“You could always order a nice pot of Earl Grey and enjoy the view. But you’re on holiday. Good is for when you’re home.”
The woman caved in. “You’re right, of course. Do book us a table, Donna. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Have a happy day.” Donna waited for her to walk away and then looked at Abby, pride in her eyes.“There you go. Upselling. Point number two on the memo Evie sent.”
“You were good at it,” Abby said faintly. “I almost wanted you to book me a table, too.”
“You’re staff. No sitting down for you,” Donna said. “I had no idea that would be so much fun. Gerald never used to let us suggest anything. He said it was wrong to put any pressure on guests. But I didn’t strap her to the chair and force-feed her scones, did I? She could have said no, but she didn’t. Next I’ll persuade her to book a session at the spa.”
Abby laughed. “Go for it.” She handed the memo back. “I don’t need this, Donna. I’ve already seen it.”
“You have?”
“Yes. And sent it to the boss.”
“Right. Well, that’s good.” Donna straightened her uniform. “So you’ll tell us if there’s anything else we can do to impress her. And in the meantime, Mandy wants to know if you’re still available to clean the odd bathroom, or are you above all that now?”
Abby felt emotion build in her chest. “I wasn’t sure any of you would want to work with me again after Evie told you who I was.”
“You saved little Holly, so that gives you pretty much a free pass.”
“You know about that?”
Donna gave her a pitying look. “You’ve been here almost a month and you have to ask that question? Everyone knows, Abby. Chrissy is on her way back with the children now. Edward has gone to collect her from the hospital because her no-good husband is still prioritising his work, and we thought a familiar figure might be comforting. You were brave.”
“I was in the right place at the right time.” Abby felt a lumpbuild in her throat. “I thought you’d all be mad at me. You have a right to be mad with me.”
“If we hadn’t worked with you, we might have been mad, but we’ve seen you getting stuck in like the rest of us. You’re one of the team. Should you have told us who you were? Maybe, but if you’d done that, we wouldn’t have dared ask you to scrub a toilet, so in the end it was probably for the best. Now I have to go. We have guests checking in and I want to try and persuade them that they can upgrade to our finest suite for a small fee. Evie has just finished walking round the dining room charming everyone, so you’ll probably find her in her office.”
She walked away and Abby headed to Evie’s office.
After that encounter with Donna she wasn’t sure what to expect.
Evie was on the phone. “If you definitely saw him then yes, it’s time we intervened. He can’t keep showing up here... right... okay, well, let me know. And let me know when Chrissy and the girls get back.” She put the phone down and saw Abby and immediately rushed across the room. “I can’t believe what happened. If you hadn’t been there—you saved Holly. I couldn’t sleep last night imagining different scenarios. I’m so sorry about what I said to you yesterday.”
She hugged Abby and Abby hugged her back.
“You have nothing to apologise for. What I did was inexcusable.”
“It was completely excusable. You were in an impossible position. I should understand that better than anyone because I also work with a parent and it’s complicated! I saw that once I calmed down. I hope you’ll forgive me. I should have calmed down first and then reacted. I’m working on that.” Evie stepped back and sniffed. “Whatever I said, nothing changes the fact that I’ve loved working with you.”
“Me, too. I meant it when I said this has been my happiest time at work ever.” It was a struggle to keep her emotions in check. She’d expected this to be difficult. She hadn’t expected such warmth from Donna and now Evie. “On the phone just now you were saying someone kept showing up. Is it our weasel man again?” She was still part of the team. If they had a problem, then she had a problem.
“Yes.” Evie pulled a face. “One of the gardeners just saw him a moment ago loitering at the edge of the terrace. It’s creepy.”
“I’m going to call my mother and I’ll ask her about it.” In a way it was a relief to no longer have to pretend. “I’m confident she doesn’t know he’s still sniffing around the place. She’ll speak to the lawyers and deal with it.”
“Right. That would be good.” Evie gave a weak smile. “I suppose it could be a good thing that you have the ear of the boss.”
“Don’t overestimate my influence. She doesn’t pay much attention to me, but I can make sure she’s informed.” She stopped as there was a knock on the door.
Sylvie who dealt with procurement staggered in with a massive basket filled with toys and snacks. “This was the best we could do at short notice.”
“It’s great, Sylvie. You’re a star.” Evie took a closer look. “Holly will love this.”
“Edward called to say they’re five minutes away. I’m going to get this into their suite and then see what Chrissy needs. We were going to do a welcoming committee but then we thought Holly might not like the fuss.”
“I think you’re right,” Evie said. “I’ll give them time to get settled and then I’ll go up to the room and see what we can do for them.”
