Chapter Nine
Darcy
Ten days until Christmas
‘Follow me, it’s this way.’ Darcy smiled at Vince, the plumber, who had replied to her text message at six o’clock this morning, a rude awakening for Darcy after a few gin and tonics in swift succession and very little water to soak them up. She thought she’d represented sobriety very well last night when Vanessa came downstairs to tell her about the leak.
Vanessa and Zach were ensconced in the hotel dining room enjoying eggs sunny-side up and waffles with maple syrup as Darcy dealt with the shower disaster. But after a swift evaluation, Vince confirmed it was the silicone sealant joint between the shower tray and the shower screen at fault. It had created quite a puddle last night but today Darcy was relieved to hear it wasn’t a problem with the shower walls or anything that would mean the cause needed substantial investigation. Basically, anything that was expensive would not be welcome, but this she could deal with.
She left Vince to it and went downstairs. She’d switched the lights on for the garlands on the bannisters first thing, as she always did, so they lit the path to the ground floor. Her next task was to clean out the fire grate. She liked to do it as soon as she was up and about, then lay another fire ready to start when the moment was right. If she knew all the guests were going to be out during the day she often held off or timed it for their return.
She hadn’t seen Myles yet and wondered how things would be between them after last night. Her mouth had gone very dry as she’d tried to give him an answer to his question, but she’d never felt so pleased at being asked on a date. Not since Lachie. Isabella was right. She had taken a lot of interest in her guest on the top floor and although she knew it wasn’t strictly professional, she couldn’t help the way she felt. The feelings had crept up on her and she’d gone from hating him for making demands in the London hotel that had led to her being fired to seeing him last night with his guard down. He was a different man entirely when he smiled and his right cheek dimpled ever so slightly, betraying the boy he once must have been. She didn’t know this man, but her heart skipped at the thought of getting to know him more.
Darcy had a moment of panic that if something happened between her and Myles she’d get a reputation as the hotelier who liked to put it about. She froze, pan and brush in her hands, kneeling by the fire. Would customers think they could order extra perks, perhaps tick a box but instead of saying Christmas tree in room it would ask if they required Darcy’s special service?
She shook away the crazy thought, cleared out the grate, and when she’d washed her hands she took out the pad of paper from the drawer she’d stashed it in last night before going to bed. She grinned as she looked at the words, her scribblings, the moment she’d bonded with Myles Cunningham.
‘All done.’ Vince was in the doorway, box of tricks in hand.
‘That was quick.’
‘Very easy to do.’
‘How much do I owe you?’ The dreaded question. There was the callout fee, any materials he’d used. She had enough in her personal account to cover a small charge but hoped it was exactly that.’
Vince shifted from foot to foot.
Oh no, was it that much?
‘Sofia said she’d pay the last invoice and never did.’ He shrugged his shoulders, pulled a face as though he was feeling terrible about having to ask for money owed.
‘Vince, I’m so sorry. I never knew.’
Now he looked more embarrassed. ‘I figured I wouldn’t chase it until Sofia came back, but now I’m here…’
‘Absolutely no need to explain, Vince.’ Darcy took out her own personal chequebook. ‘I’ll settle up the entire bill.’ She didn’t want to risk writing a business cheque in case Sofia hadn’t transferred the funds yet. It wouldn’t be fair to Vince and it would be embarrassing on their part too.
When Vince told her the total amount, which included repairing the leaking faucet in the kitchen and unclogging a bathroom drain, both on separate callouts, she tried not to wince. She wrote him a cheque, added a tip, and when he went on his way she went to the computer to catch up with Sofia. She wasn’t available for FaceTime so Darcy sent an email asking whether the cash had gone into the account. Tired of prevaricating, she also asked whether Rupert’s wages were covered and if Jill, the cleaner, would definitely be paid this side of Christmas. Her personal funds could only go so far and she didn’t want to be in the position where she had to go to anyone else for money.
Darcy took logs from the basket and arranged them in the grate and when the fire was laid she took a call from Holly, the editor who was coming to stay. Holly confirmed her reservation, the Christmas dinner she’d opted for, and said she was looking forward to her visit. But all it did was remind Darcy that this year had to be a success or she’d be worrying about the future of the Inglenook Inn. And the thought of it closing simply didn’t bear thinking about.
By the time Darcy got to lunchtime and Rupert held the fort if anyone wanted a light lunch, snack or drink, Darcy escaped into the chill of Manhattan. Since she’d been back in New York she realised how much she’d craved the defined seasons. Winter was cold, magical, snowy and white, autumn was a plethora of reds, greens, golds and the time of pumpkin carving and wrapping up warm but still finding out those sunglasses. Summer was sweltering in the city and the heat wavered on the top of the tarmac streets, crowds congregated in Central Park for their alfresco lunch break, and with spring came the promise of a fresh season, the time to start anew. Now, blades of grass huddled around trees on the sidewalks but were no longer green, accepting their seasonal white coating of frost. Snow was forecast tonight although they’d been predicting it for the last week and, while it had certainly cooled down, they were yet to see a single flake fall from the sky.
She walked from Greenwich Village to Washington Square Arch to meet Isabella, and ensconced in a restaurant she was looking forward to a proper catch up.
‘I’ve got a couple of hours,’ Darcy announced, handing her coat to the maître d’.
Isabella grinned as they took their seats at the table at the far end of the room. ‘Don’t tell my sister I’m having a long lunch though. She’s been trying to drag me along to home-furnishing stores to choose things for her new place.’
As they talked some more about her sister Sherry and the apartment she’d bought in Brooklyn, Darcy wondered when she’d be able to get on the property ladder. Given her love of Manhattan, she doubted it would be anytime soon.
‘So come on, I want to hear more about the Inn,’ Isabella prompted after they’d chosen from the menu and covered the topics of siblings, parents and Christmas-shopping progress.
‘I nearly forgot.’ Darcy reached into her bag and took out two presents. ‘If you could take these to Cleo’s store in Inglenook Falls it would be fantastic.’
‘Of course.’ She reached across and at the rattling sound from one of the presents, she asked, ‘Did you get the Lego?’
‘Lego for Jacob, but I went for make-up for Ruby. I hope Dylan doesn’t mind.’
‘She’s a girl, she’ll love it, and he’ll love that she loves it.’ She put the gifts into her own bag. ‘Come on then, how’s the Inn? Still standing?’
‘Of course! And the tree is up now so it’s lovely in the lounge.’
‘Uh-huh.’ She sipped from her glass of water.
‘Sofia has been a bit behind paying bills though, so I’ve emailed her. She can’t ignore it any longer.’
‘You need to sit her down when she gets back to New York and tell her all your thoughts on the place. She probably doesn’t really think about them when you mention changing the room specifications, or making Christmas a big feature, etcetera etcetera. Sit her down, tell her what’s what. You’re good at that. Well you are.’ She shrugged as the waiter set down her fettuccine Alfredo and Darcy’s sea scallops with sweetcorn and rosemary-roasted potatoes. ‘Why are you smiling?’
‘It’s just that I asked someone else’s advice last night and was told much the same. I was told I have to present the facts to get Sofia to fully comprehend what’s going on.’ She cut through a scallop and savoured the seafood burst as she took a bite. Hand in front of her mouth, she asked, ‘Now why are you smiling?’
‘The advice wouldn’t have come from a certain businessman, would it?’
The colour in Darcy’s cheeks gave her away. ‘Why do you say that?’
‘Just a feeling I had, that’s all.’ She only stopped grinning because she had to focus on getting the fettuccine into her mouth without it splattering anywhere.
‘Well it was just a friendly chat.’ Apart from the bit where he asked her out on a date that was. ‘And he was helpful. He suggested I put everything together in a formal presentation. We went through several possibilities; it was good to talk with someone who…what? Would you stop looking at me like that!’
‘Well usually you’d have a glass of wine with a special catch-up lunch, but I’m assuming you had a few glasses last night when you had your talk with Mr Upstairs.’
‘Oh my god! Are you psychic?’
‘Just a hunch. Not like you, to drink on the job.’
‘It was well after hours and everyone else was in bed. And stop calling him Mr Upstairs, or Mr Top Floor. His name is Myles, and you know I like the personal touch with my guests.’ Of course, her remark caused Isabella to collapse into fits of laughter. ‘That came out wrong. You know exactly what I mean. Now if we could change the subject, I’d appreciate it.’
Talk changed to Jake. Things were getting serious. They’d discussed sharing a place together and already Darcy could tell Isabella was hoping it would lead to a more serious commitment.
‘I’m really pleased for you, Isabella. You deserve to be happy.’
‘His brother’s coming into town next week.’
‘For Christmas?’
‘Just for a couple of days. He’s moving back from Chicago.’
‘Wait, I hope you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking. You know I don’t do blind dates. I don’t have the time, energy or inclination.’ It was almost like getting an escort when you thought about it, except it didn’t cost you anything.
‘Oh come on, we’ve got tickets to see the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Hall, it’ll be a blast.’
‘I’m sure it will, but I’m still not interested.’
‘He’s gorgeous you know. Come on, Darcy. When was the last time you had a date?’
She thought about it. ‘In London.’
‘My point exactly.’
‘I’ve been busy since I got back.’
‘It’s no excuse.’
‘Oh be quiet and finish your pasta. Then we can order coffees. I’ll just text Rupert to make sure everything is OK back at the Inn.’ She sent off a quick message and he replied soon enough to say everything was running smoothly. Her shoulders sagged with relief when he added that Sofia had confirmed the money was safely in the business account and they could go on as usual. She’d also transferred an amount to Darcy’s account to cover the bills she had to pay for and had apologised profusely for the inconvenience. Darcy could only imagine how guilty she felt. It wasn’t how she’d intended to make her feel but Sofia did need to make some changes when she came home.
They finished their meal and after they’d ordered a coffee each, Darcy admitted, ‘I actually have a date.’
‘Get out!’
‘I do.’
‘Who with?’
Darcy pulled a face.
‘Myles? No way!’
‘Yes, but he only asked me because he’s stuck for someone to go with him to a work Christmas party.’
‘Rubbish. I’ll bet he asked you for more reasons than that. Well I never.’
Darcy hadn’t forgotten that he’d said ‘we’ll see’ when she offered to cross out the ‘no strings attached’ comment in the pro list they’d come up with. She didn’t go into all those details with Isabella but she did explain that Myles had been considering hiring an escort.
‘He sounds a bit naive. Surely there are sexual favours with those.’
‘He says not, but I think he had his doubts, which I suspect is why he ended up asking me to go with him. Oh god, you don’t think he’ll try to pay me do you?’
Isabella’s eyes widened. ‘I don’t know. How did you leave things?’
‘We kind of didn’t. As soon as he’d asked me, there was a plumbing emergency upstairs and I was back to work.’
‘So you don’t know any details, like when the party is, or where?’
‘Nothing.’ Darcy realised how lame this date actually sounded. In fact, it sounded like a non-date, as though she’d dreamt it all up. ‘I haven’t bumped into him yet.’ She wondered how she’d handle it when she did.
Isabella thanked the waiter when he set her coffee down in front of her and Darcy did the same. ‘I think I need to drop by the Inn, vet him myself.’
Darcy paused, stirring her caramel macchiato with a spoon. ‘Don’t you dare.’
‘Why not? We used to do it in school. If one of us was ever asked on a date, the other had to see them first and give their honest opinion before we could agree.’
‘We’re not sixteen any more, Issy.’
‘Then don’t call me Issy.’ She grinned. Darcy had adopted the name she’d called her friend right up until Isabella had insisted it was no longer shortened. She was a respectable member of the workforce now and she claimed her full name gave her superiority. ‘Please let me see him. He sounds incredibly hot.’
‘Why would you think that? I haven’t described him to you and I haven’t exactly been complimentary about him either.’
‘That’s what’s given me the impression. He’s got under your skin, that’s how I know there’s something about him. So what time can I stop by?’
‘He’s a guest at the Inn, I’m not his keeper. He’s a businessman with unpredictable hours.’ She sighed and relented. ‘He comes back by sevenish, sometimes earlier, and then he’s usually around after nine o’clock when he comes down for a nightcap.’
‘I’ll bet he does,’ she winked cheekily.
They finished their coffees and Darcy put up with the joking about Myles, Isabella’s speculation about what he’d be like in bed if things ever progressed further.
One thing was for certain as they left the restaurant and ventured back beneath the bruised black clouds threatening rain. She had no idea where she stood with Myles Cunningham.