So she and Liliana walked through the park in the sunshine, then settled on a bench with their sandwiches.
‘Is Valerie recovering OK?’ Cally asked.
‘She’s doing really well. Her parents have come over from France and have moved in with her to help out.’
‘And she’s bonding with Amelie?’
‘She’s completely fallen in love.’ A smile spread across Liliana’s face.
‘That’s great. It must have been so hard for her – I can’t imagine.’ Cally shook her head.
‘She’s very grateful for what you did.’
‘It was nothing.’
They fell silent for a moment.
‘Lili, I’m so sorry.’
‘What for?’
‘I should have listened to you. I was an idiot. I couldn’t see through Anton.’
‘That man,’ She snarled. ‘I wanted to tell you …’
‘I know why you couldn’t.’ She took her friend’s hand. ‘But thanks for trying.’
Back at her desk that afternoon, Cally noticed she had two missed calls from her dad, but when she tried to call him there was no answer.
Concerned, she decided to go straight back home after work to check on him, rather than going to the hospital to see Valerie like she’d planned to. At the flat, she turned her key in the lock, but the door didn’t open – it seemed as if it was locked from the inside.
She knocked loudly, then bent down and opened the letterbox. She called through it.
‘Dad – dad! Are you in there?’
She closed the metal flap, and waited. She thought back to the missed calls. He didn’t usually ring her at work.
She lifted the metal knocker and prepared to bring it down when she felt the door give. Her dad stood in front of her in his tattered green dressing gown.
‘Blimey, Cally,’ he said, doing up the belt. ‘Give your old man a minute, will you?’
‘Sorry, Dad,’ she said. ‘I just … I was worried.’
‘What about?’ he said. ‘I thought you were going to the hospital this evening?’
‘I was. I changed my mind.’
‘Everything OK down there?’ a female voice came from upstairs.
‘Dad,’ Cally said, taken aback. A smile spread over her face as she realised what was going on. ‘You old devil,’ she whispered.
‘I’ve been meaning to tell you …’ He was blushing right to his ear lobes.
‘You can tell me later.’ She laughed. ‘Right now I’m going to make myself scarce.’
Cally walked along the South Bay, thinking about what had just happened. Her dad had looked so different – younger. The way he used to look, before the pain of losing her mother, and his health. She had a dozen questions, but they could all wait.
As she passed the funicular, a text buzzed through on her phone. Joe.
Hello there. Meet you in room 14?
Cally walked back into the hotel, and unhooked the familiar wooden key. The work on the room was almost finished now, and it made her smile to think the new guests would never know what stories the room held.
Upstairs, the French doors were open and the balcony twinkled with fairy lights. Soft jazz drifted into the room, and Joe turned round to face her.
‘Hi, Cally.’
‘Hello.’ She closed the door and walked over to the balcony.
‘You came.’
‘It looks like I did.’
‘I’m glad.’ Joe smiled. ‘Here,’ he passed her a drink. ‘The strawberry mojito I promised you.’
‘Thanks.’ She took the glass, and their hands met, sending a tingle up her arm.
She took a sip of the drink. ‘Delicious. Worth waiting for.’
‘Great. I’m happy then.’
‘So my opinion is the one that matters?’ she joked.
‘I care what you think.’ He shrugged, but his gaze was steady and calm, and for once he wasn’t smiling.
‘Oh.’ Cally felt a blush rise to her cheeks.
‘I thought you’d know that by now.’
The silence hung in the air, and she sipped at her drink, glancing down, as she tried to work out exactly what he’d just said. ‘Know what exactly?’
‘That you are the reason I enjoy working here, the person who brightens my day.’ He smiled. ‘That getting to know you has made this summer brilliant.’
‘Really?’ she said.
‘Yes. Have you not noticed me hanging around the reception desk lately?’
‘Wellllll ….’ She laughed. ‘Now I think about it, your visits weren’t always strictly necessary.’
‘I’d be in the bar making up excuses to come and say Hi, just so I could see you smile.’
‘Ha. I didn’t mind. In fact, I liked it.’
‘Good. Because spending time with you has been my favourite part of this summer.’
A rush of excitement spread through her body at hearing his words, and a smile came to her lips. ‘Really? Better than the macaroons?’
‘So much better.’
He took a step towards her, and smoothed her hair back and rested his hand on her neck. It felt so good, his touch on her skin. She moved forward a fraction until their bodies were touching, looked up at his mouth, so close. Her words kept coming.
‘Better than a chocolate ec—’
He silenced her by putting a finger to her lips and laughed. Then he followed up with a soft kiss, pressing his mouth to hers, and gently stroking her hair. She put her arms around him, feeling the warmth of his skin and bringing him closer to her. The waves, the music playing, and everything that had been holding Cally back fell away in a single moment.
Cally pulled her wool cardigan more tightly around her at the reception desk of the South Cliff. September had brought wind and rain, and business at the hotel was slow. In fact one of the few occupied rooms was the newly refurbished Room 14. As she’d handed over the precious wooden key the day before, she’d felt a pang of nostalgia.
Her admin tasks finished, she opened her personal email and began typing a reply to a recent message.
From: Cally
To: Liliana
Date: 8/9/2014
Hi Liliana,
Great to hear from you – life back in Rome sounds amazing. I must come and visit you – maybe next year?
I’ll never forget the summer evenings we spent up on the balcony of Room 14 – our chats, the warm breeze and all those delicious things to eat. Who could have guessed at the start of the summer where we’d be now? You, fulfilling your dream of being an actress at last. Valerie, a mother, and me … well.
The room is finished, and there are guests in there now, but our lives have changed for good.
What stories those four walls would be able to tell. Valerie brought in baby Amelie to meet the staff last week – she’s the most beautiful little girl. She says Anton has been spending some time with them both. She says he’s making an effort to see them when he can. She doesn’t trust him completely yet, obviously, but really wants Amelie to know him, and so is trying to put her own feelings to one side.
Dad is doing really well, thanks. Turns out that after all the medication he’s tried, all he really needed was to fall in love. Sally’s lovely and so good for him. I’m taking the hint and moving out.
In answer to your other question, yes, your brother is working a little harder at the moment, and he’s also proud to have reached Level 201 on Candy Crush.
She thought with a smile and slight sense of trepidation about the conversation she’d had with her old tutor Louise earlier that week.
I’ll be staying in the student nurse accommodation at Scarborough general when I restart my midwifery course in a couple of weeks. I can’t wait.
I’ll still be doing two nights a week at the hotel, I didn’t want to leave completely, turns out there’s something about that place I can’t let go of …
Cally’s typing was interrupted by a delicate kiss on the nape of her neck, the gentle scrape of stubble a
gainst her skin. Her wrists felt weak and she turned from her keyboard to meet Joe’s mouth with her own.
‘You’re distracting me.’
He pulled away and whispered, ‘Well, I know how professional you are,’ with a nod to her Gmail page. ‘So I’ll leave you be. If you promise me one thing.’
‘Yes?’
‘You’ll meet me after work?’
‘That could be arranged.’
‘Seeing as Room fourteen’s taken these days, I was wondering if I could show you another place.’
‘On Carlisle St?’ she said, recalling Joe’s one-bedroom flat with its pretty balcony.
‘That’s it. Dinner at eight?’
‘I’d like that,’ she said, giving him another kiss, and lingering a moment this time.
Summer Evenings at the Seafront Hotel: Exclusive Short Story Page 4
