“Discretion. If that’s important to you then you’re going to have a problem living here.” He smiled. “This is a small village where everyone knows everyone. Don’t be fooled by the number of tourists. Discretion isn’t a word you hear a lot, and you see it in practice even less.”
Having lived most of her life in a big city, Abby didn’t really understand what he was talking about, and she didn’t see the relevance for her.
She was going to be spending her time in the hotel, not the village. And she was here for the summer, not for the rest of her life.
“Thanks for the information. And the food.” She looked at him and tension pulsed between them.
He cleared his throat. “If you don’t want to eat alone you could come downstairs and join me in the pub. There’s a table by the window. Good views. Or we could sit outside.”
She reminded herself that the invitation wasn’t personal.
A pub was a social hub, and he was the landlord. In a place like this the pub was, in all likelihood, the heart of the community. He probably felt a responsibility towards his guests. Either that or he was trying to compensate for his less than warm welcome earlier.
“Thank you for the offer, but I’ll be fine here. And don’t worry—I’ll be sure to give you a glowing reference when I talk to Evie.”
“Good. Because she can be scary.” He didn’t move from thedoorway. “If you need anything else, let me know. And leave the tray outside your door when you’re done. That way your room won’t smell of fish.”
“Thank you. I appreciate the food. It was thoughtful of you.” It was, although she had a feeling that his attention had more to do with him keeping an eye on her than delivering good hospitality.
She carried the tray back into the room and was relieved to hear him close the door behind her.
Either way, she would be keeping as much distance from him as possible.
Her stomach growled and she picked up a fork, intending to sample the fish pie.
Five minutes later she’d eaten the entire thing and was staring at an empty bowl. Evie was right. It was incredible.
She ate the apple, then put the tray outside her room.
She could hear the muffled sounds of conversation and laughter coming from the pub far beneath her, but there was no sign of Tristan.
The familiar feeling of loneliness crept over her and for a moment she wished she’d accepted Evie’s invitation to join her for something to eat.
But it was too late for regrets, so she did what she always did when she felt alone. She took refuge in her work.
Closing the door to her room, she walked back to the little desk, picked up her phone and braced herself to call her mother.
8
Evie
The room was a mess, thanks to the out-of-control partying of a couple celebrating a milestone birthday. Every surface was covered in half-empty wine glasses, bottles and half-eaten plates of food. Someone had spilled a bottle of red wine on the duvet, there was broken glass on the carpet, and the place was littered with party poppers and burst balloons.
“I don’t believe this.” Evie stared at it, appalled. “Is this the way they behave in their own homes?”
Abby glanced around her. “It must have been quite a party. Does this happen often?”
“Hardly ever. We’ve been lucky that way. Some guests are untidier than others, but we have little actual damage.” Evie grabbed a lone balloon that had wrapped itself around a light fitting.
This was the last thing they needed.
It was part of running a hotel, of course, but it was bad timing.She’d already had one of the housekeeping staff call in sick that morning, so things were stretched.
It was Abby’s first day and she’d offered to help wherever she was needed but it didn’t seem fair to start her with this job.
“The Grangers are due to check in here this afternoon.” Mandy surveyed the scene with weary acceptance as Abby went to check the bathroom. “We’re going to have to move them to another room. There’s no way we’ll be able to turn this room around in time, especially with Tilda off sick. We’re going to need to have the carpet professionally cleaned for a start. This is why I prefer the rooms in the stable wing. They have those beautiful slate floors.”
Evie retrieved a cushion from the floor. She’d forgotten about the Grangers. “They requested this room specifically because it’s their anniversary and they stayed here on their honeymoon.” She sighed. “I’ll call them myself and break the bad news.”
