"Whatever are you doing?" Miranda looked at her, uncomprehending.
Her sister was boiling red in the face from the heat and couldn't possibly get any redder. "What's the problem? I didn't have any customers, so I had a treatment myself."
"I can see that. But you can't disappear and do as you please. You're an employee, and you have a job to do. These treatments are expensive, and who's going to pay for you?"
Jasmine shrugged. "Kitty doesn't have to pay."
"That's right. But did you hear the lawyer say the same applied to the rest of us?"
Her sister ignored her and headed for the shower. "It's unfair."
"Yes, that's life."
9
Miranda stopped by the conference department to greet her new half-sister. It was a peculiar feeling to be more than the four siblings, all of a sudden. But she liked Celine and wondered how she'd coped with moving. She had a little daughter, and it couldn't be easy for them being all alone in the world. Miranda wanted to do whatever she could to make sure they thrived in Solvik, with the new extended family they'd become part of so unexpectedly. After all, Celine was not to blame for their parents making a mess of things.
"There you are, Celine. How's it going?"
Celine offered a tentative smile. She was a quiet person who would most likely become a great friend once she got to know her. "I'm trying to get an overview of all the conference rooms. There sure are a lot."
"Yes, apparently our father had grand plans for the hotel. Conferences will be our primary source of income. Are you happy with your new assistant?"
Celine nodded. "Nadia is nice, and she seems competent."
"You're sharing an office. I thought it would be practical for planning events."
"That's good."
"I didn't get to talk much to you at the opening. How did the moving go? Are you settled in?"
Celine closed the door to the largest meeting room. "For the most part. We've only brought what's necessary, so far. Patricia started kindergarten today. It was a bit scary, but I think it went all right."
"A new place is never straightforward, for adults and children alike." Miranda felt for her. "I'm looking forward to meeting your daughter. Has she met anyone else yet?"
Celine shook her head. "Patricia's outgoing and precocious, and she adores dressing up. She'll love Kitty, not to mention King."
Miranda grinned. "What a relief. Kitty loves company." She looked at her watch. "I must get going. Let me know if I can help with anything."
"Thanks."
The first day at work was over at long last, and Miranda sat down beside Vidar in the car. "How was your day?"
"Deadly boring."
She could tell by his look that he meant it. The corners of his mouth drooped, and it wasn't a pretty sight. "What did you do, then?"
"This and that. Helped people with things I didn't have to use my brain for. Moved a ladder, cleared away some stuff, disposed of the garbage, and tightened a few nuts. The only thing I didn't do was walk King."
"No, Kitty can manage herself. I do realize it isn't an exciting job you've got. But there's nothing to do other than continue sending applications. Something interesting will turn up soon."
"So you say, Mrs. Hotel Manager."
Miranda had hoped for a break from the pouting he'd started with once he lost his former job, but it didn't seem it would end. It had begun to drain both her good mood and their life together. A grumpy man wasn't particularly attractive. She tried to keep her spirits up, for the sake of them all, but it was a struggle when he wasn't cooperating. It was as if he'd become trapped in a net and couldn't untangle himself. And she was helplessly watching him get more and more entangled.
She'd better change the subject. "Are you anxious about meeting the new bike club tonight?"
"I guess it'll be okay."
He didn't even seem enthusiastic about biking, and she became severely worried. It was his great passion in life, and he couldn't get enough hours on the bike. She truly didn't understand what had gotten into him but chose to be supportive and encourage him as best she could. "I'm sure the club in Solvik is active. Think of all the great back roads in the vicinity. It's only a few miles from one small town to the next. Haven't you noticed how many people are using their bikes?"
"Yes."
They parked in the garage, and she couldn't avoid smelling the delicious aromas coming from Lombardi's across the street. She'd give a lot to take a shortcut and buy takeout. But she'd left a trout to thaw in the fridge overnight. All she had to do was add salt and lemon pepper, some butter, dill, and slices of lemon, and it would be ready to put in the oven. She'd prepared the cucumber salad too, so only potato peeling and boiling remained.
The children were already home from school and sat in the kitchen, waiting for dinner. "How was the commute?"
"Taking the bus and tram went okay," Noah said.
"It took forever. I don't know if I can stand that hassle every day. Maybe I can stay with one of my friends?" Sofie eyed her mother challengingly.
Yeah, right. Miranda tried to keep a straight face. As if her friend's family would want to have her stay there for long. Sofie wasn't that complaisant these days.
"You'll have to bear it. It will be better in the fall, with just one bus."
"Is dinner done? I'm starving." Sofie sat with her hands on the table, ready to eat.
"Then you could've taken the fish out and started preparing it for the oven. Or peeled the potatoes."
"You don't get it, Mom. I've been at school all day and then on a bus and tram for hours. I'm exhausted and must have food now."
Astonished, Miranda looked at her daughter. "And I haven't been at work all day? Dinner won't cook itself. At least not in this house. If you're hungry, you could've eaten a couple of carrots from the fridge or a crispbread."
"Not tempting." Sofie left the kitchen.
Miranda sighed, but no one heard her. The others had vanished long ago. Incredible how hard it was to get some help in the house. Could she force her teens to do their share at home? Or would it be classified as child abuse? Most likely. She knew Vidar was reading the newspaper in the living room with no plans of getting up before dinner was on the table. No wonder the children never bothered to help when their father never lifted a finger himself. She sighed again, wondering how they'd ended up in such a situation. When she had more energy, they'd sit down and prepare a list of chores for each of them to do at the house. They'd had one in Oslo, not that it had worked satisfactorily. There had been too much whining. It might be less of a problem here, with a smaller house to keep in order. She could at least hope.
Vidar left to meet the club in the sports hall, for a gathering before the bike ride. The children stayed in their rooms, focusing on a game rather than their homework, no doubt. Knowing to what extent she should follow up on their homework was no simple task. It soon became fussy, and everyone hated that. And if she made them in charge, not much got done.
Miranda went to tidy up the bedroom. They'd settled in, apart from some clothes. She wanted to switch a couple of the drawers. Keeping the underwear in the top drawer was better. She pulled it out and put the clothes on the bed. When moving in haste, the clothes ended all mixed up. Preferring order, she started sorting, placing every item nicely in its place.
Oops, what was this? A lumpy black sock? She tried to straighten it but noticed there was something inside. She put her hand in and pulled out a small gift box. What was a box doing here inside Vidar's socks? And what could it be? She got curious and wondered what he had bought for her. It had been her birthday last week, right before they moved to Solvik. Everything had been chaotic, and she hadn't received presents from the teens or Vidar.
There was no wrapping on the red box, but it was a typical gift box from a jeweler. And it was immensely tempting to open it. There was no harm in having a peek, surely? It was for her. It should have been hers days ago. When was he planning on giving it to her? Perh
aps he wanted to surprise her with an exclusive five-course dinner at the Flying Fish? The temptation was tremendous, and she turned the box several times. It made a tinkling sound. What could it be? No one would find out if she opened it. She was alone in the room. All she had to do was act surprised when he handed her the gift. No worries. She weighed the pros and cons a few times. Knowing she shouldn't open it, she couldn't restrain herself any longer. Just a tiny peek...
Lifting the lid, she discovered a heart-shaped silver pendant lying on a creamy white velvet cushion. She gasped loudly and covered her mouth. It was the most beautiful piece of jewelry she'd ever seen. Silver threads made a diamond pattern on both sides, almost like a lattice. Tiny silver loops encircled the heart, making it sublime.
She sat on the edge of the bed. This must be Vidar's way of apologizing: "Sorry for being so grumpy these last six months." She felt guilty now and wondered if she could have done more to help him through this difficult time. She'd been as supportive as possible, but it hadn't been enough. That was when she spotted a tiny piece of paper inside the heart. How did it get there? She got even more curious. If she'd seen the jewelry, she might as well look at the rest. She stood and went into the bathroom to fetch a toothpick. Then she jiggled it as best she could; getting the paper out was no easy task. She tried from the back to see if it helped. At last, she had pierced the note and managed to get it out through one of the holes. She hurried to unfold it. "Together forever," it read. Oh, how sweet of Vidar. Even though they had been through a rough time, it was apparent he still viewed their marriage as solid and worth fighting for. She became emotional and had to blink several times. She must try to be more patient with Vidar. Every marriage was like a roller coaster sometimes. They had to stick it out until he had a more fulfilling job and new challenges, then things would return to normal.
10
"Miranda, there's a few things we need to discuss." Gabriel came into her office.
She nodded. "Should we have a short meeting every morning, to be on top of things?"
"Good idea."
She went over to the sideboard to make tea and then sat on the sofa. "I've looked at the number of guests, and we have to get going with the conferences. I can work with Celine. She has no experience in sales and marketing and needs guidance. I can't comprehend what my father had in mind when he hired her. I'm sure she'll do great with the participants and the accomplishment of the conferences, but it doesn't help much at this stage."
He drank some of his tea. "You must expect to do most of the marketing yourself, at least in the beginning. Otherwise, you'll have to hire someone for that particular chore."
"I know, but I want to prioritize getting it done myself, as quickly as possible. Celine can assist me. She needs the practice, so I suggest we try that first." She put a toad into her mouth and felt the sour taste of green apples.
"Is this what you worked with in Oslo?"
"Not quite. I was self-employed and rented myself out as a consultant to companies who needed to improve their financial performance."
"Then you know what it takes to –"
There was a knock on the door, and it was opened shortly after by Kitty. "Good morning, Miranda. And good morning to you too, Gabriel."
Miranda bit her lip to avoid laughing. Kitty knew every employee by name after a couple of days. She was everywhere.
"Morning, Kitty. How are you?" She lifted the dog from her arms and patted the tiny ball of fur. Enthusiastically, he licked her fingers.
"We're doing splendidly, as always. I've never been better. Do you think King would like a toad?" Kitty considered this for a moment.
Miranda smiled. "Kitty, we're having a meeting. May we talk later?"
"Oh, you mean you're in a meeting with Gabriel? Yes, of course, I should've guessed." Kitty reached for the dog. "You know, my dear Freddy also had a handsome face when he was young." She nodded toward Gabriel. "You wouldn't believe how good-looking he was. He turned heads wherever he went. Admittedly, his looks went downhill with time, but what else could one expect? Sadly, he couldn't match your well-shaped shoulders."
Miranda almost choked on the toad and had a massive coughing fit. Her face turned scarlet, and she hurried to drink some tea.
"There, there, Miranda. I think we'd better leave now, King. See you." Kitty sneaked out of the room.
Miranda recovered herself. "Sorry, Grandma sometimes makes the most remarkable comments. Don't mind her." For some reason, Kitty usually was right. She was clever at observing people, and she spoke straight from her heart. Miranda was by no means blind. She could see that Gabriel was everything her grandma claimed he was, and then some. She wished Kitty would keep her thoughts to herself and stop sharing them with everyone. It created the most embarrassing situations and could easily have been avoided with a bit more etiquette.
Gabriel smiled but didn't seem to mind Kitty's bluntness. "She's a funny and colorful character." He helped himself to another toad from the bowl. "Actually, I came to discuss our janitor with you."
Miranda became guarded, and her long hair slipped around her shoulder and into her face. What had he been up to now?
"What did you have in mind?"
"Considering that he reports to me, I keep an eye on him, like I do every employee I'm responsible for." He hesitated before continuing and looked at her apologetically. "It's awkward talking to you about this since he's your husband. But I have no choice. Vidar isn't as conscientious as I'd like him to be."
Miranda's heart sank, and she noticed how difficult it was to discuss this. Working with Vidar was demanding when he didn't make a wholehearted effort. And she suspected he was as unwilling to cooperate with others as he was with her.
"I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm not surprised. Vidar has a job he doesn't want, and his motivation has vanished."
"I do get that," Gabriel said. "It's not the most exciting assignment, but it's important. We'll give it some time. If it doesn't improve, I'll need to talk to him about it."
She nodded and hoped it wouldn't come to that.
Miranda decided to invite Celine for a working lunch in the restaurant. She chose a table in the corner, as far away from the other guests as possible, so that they could talk undisturbed. It was a splendid opportunity to get to know her new sister.
They sat eating prawn and crawfish sandwiches, with sparkling water in their glasses.
"This is delicious. I've never tasted anything like it," Celine said.
"Nor have I. Remy used to be a chef at famous restaurants before he came here. I hope he'll stay for a long time." She popped a prawn into her mouth and recognized the enticing mixture of salty ocean and lemon. "He uses fresh produce from the harbor."
"I can tell."
They savored the food for a while. "What do you like to do in your spare time? Other than spending time with Patricia, I mean."
"I enjoy aerobics, but I haven't been training since my mother died last year. Getting a babysitter is a hassle, and it's expensive too." She smiled at Miranda. "But I'm not complaining. Patricia means everything to me, and she takes up most of my time."
Miranda thought how sad it must be without a family. Celine was all alone and didn't even have grandparents alive.
"I've got an idea. I bet Kitty can mind Patricia while you exercise. She would love getting to know her new great-granddaughter." Miranda eyed her expectantly.
Celine looked uncertain. "I don't know. Looking after a five-year-old is a lot of work."
"Kitty won't look at it that way. She's sociable and has always been fond of kids. But she doesn't have a car, so it would be best if you deliver Patricia at the hotel."
Celine seemed to consider the proposition.
"I can ask Kitty if she's interested," Miranda pushed on.
"It would be fun to do aerobics again."
"Then we agree." Miranda moved the empty plate. "Let's make more plans while we're at it. We need to attract conferences. That's a huge market, and we want a sh
are. A sizeable one, at that." She smiled amicably and hoped she didn't scare her. "It's not done in a jiffy, in fact, it's time-consuming."
"I don't know much about marketing." Celine looked worried.
"I'll help you. You'll learn as you go and can take over later."
Celine was grateful. "I appreciate that."
"I've made a list of small and large companies arranging conferences. I've also found which travel agencies are selling the most. Those are the ones we should concentrate on to start with."
"Sounds logical. Nadia and I will email all of them."
"That's what I was thinking. I'll compose a sales letter for you. All you have to do is change the company's name and send it off."
"Should we add some pictures?" Celine was getting eager.
"Yes, you're right. I've arranged for a photographer to come tomorrow. He's been here before, taking photos of the guest rooms and the suites. We use the photos on our website and in the brochures. But everything wasn't finished last time he was here. Now we can get the rest done." She gathered her papers. "He's also going to take new outdoor pictures. With all the flowers blooming, it's prettier than it was in early March."
Miranda went straight up to Kitty's suite and rang the bell. Better to get things sorted right away. She felt sure that if her grandma could mind Patricia a couple of nights a week, it would benefit them all.
"Miranda, do come in." Kitty beamed, and Miranda took a step back at the sight of her. Salmon pink skirt and matching blouse. Yuk, such an ugly color.
Time for Surprises Page 5