Page 3 of Lie For Me

As Events and Volunteers Manager, Lucy took visitor feedback very seriously.

Cassie peered at a comments card.

‘This woman said she didn’t like the café because they served her tea in a mug, not a teacup—’

‘Cassie!’

Cassie grinned.

‘Yes, okay.’ She shuffled through the cards. ‘Here’s one.’ Clearing her throat, she read aloud. ‘This was our first trip to Dulcetcoombe after my mother, who is a member, said it would be a good place to take the kids. It did not disappoint!’

Lucy grinned and slurped her coffee.

Cassie continued.

‘We did a tour of the house, and the kids loved the Dastardly Dulcetcoombe History Trail. They solved twenty-five clues out of twenty-eight, and then we went to a Green Thumbs Gardening class in the kitchen garden. The kids have planted out their little pumpkin plants and have high hopes they’ll be big enough for Hallowe’en. We’ll be back for the Hallowe’en Light Trail!’

‘Good old Duncan, his little kitchen gardening demos are so popular.’

Lucy smiled as she thought of Duncan, the most dedicated of the garden volunteers.

She watched as Cassie pulled out another card and continued to read.

‘I brought my elderly father on a day out to see the gardens. We were very grateful for the help of your volunteers, who made Dad feel really welcome and tracked down a ride-on electric wheelchair for him to use. The gardens are beautiful, and Dad wants to return soon. Keep up the good work!’

Lucy gave a wobbly smile.

‘Happy families are what it’s all about,’ she mumbled, fiddling with her mug and tipping a Hobnob out of the packet.

‘There are lots saying similar things,’ Cassie said, ‘as well as a few hard-to-read but clearly enthusiastic comments from a group of school kids, and,’ she browsed through, ‘a lady who covered two cards,’ she held them aloft, ‘to let us know she is very unhappy about the size of the jacket potatoes in the café. But that’s not your department.’

‘Oh. I think the jacket potatoes are quite generous,’ Lucy said.

‘Yes, that seems to be the problem,’ Cassie sighed. ‘She found the—and this is a direct quote—girth of the potato off-putting.’

Lucy, who had just taken a swig of coffee, struggled to swallow it as she doubled over laughing.

Wiping her mouth and taking in Cassie’s lips pressed into a thin line, she gasped, ‘How do you not find that funny?’

Cassie sighed. ‘Because I’ve read it ten times already, and this,’ she swept her hands over the sagging pile of visitor feedback cards, ‘is par for the course as marketing manager. You, dear friend, only get the highlights. Or lowlights.’

‘Fair point.’

Cassie sifted through the cards, covered in countless different scrawls and inks. ‘There’s also a card in here somewhere where someone complains that the house and estate are too big and there was too much to see.’

Lucy cocked an eyebrow.

‘Can’t please all the people all the time. Or crazy people any of the time.’

‘You’d know all about that.’ Cassie grinned, sat back, and crossed her arms. ‘What’s this lie you’re on about?’

Lucy puffed out her cheeks and sat down heavily in her chair. ‘That there,’ she nodded at the invitation peeking out of the envelope in front of Cassie, ‘is the invitation to my brother Ollie’s wedding. In barely three weeks’ time.’

‘Ahhh,’ Cassie said.

Lucy ran a hand over her face. ‘And I replied to the invitation months ago saying I’d be bringing a plus one.’

‘Okaayy…’

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