Page 61 of Playing for Keeps
She supposed it must be the sea air and the slower pace of life that left her in a permanent state of relaxation.
Even after her extended nap, it was still only midmorning. The day stretched before her. Her mind returned to Daisy and the puzzle of the greenkeeping work. Hugh’s advice about being direct came back to her and she shoved her feet into a pair of trainers. Plucking her cardigan from the back of the door, she was drawn to Hugh’s coat which hung there too. It felt slightly foolish to bring it to her face, but the scent which filled her nostrils was worth it.
Outside, she was nearing the entrance when she caught sight of Ron driving through the car park in the small vehicle that Daisy had taken out early that morning.
“You’re busy today,” she remarked.
“A greenkeeper’s work is never done.” He smiled at her and continued to the shed, leaving Allie to resume her search for Daisy.
“You don’t half work hard,” Allie remarked, leaning on the front desk.
Daisy glanced up at her, but didn’t comment.
“How many days do you work?” Allie asked.
“Six days at the moment.”
“At the moment?”
“It used to be five, but …” She blew out a breath. “There have been a few staffing issues, so I do an extra day to cover.”
“So, you’re the only receptionist?”
Daisy nodded. “On my day off, the rest of the staff take it in turns to cover the front desk.”
“What about holidays?” Allie should probably try harder to hide her shock, but she wasn’t great at concealing her emotions.
“Ha.” Daisy’s shoulders twitched as she laughed. “I’ll worry about that when I can afford a holiday.”
“But …” Allie wanted to dig deeper – because surely Daisy must be making decent money with the overtime and the greenkeeping work too, though she was suddenly certain that was unpaid. “Is it difficult to get staff around here or something?” She changed her tone to something more curious and less probing. “I was thinking just now when I saw Ron hard at work that he must have a huge amount of work. Does he have anyone helping him?”
“There are contractors who do a lot of the heavy lifting … cutting back the trees and bushes, that kind of thing. But Grandad manages the rest of it himself. He’s been doing it for fifteen years, so he’s well practised.”
“There’s a huge amount of ground to maintain though.”
“He’s very good at his job,” Daisy said, her attention on the computer screen. “Are you working today?”
“No. I just wanted to talk to Kevin.”
“He’s in the restaurant,” Daisy said, bringing the conversation to an end.
Taking the hint, Allie strolled through the archway and into the empty restaurant. Behind the bar, Kevin was restocking a fridge with bottles of beer.
His lips pulled to one side as he looked up. “You’re not down to work today, are you?”
“No.” Allie should really have thought of an excuse for being there to avoid the momentary panic. Why on earth had her dad thought she was capable of spying? She was hopeless at it. “I wondered if I could grab a coffee? I only have instant at my place and it doesn’t quite do the trick.”
“Help yourself.” There was a final clink of bottles before he stood. “You’re welcome to grab food here, too. Get yourself on chef’s good side and he’ll happily whip you up something if the place isn’t busy.”
“Thanks.” She set a mug under the machine. “Coffee’s good for now.”
“How are you finding village life?” Kevin asked, leaning against the bar. “It must be different from what you’re used to. You’re from Surrey, right?”
“It’s very different,” she said tentatively. “I like it, though. The slower pace of life is refreshing.” She smiled, realising she was telling the truth.
“Do you think you’ll stick around?”
“I don’t know.” She took her coffee and sat at the bar, pondering the question. Sticking around had never been in her plan, but she was certainly in no hurry to leave.