Page 34 of The Making of Jonty Bloom
JONTY WOKE WHEN THE ALARMon his phone went off. He’d slept better than he’d thought he would. Probably through exhaustion. There was a faint stain on his shirt, though no more bleeding. No more bar in his nipple. He’d thought it looked cool, but he was safer without it. He shoved his feet into his shoes, cleaned his teeth in the staff bathroom, and had a quick shave and wash, before he put on his tie and jacket. Last of all, he plastered a smile on his face.
He went up to the top floor and found the room service trolley outside Wave, so he took it back downstairs, washed and returned everything to where it belonged. Once it was time to open the front door of the hotel, he did it on the dot and heard the major and his little dog coming across the tiled foyer.
“Good morning, Major Bagshott. Morning, Dottie.” Jonty held the door open.
“Appears the world didn’t end yesterday.”
“You know, it nearly did. Me and one of the guests got caught in a rip current and were swept out to sea. We had to be rescued by the RNLI.”
The major’s bushy eyebrows rose. “My word. All well?”
“Drank more seawater than I’d have liked, but all is well,” Jonty said. “Enjoy your walk.”
As the pair set off towards the path that led down to the beach, two vans pulled into the hotel car park. On the side of each were the wordsYour Dayin large gold letters, with two rings interlinked beneath. There was a wedding in the ballroom on Saturday so he assumed they were here to set up. He’d have to make sure he’d left before anyone asked him to help move the tables and chairs out of storage. He didn’t mind doing it when he was paid, but it wasn’t fair to expect to him to do it when he wasn’t.
Your Dayhad organised two weddings at the hotel in the last year. Both had gone well, much to Vincent’s and Hamish McAllister’s relief. Jonty had worked as a waiter both times, but he hadn’t been asked on this occasion. He was a bit disappointed, because he could have done with the extra money for hisThis is going to change my lifefund.
When are you going to use that?
When I’ve decided how I want to change my life.
The bride and groom were booked into Starfish, the suite next to Wave, on Saturday night. The bride had use of Starfish from first thing Saturday morning.But I won’t be here until Saturday night.Three days off.Yay!With not a lot to look forward to.Shit.
Not even seeing me?
‘Course.
Don’t lie.
Not lying.
Though he was. Going to see Tay wasn’t a chore, but it was hard.
The hotel was starting to wake now. Morning staff were trickling in. The newspapers had arrived along with restaurant supplies and flowers. Jonty needed to sort and deliver the papers. Plenty to do. Plenty to stop him thinking.
Why don’t you go to a club? Remember that time—
Jonty didn’t want to remember that time. He wouldn’t be going to a club. Two hours by bus to Newcastle to the nearest one? Sleeping next to Tay and not touching him. Two hours back the next day? He wasn’t that desperate. He scribbled room numbers on the top of the papers and set the Major’s paper aside.
The weddingpeople used the rear entrance of the hotel and Jonty was relieved to see they’d brought guys to shift the furniture, though they weren’t being very quiet and it was still early. He was hoping to see Devan, though he told himself he wasn’t.
When he spotted him coming down the stairs in running gear—grey shorts and a long-sleeved bright yellow T-shirt that clung to his chest, Jonty smiled.Nice legs, nice calves, nice…“If you run at night, the added fear of being murdered does wonders for your cardio.”
Devan shot him a look but didn’t respond. Jonty sighed as Mr Back-to-being- Impossible left the hotel. That hadn’t been a friendly look. Jonty had a thought that made him smile, and took a paper from the pile in the lounge before he went upstairs with the other papers to leave by the doors. He was fairly certain Devan was not a guy who’d readThe Sun.
He hurried back downstairs again and turned off the app on his phone to divert calls back to the desk.
I could get up early on a day I’m not working and go for a run.
You could, but you won’t. You’d wake up and decide to do a few sit-ups instead.
Not if I had someone hot to run with.
But that wasn’t going to be Mr I’ll Soon Be Leaving.
The first morning call came through. A blocked toilet in room twelve.Wonderful.He diverted the calls back to his phone and went upstairs with the kit. A bucket, plunger, plastic bag and a pair of rubber gloves.
He was back on the desk as breakfast service began. Vincent came to take over. Jonty was due to finish earlier today and Vincent would fill the gap until Sally-Anne arrived.
