Page 47 of New Beginnings at the Little Christmas Inn
‘I like the bar,’ her father said.
‘Thanks, Dad. It’s cosy, isn’t it?’
Penny flicked a finger over one of the scrubbed pine tables. ‘Homely, I suppose.’
‘Mum, it’s a pub bar, not The Ritz and I plan on doing up the restaurant a little more luxuriously when I can. The place has already had quite a lot of work done but I’ve more planned for the future. I’ll get the B&B side of things up and running and I’ll landscape the beer garden and then tackle the outbuildings.’ Sticking up for her little empire, even though her heart was hammering against her ribcage at the predictable criticism from her mother, she added, ‘But I can’t do everything at once. Not until I’m established.’
‘Well, it’s a shame not to have the bedrooms done,’ Penny sniffed.
‘Oh, do give it a rest,’ Brian Smith-Lygott groaned. He winked at his daughter. ‘Ever since we decided to properly retire, your mother has been channelling the Hotel Inspector.’
‘Nothing wrong in having standards, Brian,’ Penny responded, crisply. She narrowed her eyes at her daughter. ‘If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.’
Livvy wondered how she was going to get through the next week. ‘What about a coffee?’ she suggested brightly. ‘Before you have lunch. Fabio’s made a deliciouscataplanaas a special today. The fish is from the wet fish shop in Lullbury Bay’s harbour. Can’t get much fresher than that.’
Penny’s nose twitched. ‘Fish stew?’ She tweaked a carefully blonded hair back into place. ‘Oh, Olivia!’
‘Yes, with local mussels too and home-made bread.’ Livvy winced at how defensive she sounded. She resented how her mother always brought that out.
‘Sounds delicious.’ Her father beamed. ‘And we’ll go for two Americanos if that’s possible. Might have a quick snifter with mine, darling, as it’s so cold.’
‘Brandy, Dad, or a whisky?’
‘Single malt if you’ve got it.’
‘Of course. Go and warm yourselves up.’ As Livvy made the coffee, a familiar slow-gaited shuffle alerted her to an arrival. ‘Usual, Pete?’
‘Ar. Reckon a cider would go down a treat. And a packet of cheese and onion. Buggerin’ freezing out there.’
‘You do look cold.’ The old man’s face and knuckles were reddened by the chill wind. ‘Go and get yourself warmed up. I’ll bring it over.’ She turned and her smile faltered. ‘Oh. Looks like your seat’s has been taken.’ Her parents had bagged the table by the wood burner. Skip, taking no notice, had slumped in his usual spot on the rug in front.
‘What a jolly gorgeous collie,’ her father exclaimed, not giving Livvy time to warn him Skip wasn’t friendly. She watched, open-mouthed, as Brian rubbed Skip’s tummy, and the dog rolled over in ecstasy.
At the bar Pete narrowed his eyes and harrumphed. ‘Who’s that then, taking liberties with my Skip?’
‘It’s my dad. My parents have come to stay for a few days. Looks like he’s joined the exclusive and very short list of humans Skip tolerates.’
‘Where’s our Angel today?’
‘Eli took her for a run on the beach. They’ll be back for the lunchtime service.’
‘Reckon I’ll go and join your folks, then.’
Livvy winced and then shrugged. If her father could win over Skip, he could cope with Old Pete. And her mother would just have to put up with it. ‘Fancy today’s special, Pete? On the house,’ she whispered. He looked as if he could do with a hot meal.
The old man brightened. ‘Don’t mind if I do, young Livvy.’ He fished in his greasy tweed coat. ‘And here you are, my lovely.’ Handing over a battered Christmas card, he added, ‘Place has come alive since you took over.’ There was a suspicious glitter in his rheumy eyes. ‘The boys have really appreciated you keeping the skittles alley open. And those burgers were the business.’
She took the card, feeling her throat close with emotion. ‘Oh, Pete, thank you.’ After all the hard work of the last few months, it was good to hear she was doing something right. ‘I’ll put it up in pride of place.’ Sniffling, she said, ‘I’ll go and find out how Fabio is doing with those specials.’
CHAPTER 27
Beer – an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of malted barley and other cereal crops. Lullbury Bay Micro Brewery’s Good Elf is a strong, dark beer with sweet top notes and a bitter chocolatey finish.
‘Just as well we let folk have a table in the restaurant,’ Karl said, drying a glass with a tea towel and holding it to the light for inspection. ‘Quiz is fully booked. There was even a waiting list.’
It was Sunday and the night of the Christmas Quiz. Karl and Livvy were in the bar doing some last-minute tweaking and it most definitely felt like the calm before the storm.
‘Do you think Lucie will cope with the mike?’ she asked, as she distributed the picture quiz sheets around tables. They’d had to rig up a sound system to make everything heard through into the restaurant and bar where all tables were booked for teams of six.
