Only Just Begun

by Vella, Wendy

  “She, Niki, has been stressed out, and her boyfriend broke up with her to make matters worse.”

  “How do you know this stuff when you supposedly don’t make friends and talk much?”

  “People talk to me sometimes.” She shrugged “Especially when I’m serving them.”

  “Because you’re quiet and a listener. Like now, actually. It’s a lost skill. Most people don’t take the time anymore. They’re too busy talking about themselves.”

  She wasn’t comfortable with his praise.

  “I just thought you should know what you’re dealing with.”

  “So why is she being such a bitch then? I mean, if she needs the job so much?”

  “Maybe you should ask her that? I don’t know her well, but I do know that those kids were spoiled when they were young. They had everything they wanted and more. The mother leaving changed all that, especially with Mr. Leigh being unwell.”

  “I think you should be the one to talk to her,” Ted said, getting off the rower.

  “What? Why would I talk to your staff?”

  “Because I don’t want to. I hate the personal stuff.”

  “And yet you’re her boss.”

  He huffed out a breath. “I don’t like to get too close to my staff.”

  “Why not? You work together, and they are the face of your business. Surely you need to have some form of relationship with them.”

  “No. I’m the boss; I don’t need to be their friend too.”

  She got off the bike and stood beside him. She was frowning again.

  “So all those rumors are true then.”

  Don’t say anything, you don’t want to know.

  “Okay, I’ll bite. What rumors?”

  “Ted’s an ice man. We have to take three sedatives to ask him for anything personal.”

  “I never thought you capable of exaggeration,” he said to give himself time. Ted had never really thought about how his staff saw him. He was the boss, they worked for him, and as long as they did their job everything ran smoothly.

  “They respect you but fear you also. Is that what you want? This is not the 60s. You need to communicate with your staff, Ted.”

  She had her hands on her trim hips now. The frown was darker too. Ted liked the look on her, even if it was his character flaw that had put it there.

  “Don’t get all PC bullshit on me, Mandy. I’m fair, and my staff don’t complain… that I know of. It works. The lodge is successful, and—”

  “But you have a high staff turnover,” she said with the accuracy of a well-placed arrow. That was a problem for Ted, he couldn’t deny it.

  “How the hell do you know that?”

  She shrugged.

  “A shrug is not an answer.” He was getting riled now.

  “A shrug is useful when what you want to say is going to annoy someone,” she said in an uptight voice, sounding like his Sunday school teacher.

  “How polite of you, Miss Robbins. I have big shoulders, lay it on me. Believe me, in my business I’m sure I’ve had worse.”

  “I don’t know anything about what you do or how to run a business like yours—”

  “But.”

  “But if you have happy staff, then it follows things run smoother.”

  “Are my staff all unhappy then?”

  She blew out a loud breath. It was a revelation, seeing her like this. She could be fiery when she felt passionate about something, it seemed. As fiery as a woman who’d been contained her entire life could be, that was.

  Ted wondered what it would be like to have that passion focused on him while she was naked underneath him.

  Back it up, bud!

  “Of course not. All I’m saying is it wouldn’t hurt to be a bit more…, well, human. Ask your staff if they are all right.”

  “Human,” Ted said slowly. “As opposed to a cyborg?”

  She gave him a look that could only be termed “pissed off in a Mandy Robbins way.”

  “Have a few social events, put a float in the carnival. Show your softer side. Maybe be aware of birthdays, things like that.”

  “I don’t have a softer side, nor do I want one.” He didn’t add that he was actually putting a float the carnival. Jack was making him do that. Did that mean he too thought Ted was a hardass boss?

  She threw up her hands as if to say she gave up on him, which suited Ted. Mandy then stomped over to the stepper and fired that up. She ignored him and worked out in silence.

  Ted thought about what she’d said. He didn’t get into personal stuff with his staff; it wasn’t his way. But because of that, Niki hadn’t felt she could talk to him… but would she have even if he was approachable? She was obviously dealing with something that was affecting her, and he needed to deal with it or let her go.

  But did he really need to get more involved with his staff? Could Mandy be right there? The thought made him shudder.

  “Bye.”

  She didn’t wait for his reply, just raised a hand and left. He had to say he liked that she could be emotional; it told him that she’d been hiding so much of herself from the world. He felt it was his civic duty to start peeling back the layers of Mandy Robbins and had to say he looked forward to it. As long as she didn’t try and talk to him about his lodge again. He ran that and wanted no interference.

  When he was finished, he showered, dressed, and went to work. Grabbing a coffee, he made for his office. Once there, he typed the name Mandy Robbins into his computer. An hour later he still couldn’t find any record of her.

  Weird. Everyone usually left some kind of footprint on the web. Shelving that thought for now, he pulled up the roster and saw that Niki was on duty this morning.

  Maybe he could talk to her. It wouldn’t hurt. He wasn’t going to do as Mandy suggested. Hell, next she’d be wanting him to run staff social nights just for the hell of it.

  Heading downstairs, he saw one of the cleaners. Searching his memory, he came up with her name.

  “Hi, Jackie. How are you today?”

  The shock on her face strained his smile.

  “I’m well, Mr. Hosking, thank you for asking.”

  “Ted.”

  She looked ready to run.

  “Everything going okay here at the lodge for you?”

  “Yes, thank you. Is there a problem, Mr., ah, Ted?”

  “No problem at all, and you let me know if you need anything, Jackie.”

  He left and was sure she exhaled loudly.

  Great, she’d probably resign now because he’d terrified her by being friendly.

  “Good morning, Brian,” he said to one of his waiters.

  “Good morning, Mr. Hosking.”

  “Ted.”

  The man’s face wore an identical look to Jackie’s.

  Damn, Mandy was right.

  He made himself talk to any staff he encountered; all looked like a deer caught in a hunter’s sights. Ted had believed he was the right mix of employer. Tough, yet fair. He’d missed out the empathetic part, it seemed.

  He tracked Niki down in the kitchen. She was discussing something with his head chef, who didn’t look happy, her expression tight.

  “Can I have a word with you please, Niki?”

  Kirby looked relieved to see him, Niki worried.

  “Of course.” She followed him to his office in silence and sat across him.

  “Would you like some coffee or tea?”

  “No, thank you.”

  “Niki, is everything all right with you?” Ted asked, remembering what Mandy had said. “Are you happy here?”

  To his horror, she burst into noisy tears.

  Chapter 13

  Mandy woke in her single bed as she had every day since moving here as a child. She looked at the soft pink walls. She’d taken down the posters over the years and replaced them with paintings. This had been her haven, but it was time to move on now. For her sake and her aunts’.

  Showering, she thought about Ted. Had she been wrong to speak h
er mind about his staff? It was strange how she felt comfortable doing that with him, especially as she knew she’d annoyed him. But he’d never hurt her. Ted was a gentle man deep inside. She knew that and maybe always had.

  Her aunts were seated at the breakfast table when she went downstairs.

  “Morning, darling.”

  “Morning.” Mandy kissed soft cheeks. Taking her seat, the same one she’d had since they’d lived here, she knew that today was the day to talk to her aunts about what she’d decided to do.

  “How would you feel about me moving out?”

  They both burst into tears.

  “I don’t have to!” Mandy rushed to add. “I’m sorry, I thought you’d be happy.”

  “W-We are. So very happy, darling,” Aunt Marla said, wiping her eyes. “We’ve waited for this day for so long.”

  “And not because we want you to leave,” Aunt Sarah said. “Because we want you to grow.”

  Mandy sat again and wrapped her hands around the mug Aunt Sarah handed her.

  “I know that you’ve always wanted more for me. And I’m grateful for your patience.”

  “We’ve noticed you’re changing. You seem happier to us,” Aunt Marla said. “What helped you to feel different?”

  Mandy wasn’t sure she wanted to bring Ted into this conversation, so she settled on a variation of the truth.

  “I saw myself through someone else’s eyes, and didn’t like what I saw. In the beginning I was scared, then it just became the way I was. Shy, avoiding relationships and friends. But now I want more. I went to see Mr. Timms about renting his apartment.”

  Aunt Sarah clapped her hands. “It’s the perfect place for you, Mandy! So close, and yet still independent.”

  “I’m so proud of you, Mandy. So proud of the young woman you are,” Aunt Marla said.

  “No.” Mandy shook her head. “I’m not there yet, but thank you. And I will make you proud of me.”

  “We already are, love. Overcoming what happened has taken time, but you’re getting there,” Aunt Sarah said.

  “I can’t hide behind that excuse anymore. He’s not coming for me, and I need to understand that and live my life now.”

  “Agreed,” Aunt Sarah said.

  She then told them what she thought she’d like to do with Mr. Timms’s bookshop. They loved that idea too.

  “It’s so exciting,” Aunt Marla said. “It’s time for change, and that you’re leading it is even more exciting.”

  “I haven’t discussed it with him yet, I just want to be sure it doesn’t put us into financial hardship with me renting the apartment too.”

  “We’ll be fine, Mandy. Marla and I have savings.”

  “I don’t want to use your savings.”

  “And yet they’re there for all of us,” Aunt Sarah said. “But now we need to shop for your little place.”

  “I love you two,” Mandy said. “I’m not sure how I would have survived if you hadn’t stepped into my life when you did.”

  “Enough of that,” Aunt Marla said, sniffing.

  “I’m going to see Bas and look for some things to furnish the apartment with,” Mandy said.

  “We have some furniture you can take, but that’s an excellent idea,” Aunt Sarah said. “There is plenty of crockery and cutlery clogging our cupboards, plus bed linen, so don’t worry about that.”

  “Perfect.”

  Mandy left the house a few minutes later after changing into one of her baggy dresses, which suddenly she didn’t like anymore. She drove to Bas’s Bargains. She was excited now she’d told her aunts. This was really going to happen.

  Bas ran a lot of things in Ryker Falls. He was the local mechanic and tow truck man. In the winter he cleared snow with his plow. He also sang like an angel each year in the Christmas Pantomime.

  Next to his garage, he also ran a secondhand store. A bell over the door tinkled, alerting him she was in there.

  “Oh, hey there, Mandy.”

  Big like a grizzly bear, Bas was one of those guys who you could ask for anything and he’d do it. A gentleman in every sense of the word.

  “What can I do for you?”

  “Hi, Bas. I need to buy some things. I’m moving into the apartment above Timms’s Bookstore.”

  “Yeah?” His smile was huge. “That’s pretty exciting. Bet your aunts cried when you told them that.”

  “Tears of joy, Bas.”

  “Well, I’m happy for you. Now you go on and take a look at what you need, and we’ll sort out prices after.”

  “Everything has prices on it, Bas,” Mandy said, looking at the stickers.

  “I’m doing you a deal.” He winked at her, then wandered back to the garage.

  Bas always did deals.

  Mandy had never shopped for furniture for herself before. She looked at chairs and a small table and a bed frame. She would leave hers at her aunts’ house in case they had friends stay over. Plus, she wanted a double bed now.

  “Why are you staring at that godawful table?”

  “Oh, hey, Rory.” Her friend wandered in through the garage door. “I’m going to rent Mr. Timms’s apartment above the bookstore, and I’m looking for furniture.”

  Rory shrieked and ran at her. She was then hugged—surprisingly hard for a small person.

  “You know how this friend thing works, right? You tell me stuff like that and I get excited for you.”

  “To be fair, I only just told my aunts.”

  “Okay, so I’ve got great taste. I’ll help you pick stuff.”

  Rory wore a pair of ripped cutoffs that showed a lot of leg, and a tank top. On her feet were work boots. Her mop of fair curls was crazy as always.

  “No way you just said you have taste,” Jack declared as he arrived.

  “Mandy’s moving into the apartment above Mr. Timms’s bookstore, Jack.”

  “Nice work, Mandy.” He hugged her too. “Show me what you’re looking at. I actually have taste, unlike my girl.”

  “I hate that you’re right,” Rory said, not put out at all.

  They helped her select a table and chairs, and not the ones with orange vinyl seats that Rory insisted would be perfect.

  “Right, we have to go, but we want an invite to the housewarming party,” Rory said, hugging Mandy again.

  “Am I having a housewarming party?” She was strangely excited about the idea.

  “Of course. I’ll bring wine, and maybe cheese.”

  “If you want to have a party,” Jack added. “Don’t let this pocket rocket pressure you.” He nudged Rory out the door. Mandy heard her arguing that she wasn’t bossy.

  She loved her friends; she’d just not realized how much until lately.

  “Seriously, man, you need to go look at my dog statues. They’d look awesome in the front entrance to the lodge.”

  Bas was talking to another customer. He was always trying to sell those statues to someone.

  “We’ve been over this, Bas. I don’t need dog statues.”

  Mandy thought seriously about hiding when Ted’s voice drifted in through the door that led to the garage. Last time she’d spoken to him, she’d told him he didn’t manage his staff well. Only when she’d been driving away did she wonder what had come over her. Seriously, she knew nothing about having staff; he did. She should have kept her mouth shut.

  “Go and look, man. Seriously, you’ll want them.”

  “No, I won’t.”

  “It’ll take me a few minutes to fix your car, Ted, so go, have a wander.”

  “I don’t need anything, Bas.”

  “Everyone needs something, Ted. Humor me.”

  Mandy looked at the door. She could probably get out if she wanted to. No more running. Instead, she walked farther into the warehouse. He may just stand up front, and she could stay down here out of sight.

  “Mandy’s in there somewhere!” Bas called. “Help her choose furniture!”

  She pretended to be intrigued by a row of mirrors. To be fair, she did
need one, but knowing that somewhere behind her was the man who disturbed in so many ways was unsettling.

  “The middle one.”

  “I like this one.” She pointed to the left.

  “Really?”

  It was so ugly, with fluted edges and a painted flower border. “We all have different tastes, I guess.”

  She turned, and there he was, big, bad, beautiful Ted Hosking. She felt that squidgy feeling in her stomach again. The man was seriously disturbing. He wore shorts and a T-shirt; his hair was damp. On his large feet were sneakers. This was as close as he got to scruffy, Mandy guessed. His shorts were slightly faded.

  “I mean, you wear those.”

  He looked down at his feet.

  “They’re comfortable.”

  “They need to be good at something,” Mandy said, noting the Velcro straps.

  “Did Jack put you up to that?”

  “What?”

  “Abusing my shoes.”

  She laughed, and his face softened into a smile.

  “Why are you shopping for a mirror?”

  “I’m moving into the apartment above Timms’s Bookstore.”

  “When you make changes, you really go for it. Nice work, I’m proud of you.”

  She shouldn’t feel happy at his praise, but she did.

  “I have to thank you, Mandy.”

  “Why?”

  “Have lunch with me, and I’ll tell you.”

  “I have to go and sign the rental contract.”

  “Okay, we’ll do that first.”

  “I haven’t finished here yet, so you go on if you’re busy. I may be a while.”

  “You too scared to have lunch with me?”

  “Why would I be scared?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe because you think I’m hot.”

  That forced a laugh of disbelief out of her.

  “I can’t believe you just said that.”

  “Why? The hardass boss of Falls Lodge isn’t allowed to have a humorous disposition?”

  “Look, Ted, I didn’t mean—”

  “I was messing with you, Mandy. Lighten up.” He put his hands in his pockets and smiled at her. “What do you need to buy?”

  “My aunts have bedding, linen, and kitchen stuff.”

  “So, bed base, you need a new mattress. Sofa and chairs?”