She nodded and blinked back the tears as she remembered once again the humiliation of the day before. ‘It’s getting worse and I’m not sure how much longer I can carry on working with her. I dread going into work wondering what she’s going to do next.’ She told him about what Heather had done yesterday and how it had made her feel. Jay hugged her closer.
‘No one deserves to be treated like that. I think you should make a complaint about her.’
‘I know, but I’m worried it’ll make it worse. I’ve only been there for five minutes. She’s been there for years. I don’t want to be seen as a troublemaker.’
‘You have witnesses, though. That must count for something.’
‘Maybe. But you know what this industry is like. You’re expected to tough it out.’
He sighed. ‘Yes, I do know what you mean. If you don’t feel like you can make a complaint about her now, why don’t you keep a diary?’
‘A diary?’
‘Yes. Write down every time she bullies you. That way, if she carries on and you feel you do need to make a complaint, you have the facts to back it up.’
‘That’s a good idea. Thanks, Jay. I always feel better when we share our problems.’
‘Me too. Trouble is, we don’t get enough time together usually to actually talk.’
‘No, we don’t. So let’s see what we can do next week and plan our date night.’
‘Sounds good.’
Jay yawned. ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m shattered. Fancy an early night?’
By the tone of his voice, Emma knew that he wasn’t talking about just sleeping. She kissed him softly, glad that their relationship seemed to be back on track.
‘Sounds good to me.’
Chapter Three
‘I’d like you to work in the restaurant today,’ Heather said when Emma walked into their shared office the next morning. Emma hated the office. It was tiny, so their desks were practically on top of one another, which was hardly ideal when the woman opposite was intent on making her life a misery. ‘We’re two servers down so you need to fill the gap.’
‘Of course,’ Emma said. She tried to keep a smile on her face. She didn’t want to rile Heather, even though a large part of her would like to confront her about the way she had spoken to her in front of the rest of the kitchen staff, and how Heather consistently used her to fill staff shortages without any attempt to give her any managerial training. But on the plus side, working in the restaurant meant that she wouldn’t have to be in this office today.
‘Did you enjoy your day off?’ Heather asked, as though they were the best of friends. Heather might not like Emma, but she was always keen to find out what was going on in her private life. Despite her resolve to be nice to her line manager or, to use Liz’s phrase, kill her with kindness, Emma couldn’t resist the opportunity to put Heather’s nose out of joint.
‘Well, it wasn’t really a day off. I was helping my boyfriend and his business partner out in Hampshire.’
‘Hampshire? That sounds posh.’
‘Yes, it was at Lord Weatherton’s estate, actually. His grandson’s christening.’
‘You were moonlighting?’ Heather asked, looking grim.
‘Not moonlighting, no.’ Emma panicked, wondering if the hotel frowned upon staff working elsewhere on their days off. She wished she’d kept her mouth shut. ‘I was just helping Jay out.’
‘I see,’ Heather said. ‘And it was a big event, was it?’
‘About a hundred,’ Emma replied. ‘Just close friends and family. But they fitted easily into the ballroom.’ She tried to sound as though this was a normal experience for her.
Heather’s mouth twisted disapprovingly. ‘Must be an impressive place.’
‘Oh, it is. Before I graduated, we did Lucinda’s engagement party — it was inHello!magazine. It was in August, so we themed it on an Edwardian garden-party and held it outside. Now that really was out of this world.’ Emma smiled inwardly at the look on Heather’s face, which was nothing short of pure envy. ‘Obviously that wasn’t possible in February, but the ballroom itself is incredibly beautiful.’
‘It must be nice to have such important contacts.’
‘It’s nice to see how the other half live, I must admit,’ Emma said smoothly. ‘But it’s just as satisfying working at the Rosemont, so I’d better report for duty.’
