Page 2 of The Last Saturday In July
At thirty, she was the youngest marketing manager Charleston Group Hotels had ever had. She also had a wonderful, thoughtful and clever fiancé who was all set to marry her at the end of the month. And she’d almost destroyed everything with a stupid one-night stand.
It was way too late for regrets. All she could do now was to spend the rest of her life making it up to Simon. He just wouldn’t know it. Because she’d already decided that her hen weekend was a secret she would take to her grave.
Chapter 2
EMILY was close to tears when Jess got to the reception desk, and Jess just hoped that whatever had happened could be sorted before Frank Charleston found out. The previous week, he’d asked Emily to order a cheeseboard for an afternoon meeting, but Emily had misheard, and had instead delivered Chinese food to a boardroom of bewildered executives.
Jess dropped her voice. ‘Emily? What’s wrong?’
The younger woman glanced around. ‘I’ve completely screwed up,’ she whispered frantically. ‘And it’s way worse than the food thingy. This is really serious. I could lose my job!’
Jess couldn’t risk another headache. She’d already maxed out on painkillers after The Worst Hangover in History. ‘Emily, whatever it is, we’ll fix it.’
‘Some guy called Ian Finnegan rang for you.’
‘Right, he’s the new events manager at Linford Castle. Did he leave a message?’
Emily rubbed her eyes, smudging dark eyeliner. ‘Isn’t that the five-star hotel in Mayo the group bought, that’s like hundreds of years old? Do you think it’s haunted?’
If there’d been as much as a whiff of a haunting, Jess would know about it. And the Linford Curse didn’t count. ‘Definitely not. What happened with Ian Finnegan?’
Emily sniffled. ‘You’re going to kill me.’
‘I won’t, just tell me what you did.’
‘Right. So, I told him you weren’t in yet, but he asked if he could leave a voicemail. And I thought I’d put him through to your office, but I accidentally put him on hold.’
‘Not too dreadful.’
‘My ex-boyfriend was on hold on the other line.’
‘Crap.’
‘I know.’ Emily’s bottom lip quivered. ‘I ended up telling Ian Finnegan that he was a total prick, and that I’d faked all my orgasms and if he ever called me again, I’d –’
‘Stop!’ Jess massaged her temples. ‘Thatisa bit of a problem.’
‘I’m so sorry, Jess.’ Emily’s voice broke. ‘You’ve been so lovely to me since I started, but I’m terrified that if Mr Charleston finds out …’
‘Nobody’s going to find out. Let me think.’ Jess tried to focus. ‘What did Ian Finnegan say, by the way?’
‘Nothing. He just listened to my rant and then he hung up. That’s when I discovered my stupid ex was still on the other line. Do you think he’ll complain to Mr Charleston?’
‘I’m not sure, I’ve only spoken with him a couple of times on the phone. I’ve never met him. Hang on, I have an idea.’
Jess scrolled through her contacts and rang Ian’s mobile from the phone on Emily’s desk.
As soon as he answered, she adopted a broad Australian accent. ‘Hello, Mr Finnegan? I’m phoning you from the Charleston Group. We’ve had some problems with crossed lines on our phones this morning, so we’re contacting everyone who … You did? I’m so sorry – we’ve reported it, and we hope to have it sorted as quickly as possible. Yes, of course, I can put you through now. Thank you for your patience.’ She nodded to Emily, who transferred the call to Jess’s voicemail.
‘I definitely transferred him that time.’ Emily beamed. ‘You were brilliant, thank you.’
Jess was pretty sure Hungover Jess was far from brilliant. ‘It’s just hard to think when you’re upset, but maybe don’t make personal calls at work, if it’s easier?’
‘Maybe.’ Emily seemed to consider this, then flapped her hands in front of Jess’s face. ‘I nearly forgot; I heard something exciting about Linford Castle. Although ...’ she bit her lip, ‘I wonder should I say anything?’
Jess stifled a sigh. ‘I think it’s okay to tell me.’
‘Cool beans.’ Emily leaned a bit closer. ‘So, I heard a rumour this morning that some Hollywood celebrities have booked Linford for a massive wedding at the end of this month.’
