Was that what she’d seen in that look they’d exchanged? Gratitude? A debt never forgotten?
No, it was more. Something deeper, she was sure of it.
“If you worked together for a couple of years, you must have got to know her.”
It was a moment before he answered.
“Yes,” he said finally. “I knew her well. In the end we were friends.”
Friends?
“Did you know about her dad?”
“She told me the story. That he left when she was eleven. I knew how badly it affected her, but it happened long before we met. When I first saw that man loitering around the hotel it didn’t cross my mind there could be more to it than a developer deciding whether he was interested or not.”
“Will you be spending some time with her now she’s here?”
“I don’t know. That’s up to her.” He turned away and smiled at a woman who was approaching. “Mrs Slater. Are you off to lunch? I called the restaurant to confirm, and your table is all booked for midday and it’s the one by the window as you requested.”
“Edward, what would I do without you?”
They chatted for a moment and Evie waited. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Abby and her mother walking across the driveway towards a taxi.
Abby spotted her and waved and Evie sprinted across to her.
“I’m sorry to ask this,” Abby said, “but would you mind if I took a few hours with my mother? It’s been a rough morning, and—”
“It’s fine,” Evie said. “Of course. What do you need? Can I get you anything?”
Her head was still reeling from the revelations, so she couldn’t imagine how Abby must be feeling. Her grandfather turning up out of nowhere was enough of a shock without the discovery that he’d caused the accident that had injured her grandmother. And then there was the stress of her mother turning up unannounced when Abby was already exhausted after her dramatic rescue of little Holly.
It was enough to make anyone want to lie down in a dark room.
“Nothing, thanks. We’re going for a walk. Fresh air would be good, I think. It has been a bit of a difficult morning.” Abby glanced towards the car where her mother was waiting, her head turned away.
Evie touched her arm, wanting to offer support. “How are you doing?”
“Me? Oh, I’m fine.” She smiled at Evie. “An eventful week. Thanks, Evie. We’ll talk properly soon.” As always Abby was poised and in control.
Evie knew that if she’d been in the same position she would have been an emotional wreck.
There was so much she wanted to say, but didn’t know where to start and anyway this wasn’t the time because Abby was already walking towards the car.
Did Abby know that they’d once shared a nanny? That Abby had once shared her toy giraffe with Evie? Was it fanciful to think that they’d had a bond even back then?
As the car pulled away Evie turned to where her father had been standing but there was no sign of him.
She suppressed the feeling of disappointment. That was another conversation that was going to have to wait until later.
And in the meantime, she still had a hotel to run.
She walked back through the front door and past reception where she heard Donna enthusiastically selling the benefits of the special wellness package that the spa was offering.
Smiling, she headed back to her office and closed the door.
She checked her email and saw that the hotel in London had invited her for a face-to-face interview. The last stage in the process.
She felt a surge of elation that she’d got through to the finalstage. They’d told her the position was competitive (had she known just how competitive at the beginning she probably wouldn’t have had the nerve to apply) so the fact that she’d made it to the final hurdle was dizzying. It was a brilliant job, and would give her exactly the type of experience she needed.
