‘Yes. I suppose I should be glad but I do feel a bit in limbo at the moment. I’d like a fresh challenge, but I don’t want to take anything on that’s too involved just before the baby. Do you want a cup of tea?’
‘No thanks. I had tea with Jay earlier. I’ll just have some water if you don’t mind getting it for me?’
‘You look tired. You’re not overdoing it, are you?’ Alex reached for a glass and removed a jug of filtered water from the fridge.
‘No, of course I’m not. I do have some decisions to make though.’
Alex handed her the glass of water, then took the saucepan off the heat and turned off the gas. ‘About?
‘About the business and what happens when I go on maternity leave.’
‘Can’t Jay run it and you can get in some extra staff on temporary contracts?’ He opened the fridge and reached for a carton of milk.
‘Well, that was the plan but I’m not sure it’s going to work out that way.’
‘How come?’ He pulled out a bar stool and sat down opposite her.
‘I went to Diva’s today to see Jay.’
‘Oh? There wasn’t a function on, was there?’
His answer was so reminiscent of Tia’s that she wondered whether he did know about Tia’s threat of charging rent.
‘No, there wasn’t.’ She decided not to mention that Jay had been there experimenting — she wanted to get a genuine reaction from him, not one that was clouded by other issues. ‘When I got there, Tia was talking to Jay. She was...’ Liz paused, searching for the right word.
‘Agitated?’
‘Yes, she seems to think that that Jay and I are spending too much time at Diva’s, and we’re using it as a base for our whole business and not just for the Diva’s functions.’
‘And are you?’
‘No. We can’t just turn up there on the day of a function. We hold stock in the kitchens, so it makes sense to compile our orders there so we’re not buying in things we don’t need.’
Alex nodded. ‘Yes, I can see why that makes sense.’
‘And sometimes planning for Diva’s overlaps in planning for the private catering.’
‘And Tia isn’t happy with that?’
Liz looked him straight in the eye. ‘I think you know the answer to that.’
He held her gaze for a moment and then looked away. ‘Yes, I must admit Tia does seem to have a problem with it. She’s mentioned it a couple of times.’
‘Mentioned it? She gave me the impression that she’s taken it a lot further than that. She says she’s spoken to both of you about charging us rent.’
Alex spluttered. ‘What? That’s the first I’ve heard of it. I just thought she was having one of her gripes and it would all blow over. That’s why I didn’t tell you. She started going on about it when you were first pregnant, when you were feeling so ill. I didn’t want you to be worrying about Tia when I didn’t think it would come to anything.’
Liz nodded. She would probably have done the same in his position. And his reaction about the rent seemed genuine enough. It definitely looked like a case of Tia throwing her weight around.
‘She also reminded us that our contract is due for renewal in a few months and it’s an ideal opportunity for her to renegotiate the terms.’
Alex sighed. ‘Sometimes Tia forgets she has two other partners. I’ll have a word with her. There’s no need for her to create obstacles where there aren’t any. You and Jay are doing a brilliant job with the Diva’s functions and I don’t understand why Tia is trying to rock the boat.’
‘Don’t have a word with her, Alex, not on my account anyway.’
Alex frowned. ‘Why not?’
‘The contract is up for renewal just when I’m about to go on maternity leave. Jay has entered this competition and, if he does really well, I don’t know what opportunities might open upfor him afterwards. But if he’s having to run both sides of the business, he won’t be able to take up any of the opportunities that might come his way.’
