Rosa quickly removed her coat, brushed her top down, fixed on a smile and went through to the reception.
‘Good morning, madam. I am so sorry to keep you waiting. You can see we have an awful lot going on here today.’
‘I want to check in,’ the Glaswegian said abruptly.
‘That’s fine.’ Rosa was relieved to see an old school diary open at today’s date on the desk. ‘Anna Wallace?’
‘That’s me.’
‘Er. Check-in is usually at two. You are booked into the Titanic room. Let me just check with a colleague to see if your room is ready. Hold on one second, please.’
Knowing the upstairs of the pub well, having stayed there herself when she had first arrived in the Bay, Rosa, now bursting for the toilet, ran upstairs, found the Titanic room with the key in the door, rushed in, checked it had been cleaned, then ran down again, only to bump into Davina who was coming through from the bar.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ Davina looked furious.
‘Guest,’ Rosa said breathlessly. ‘Important guest.’ She winked.
‘Ah. OK. Well, I can take over from here.’
‘I told her I’d see if her room was ready as she’s early for check-in. She’s in Titanic. Here’s the key.’ Rosa nearly threw it at her then raced into the toilet.
Looking after her contemptuously, Davina stalked into the reception area. She planted a fake smile on her face as she said, ‘Oh hi, Anna Wallace, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, that’s me.’
‘Do follow me.’
‘I will be wanting dinner – and what time is breakfast?’
‘I was just coming to that, madam.’
Anna struggled with her case up the old staircase, wondering why the snooty blonde hadn’t offered to help. It was not a good start.
‘Oh, and before I forget,’ Anna told her, ‘could you warn your chef I am allergic to prawns. Even a minute amount makes me sick as a dog.’
Downstairs, Danny came through from the kitchen to make sure the extra bar staff and waitress knew exactly what was being served from the menu and how the day had been planned to run. As he did so he saw a phone on the bar that had just flashed up with a text. Looking to see whose phone it was, he couldn’t help himself from being nosy. I’ll need more than a BJ after a day of dealing with all these little fuckers. Love Santa x
Davina came running back downstairs and, recognising her phone cover in his hand, grabbed it off him. A few parents were already queuing for a drink. ‘I wondered where I’d left that.’ She then took Danny to the side. ‘Rosa is on good authority and goodness knows how, that the hotel inspector has arrived. I’m just going to tell Lucas and Tina that she’s already upstairs in the Titanic.’
Pushing to the back of his mind what he had just read, he replied, ‘OK. So what does she look like?’
‘Bit tarty,’ Davina sniffed. ‘Mutton dressed as lamb, red hair, gappy teeth, goes in and out in all the right places. You won’t miss her, she’s got a Scottish accent too.’
Danny poured a shot of neat gin into a glass and drank it down in one.
CHAPTER 32
With Little Ned in a papoose, a cosy hat pulled over his ears, Rosa pushed open the café door to find Nate cooing over Zaki in his pram in the kitchen while Amira prepared a tray with a pot of tea and a plate with two scones, jam and cream. She let Hot off the lead to go to his basket behind the counter. He trotted his way over, his tail sailing from side to side, got in and burrowed under the blanket there and began rhythmically licking a ragged cat which had long since had its stuffing pulled out by his sharp teeth.
‘Cream tea at this time, Mrs Treen?’ Rosa teased the customer, one of her favourite ladies, who was waiting for her order at the counter.
‘Now if I were drinking a whisky at eleven a.m., young Rosa Smith, I would expect that kind of comment,’ the eighty-three-year-old replied with spirit. ‘At my age, a little bit of what I fancy does me good.’
Rosa smiled. ‘And I don’t blame you. I would have clotted cream with everything if I could.’
The old lady licked her top lip in anticipation. ‘Everything in moderation, dear. That’s how I’ve got to this ripe old age. Oh, and having a sherry with my breakfast, of course.’ She grinned to reveal a missing tooth, then leaning heavily on her stick she negotiated her way over to her seat.
Nate came through to the front of the café. ‘Take the C off chips and what have you got?’
‘Very funny, you killjoy. Luckily I am tiny and don’t have to worry about these things.’ Rosa placed her hand over her stomach.
‘You are pregnant,’ the pretty Syrian directed at Rosa as she carried the tray with the cream tea over to Mrs Treen’s favourite window-seat and unloaded it. The sea was still today, a greyish blue against the dull winter sky.
‘Is that a question or a statement, Amira?’ Rosa was shocked but trying not to show it.
‘You are pregnant, Rosa: I can see it in your face.’
‘No, I can’t be – and I was so sick with Little Ned. I feel fine.’
‘We shall see.’ The woman nodded wisely and went back behind the counter.
‘You don’t mind Zaki being in his pram out the back, do you, Rosa?’ Nate wiped down a couple of tables with spray and a clean cloth.
‘Of course not, if you don’t.’
He peeped at a sleeping Little Ned, whispering, ‘Hello, little nephew.’ He straightened up. ‘I asked Amira if she’d mind coming in for a few hours this morning – just thought it might be crazy today with the grand opening of the Christmas Grotto, and Brad can’t turn up until midday.’
‘You’re the manager, Nate. It’s OK. You do what you think is right.’
‘Thanks, sis. How’s it going over there anyway?’
‘It’s busy and Lucas did announce the hot chocolate offer and that you were doing take-out teas and coffees. I reckon people are more likely to drift over before and after their Santa slot. You’ve got a month of it to come, so enjoy this bit of peace.’
‘Did I see Tom and his brood over there too?’
‘Yes, they just came down for the day to support Lucas.’
‘That was nice.’
‘Yes, Tom’s a good bloke and Lucas loves his nieces and nephew. They call him Uncle Louie, so cute.’
‘How’s your Carol-oke thing going? Amira tells me you’re starting rehearsals tomorrow.’
‘Yes, all good. The charities were well up for it, so we have six competing teams. Our team Ned’s Gift, and the Carrot Footprint, Lifeboats, Polhampton Paws, Sea & Save and the gang from St Michael and All Angels Church in Polhampton. No doubt the churchy lot will include proper choir members and will be brilliant, but it’s just a bit of fun and it’s all about the most entertaining group, not about the singing in my view.’
‘So, who’s going to judge it?’
‘We have a whole panel of judges, I’ll have you know. I’ve asked Kit, as I thought it would be a good bit of advertising for Webb & Son, as it’s going to be live on the radio.’