Page 109 of Not So Very Sensible

Ellie grasped the handle of the three-tiered plate and, with a hand on the bottom to secure it, made her way up the narrow stairs to the room on the top floor. Inside, a colourful array of bunting mixed with fairy lights created the friendly, festive vibe appreciated by the groups that used this space—little girls’ birthday parties, hens’ parties for brides-to-be, light meals for ladies who lunched, family parties for special birthdays, or just because. She loved that so many people chose The Silver Teapot as their destination to celebrate and spend time with those they loved. She felt honoured that they’d chosen to come here, and hence she wanted to make their time as special as she could.

She paused at the party room’s door, and the faces of the family swung to meet her with the usual “Ooohhh!” and eyes wide with anticipation.

She smiled, placed the platter on the table, then obliged the guests with their usual requests for photos. So fun.

But when she descended the stairs, it seemed like the busyness of the morning was getting away from Katie and Annabelle, as a burly man stood near the door loudly exclaiming that he had a booking and demanding a table for himself and his extensive family. She quickly scanned the full tables, but from the looks of it, it seemed they’d be busy for quite some time yet.

At the frantic look Katie sent her, Ellie drew herself up and smiled at the patrons who’d paused their eating to see what the fuss was about. With a murmur of “Turn up the Vivaldi” to Katie, she then greeted the man and asked if she could help.

“You can only help if you’re the manager.”

Well, for all intents and purposes, today she was. “I understand you made a booking. May I ask under what name?”

He told her, and she checked the registration book—an old-school leather-bound book they liked to use in case there was a power outage and the digital record was lost. “Hmm. We don’t seem to have your name here.” She flipped over a few pages. Internally winced. “It’s actually written here for last weekend.”

So this was the no-show Mum had complained about. People who booked then didn’t show had been the reason to implement a new policy this year of requesting a fifty percent nonrefundable deposit up-front. If people couldn’t make it but let them know, it could be transferred to a different date, but that was only upon request and made at their discretion. People didn’t realise that when they booked for ten people and didn’t show, that was not only a waste of prepared food and staff wages, but it also meant empty seats and the prevention of others from coming. Saying you were going to do one thing, then not doing it was bad form, like a lie. She hated the self-entitlement that implied.

“But we’re here today.”

“And you were booked for last weekend. I’m sorry if you muddled up the dates.”

“I didn’t muddle anything, lady.” He took a step towards her.

She lifted her chin, refusing to step back or let him see her fear. She said softly, “If this is your way of asking if you can eat here today, then you’re going about it the wrong way.”

“But my family is here.”

Her heart softened. She smiled at the older lady who held enough similar features that she was probably his mother. “Is it a special occasion?”

“My seventieth birthday,” the woman said.

“Happy birthday.”

Ellie smiled, thinking quickly. It was a shame the nice lady would have to miss out, especially when it seemed her son was at fault in remembering and his attitude such that he was likely to kick up an even bigger stink if she refused them. But the café was so full that even if they could cram in another table, it wouldn’t fit them all. The party upstairs would likely go for another thirty minutes, then they had another party coming in thirty minutes after that. And besides, they’d struggle to get enough food for the type of booking they’d made.

“Excuse me while I check with the kitchen.”

“But—”

“Excuse me,” she said firmly, then ignoring the man, moved to the back where Katie was taking an empty teapot to be refilled.

“There’s no way we can fit them in,” Katie murmured.

“Can you look upstairs and see where they’re up to?” Some parties demolished their food immediately, others liked to savour their food and use every minute of their allocated time.

“I’ll ask Mum and Dad and see if there’s enough food.”

She went and did that, got a sigh and a “I suppose we can,” then returned, met by Katie with a shake of her head and “they’re taking forever,” which drew fresh resolve.

She returned to the man and told him the situation. “I’m sorry, but the booking—” Annabelle had also checked online—”was definitely made for last weekend, and at this moment there is no spare seating to accommodate a large party.” She glanced at the lady. “I’m very sorry.”

The woman sighed and murmured, “I knew it was too good to be true,” which instantly provoked more compassion.

“If you would like to come back in half an hour, then we can see if there is space, but as you can see we are fully booked today, so there is no guarantee.”

The man frowned. “And what are we to do until then?”

“Well, you could go down to the main street and have a look amongst the gardens and see the tulip displays. There are also a number of very interesting shops you could peruse. And if you return in thirty minutes and we don’t have space, then I can make some recommendations for other places.”