“Yes. I know she hasn’t been here for that long, but in that time I’ve learned a lot by watching her handle people. She has a way of getting people to do what she wants them to do. Butnot in a dictatorial way. She makes peoplewantto do what she’s suggesting. She makes them feel competent and—special. Usually they end up thinking it was their idea in the first place. And she’s direct.” Evie gave a rueful smile. “I’ve always had a problem with being direct, I suppose because I’ve known many of the staff forever, but I’ve tried following her lead and already things feel a little different.”
“And the other reason?”
“What you just said about weighing up what’s most important to you.” Evie stood up and walked to the window of her office and gazed out over the fields to the sea. “I love this place, but I was feeling stifled. There is barely a single thing in my life that the villagers don’t know. And that has occasionally been awkward. Not only at work, but socially. It was frustrating.”
“You thought it would be good to get away.”
“Yes. But I didn’t really think through the reality of it. What leaving would mean. It’s easy to think you want to leave, easy to see all the positives when it’s just an idea—a theory. But then I had that invitation for a final interview and suddenly it all felt real. For the first time I properly imagined not living here anymore. And I realised how much I love being part of this community.” Thinking about it now she wondered how she could ever have thought of leaving. She belonged here, in this beautiful place, with these special people. Full of emotion, Evie turned to look at her. “And the hotel is part of that community. And frustrating though people can sometimes be, I realised that I love them. I love living in a place where I know everyone. It gives me a sense of belonging. In a way they’re my family. They’ve been my family since I was born. And yes, if I moved to London I’d be able to walk down a street without everyone stopping me to catch up on gossip, but I realised that I don’t want that. I don’t want anonymity.I like the fact that everyone looks out for each other. And it’s true that in London no one would notice or care if I arrived home early in the morning wearing the same clothes I went out in the night before, but I decided I didn’t want that either. I didn’t want to be one of those people whose body was discovered a month after I’d been murdered because no one noticed I hadn’t left my flat.” She suddenly remembered this was Abby’s mother and her boss she was talking to, but Alexandra’s eyes were alight with humour.
“That would indeed be a sad end.”
Evie returned to the table and sat down, determined to be professional. “I know you’ll be looking for a new general manager now that Gerald definitely isn’t coming back, but even if it means going back to my old role or even something different, I still want to stay here, if you’ll have me. I want to be part of what we’re doing here. I really think I can make a difference. I want to make a difference.”
Alexandra gave a rare smile. “Why would I look for a new general manager when the best person for the job is sitting right in front of me? If you’re sure it’s what you want, then we’ll make it official. And I’ll match the salary you were being offered in London.”
Evie knew she should probably play it cool, but she found it impossible.
“Seriously?”
“I never joke about business. Abby will confirm that, I’m sure. It’s a big job, Evie, and it comes with a great deal of responsibility. I expect a great deal from you. It’s right that you should be paid accordingly. I’ve always believed a person should be paid what they’re worth, not what a company can get away with.” There was a gleam in her eyes. “There is something else I’d like to say. I’m pleased that you’ve found it useful to watch Abby, but it’s important to understand that weall have different styles, and different gifts. There are different ways to motivate a team. You have warmth and empathy and those are important qualities for someone in a leadership position. Don’t underestimate the importance of that. I spent some time talking to the staff yesterday and it’s clear they have great respect for you.”
Evie swallowed. “I’m thirty years of age, and they still make me a chocolate cake with chocolate buttons for my birthday.”
Alexandra smiled. “It always was your favourite. You should have seen the mess you made of eating it when you were two years old. It took us an hour to clean you up.” She stood up. “I’m delighted you’ll be taking the job. I feel fortunate to have you at the helm of my most important hotel. I’ll make the announcement immediately. I’m sure there will be celebrations. Possibly even chocolate cake.”
Evie laughed but she also felt a quake of nerves. She hoped she was worthy of the faith Alexandra seemed to have in her.
“Thank you.”
“I should also praise your decision to reach out when you saw the place was in trouble. That was the right thing to do. I apologise for the fact that you didn’t receive support when you asked for it. That won’t happen again.”
“Is there someone specific I should contact?”
“Yes, Abby. She will be the new UK manager, covering all our hotels here.” Her phone buzzed and Alexandra reached into her bag and silenced it. “I’m sure that will be welcome news. And of course you can always reach out to me directly, at any time either at the office or at home.” She hesitated. “Your father has my number.”
He did? What did that mean exactly?
There was more that Evie wanted to say. Questions she wanted to ask, but it didn’t feel appropriate to ask them. At least, not at this moment. She had no idea what exactly washappening between Alexandra and her father, but no doubt she’d find out in time.
It could be nothing, but she hoped it was something.
In the meantime, she had a hotel to run.
After Alexandra left she dealt with a couple of mundane problems and then had a message from Donna saying that there was an issue with the King Arthur suite.
Given that they had new guests arriving in under four hours normally she would have felt stressed, but today nothing could stress her. She all but floated up the stairs. Whatever state the previous guests had left the place in, they’d deal with it somehow.
Braced for disaster, she pushed open the door and saw Donna and Abby studying the carpet.
“What is it?”
“It looks like sheep droppings.”
“I think we’d know if someone had brought a sheep into the hotel.”
“You never know,” Donna said darkly. “People are weird. Someone once sneaked in their pet rabbit. We spent two hours trying to coax it out from under the bed. It ignored carrots, but in the end it was tempted by dandelions.”
“I think it could be chocolate.” Abby glanced up and saw Evie. She sprang to her feet. “It’s the boss, Donna. Stand up. Show some respect.”
