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‘I’m sure it won’t be that bad.’
‘Tasha?’ Hope called from the gate.
‘Coming.’ Tasha took a couple of steps towards the gate. ‘I’ll see you in the morning, then. I’ll have the coffee brewing.’
‘See you then.’
12
Tasha stared at the grubby cardboard box Rhys had set down on her nice clean table in disbelief. There was a tear down one corner and a stain on the side she didn’t want to think too closely about. Without a word, she rose and fetched a tea towel, which she spread out on the table. Rhys took the hint and placed the box on the towel. ‘I did say my filing system wasn’t the best.’
‘You weren’t kidding.’ Tasha couldn’t help smiling at his rather disconsolate expression. ‘Don’t worry about it, I’ll have it organised in no time.’ She pointed to the stack of blank folders, sticky notes and packs of dividers she’d brought with her. ‘Now, first things first. Do you have a record of bookings for the year so far?’
Rhys pulled out a large desk diary and sat in the seat beside her. ‘It’s all in here, with contact details for everyone.’ He reached into the box again and lifted out a laptop with an envelope taped to the lid. ‘This is from Ziggy. Inside the envelope is your login for the estate server and details of our off-site IT company. They’re expecting a call from you and they’ll talk you through getting everything set up.’ He reached into his pocket this time and pulled out a mobile phone, which he placed on the desk. ‘I won’t be sorry to hand this over,’ he said. ‘And you can take that look off your face because I cleaned it with a disinfectant wipe this morning. Twice.’
Tasha had the good grace to blush. ‘Sorry.’ She picked it up. ‘Is there a pin for it?’
‘I removed it this morning so you can go ahead and set it to whatever you like. It’s linked to the email address we use for bookings and the IT guy will give you access to that as well. The password is in the envelope with your login. Everyone’s number is pre-programmed, and our emails are all just first name at juniper meadows dot com. You’ve used an iPhone before, yeah?’
She nodded. ‘It’s the same model as my own phone.’ Same colour, same everything in fact, even down to the protective case. She’d have to get a sticker for the back of hers, something to easily distinguish between the two. ‘That all seems straightforward enough, thanks.’ She opened the settings menu and set the pin to Danni’s birthday, which was the one she used for most things. That done, she flicked through the desk diary until she came to the first page with entries on it. Half a dozen names were noted across the first weekend of April, and a much longer list for the following Friday. She tapped the list with her finger. ‘Is that when the schools break up for Easter?’
Rhys nodded. ‘Yeah. I’ve marked whether they’re for a tent or a caravan, and kept a running tally at the bottom. We’ve had an influx this year now Hope has started running seasonal events.’
‘I saw the banner by the gates for the Easter Fun Weekend. I need to have a chat with Hope about what else she has planned to see what tie-ins I can do.’ Tasha scribbled a note on her ever-expanding list. ‘It’s going to be tight, but I’d like to get the site marked out properly the way we discussed.’ She’d popped into a building suppliers last week and bought a measuring wheel, some stakes and rope. Once she had the plots divided then she’d work out whether she could get the fencing installed in time. She had three weeks until the first guests and four weeks until the Easter holidays. Tough, but not impossible.
Rhys took out his phone, looked up a number and wrote it down on a Post-it note. ‘Graham is the head of the gardening and maintenance team for the estate. Give him a call and tell him what you need.’
‘Oh, thanks.’ Of course a place as large as the estate would have staff on site to manage the grounds. ‘Well, that might make things a bit easier.’
‘Speak to him about the planting you suggested as well. I really like the idea of making the campsite more welcoming and he’ll know what will look good and be easy to maintain.’
‘Okay. And in terms of paying for things? I’ve bought a few things already and I’ve kept the receipts.’
‘Ziggy looks after that side of things. He was going to email your new account all the various forms we use and he’s ordered you a credit card for day-to-day expenses. Anything over £300 should preferably be paid via invoice although Ziggy can authorise a same-day bank payment for any emergencies that crop up.’ His phone rang and Rhys broke off to look at the screen. ‘Sorry, I need to take this.’ He walked to the patio door and let himself out.
Tasha watched him pace back and forth on the deck for a moment before turning back to the list of things she’d wanted to cover at this first meeting. She was able to draw a line through most of them, which was a good start. The grotty cardboard box aside, Rhys had come fully prepared. The set-up on the estate was a lot more professional than she’d been expecting.
The door opened again. ‘Sorry about that.’ His hair looked a mess from his running his hand through it and there was a deep furrow between his brows as he resumed his seat.
‘Is everything okay?’
Rhys sighed. ‘A bit of a problem with one of the fences, but Denny can handle it.’
‘I’ve got a couple of outstanding questions but nothing that’s immediately pressing if you need to go.’
‘I can’t just dump and run on your first day,’ Rhys protested.
‘Why not? You’ve given me the contacts I need to get started and I’ve got more than enough to keep me busy for the next few days. I assume you’re happy with me to focus on getting the campsite shipshape for the start of the season? I’ve got lots of ideas for the glamping side, but I can work on the proposals for that in the background. Now I’ve got an official email account I can start reaching out to potential suppliers for quotes and lead times.’
‘Absolutely. If you can get anything up and running by the summer I’ll be more than happy, but there’s no pressure. Sort the camping out and then you can pitch me your ideas for the rest.’ He stood but didn’t move away from the table. ‘Are you sure you don’t need me to stay?’
‘I’ll be fine, I promise. If I get stuck I’ll give you a call, okay?’ It would be a last resort, not that she was going to tell him that. She needed to prove to Rhys that she could be trusted to handle things and she was used to a high level of autonomy. To underline her point, Tasha walked towards the patio door and pulled it open for him.
‘Thanks.’ Rhys stepped out onto the deck then turned back, still looking in two minds as to whether he should go. ‘You’ve got my number, yeah?’
‘Yes. And if I can’t get hold of you then I’ll track down Hope or Ziggy. I’ll. Be. Fine.’ She made as if she was going to shut the door on him as she spoke the last words with exaggerated patience.
He held up his hands with a laugh. ‘Message received! I’ll call you later.’
