Page 12 of Things We Need to Say (Second Chance Love Stories #2)

Emma was having the day from hell. She was supervising a luncheon where far more guests had turned up than had been confirmed, so they had nearly run out of food.

She’d had to cajole the chef to put on extra and then she’d checked the portion control just to make sure everyone had got enough to eat.

And despite the fact that the problem hadn’t been the hotel’s fault, the company who’d organised the event had made a complaint to the general manager.

To top it all off, one of the servers had just spilled a tray of drinks over two of the guests.

After calming them down, Emma had no choice but to offer to pay for their dry-cleaning.

When the event was over, she returned to the office.

‘Well, that was a complete and utter disaster, wasn’t it?

’ Heather launched into a tirade as soon as Emma stepped through the door.

‘You keep telling me that you’re ready for more responsibility, but the moment I give it to you, you make a complete and utter cock-up of it.

I thought you had experience in this area, or was that you just bigging yourself up? ’

Emma attempted to explain, but Heather didn’t let her get a word in.

‘I’ve already had a call from the general manager about the customer’s complaint, so not only have you made a fool of yourself, but you’ve also made a fool of me.

This just shows that you are not ready for a managerial role yet. You’re not competent enough.’

Again, Emma tried to explain. ‘But it wasn’t my fault. There were at least twenty extra guests.’

‘Then you should have checked the function sheet beforehand, so you would have been aware that the numbers had changed.’

‘I did check the sheet,’ Emma replied, trying to keep her voice calm. ‘The numbers hadn’t changed. The organisers swore blind they’d let us know, but there was nothing in the notes.’

‘Well, they can’t have done then, can they? And you should be able to deal with all eventualities,’ Heather told her. ‘Part of being a successful manager is being able to think on your feet.’

‘I did,’ Emma said. ‘As soon as I realised we were likely to run out of food, I got the chef to improvise.’

‘And the couple who were drowned in white wine? That’s likely to be a hefty dry-cleaning bill.’

‘Accidents happen,’ Emma said between gritted teeth. ‘There was nothing I could do about that, apart from pacify them after the event.’

‘That’s not good enough. The Rosemont prides itself on excellent customer service and what you provided today was way off that. It will be a long time before I can trust you again.’

Emma nodded, knowing that if she said anything now she’d probably live to regret it.

Heather obviously wasn’t in the mood for being reasoned with, so there was no point in trying.

As it was the end of her shift, she put on her coat and walked out of the office, not even bothering to say goodbye.

She headed through the lobby and out of the hotel, wondering how much longer she could cope with working with Heather.

Soon she’d either have to make a complaint against her line manager or move on herself.

‘Jay!’ She stopped in her tracks as she saw him waiting in front of the hotel for her.

It was such a surprise as they hadn’t arranged to meet.

In fact, they’d barely seen each other in the last few weeks as they’d both been so busy at work.

He pulled her into his arms as she stepped out onto the pavement and she relished the feel of his arms around her.

She had never been so pleased to see him as she was right now.

Emma eventually pulled herself away from him. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘I thought I’d surprise you,’ he replied with a smile.

‘You’ve certainly done that. And I couldn’t be happier — I’ve had a pig of a day.’

‘Then I’m glad I came to meet you. Now, why don’t we have a few drinks in a little wine bar I know, followed by dinner at Luigi’s?’

‘Sounds perfect,’ Emma said. She would have preferred to have gone home first to change out of her suit and her shoes, which were cramping her feet, but she wasn’t about to look this gift horse in the mouth.

Especially when it meant spending an evening with Jay.

It was just what she needed after that confrontation with Heather.

‘So what’s been happening at work, then?’ he asked once they each had a drink in front of them.

When she told him, he covered her hand with his and gave it a squeeze. ‘That does sound like a bitch of a day. Heather’s a piece of work. But from what you’ve said, pinning anything on her will be difficult.’

‘I know, but I don’t even want to think about that tonight. We’ve got a rare evening together so let’s not waste it.’

‘I’m sorry. It’s not been easy recently, with me covering for Liz.’

‘What’s wrong with her? She said it was a virus, but it seems to be lingering. I keep meaning to phone her to see how she is, but I haven’t got round to it. I’m such a rubbish friend.’

‘No, you’re not, you’re just busy. Liz is finding it hard to shake off, but she is starting to feel a bit better so hopefully she’ll be back to normal soon.

’ Jay looked away and she wasn’t convinced he was telling her the truth, but she wasn’t about to push him on the subject.

She didn’t want to ruin the evening. Tomorrow she would definitely make that phone call.

‘Hopefully. You must be knackered, though.’

‘I am, but it won’t be long until she’s covering for me.’

‘She will?’ Emma asked. Then the penny dropped. ‘Have you heard back?’

Jay grinned, a smile so wide it split his face. ‘I’ve got through to the first heats. They start on the twenty-fourth.’

‘Of this month?’

He nodded.

‘That doesn’t give you much time. Especially not with the hours you’re working at the moment.’

‘I know, but I’ve got the menu planned out, so now all I need to do is practise the dishes.’

‘What are they?’ Emma asked eagerly.

‘Well, I’ve got to do a main course and a dessert. I want to do something that is traditional East End fare, so I’ve settled on pie and mash, and treacle tart.’

‘Really? Are you sure that will be enough? It’s difficult to make pie and mash look elegant.’

Jay smiled. ‘I know what you mean, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve.’

‘If anyone can do it, you can, Jay. But I’m glad we’re eating Italian tonight.’

‘Why’s that, then?’

‘Because I have a feeling I’m going to be eating a lot of pie and mash in the next few weeks.’

He laughed. ‘You’re right there. But I’ll try to make it a pleasant experience.’

‘I’m sure you will,’ Emma said. ‘All this talk of food is making me hungry. Shall we go to the restaurant?’

‘Yes, let’s.’