Page 18 of Fireworks at Pennycress Inn
‘Umm, it’s not quite as easy as that, is it?’
‘Stop.’ The word vibrated in Polly’s eardrum.
‘What?’
‘This. All of this. You’ve been given this amazing opportunity and you’re just going to let it bypass you because you don’t believe in yourself. Well, I’m sorry, Polly, but that’s a you problem. Everyone else believes in you. You’ve just got to show up and live up to their expectations.’
Polly looked down as Rolo squirmed in his sleep, his long tail flicking out from beneath the fabric. ‘What about Zac? It’s hardly the clean slate I expected.’
‘No, but stuff happens, and you’ve just got to adapt. Yes, it must be a bit awkward having to work with him after your leaving party and how he’s acted towards you since – but you want my advice? Either put it behind you, pretend it never happened and treat him like any other colleague or else talk to him and clear the air. See what his problem is with you and tell him to get over it.’
‘Wow, that’ll be a fun conversation.’ Polly shook her head. There was no way she’d be talking to him about that.
‘Okay, then put it to the back of your mind. Treat him as you would anyone else and watch him come around to your charms.’
‘Haha, I can’t treat him like anyone else when he freezes me out of everything.’ Polly’s heart sank as she heard the telltale ring of the school bell in Stacey’s background, signalling the end of lunch and the end of the conversation.
‘Look, I’ve got to go, but don’t give up. Keep going. Zac is just a rat and people will see that. You’ve got this.’
Tucking Rolo’s tail back into the warmth of the fabric, Polly smiled. ‘No, Zac isn’t a rat. Rats are cute.’
‘Yuck, rats bite and give you rabies.’
‘You don’t get rabies in this country.’ Polly laughed softly as Rolo’s tail escaped the comfy cocoon again.
‘Okay, whatever it is, that other disease thing.’ Stacey’s voice was interrupted by the noise of her stacking books and the scraping of her chair against the floor.
‘Weil’s disease?’ Polly shrugged. Stacey had always had an aversion to small rodents, whether they were tame or otherwise.
‘See, told you. Zac is a rat. Ha, that almost rhymes. I might take a note and plan a lesson around Zac the Rat.’ Stacey laughed as the loud chatter and laughter of children erupted into the classroom. ‘Really got to go. Love you, Pols.’
‘Love you too.’ Polly grinned as she ended the call. Stacey was right. She shouldn’t just give up. Yes, this hadn’t been quite the opportunity she’d been led to believe it would be, but it was an opportunity all the same and she would only be harming herself if she gave up without a fight.
12
‘Do you fancy another coffee, Polly?’ Nicola called from across the kitchen.
‘Yes, please.’ Polly barely glanced up from the sheet of paper she was scribbling on. After spending the afternoon in the office with just Zac, Polly had been glad when five o’clock had hit and she’d been able to fight her way out of the strained atmosphere. Art, Dennis and Vicki had spent the majority of the afternoon in a meeting with Declan and the reserve ranger, Harold, leaving Polly alone with Zac. And despite her spending the whole afternoon desperately trying to think of fundraising ideas, she’d drawn a blank. All she’d been able to think about was Zac’s close proximity and the fact he was there to take her promotion. Plus, it hadn’t helped that he’d spent the entire time tapping away productively on his laptop, leaving Polly feeling as though she didn’t stand a chance.
Now, though, she needed to make up the time and with Nicola working on a new social media campaign for the inn on the table next to her and supplying her with endless mugs of coffee, the ideas were finally flowing.
‘Here you go.’ Standing next to Polly’s table, Nicola paused.
‘Thanks. Let me just…’ Polly placed the sheet of paper in front of her onto the stack to her right. She had seven sheets now, that was a total of seven fundraising ideas. Now all she had to do was to delve a little more into them and work out if any were viable or not. She smiled as Nicola placed the mug down onto the now clear spot of table. ‘How’s the campaign planning going?’
‘Good, thanks. I’ve just finished, so I’ll have a celebratory mug of coffee before heading home. I’ve been creating social media posts to put on the village community page about our upcoming Bonfire Night celebrations.’
‘Oh, are you hosting the bonfire here?’ Polly automatically glanced through the window into the garden. It looked big enough.
‘No, but we’re going to be handing out sparklers and selling mulled cider and toffee apples for the villagers walking past this way.’ Nicola grinned. ‘The plan is to have a collection of leaflets and information about what the inn has to offer on hand. You know, such things as the fact we host birthday parties and family gatherings.’
‘That sounds a good idea.’ Polly smiled. ‘Anything with mulled cider is bound to be a success.’
‘Hopefully! I’m glad I’ve got everything prepared as Bonfire Night is speeding towards us now autumn’s here.’
‘That’s great. You’ll have the evening to relax then.’
Nicola laughed as she slipped onto the chair opposite her. ‘I doubt that. I moved in with my partner, Charlie, a few months ago and he lives on a farm, so there’s always work to be done, but I like it. Plus, my little diva of a cat, Trixie, keeps me on my toes.’
