‘In what way?’
‘Let’s just say that, after she made the complaint, Heather made her life even more of a misery. In the end she couldn’t take it and left.’
Emma nodded. ‘If that happens, it happens. But I need to stand up for myself. I’ve let her get away with it for far too long.’
‘You’re right, of course. And it’s good that you’re thinking it through and not rushing into it. And it would be even nicer if you stayed.’ His tone had softened and Emma felt as though they were heading back into dangerous territory. She took a sip of her coffee and was about to head out of the room when he moved closer.
‘I really enjoyed last night. Especially when it was just the two of us. Might be nice to do it again sometime?’
‘I enjoyed going out witheveryone. It’s nice to have work friends.’
‘So this is where you are!’ Faye Greenwood, one of the senior managers, bustled into the staffroom. ‘I’ve been looking for you. Might have known you’d be slacking in here. Come on, you’ve got work to do. The afternoon-tea function isn’t going to manage itself.’
For a second Emma wondered why Faye thought she was a slacker, as though this happened all the time. But then she latched on to what Faye had said about running the function.
‘I thought Heather was in charge of that.’
‘Heather has gone home sick. Migraine apparently. Brought on by stress. So you’d better get yourself down to the Orchid Suite and make sure it’s set up in time. The guests will be arriving in an hour.’
‘Yes, of course.’ Emma put her coffee down and went to leave, but Faye wasn’t finished.
‘And you’ll be in charge of the running of the function as I’ll be setting up for the awards event in the Clover Suite. I’ll need you to help me with that when you’ve finished. It’s all hands to the pump today, Emma, and I expect you to pull your weight.
‘Yes, of course. I’ll get on it straight away.’
* * *
Emma dashed straight back to the office and picked up the clipboard with all the information for the afternoon’s function. She quickly glanced through it. Then she put her notebook back into her bag and locked it in her desk drawer, slipping the key into her pocket. Heather might have done a runner following her threat, but she didn’t really trust anyone at the moment and she didn’t want the book getting into the wrong hands. She straightened her hair back into her ponytail and took a deep breath as she prepared to step into the fray. With Heather outof sight for the evening and Emma being under Faye’s scrutiny, she would show Faye she was a hard worker and could be a good manager if she was given half a chance. This was her opportunity and she was determined to make the most of it.
* * *
The Orchid Suite was one of the hotel’s more intimate function suites, with French doors that led out to the small but immaculate garden at the back of the hotel. Today it had been decorated withHappy Birthdaybanners and balloons with70on them, but that was where the preparations ended.
Emma took one look at the chaos of the rest of the room and went into battle. The serving staff had been working at a snail’s pace with no one to supervise them, and they were nowhere near ready. Only half the tables were set and there was more chatter going on than polishing the silver and glasses.
‘Hi, everyone.’ She spoke in her loudest voice while also forcing a smile. ‘The guests will be arriving in an hour, so I think we need to step up the pace to make sure we’re ready.’
‘Where’s Heather?’ Sally, a waitress whom Emma had always found sullen and uncooperative, asked.
‘She’s gone home sick. So you’ll have to put up with me. Now let’s get organised. Sally and Joanne, you’re on silver. Quick as you can so we can get the tables laid up. Eric, John, same with the glasses. Amy, how are you at folding napkins into fans?’
Amy smiled. ‘Yes, I like doing that.’
‘Good, and, if you haven’t finished when the tables are set, we’ll all join in to help. Now, I’ll go and get the centrepieces, and when I’m done I’ll start laying up the tables, so make sure you have plenty for me to work with.’
‘You’re going to lay the tables?’ Sally asked in surprise.
‘Yes.’
‘Heather usually leaves us to it.’
‘Well, I’m not Heather and we don’t have much time left. It’s teamwork we need now and that means everyone. Got it?’
Sally nodded and, as Emma turned her back on her, she smiled to herself. She’d show them. She’d show them all.
* * *
It was all going well, Emma thought, standing at the edge of the reception room as the servers poured drinks for the fifty guests. After her little pep talk, the team had pulled together and Emma had quickly realised that showing them she was capable of doing whatever she asked them to do was a wise move. Even Sally had seemed to thaw a little. The room had been ready on time, and now the champagne was flowing and the kitchen was ready to serve the afternoon tea. Emma was just about to ask the guests to find their places when the woman whose birthday it was came rushing towards her, looking panic-stricken.
