Hoodwink Hotel

Heather was suspicious of new recruit Nick. But was he to be trusted?

It' s simple,' Heather said to the hotel' s latest recruit, you have to work your way through your list in as fast a time as possible.'

Change the bed. Tidy and dust. Check the mini bar and refill. Clean the bathroom. Replace all complimentary supplies,' Nick read from a cheat sheet.

He just didn' t look the part, even wearing his maroon-and-white Benson hotel uniform with his hair slicked back.

Heather frowned. `Are you sure you wanted this job?'

Yes, I was looking forward to it.'

Nothing he said quite rang true, no wonder his workmates were gossiping.

He' s an undercover boss,' the rest of the staff insisted. A man like him wouldn' t go into housekeeping.

You only have 15 minutes to finish in here,' Heather said. I know it' s ridiculous, but it' s OK. You' ll be fine once you get into a routine. Come on, let' s get cracking.'

After they' d finished, Mrs Samson arrived to inspect the room.

The head of housekeeping, she hired and fired and generally kept people motivated. The hotel boasted an impeccable reputation, the luxury rooms always gleaming.

There' s a smear on the mirror,' she said, as she pointed at the offending mark in the bathroom. You didn' t dry-off the tub well enough either.' She stared down her nose at Heather. I expected you to teach him better than this.'

Sorry, Mrs Samson,' Heather said, looking down at the Italian tiles. I thought it looked fine.'

Then maybe your work needs scrutiny too. Fix it.'

She clapped her hands together and both Heather and Nick gave a start.

She stood back, then watched them both scamper about. Nick gave the mirror another wipe down, from top to bottom in an

S-pattern, following Heather' s instructions. Heather, meanwhile, dried off the bath until it shone.

Satisfied, Mrs Samson strode off to inspect the bedroom.

Is she always like this?' asked Nick.

Yes. She scares everyone.' In here, you two,' a sharp voice called.

Inside the bedroom, Mrs Samson stood in front of the mini bar. There' s something missing.'

Heather hurried over for a closer look. There can' t be, I checked it myself.'

Then you' re getting even sloppier than I thought.'

Heather edged over to the mini bar and counted the tiny bottles. There' s a vodka missing.'

You didn' t drink it, did you, dear?' Mrs Samson made a pffting sound to signal her annoyance. Replace it. Hurry up, you have another 13 rooms to go. Come on, get moving. I' ll be back to inspect this room again in an hour or so.'

What was that remark about vodka?' Nick asked when they reached room number

You only have 15 minutes to finish in here. You'll be fine once you get into a routine. Let s get cracking

four later that morning. Odd how he' d left the subject unmentioned for so long.

There' s a thief about,' Heather explained, as she emptied a waste-paper bin into the black bag suspended from her housekeeper' s trolley. Mainly from guests, since there' s pretty much an armistice on complimentary soaps, shampoo and towels.' She laughed. Mrs Samson is following procedures to the letter during her investigations.'

Well, as it' s my first day, at least I won' t get accused.' Nick stood trying to make the bed up on his own, still looking like a man in the wrong clothes in the wrong building. If we pass inspection at the end of the day, how about a drink?'

Heather blinked. Do you mean to celebrate¼ or do you mean¼ like a date?'

He paused in his work. They did share a little frisson of chemistry.

I guess I mean a date.'

I did tell you I have two kids, didn' t I? Five and three. They can be nightmares. I' m not well off either. There' s not much money left after the bills. My husband disappeared two years ago. I think he' s in Australia.'

Nick smiled. Thanks for summing up.'

Sorry, that did sound a bit like the inventory of the mini bar, didn't it? I only wanted to warn you.'

Then I appreciate your honesty.'

Thanks. OK, how about eight at the The Rose and Thorn in town?'

He nodded. I can' t wait.'

There' s something definitely not quite right with him,' Heather said, voicing her suspicions to the other housekeepers when Nick decided to make a trip into town at lunchtime.

She even told Mrs Samson when she got called into her office.

It' s not a written warning,' Mrs Samson said as she handed over a sheet of paper. It' s a reminder of your duties. I don' t want you slacking off. As for the other thing, yes, I agree, be careful. I won' t have any of my girls messed about with. Any trouble and he' s out.'

You're all heart, Heather thought. Under your brittle exterior.

I tried looking him up online,' she told her boss. But I couldn't find a thing .'

Mrs Samson' s lips pursed. I didn' t see anything suspicious on his CV. I' ll check him out with some local contacts, then get back to you. In the meantime, enjoy your drink and go somewhere crowded.'

The Rose and Thorn obliged that evening, with a swarm of regulars as well as a jukebox. Heather and Nick both ordered a glass of red wine.

Who are you? she wondered, but she didn' t say that. Instead, she said: Tell me more about your decision to work as a cleaner.'

He smiled. I worked in an engineering firm before. When the place went under, they made me redundant. I applied for a load of jobs afterwards. Since I was sitting about feeling depressed, I decided to take whatever came up first, no matter what. I' m not saying my position' s permanent, it' s more something to do while I sort out other options. How about you, have you always worked in hotels?'

She nodded. My parents used to own one, so yes, it seems I' ve always cleaned up after other people.'

Heather took a sip of wine, then one more as she thought about what he' d said. She liked the way he' d thrown his life to fate. The

It s not a written warning, she said. It s a reminder of your duties. I don't want you slacking off

hairs on her nape, bristling madly, had other ideas. That's if he's telling the truth, she thought.

As she fretted, he studied the menu.

Let' s eat. What do you fancy?'

She smirked and he grinned, the innuendo escaping neither of them.

I' ll pay,' he added.

You will not.'

Watch me,' he said firmly. She laughed and didn' t argue. She seldom allowed herself much fun these days.

Relax, she told herself. It'l l be another boring day at the hotel tomorrow. Just don't do anything silly.

She did make one mistake. When they left the pub, she accepted his invitation to go to his for a cup of coffee. She went into his neat little semi-detached and stood in his kitchen, while he fought with his coffee machine.

This stupid thing is a complete mystery,' he said.

And so are you, she thought.

She tried to help him, then realised she had got far too close when their clothes,

then their skin, brushed.

As soon as they kissed, she knew where they were heading.

Do I need to ring my babysitter?' she asked. I could persuade her to stay overnight

Do I have any regrets? she pondered the next morning when she left Nick' s house. I guess I ought to have a few.

She arrived a little later than usual at the hotel, her thoughts in an untidy whirl.

Heather, in here, please.' Mrs Samson was waiting outside her office.

As she closed the door behind them, Heather blushed under the searching gaze of her superior.

What have you been up to?' Mrs Samson asked.

Let' s just say the babysitter did a lot of overtime last night,' Heather replied.

You ignored my warning then?' Mrs Samson made her favourite pffting noise as she circled her desk. Well, I found out a few things about our mysterious Nicolas. I asked around town.'

He told me he worked in engineering,' Heather said. And that he was made redundant.'

Well, that' s one version, the other is that he owned the place. It made parts for car factories. He couldn' t compete with cheap imports and went bust. His entire world collapsed. He made over 70 people redundant. I expect that' s a rather heavy burden to carry.

He' s clearly here sorting himself out. Which brings me to another matter.' She spun her laptop around so Heather could see the screen. Heather found herself looking at a picture of a woman in a blue suit, looking very corporate under the header Heather Cullen, employee and managerial procedures assessor.

Do you normally go undercover with a false surname and CV?' Mrs Samson asked.

Heather found another reason to turn scarlet. How did you find me out?'

Mrs Samson raised her eyebrows as if she' d never tell. You' re a snoop, aren' t you?'

Heather bristled. The Benson hotel chain take employee retention very seriously. They can' t keep replacing housekeepers, chefs and bar staff. It' s costly. I work from the ground up, sending in recommendations. I like to keep the staff happy and morale up.'

Mrs Samson hummed. So you' re the undercover boss, are you?'

Not exactly, but close enough.'

And I assume you' re not a struggling housewife with two kids¼ or even an overworked babysitter?'

Heather shook her head then stood floundering. From restaurants to theme parks, usually she' d simply moved from job to job after sending in reports. Nobody was supposed to know she existed.

It' s time I left,' she said. I' ve been here too long already. I need to send in my final recommendations. I will tell you so you won' t worry, Mrs Samson, you do excellent work. I was very impressed with your investigations into the thefts.'

Mrs Samson lips pursed. I assume they weren' t real either nor were the guests complaining?'

I had to check procedures.' Mrs Samson hummed. You know sometimes, my dear, liars get exactly what they deserve.'

Heather didn' t change into her maroon-and-white uniform that morning, instead, she packed up any stray belongings from her locker and escaped back into the car park.

There, her little car sat. It looked precisely like the kind of vehicle a financiallystrapped single mother would buy.

Her heart ached, a heavy weight behind her ribs.

When she' d set up her firm she' d realised, due to travelling so much, she' d have no roots. Back then she' d considered it a worthy sacrifice.

She shoved her things into her boot, slammed it, then settled into the driver' s seat.

She' d just pulled on her seat belt when Nick ran out from the rear of the building. Oh no,' she whispered. He came barrelling up to her car and banged on the window. She rolled it down and faced his rage full force.

You lied to me! Mrs Samson explained everything. You' re not a housewife. I bet you' re not a single thing you said you were.'

Well, you left out the biggest part of your life. You fibber.' Heather swallowed hard. We had a great time together though, didn' t we?'

He blinked, caught completely offguard. Then it seemed he couldn' t deny it either.

The best Ever.'

They both glanced round as Mrs Samson crunched across the gravel. She interrupted them without a care.

You know sometimes people aren' t meant to be together. You simply learn something from each other, then go your separate ways.'

I' ve learnt I need to deal with my feelings about losing my business,' Nick admitted.

I' ve learnt I need to stop doing this job.' Heather reached out, took a hold of Nick' s shirt and pulled his lips to hers.

Mrs Samson heaved a sigh as they kissed.

Then again, I could be wrong,' she said. You could simply get to know each other all over again.'

She made her favourite pffting sound as she turned and walked away.

Heather kissed Nick once more. People who lie often get what they deserve, she thought, as he returned her kiss with gusto. But if the universe is at all interested in justice, all we deserve this time is another chance at telling the truth.

She took a sip of wine and thought about what hed said. She liked the way hed thrown his life to fate

The baby kicked as Hazel lay trying to doze in bed. Hang on a minute, little one!' Hazel wondered if talking to your unborn child was something all mothers-to-be did. You might be in a hurry to get up, but I' m not.'

During the week, by the time she' d got home from work, had something to eat and washed up, she was so tired, she just fell into bed.

There wasn' t time to feel lonely. It was the weekends that were proving difficult.

Saturday morning stretched in front of her like an empty road. Wearily, she padded downstairs and wasted a few minutes sifting through the post.

Breakfast was porridge, sprinkled with sultanas, but no matter how often she made it, it was lumpy.

Paul' s porridge was never lumpy. She missed him so much. Everywhere she looked, something reminded her of him the wonky tiles in the kitchen from his misguided attempt at decorating, the dent where she' d lobbed a saucepan at him during a blazing row.

For the first half of her pregnancy, she' d been so moody, she was impossible to live with. She' d wondered how Paul had put up with her for so long. The irony was that now she was feeling calmer, he wasn' t there.

She pushed the bowl away, her appetite gone.

So much for eating for two, she thought. Maybe a walk and some fresh air might help to pass the time.

She headed to the park, found a bench near the water' s edge and settled down to watch the ducks. Fine morning, isn' t it?' Hazel turned to see Emily Parsons from number six.

Mind if I join you?' the old lady asked.

Feel free,' Hazel patted the bench beside her.

Thanks,' said Emily. If those ducks eat much more, they' ll never be able to take off.'

Hazel smiled and said: We used to come here when we were courting. Paul teased me because I always brought bread for the birds.'

You poor thing,' Emily said softly as she patted Hazel' s shoulder. You must miss him terribly. How long' s he been gone now?'

Two weeks, four days and ten hours,' Hazel frowned. I didn' t think it would be this hard my emotions are all over the place.'

Emily nodded and said: In my day, a husband wouldn' t dream of leaving his pregnant wife to cope on her own.'

Hazel tried to interrupt, but Emily cut her off.

I know what you' re going to say, dear. Things are different these days. Ignore me, I' m just an old fuddyduddy. So how are you feeling? Has the morning sickness gone?'

Yes, thank goodness,' Hazel said, putting her hand on her bump. Now I have other things to worry about

I feel like a barrel on legs.' Emily laughed.

When' s the baby due?'

Not for another eight weeks.'

I hate to tell you,' said Emily, but it' s only going to get worse.'

Hazel just about managed a friendly smile.

Thanks,' she said.

For a while, they sat together, chatting. They' d just panned the previous night' s TV programmes when Emily got to her feet.

It' s time I headed for home. If my hubby doesn' t get his lunch¼' she raised her eyebrows in pretend frustration, which made Hazel laugh.

She knew how happy the couple were. They' d been married for 42 years and even when they bickered, it was always done with love.

Any time you miss Paul or feel a bit lonely, pop round,' Emily said as she turned to go. You' ll be more than welcome. It must feel strange being on your own, but you need to savour these days by yourself because once the baby arrives

Hazel laughed.

I know. I won' t have a moment to myself. Thanks, Emily. You' ve really cheered me up.'

After Emily had gone, Hazel leant back on the bench. The warmth of the sun was so pleasant, she closed her eyes.

Minutes later, a hefty kick from the baby woke her with a start.

Sorry, little one, I must have dozed off.' She checked her watch, then headed for home. How you know when it' s midday, I have no idea.'

As the connection to Australia came through, she smiled.

Paul almost hadn' t gone to his sister' s wedding, but Hazel had insisted.

One of us needs to be there, Paul,' she' d said. Don' t worry about me, I' ll be fine.'

She would have gone too, but she couldn' t fly because she was pregnant.

When Paul pressed his hand against the screen, she did the same.

Hi, sweetheart,' he said. I miss you so much. I' m never leaving you again. OK?'

As their baby kicked his approval, Hazel smiled. That was fine by her.