AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Look, if you have any doubts,’ Kristina said as she stood, ‘particularly when he’s in lockdown programming, run them by me—don’t disturb him.’
‘You’re sure? But you’re...’ Roula honestly wasn’t sure if she was allowed to mention that Kristina was clearly very close to being due!
‘Absolutely.’
‘Thanks for being so thorough.’
‘Well, it’s best to know what you’re getting into. Your time will no longer be yours, but if you don’t want the position say so now—believe me, there are many who do. I have three people I usually fall back on...’
Roula knew she was being warned that this really was a coveted job.
‘I just had a wobble back at the office,’ Roula admitted.
‘I get it,’ Kristina said. ‘But you wobble in here—not there.’
‘Noted.’
‘I’ll leave you to settle in,’ she said, but as she clipped towards the door she turned around. ‘Bring his coffee from the café on Monday, remember?’
‘Got it,’ Roula said, and read back his complicated order. She frowned when Kristina pressed her thumb and fingers to her forehead. ‘Are you...?’ Gosh, was she even allowed to ask? ‘Is everything...?’
‘I have a headache. I’ve had it since last night...’
Kristina suddenly didn’t look quite so photoshoot-ready—she looked as if she might faint.
‘Kristina, sit down,’ Roula told her.
‘Don’t say anything to Galen.’
‘I shan’t.’
Roula didn’t quite know what to do with this very private, very bristly woman, but she quickly worked out the complicated curtains and they sat in semi darkness.
Kristina took off her heels and lay on the couch. ‘Excuse me,’ she said, and then admitted, ‘I’m embarrassed. I don’t tend to lie down at work. Ruben would freak if I told him that I’m having headaches. My husband,’ she added.
‘Would you like me to leave you?’
‘It’s fine...’ Kristina said. ‘I’ll go in a moment...the driver’s waiting...’ She grimaced as her phone buzzed.
‘Let me...’ Roula offered, and took the phone. But she blinked as she read the message.
‘The care home?’ Kristina checked, without opening her eyes.
‘No, it’s Galen, asking if you’ve told me about my “awful zig-zag skirt”.’
Kristina gave a soft laugh. ‘He hates patterns. They cause some kind of overload to his brain. Don’t be offended.’
‘I’m not.’ In fact, it cleared things up a little as she thought back to the bed linen and her opinion that he was picky and precious. That he’d changed.
Maybe he hadn’t completely changed, Roula realised. Perhaps she just knew him a little more.
And Roula also knew what her guest services manager self would do...
‘Kristina, why don’t I tell the driver we’ll be a while and that you’ll call him when you’re ready to be picked up?’
‘You don’t mind?’
‘Of course not.’
