And she couldn’t ever remember a time when her daughter had drunk too much. Whatever had possessed her? She’d never heard Abby so emotional. Even allowing for the influence of alcohol, it had been unsettling to hear. Like listening to a stranger.
She was worried. Seriously worried.
She’d called Abby’s phone numerous times, and in the end had left a message.
So far, her daughter hadn’t called back.
This wasn’t good.
Alexandra picked up her phone and for the sixth time that evening replayed the message Abby had left
I deserve to know the real reason you sent me here...and later...I really would appreciate it if you could tell me something about your past. Because your past is my past.
Alexandra put her phone down. Would Abby have forgotten the message when she sobered up (and what, exactly, had made her drink so much)? Would she even remember she’d made that call?
She had to assume Abby would call her back, and when she did Alexandra needed to decide what answer to give.
She had to decide what to do next.
She prided herself on being able to handle any situation, but for once her confidence in herself was draining away. She didn’t feel at all in control. Far from it.
She had a feeling that the life she’d constructed for herself was about to come tumbling down.
14
Evie
Evie was sifting through applications, feeling despondent. Why was it so hard to find good people?
Everyone fell short when compared with Abby.
She wondered if there was any way she could persuade Abby to take a permanent job.
That would at least solve some of her problems.
Tristan’s slightly cynical attitude had made her wary at first. As a result, she’d kept her expectations low when it came to Abby, but within hours she’d proved herself to be nothing short of an asset. And now, a little over three weeks later, it felt as if she’d always been here. Evie felt a little smug that her initial instincts had been correct. She needed to remember to point that out to Tristan next time she saw him, as he was always accusing her of being naïve and far too trusting.
Not only had Abby proved to be a hard worker who was willing to throw herself into anything and go wherever she wasneeded, she did it without moaning or whingeing. Nor did she insist on doing things the way Gerald had always done them.
And Abby seemed to have inside knowledge about everything. She knew how to remove stubborn stains from carpets, she could fix a dripping tap without needing to call the maintenance team, and she was able to work at speed.
Evie usually allowed double the necessary time for jobs to be completed because the staff chatted as they worked. Abby somehow managed to be friendly but still complete a job in under the time allocated. And she had a keen eye for detail. She noticed the slightest mark on a pillow, or a sticky fingerprint on a cupboard door. She had an excellent memory for names, and greeted all the guests personally.
When Donna’s mother had fallen and she’d had to take her to the hospital Abby had stepped in and worked the reception desk, charming all the guests and impressing everyone with her knowledge.
And she was becoming a good friend.
Evie smiled to herself. Yesterday on their run she’d confessed to her developing relationship with Luca. Part of her was worried about talking about it in case she jinxed it, but she was falling hard for him and was desperate to confide in someone.
Abby had proved to be the perfect audience. Receptive and excited in equal measure.
When Evie had told her that she’d finally spent the night at Luca’s apartment, Abby had hugged her. His apartment was slightly out of town, so Evie had decided that the chances of bumping into anyone she knew were vastly reduced. Not that Luca seemed to care.
Abby had wanted to know all the details and had seemed as happy about it as Evie was.
But at work she was the soul of discretion.
It was good to have a friend who hadn’t grown up here. Who hadn’t watched her grow from child to adult and didn’t feel the need to comment on the process. And maybe their friendship had extra depth because they shared a similar background. They’d each grown up with one parent. They’d suffered a similar loss and that gave them a connection.
