AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Rhys had to agree because the other two candidates they’d seen hadn’t been up to it either. The first had little more experience than running their holiday home as an Airbnb, and the second had made it clear they’d applied more out of desperation than interest. Rhys had some sympathy because the local job market was tough, and they might be able to find some seasonal work for the woman to at least give her a bit of breathing space while she looked for something more suitable, but he wasn’t running a charity. He checked his watch. ‘I’ve got about half an hour before the final candidate is due so I’m going to grab a coffee and go over her CV again. Do you want me to get you anything?’
Hope shook her head. ‘I’ve had too much caffeine already today. Send me a text when you’re on your way back from the tour and I’ll meet you out here, okay?’
Rhys nodded. ‘Hey, I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to help me with this.’ He’d roped Hope in for a chat at the end of each interview, ostensibly to give each candidate a better understanding of how much of a collaborative process the business of running of the estate was. In reality he valued her opinion and wanted her first impressions. It had proven a wise decision.
‘It’s no problem,’ she said with a cheery smile. ‘And I have a good feeling about this last candidate.’ She held up her hand to show two crossed fingers before turning back towards the coach house. Rhys watched her go for a moment or two before turning in the opposite direction towards the café.
It was quiet inside, most of the tables empty, apart from a couple of staff members who worked up at the hotel who looked to be enjoying afternoon tea, and a woman he didn’t recognise sitting on her own in the far corner.
He stopped next to the two employees. The one dressed in the smart navy uniform was one of the therapists up at the spa. He knew her to say hello to, but not much more than that. The other Rhys knew much better. Placing his hand on the back of Meena’s chair, he grinned down at her scone-laden plate. ‘You’ll have to do extra classes to work that off. Are you sure you don’t want me to take one off your hands?’
The tiny Pilates instructor laughed as she raised a protective hand to shield her plate. ‘Don’t even think about it! I don’t even share with Barnie.’ She’d been dating Dr Lysander Barnard since the previous summer when he’d been part of an archaeological team organised by Hope to investigate some old ruins they’d uncovered on the estate. There must’ve been something in the air because the leader of the team, Dr Cameron Ferguson, had all but whisked Hope off her feet and spent every available minute he had with her on the estate.
‘How is he?’
Meena scrunched up her nose in a look of pure disappointment. ‘Busy. I haven’t seen him for a couple of weeks.’
Rhys patted her shoulder in sympathy. ‘Cam’s been pretty scarce around here too. Never mind, the Easter holidays will be here before you know it.’ Cam and his team would be returning to the estate to open up their excavations again. It was still a mystery as to what they were dealing with, but he knew from chatting to Cam that he had hopes of making some real breakthroughs in the coming months.
Meena’s face brightened into a smile that lit up her pretty dark eyes. ‘I can’t wait. I know we’ll both be busy, but at least I’ll get to see Barnie in the evenings. Will the campsite be up and running by then?’
Rhys nodded. ‘It should be if I can get my arse in gear, although I think the plan is for them to camp up by the dig this year.’ The person who’d targeted the campsite had caused damage across a number of sites around the estate, including breaking into the Portakabins that made up part of the dig compound. They weren’t expecting any more trouble, Keith Riley was currently on remand awaiting trial, but it had made everyone more security conscious. Rhys checked his watch again. ‘Speaking of getting my arse in gear, I’ve got an interview to prepare for. Nice to see you both.’
‘Large cappuccino, lovey?’ Penny called to him as he approached the counter.
‘Please. And a scone if you’ve got any left?’
‘Of course. Grab a seat and I’ll bring it over in a minute.’
Rhys chose a table near the window where he could keep an eye on the approach road to The Old Stable Yard and opened the folder he’d put together with each of the interviewee’s details. Pulling out the CV, he scanned through it with a frown. Just as it had the first time he’d looked over it, the same thing occurred to him. Unlike with the other candidates, he couldn’t understand what had motivated Natasha Blake to apply for the position.
‘Here you go, Rhys love.’ Penny set a mug and plate on the table in front of him. ‘I gave you raspberry jam,’ she added, tapping a finger on the lid of the little glass jar. ‘Because I know that’s your favourite.’
Rhys set the CV face down on his folder, forgetting about the puzzle of Natasha Blake for a moment as he smiled up at Penny. ‘You spoil me.’
‘Only a little bit. Don’t let it go to your head, though. Shall I put it on your account?’ Rhys nodded, then hesitated. When was the last time he’d settled his bill? The fact he couldn’t immediately remember meant it had been too long. ‘Can you email me a reminder of the balance and I’ll pay it tonight when I’m at my laptop?’
Penny nodded. ‘I’ll go and do that right now, while I remember. Will you give me a shout if you need anything else?’
‘I’ve got my final interview of the day in a few minutes, so I’ll be heading out as soon as they arrive.’
Penny cast a quick glance towards the occupied table in the back corner then leaned closer to speak softly. ‘I think your candidate is already here.’
‘Really?’ Rhys resisted the urge to look over. ‘What makes you say that?’
‘She was very chatty when she arrived, asked me a lot of interesting questions, including whether we provided a packed-lunch service for people using the campsite.’
Rhys raised his brows. ‘That is interesting.’ It was something he hadn’t thought of, but he could already see how it would be an improvement to the service they offered to people staying on site as well as increasing revenue for the café.
Penny grinned. ‘Shall I speak to Sandra about putting together some costings?’
‘Might as well. How would you feel about a meeting with Martha and Joe as well? I’d like to improve what’s available to people staying here this summer, but I don’t want to set you in competition with each other.’
‘Sounds like a plan. Sandra and I have talked about extending our hours into the evening, but honestly it’s not something either of us are that keen on. Coming in a bit early to make up some pre-orders ready for collection wouldn’t be a problem, though.’
‘Great. Well, you sort out some numbers and make sure it’s going to work for you, and I’ll chat to Martha and Joe.’ He hesitated, then smiled. ‘Or perhaps I’ll get the new campsite manager to arrange that.’
Having returned his smile, Penny headed back to the counter, leaving Rhys with an unobstructed view of the woman sitting in the corner. He couldn’t see much of her face as she was looking down as she flicked her finger across the screen of an electronic tablet before picking up a pen and scribbling furiously on a notepad next to it. Her red hair was twisted into some sort of knot, and she was wearing a dark sweater and jeans, the legs of which were tucked into knee-length boots. A quilted jacket hung neatly from the chair next to her. Rhys had made it clear in the interview instructions that there would be a tour of the estate and they’d be mostly outdoors and asked the candidates to dress appropriately. The chap who’d just left had shown up in a suit and Rhys had ended up lending him a pair of wellies from the boot room behind the kitchen.
