Page 56 of Christmas at Sturcombe Bay
But he had so many good memories of this place, and it didn’t sit easy with him to just let it be knocked down and replaced by heaven only knew what.
* * *
The staff sitting room was at the end of the accommodation corridor. Like the rest of the hotel, it had seen better days. There were half a dozen mismatched armchairs, an ugly mustard sofa with sagging cushions, and a patch of thin rug over the lino floor.
At one side was a tiny kitchen unit with a kettle, a toaster that had to be closely watched or it would stick and burn the bread, a fairly new microwave, and a sink.
Shelley had been watching television when Jess walked in. She glanced up, greeting her with a smile. “Hi.”
“Hi.” She strolled over to the kitchen unit. “Want a coffee?”
“No, thanks. I’ve got one.” Shelley held up her mug. “Not going out tonight?”
“No.”
“I thought you might be seeing Paul again.”
Jess rolled her eyes. “No, thank you. He’s the sort of guy who should have a Government Health Warning tattooed on his forehead.”
Shelley laughed. “He’s very good-looking. And he does seem to be keen on you.”
Jess’s mouth quirked into a wry smile. “Oh, he’s good-looking, I’ll grant you that, but Lisa warned me about him — he changes his girlfriends more often than he changes his socks. Besides . . .”
“You’re off men.”
“I am. I don’t know how I let him persuade me to go out to dinner with him in the first place. Cassie said when they werekids he could talk her out of her last red jelly baby!” The kettle had finally boiled, and she poured a mug of coffee. “Anyway, how about you and Alex?”
Shelley felt an awkward blush rise to her cheeks. “Oh . . . well . . .”
“He seems like a really nice bloke.”
“Yes.”
“There aren’t many nice blokes like that around. When you find one, you should hang on to him.”
The blush deepened and Shelley looked away. “I don’t know . . . I’m not . . . It’s not . . .”
“He likes you.” Jess brought her coffee over and slumped into one of the armchairs. “And you like him, don’t you?”
Shelley laughed awkwardly.
“Well then . . . ?”
“Well . . .” She drew out the syllable. “Actually . . . I’m going out with him tomorrow night.”
“Yay!” Jess smiled in delight. “Good for you!”
“But nothing’s going to come of it,” Shelley insisted. “I mean, he’s just looking for a bit of company while he’s here. He won’t be staying long. He’ll be going back to Canada soon.”
“Did he say so?”
“No, but . . .”
“Well, don’t worry about it. Just enjoy yourself. Where’s he taking you?”
“I don’t know. Dinner, he said. He didn’t say where.”
“What are you wearing?”
