Page 42 of Things We Need to Say
‘I’m only glad we could accommodate her,’ Emma replied. ‘And, most importantly of all, that you’ve had a lovely birthday.’
‘Oh, I have! And so many of my friends have said it’s the best afternoon tea they’ve ever tasted.’
‘That’s lovely to hear. Is there anything else I can do for you?’
‘No, thank you, dear, I just have to say my goodbyes to everyone and then we’ll be on our way.’
Emma smiled as the woman went to join her friends.
‘Well, that obviously went well,’ Faye said. ‘Looks like you did a good job.’
Emma blushed slightly at the praise. ‘It all went according to plan and the guests seemed happy.’
‘And that’s the main thing. But now, there’s no rest for the wicked. The function in the Clover Suite is about to start and I need you and two of your servers.’
‘Sure,’ Emma said. She spotted Sally and beckoned her over.
‘There’s another function about to start and they’re short on servers. Would you and Amy be able to help out?’
Sally smiled. ‘Of course, I’ll go and grab her. Where is it?’
‘Clover Suite,’ Emma replied. She turned back to Faye, to find her frowning. ‘Is anything the matter?’
‘No, not really,’ Faye replied. ‘I’m just a bit surprised, that’s all. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Sally smile before. At least not when you ask her to do something. How did you manage that?’
Emma blushed, but tried to sound nonchalant. ‘She’s a really good worker when you get on the right side of her.’
‘Well, you certainly seem to have managed that.’
Chapter Fifteen
By the time the second function was over, Emma felt like a wrung-out dishrag. Her legs and back were aching and all she wanted to do was to go home, take off her shoes, get into her pyjamas and drink a very large mug of hot chocolate before going to bed. But when everything was cleared away, Faye asked, ‘Fancy a drink in the bar before heading home?’
Emma nodded reluctantly. That was the last thing she wanted, but she didn’t feel as though she should turn the invitation down.
‘That would be nice.’
The lounge bar was relatively quiet and Emma sat down at a corner table as Faye brought over two large glasses of white wine. The smell turned her stomach and Emma immediately wished she’d asked for a soft drink, but after the first few sips she began to feel a little better.
‘You did well, today,’ Faye said after a few moments.
‘Thank you.’
‘You seem to have a natural flair for running functions.’
‘I don’t know about that,’ Emma replied with a chuckle. ‘But I’ve had plenty of practice.’
‘Have you?’ Faye raised an eyebrow in surprise. ‘Not here though?’
‘No, I’ve only done one function here on my own before today.’ Emma decided to take a risk ‘I don’t think Heather trusts me enough to do anything other than the most menial of tasks.’
Faye frowned. ‘I see. But you have previous experience?’
‘Yes. While I was at college I worked part-time for a private chef, Liz Sinclaire, or Cartwright as she was then. For the bigger functions, I’d organise the front of house while she prepared the food.’
‘Does Heather know this?’
‘Oh, yes. A few weeks ago, we did the christening for Lord Weatherton’s grandson. Heather was keen to hear all about it.’
