“Anything you say is just between us—that’s what you said to me.”
“I know. I didn’t expect you to reveal so much of a personal nature—”
“That’s who I am. I did that because I liked you! And I trustedyou. And that probably makes me a terrible judge of character. You lied, Abby.”
“I didn’t exactly—” Abby stopped and her shoulders sagged. “You’re right, I did lie. I don’t blame you for being angry. But you should know that I really did believe that everything I was doing would lead to a better outcome.”
“A better outcome? You mean for the company.”
“I mean for the company and the employees. For you. Would you have told me the truth about how things were if you’d known I was from head office?”
“Yes! I have been trying to talk to someone from head office for a while. I told you I emailed and I had no response.”
“That’s right. But when you didn’t get a response, did you go higher up the chain? Did you try again with someone more senior?”
Evie frowned. “No, but—” She paused, forced to admit the truth. “I didn’t want to get anyone into trouble. And also it felt safer to keep my head down and not draw attention. I had this vague hope people might not have noticed our numbers.”
“They noticed. There was an offer from a developer—”
“Mr Weasel.” Evie felt a rush of anger. “I knew it.”
“Yes, I suspect it was your Mr Weasel. But his offer was rejected.”
“Did anyone tell him that? Because he was spotted having tea in the gardens a couple of days ago.” She saw Abby nod.
“I know. And I told my mother that.”
“And what did she say?”
Abby turned scarlet. “I don’t know. We haven’t had a conversation. I left her a message last night.”
“After you’d had three glasses of wine?”
“Yes. But the fact that I’d drunk a little too much didn’t make the content of the message any less pertinent. I don’t know why that man keeps showing up.”
“Maybe he happens to love our afternoon tea, but somehow I doubt it. So if he increases his offer will your mother sell the place?”
“No.” Abby’s answer was immediate. “She was adamant that she wouldn’t sell and she doesn’t change her mind about things. But there is something strange about this whole situation. Something specific to this hotel and I don’t know what it is—it all started here, of course, but my mother isn’t the sentimental type so I’m not sure what’s going on in her head.”
“Why don’t you ask her?” Evie snapped out the words and then regretted it. “Look, I don’t mean to be rude, and obviously I’m far too trusting, but I’m not a pushover. To you this is another of your hotels. An ‘asset’, is that what you’d call it? But to me, and all the people who work here, it’s like home. And yes, sometimes the staff can be frustrating, especially when they insist on doing things the way they’ve always been done, but they’re loyal and great and decent people. I love them. I will fight to the end for them.”
But maybe this was the end, she thought. Maybe this was it.
And what could she do about it really? She had no power at all. No say in anything.
Maybe they’d be better off without her. She knew they had a big problem, but she hadn’t been able to turn it around. Maybe someone else would have more success. Someone more experienced. Someone the staff took seriously.
She thought about the job application she had sent off.
It would feel as if she was abandoning the sinking ship.But what if she was the one driving the ship onto the rocks?
“You’re a good manager, Evie. The staff are lucky to have you.”
Evie straightened her shoulders. “No, I’m not a good manager. No one takes me seriously around here because they’ve known me since I learned to tie my own shoelaces. People do things the way they’ve always done things, and I can’t get them to change. I don’t have the authority to change anything because I’m just covering while Gerald is ill.” And no doubt Abby had already briefed her mother on Evie’s inadequacies.
“That’s one of many things that need to be resolved,” Abby said. “Youarea good manager. And you need to be given the tools to do the job.”
“Or maybe you need to appoint an experienced general manager to cover until the situation with Gerald is resolved. I’ll step down if that would help. You could take over. How long do we have before your mother decides our fate? I’m not good with tension and suspense. It makes my stomach hurt.”
