But it was never going to happen. The moment Evie found out that Abby hadn’t been honest with her, that would be it.
Anticipating that moment killed the rest of her appetite and she put her fork down. “Has your dad always worked in hotels? What did he do before he started working at The Alexandra?”
“He trained as a history teacher. Are you eating your bread? Because if you’re not, I’ll eat it. I’m so hungry I could eat a camel.” Evie’s hand hovered and when Abby nodded she scooped it up. “Anyway, he didn’t love teaching. He said it was more about discipline and psychology. No one seemed that interested in listening or learning. Then I came along. My mother died right after I was born—it must have been horrible for Dad. I try not to think about how hard it must have been because it chokes me up. You’re probably the same.”
“I—”
“But you keep going, don’t you? When life knocks you to the ground, you get up and keep going. And Dad kept going. Of course everyone in the village helped. The interfering can be annoying, but it can also be a lifesaver and on that occasion, it was a lifesaver. Do you want a slice of lemon tart? It’s left over from yesterday. We can share it.”
Abby raised her hand and shook her head. She had a growing respect for Evie’s appetite. “Thanks, but I couldn’t eat anotherthing. You were telling me how your dad started working at the hotel.”
“Oh yes. The school he was teaching at was almost an hour away along roads that were busy in tourist season. He needed to be closer to home, so when he saw that the hotel was recruiting a concierge, he decided to apply. They wanted someone who knew the local area well, but also knew local history and legend. There’s lots of that around here. Magicians, witches, dragons—you name it. No one knows more about that than Dad, and he thought it would be nice to chat to people who were interested. He had an interview, and he got the job. That was thirty years ago and he’s still going strong. Loves his job.”
Thirty years? No, that couldn’t be right.
Her mother would have been at the hotel still, and she hadn’t mentioned ever meeting any of the current staff.
She cast her mind back to Edward’s file. It had said twenty-eight years, she was sure of it. He’d arrived after her mother had moved to Boston. Evie must have that wrong.
She wanted to ask a few more questions but she couldn’t find a way to do that without arousing suspicion, so she simply listened as Evie talked, enjoying the scent of the garden and watching as the sun streaked the sky with orange and shades of pink.
Evie made coffee and put a slice of lemon tart in the middle of the table. “Two forks. In case I can tempt you. Can I ask you something? But first you have to promise not to mention it to anyone at work. At least, for now. It isn’t easy to keep secrets around here.”
“Of course.” She was already keeping so many secrets that one more was hardly going to make a difference.
Evie dug her fork into the lemon tart. “So I’m having dinner with Luca tomorrow.” Something about her ultra-casual tone caught Abby’s attention.
“Luca?”
“Yes, Luca. Our Luca. At first I said no because to be honest I’m a bit off dating after my last experience, but then he fed me this sandwich and I thought, why not?”
“A sandwich? I don’t understand why that would change your mind.”
“That’s because you haven’t tasted this particular sandwich. Chicken. The flavours were incredible—a touch of lemon made it sharp, but it was also creamy and smooth with just enough bite.”
“A man made you a sandwich and now you want to go on a date?”
Evie sighed. “There was the cannoli too, but yes, it started with the sandwich. It was his grandmother’s recipe. Turns out I may have a thing for hot guys who love their grandmothers.” She fiddled with the slender bracelet on her wrist. “Okay, it’s more than that. He made me lunch. He noticed I hadn’t eaten, and he wanted me to eat. Nobody notices things like that.”
This wasn’t casual to her at all, Abby thought. It was a big deal.
“That was thoughtful of him.”
“Yes. Deliciously so.” The bracelet was still under attack. “I confess I’m nervous.”
Abby smiled. “I’m getting that. Presumably that’s because you really like him?”
“Yes. I haven’t gone on a date in a while. I almost wish I’d said no. The thought of it is giving me butterflies. I have no idea what to wear. Casual? A bit more dressy?”
Abby waited. “Are you asking me?”
“Yes. All advice gratefully received.” Evie picked up her fork and dug it into her slice of tart. “I don’t exactly know if this is a dateas such, although it’s just the two of us and he picked a place half an hour away in the hope we might have moreprivacy—” She put her fork down. “I don’t want to overdress and I don’t want to underdress. Clothes send a message, don’t they? So what do you think?”
“I don’t think I’m an expert on clothes, at least not for dating.”
Evie tilted her head. “What did you wear on the last date you went on?”
Todd Tremain, Abby thought. A lawyer who worked for one of the big Boston firms.
