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She would not allow herself to be distracted by a man with an adorable smile and cute dimples… however nice, and genuine, and sincere he appeared to be.
Especially, when that man was now her client.
Chapter Four
Monday, 22ndNovember
There had only been a couple of times in Calvin’s life when he’d felt genuinely apprehensive about something. He’d always been so assured about who he was and what was expected of him. He knew what he needed to do to achieve success and he had direction in his life, a clear path ahead. But all that had changed back in June, when he’d been given his diagnosis. Now he felt nothing but doubt and uncertainty. He questioned every decision, second-guessing himself, and felt consumed by remorse when he dwelled on the ramifications of certain choices – like hiring Kate Lawrence as his solicitor.
He’d had a knot the size of a football in his stomach all weekend, thinking about how he might have made his situation worse, and not better. But it wasn’t like he’d had a choice, was it? She was his last resort. He never usually made rash decisions, and maybe he wouldn’t have done if she hadn’t been so endearing. But when she’d looked up at him, all wounded and fragile, through those watery blue eyes, he’d melted. He just hoped he wouldn’t live to regret it.
And now he had to face another demon, this time in the shape of the care-home chef, Geraldine Henderson. Something else he wasn’t looking forward to tackling.
Geraldine hadn’t been in work last week; she’d been prescribed bed rest following a steroid injection in her hip, and an agency chef had been hired – the fees for which Geraldine had covered herself. He couldn’t imagine this endeared him to the woman, or eased the concerns of the rest of the staff team that things were about to improve any time soon.
He tapped on the kitchen door, unsure about intruding on her workspace. Chefs were notoriously territorial about their domain, as Hanna had already prewarned him. ‘Don’t piss off chef,’ she’d barked, pointing a purple fingernail at him. ‘We need food. Not survive without. Becharming.’ A threat that hadn’t helped to ease his trepidation.
He wasn’t sure he knew how to charm a seventy-nine-year-old woman, but then he thought of his granny Esme and instantly felt calmer. Her train was due to arrive in an hour and he couldn’t wait to see her. Hopefully, she’d help him sort out this mess and placate the staff, because he wasn’t resolving anything on his own.
‘Hello,’ he called out, pushing open the door. ‘Is it okay to come in?’
The kitchen was a big room, with exposed brickwork, a high ceiling and huge sash windows. An Aga was situated next to an open fireplace, which had a load of pots and pans hanging down from the hooks above. A thick wooden table filled the space in the centre and was covered with various baking ingredients.
Geraldine turned at the sound of his voice and he braced himself for another confrontation, but she surprised him by smiling. ‘Calvin, love! Finally,’ she said, limping over, her apron covered in flour. She pulled him into a tight hug and squeezed him. She smelt of pastry and lemons. ‘I’ve been dying to meet you. Let me look at you.’ She held him at arm’s length and made a point of checking him over. ‘You’re quite the looker, aren’t you? I bet you don’t have any trouble getting the ladies.’ She pinched his cheek. ‘And I thought your great-uncle was handsome.’
This wasn’t what he’d been expecting. But then, feeling dumbstruck was becoming a common occurrence. ‘It’s lovely to meet you, Geraldine.’
She was a good foot shorter than him, with soft curly brown hair and one of those cheerful faces that instantly put you at ease. He could relax; she was no Hanna.
He held out his hand, but instead of shaking it, she cupped his face with her floury hands and kissed him right on the lips. Another thing he hadn’t been expecting.
Thankfully, it was brief, and she instantly pulled away. ‘You daft thing, you’re almost like family. No need for such formality.’ She was still holding his face in her hands. ‘Would you like a cuppa?’ She wiped his cheeks, removing smudges of flour. ‘Silly me, I’ve got you all messy.’
He took a step back, dislodging her hands before she spat on a tissue and began wiping his face like his granny used to do when he was little. He wasn’t up to that level of intimacy. ‘I’m good, thanks. How’s your hip?’
‘A bit sore, but it’ll never be right until they replace it, so I just have to make the best of it.’ She gave her hip a pat, still smiling, even though it must be painful being on her feet all day.
He was consumed by another wave of guilt. ‘I’m really sorry you’ve been put in this situation, Geraldine. Hanna said you’d intended to retire by now. I hate that you’re being forced to stay on to help us out.’
She gave him a stern look. ‘Firstly, no one’s forcing me to do anything, and secondly… wait a sec…’ When a dog barked, she headed over to the back door. ‘I promised Bert I wouldn’t leave until you were settled and had found a replacement. I’m not reneging on my promise,’ she said, opening the door and letting in a large dog.
The animal was a lanky blonde thing, who trotted over to Calvin and sat obediently in front of him, gazing up with huge brown eyes. Calvin reached out and stroked the dog’s fluffy ears. ‘That’s incredibly kind of you, Geraldine, but that doesn’t meanyou’re expected to use your own money to keep us afloat. Hanna tells me you buy all the food for the care home.’
Geraldine dismissed his concerns with a wave of her hand. ‘What else am I going to do with it? I live alone, I have no family and the money’s just sitting there gathering sod-all interest. I’d rather put it to use. Besides, in case you hadn’t realised, the care home has no money. I’m not going to sit back and watch the staff and residents starve, am I?’
She had a valid point, but still. ‘I promise to pay you back as soon as possible.’
‘No rush, my love,’ she said, filling a bowl of water in the deep ceramic sink. ‘You concentrate on getting to grips with running this place, we’re relying on you to get it back to how it was in your uncle’s day.’
That was what worried him. He still had no idea why his uncle had chosen him to deal with the estate. He wasn’t the obvious choice, by a long shot.
‘Your uncle used to talk about you all the time,’ Geraldine said, placing the bowl of water in front of the dog. ‘He was so proud of you. He watched all your football matches on the telly, said he knew you’d make it big the first time he saw you kick a ball.’
Calvin felt a lump in his throat. ‘He was a nice man.’
‘He was quite the lover, too,’ Geraldine said with a wink. ‘This is Suki, by the way. Suki the Saluki. Do you like dogs?’
But Calvin was still reeling from the realisation that his uncle and Geraldine had been… intimate. ‘Er… yes, I do.’
