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“Okay, well, I guess we could put something together,” she allowed, changing her tune once she heard our boss wanted it to happen.

I went online and checked out the rules. We needed to collect four or five facts about each member of staff to compile into a bingo sheet, so we divided up the duties. I’d already found a template online for the sheet, so it just needed to be filled in and printed out.

An email was sent to all staff members that the event was being held in the function room on Friday afternoon. It was now Thursday, and I was on a bit of a deadline to get everything prepared. I cursed myself for telling Tristan we could do it this week. I should’ve given myself a little more time.

“Have you interviewed everyone for bingo tomorrow?” I asked Katy.

“Yes, I’m almost done. I haven’t managed to catch Tristan and Derek yet. Those two are always so busy.”

My eyebrows shot up because I hadn’t realised that our bosses were taking part. I’d thought it was just for the employees. Then again, it was a good idea if they wanted to ingratiate themselves, make everyone feel like we were one big team.

“Could you do it now?” I hedged, and Katy shot me a glance, looking vaguely put out since she was in the middle of going through a tonne of paperwork. “It’s just that I need to get these sheets typed up and printed out before I leave for the day,” I went on, glancing at the clock. It was almost four, and I was due to leave at five-thirty.

Katy let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. I think Derek’s upstairs dealing with a maintenance issue at the moment. You’ll find Tristan’s PA, Becky, in the lobby. She’s been camped out there all week. She’ll let you know where to find him, or you could give him a call. Though if he’s in a meeting, he won’t answer.”

So that was who she was, Tristan’s PA. I’d spotted the fair-haired woman sitting by the window each morning, a laptop and a stack of files in front of her, paired with a perpetually frazzled look. The countdown to reopening was getting to everyone.

But wait a minute, what did she mean, she’d let me know where to find Tristan?

“Aren’t you going to do both of them?” I asked, and Katy shot me an arch look. A small burst of laughter escaped me. “Sorry, that came out wrong. I meant, aren’t you going to talk to both Tristan and Derek?”

A small hint of amusement pulled at her lips before her expression regained its usual seriousness. I’d thawed the ice queen just a little. Maybe within the next few weeks we could get over her initial judgement of me and actually become friends. “I don’t have time. We’ll need to split it.”

“Well, I can take Derek—”

“No, thank you. I’m not going on whatever magical mystery tour it will take to locate Tristan. You’ll have to deal with him.”

She stood and left the office, leaving me with the dilemma of having to face Tristan again. I’d managed to dodge him all week after our encounter on the roof terrace, but I knew there was no avoiding him forever. Pulling out my phone, I dialled his number but got no answer, so I headed to the lobby to see Becky.

She typed rapidly into her laptop, earphones blasting what sounded like Olivia Rodrigo when I stood in front of her and cleared my throat. When that didn’t get her attention, I waved my hand in her general vicinity, and she almost jumped out of her seat.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” I said as she pulled out her earphones and looked up at me, hand to her chest.

“You gave me a fright. When I’m concentrating, I tend to block out everything around me,” she replied with a self-deprecating smile. “You’re Rinnie, right? The manager?”

“Yes, that’s me. Nice you meet you. Becky, isn’t it?”

“Correct. How can I help you?”

“I need to speak with Tristan, but he isn’t answering his phone. Do you know where I might find him?”

“Oh, just let me check his schedule,” she said, looking back to her laptop and doing some more speedy typing. I watched as her eyes scanned down the screen, “Meeting, meeting, meeting, ah yes, here we are, sea swim.”

“Sea swim?”

“He took it up last year, says it’s great for endurance and overall health. Anyway, it looks like he should be out of the water in a couple of minutes. If you head down to the beach now, you’ll catch him. He’s driving back to Dublin afterwards, so you won’t get to speak with him until tomorrow morning if it’s urgent.”

Well, hell. It looked like I was heading down to the beach. Maybe I didn’t have to. Maybe I could just ask Becky for a few personal facts since she was his PA and likely knew a bit about him.

“Hey, would you mind if—” Before I could finish, her phone started ringing, and she glanced at the screen.

“Sorry, this is urgent. Do you mind if I take it?”

“Of course not, go ahead, and thanks for your help.”

“No problem, Rinnie,” she said before answering the call. “Hello? Yes, I’m emailing it over to you now. No, that’s not what we agreed. All right, well, I’ll have to discuss it with …”

Her words trailed off as I left the lobby and stepped out of the hotel. I’d been cooped up in my office all day with Katy, so the fresh air and sun on my skin was a welcome reprieve. I made my way to the back of the building, then to the newly installed steps leading down to the beach. They were a great investment, and I knew the guests were going to love having a direct route to head down for a swim or some sunbathing. Fred and Nessa’s cottage was still undergoing renovation, so I hadn’t seen the updates that had been made yet, but I was curious to see its transformation.