“Okay. I’ll do that.”
Alina left and Evie led Abby back to the office. She wished Abby hadn’t witnessed that. It was mortifying. She’d wanted to impress Abby, and instead that encounter had been a demonstration of staff inexperience and her own ineptitude as a manager. Abby wasn’t to know how hard Evie had worked to try and change things. She was probably wondering what sort of outfit she’d joined.
Her mood deflating again, she grabbed her bag from her desk. She hoped the Hunters weren’t going to leave a bad review. It was true that Gerald probably would have offered them a big discount, but she was fast becoming aware that his misplaced generosity (or maybe it was his aversion to conflict) was one of the reasons the hotel was losing money.
Pushing that aside, she smiled at Abby as if nothing was amiss. “I’m going to take you down to the village now and get you settled in your new home. I can show you around so that you can orientate yourself.”
They walked to the back of the hotel where Evie’s car was parked and loaded Abby’s luggage into the back.
“It’s stunning,” Abby said as they drove back along the coast. “And it’s such a pretty day.”
“Yes, you timed it well. Which is good. I want you to see it at its best. Hopefully it will stop you wanting to run away from us.”
“Why would I run away?”
Because this place is slowly collapsing and you don’t want to be buried under the rubble.
Evie concentrated on the road. It had been easy to tell Abby about the weasel and her concerns for the future of the hotel. Not so easy to confess that she was struggling to manage the staff. That felt too personal.
“I’m really pleased you’re here, that’s all. Relieved. I’m sure you’re in demand and I don’t want head office to snatch you away and put you elsewhere yet. I’ve been desperate for help.”
Abby was silent for a moment. “So you don’t mind that head office sent me?”
“Are you kidding? I could hug them.” Evie waited for a gap in the traffic and turned into a narrow road that led steeply down towards the harbour. “I’d been telling them for a while that it would be helpful to have a conversation about the way things are.” She slowed down to allow a mother with a toddler to cross the road safely.
“You contacted them? And what did they say?”
“Nothing. They didn’t respond.”
“So did you try again?”
“A couple of times, but after that I stopped. I didn’t want to be a bother. I assumed they were busy.” And Evie knew that feeling. “They’re expanding a lot so we’re not a priority.”
“Every hotel is important. I’m sorry you had that experience.”
“You have no reason to be sorry. It’s not your fault! You’re a worker bee like the rest of us.” Evie shot her a brief smile. “Anyway, everything is good now. And they sent me you, so I’ll forgive them.”
“You’d better get to know me before you form a judgement.”
“I know enough. From the moment you set foot inside the hotel you’ve been asking sharp, pertinent questions. I can tellyou’re exactly the person I need to help me get everything back on track. Dare I ask what your first impressions are?”
Abby looked thrown by the question. “I—the position is exceptional of course. The staff approachable and friendly. From what I’ve seen so far you seem to be a close-knit group. Supportive.”
A little too close-knit on occasions, but that wasn’t something Evie was ready to discuss.
The road narrowed still further and Evie swung into a parking space. “This is my space. Can’t go further into the village or we’ll be stuck. Tourists do it sometimes of course. They ignore all the massive notices and try and park on the quay when the tide is out. Then the tide comes in and they’re annoyed that their car is filled with seawater. They seem to think we put the warning signs there for our own entertainment.”
Abby undid her seat belt. “You said no one in head office replied to you. Who did you contact?”
“Do you know them all?” Had she been indiscreet? Yes, she probably had. She didn’t want to get anyone into trouble. “Forget I said anything. It was unprofessional of me.”
“Not at all. You were being honest, and honesty is essential if a business is to run smoothly.”
“My email probably went into spam or something.” She didn’t mention that she’d emailed more than once and left a voicemail. “Between you and me, I haven’t had much to do with anyone at head office. They’ve pretty much left us to get on with things ourselves, which is a compliment, obviously. They must have been happy with the way things were or they would have said so.”
“But you would have liked more support.”
“After Gerald collapsed, it would have been helpful. Everyone was in a bit of a state—everyone loves Gerald, you see. I have to be sensitive about suggesting any changes. Gerald hadhis own way of doing things and the staff feel it’s disloyal to do things differently.”
