‘Yeah, but he only lives in London. You can drive. He can drive. There’s public transport. All this mobile phone technology to keep people in touch. Why is it a problem?’
‘I dunno.’ I couldn’t have sounded more like my mulish fifteen-year-old self if I tried. Lydia was not stuffy or prudish in the slightest, but it didn’t mean I wanted to admit to her I was just having a short-term fumble with Nick. ‘Have you got any—’ A packet of cookies appeared beneath my nose. She knew me too well. I took four, shoving the first one into my mouth whole. As well as feeling cold to the marrow, I was starving.
‘It’s going to be hard after Peter. I understand that. But don’t let Nick slip through your fingers.’ Lydia took a cookie herself and dipped it into her tea. ‘He likes you. He was trying really, really hard not to talk about you constantly. It was very sweet. And he’s very dishy. And apilot, Beth. You could get me free flights.’
I laughed, because I knew she was joking – at least partly – and ate another biscuit to stop myself from asking what he’d said about me. Eventually, when I finished chewing and swallowed, I took a long slurp of tea and shook my head.
‘It’s such bad timing. I’m not ready. And I’m trying to keep everything at the hotel from going to pot. And he’s…’
‘What is he?’
‘Going through a very difficult time too.’
‘None of that means it’s bad timing. You both might be exactly what the other needs.’
We might be what each other needed in the short term. He was a crush to move me on from Peter, and a kind enough person to want to help me out with things around the hotel. And I was a distraction for him from his first Christmas without his mother, but I couldn’t consider it anything more than that because he couldn’t even be honest with me about her passing.
I’d just got out of a relationship with a man who felt he needed to hide anything that made him look weak or a failure. I never would’ve thought those things about Peter, buthe’dthought them and by refusing to tell me the truth about problems with his business, he’d ended up inventing lie after lie and then resentingmefor it. There was no way I was going to get myself into that kind of mess again.
‘All right, cupid. It’s not Valentine’s Day yet. You can quit with the sales pitch.’
‘A good businesswoman never quits.’ She winked.
‘A good friend knows when to.’
Lydia held up her hands. ‘I spoke to your mum earlier.’
‘What? She calledyou?’
‘Yes, but don’t sound so put out about it. She said she tried to ring you but there was no answer from your mobile and the hotel phone is switched to voicemail.’
I swore and searched my pockets for my mobile, coming up empty. How had I misplaced my phone? I usually had it within arm’s reach all day. I’d obviously had it in the bedrooms when Lydia texted me earlier and then… My mind was blank. I’d gone down to the kitchen and found out about the butcher’s delivery.
‘Don’t panic. I told her that the mince pie and mulled wine evening went well, and everything was ticking along nicely.’
‘Yeah. Ticking. Like a bomb that’s about to go off in my face any minute.’ At Lydia’s concerned frown, I sighed. ‘How was she? How’s Grandad? Did she say when she’s going to come home?’
‘She said your grandad’s looking a little better and the roads are icy but improving.’
The reassurance that they were both doing okay eased a little knot of worry I hadn’t even been able to focus on. I knew I’d wanted to try and get hold of her on Grandad’s landline today but no matter how many times I’d thought about it, put it on my mental to-do list, I’d forgotten. This was what happened when you had to manage the hotel. She and I had mainly communicated by text when I was living in London because it was so much easier. The hotel wasn’t so much of a ‘demanding mistress’, as a needy toddler that would never grow up.
‘No promises then?’
‘No promises.’
I nodded. That was understandable. My short experience of driving two minutes from the hotel was enough to make me realise Mum had been totally right; it wasn’t sensible for me to try to drive up to Norfolk in such bad conditions. I didn’t want her and Grandad ending up stranded. No. I had to face it. It was most likely I was on my own until after Christmas.
‘Aren’t you enjoying it at all?’ Lydia asked, hitching herself up onto a stool and giving me a deceptively casual look.
‘What? Looking after the hotel, by myself?’ I almost spilled my tea in shock at the thought.
‘You’re a natural with the guests though, always have been.’ She cocked her head to the side, considering me. ‘I know you’ve been feeling less sociable since your break-up but ultimately, you’re a people-person aren’t you. You get a buzz from working with others, that’s why you enjoyed your tutoring so much.’
I took a couple of deep draughts of hot tea and put the mug down. ‘Okay, Lydia, what’s the real reason you wanted me to come down here for a chat? It wasn’t just to wish me a Merry Christmas and do some match-making was it?’
She rolled her eyes. ‘Fine, busted. But first off, I want you to know, your mother did not ask me to have this conversation with you, all right?’
I made a dubious um-hum noise. I’d reserve judgement until I knew the topic she was about to haul me over the coals for.
