“Not quite everything. In one of your phone calls you asked me about Edward. You noticed that the dates of his employment were wrong.”
“You know each other.” It confirmed what she already suspected. “I saw that the moment he walked into the room and dealt with the weasel.”
“The weasel?”
“That’s what Evie calls him.”
Her mother smiled. “Evie is remarkably perceptive. It’s a perfect description.”
“Edward was protective.” She trod carefully. She didn’t want her mother to talk about anything she didn’t want to talk about, but at the same time she was enjoying this new connection. For the first time she had a glimpse of the person, and not just the successful businesswoman.
“Yes. We were friends. The hotel had been mine for two years when Edward applied for the role of concierge. He’d lost his wife and had a newborn. He needed someone to give him a break, and I was able to do that. He brought the baby to work when he needed to and your nanny cared for both of you. It helped him get back on his feet.”
“The baby?” Abby frowned. “You mean Evie?”
“Yes, Evie. You’ve known her longer than you think. You treated her like a little sister. You missed her when we moved to Boston. It took a while for you to forget. I felt guilty about that.”
Evie.
“That day in the boardroom, when you were staring at one page of the report. I couldn’t work out what had caught your attention. Was it Edward?” Things fell into place. Things that hadn’t made sense, now made sense.
“Yes. It gave me a jolt to see his name there after all these years. I stayed away, you see. I thought it was easier that way.”
Easier? Abby was increasingly convinced that they’d had a relationship. She was dying to ask but it didn’t feel appropriate. No doubt her mother would tell her if and when she wanted to.
“You never did intend to sell the place, did you?”
“No. This place saved me. I would never sell it.”
Abby was confused. “So why did you send me here? I never really understood that.”
There was a long silence.
“You were the only person Icouldsend.” Her mother turned to look back across the ocean. “I didn’t want to come here myself, and I didn’t trust Jack—he’s gone by the way—so you were the obvious person. You’ve always had a gift for getting straight to the heart of what is wrong with a hotel, and what it needs. Your reports were helpful. Astute. It has been interesting reading them.”
“I was a little overenthusiastic in the most recent ones. You prefer facts, I know.”
“Your reports were illuminating.” There was a pause. “You seem to have enjoyed yourself.”
“They’re wonderful people.” Abby stopped herself. “I mean, they’re good at their jobs and they create a warm and welcoming guest experience that—”
“Abby—” Her mother stopped her. “I agree they’re wonderful people.”
“Right. Good. But you should also know that Evie is a brilliant manager. She has all the right qualities to be running the hotel. I don’t know what is happening with Gerald, but we should consider making her position permanent.”
Her mother looked at her. “I was thinking that—”
“I mean it, Mom.” The words rushed out of her. “I feel it really strongly. I know she’s young and not hugely experienced, but she’s brilliant. An asset to the hotel and to the business.”
“I think that maybe—”
“She was the one who appointed Luca, and he has transformed the dining experience. Then there’s—”
“Abby!” Her mother’s voice held a note of frustration and Abby immediately stopped talking.
But then she saw that her mother was smiling.
Her mother never smiled in conversations about the business.
