,’ I say to Mum, when we’re back in the kitchen. ‘And we haven’t even got a full house. Right, girls, what can I get you?’
They both want Shreddies so I reach into the cupboard to retrieve the box and shake them into bowls.
‘About that,’ begins Mum, at my elbow.
‘About what?’ I hand the girls their cereal and Amelia hops off of the bar stool to get milk.
‘About the fact we have rooms unoccupied this week …’
I have a bad feeling about this. We already have Selena staying here uninvited, who else does she want? ‘Yes?’
‘Well, Nathan called yesterday. He wondered if he and Julia could come and stay. They’ll pay. I haven’t told him Selena’s here. It will be a nice surprise.’
I’m sure he’d love to see Selena again. He had a huge crush on her when he was about fifteen. This week really is turning into a family affair. I sigh. ‘I can’t really expect them to pay. He’s my brother.’
‘He knows we’re running a business.’
I laugh. ‘You know Selena’s not paid yet, right?’
She frowns. ‘That’s different. She’s going through a hard time right now but I know she’ll pay her way.’
I hold my hands up. Mum is like a bulldog where Selena’s concerned, always has been. I don’t voice it, but I’m surprised Nathan wants to come. We’ve hardly seen him since Adrian’s breakdown although I’ve missed them, particularly Julia, whom I adore. ‘Whatever, Mum. If you want Nathan to come, it’s fine by me.’
She flashes me a victory smile. ‘He’ll be here about five.’
‘Five! He’s coming tonight? Why so soon?’
Mum stands up straighter and purses her lips. ‘You’ve forgotten, haven’t you?’
