Page 7 of Suddenly Beck

‘Beatrice!’ A delighted and husky feminine voice purrs from the doorway to the left. ‘You didn’t tell me we had company.’

I turn and see a much older woman leaning against the door, one arm trailing along the frame and the other on her hip, a pose that wouldn’t have looked out of place had she been wearing Caribou feathers and chiffon.

‘Uh…’ I turn back to Beatrice.

Molly,she mouths, raising her brows in tandem as if that one word explained everything.

‘My, my.’ Molly pushes away from the doorframe, crossing the foyer slowly. ‘Aren’t you a pretty one. I’m Ms Molly, and this is my fine establishment.’ She offers her hand to me.

Given no other choice, I reach out intending a quick obligatory handshake out of pure politeness, but she places her palm in mine, presenting the back of her hand, which I’m sure she’s intending for me to kiss.

‘Um, Nathan Elliott,’ I mutter giving her hand a kind of awkward jiggle before letting go.

Unperturbed, she continues to smile at me. The woman must be seventy if she’s a day. Her ash blonde hair is coifed to within an inch of its life and liberally sprayed into place. It doesn’t even move as she turns her head, and I’m pretty confident it could withstand a category five hurricane.

Her make up is expertly applied in flattering pastel shades, but her foundation is so thick it could double as a Kabuki mask. A double strand of pearls is nestled at her throat, and she’s wearing a bright yellow blazer with navy blue piping around the cuffs and collar. Beneath it is a pleated cream coloured skirt, which drapes demurely to mid calve and floats when she moves. On her feet are a pair of kitten heel sling backs, so pointy in front, I find myself idly wondering if she’d had to have a couple of toes removed so she could fit her feet in them.

‘Oh, goodness, look at you.’ She presses a hand to her chest as her gaze slowly travels the length of my body, and then back up to my eyes. ‘We should get you out of those wet things,’ she mutters.

‘Mother!’ Beatrice hisses.

‘What?’ Molly replied innocently. ‘I merely meant we should show him to his room so he can clean up.’ She turns to her daughter and glances at her choice of wardrobe. ‘You know it wouldn’t kill you to wear a little colour, Beatrice.’

‘At least I don’t look like an extra from Hi-de-Hi,’ Beatrice mutters sourly as she hands me back my card, and I shove it into my pocket.

‘What room did you put Mr Elliott in, darling,’ Molly purrs as she edges closer to me. ‘I could show him…’

‘No, it’s quite alright, Mother,’ Beatrice says firmly. ‘I’ll show him to his room.’

I pick up my backpack, holding it in front of me like a shield as Molly presses closer, and my back meets the wall behind me.

‘Uh…’

‘If you’d like to come with me, Mr Elliott.’ Beatrice picks up a key card and rounds the desk heading toward the staircase. ‘I’ll show you to your room.’

‘I’d love to,’ I squeak as I slide slowly along the wall out of Ms Molly’s reach, but as I turn toward Beatrice, I yelp, feeling a sudden pinch on my bum cheek.

Ms Molly just smiles innocently as I cross the foyer hurriedly.

‘And don’t worry,’ Beatrice turns to face me as I join her on the stairs. ‘Your room locks.’ She glances at her mother, who smiles and lifts her fingers wiggling them at me in farewell as she winks with both eyes… ‘From the inside.’

I wonder if she’s joking as I climb the stairs behind her. We almost make it up two flights of stairs when suddenly another door opens and slams, and a young woman of perhaps eighteen years appears in front of us, dressed in the shortest skirt I’ve ever seen.

‘And where do you think you’re going dressed like that?’ Beatrice frowns, one hand on her hip.

‘To meet Juni and Joss,’ she replies. ‘We’re going into Newquay.’

‘Not dressed like that you’re not.’

‘What?’ She glances down at herself.

‘That skirt is so short you can see what you had for breakfast.’ Beatrice’s lips pucker in disapproval.

‘But their brother Quinn is going to be there,’ the girl whines.

‘I don’t care, Lila.’ Beatrice shakes her head. ‘He’s too old for you anyway.’

‘He’s only twenty, Mum.’ Lila frowns.