On Monday evening, Tony came round but only stayed an hour. He was stressed about a proposal at work falling through so it was definitely not the right time for a relationship conversation.
As he dressed to leave, he confirmed that his tour of Bay View Care Home was scheduled for the following afternoon and that a tour of the laundry room was high on his itinerary. He suggested I might like to go commando in preparation. I smiled and said, ‘We’ll see,’ but was he for real? I worked in a care home for the elderly. No way was I going to go about my duties with no pants on. I hoped it was a crass joke but something told me he meant it and I didn’t like what that said about him or what he thought of me.
I felt ridiculously nervous the following morning knowing that Tony would be in close proximity all afternoon. One minute, I felt excited at the prospect of being in the laundry room with him but, next minute, I felt annoyed that he seemed more interested in that than doing the job he was paid to do.
‘How’s that sugar daddy of yours?’ Ruby asked during my medication rounds.
‘He’s fine. He’s coming to look round again this afternoon so you might see him later.’
Ruby clapped her hands together. ‘How wonderful! Will you introduce him to me?’
I handed over her medication. ‘I can try, but I don’t think I’ll be able to. Denise will want to be in charge of the tour this time.’
Ruby took the cup of water and knocked back her pills. ‘I’d love to meet him. I need to suss out the competition.’
‘What competition?’
‘Tony versus Rhys. As I’ve told you before, you and my grandson would be perfect for each other.’
The non-existent grandson. I smiled politely. ‘I’ve got to go. I’ve got extra duties ahead of the visit so I can’t stop and chat. Sorry.’
The She-Devil and Tony appeared in the doorway of the residents’ lounge as I was clearing away afternoon tea. I tried to avoid Tony’s gaze.
‘Where’s Maria?’ she called.
‘Mrs Robinson wasn’t feeling very well so Maria’s accompanied her back to her room. Can I help?’
‘Mr Sinclair here would like to look at the laundry room, but I have another appointment. I was hoping Maria would show him.’
I felt my cheeks redden and I couldn’t look Tony in the eye. ‘Maybe I could show him what’s on offer in the laundry room?’
She tutted and sighed. ‘I suppose so. My apologies, Mr Sinclair. As I explained to your office, I already had another appointment booked in about our gardening contract and—’
‘It’s no problem,’ Tony said. ‘I believe that this is the same young lady who showed me round last year and, as I recall, she was able to give me exactly what I wanted and a whole lot more.’
I had to fake a sneeze to stop myself giggling. Tony would get me fired if he wasn’t careful.
The She-Devil narrowed her eyes at me. ‘Yes, well, I’ll leave you to it. Carolyn will see you out, Mr Sinclair, but please ring me if you want any more information.’ She marched across the room.
‘You wanted to see the laundry room, sir?’ I asked when she was out of earshot. ‘It’s my favourite part of the building.’
‘That’s a coincidence. It’s mine too.’
At that moment, Ruby entered the residents’ lounge with Iris, both of them holding paperbacks. Ruby stopped when she saw Tony, then winked. ‘Is this him? Is this your sugar daddy, Callie?’
I laughed. ‘This is Tony Sinclair. Tony, these are two of our residents, Ruby and Iris.’
Ruby held out a slender hand and Tony made her day by bending down and kissing it instead of shaking it. She giggled. ‘Quite the charmer.’
‘I try my best,’ said Tony, before kissing Iris’s hand too.
‘Nice to meet you, Tony,’ Iris said. ‘But please excuse me. I’ve left my reading glasses in my room.’
Ruby tutted. ‘I asked if you had them.’
‘I know, but then you distracted me by demanding to know if I had any of my birthday chocolates left. I put my glasses down and forgot to pick them up again.’
‘You might as well bring the rest of the chocolates too,’ Ruby called after her.
She sat down in her favourite armchair by the window and stared at Tony. ‘I know you from somewhere. Have we met before?’
‘I don’t think so. I’d remember a beautiful lady like you.’
Ruby laughed. ‘I can see why young Callie has hung onto you.’ She turned to me. ‘Callie, darling, I don’t suppose there’s any tea left in the pot, is there? I fell asleep and missed it.’
‘If Tony doesn’t mind sitting with you for a few minutes, I’ll make you a fresh one, but it will just be a teabag dipped in a mug. I’m not making a pot.’
‘Tastes no different to me. It’s only that Iris Davies who makes a fuss about having it out of a pot.’ She turned to Tony. ‘She cheats at dominoes too, you know. And Scrabble.’
‘Are you okay if I make Ruby some tea?’ I asked Tony.
‘I’m fine. Don’t take too long, though. I’m desperate to see that laundry room again.’
I tried to rush back, but I kept slopping Ruby’s tea over the edge of the mug and scalding my hand. As I silently approached the residents’ lounge in my canvas shoes, I could overhear Ruby and Tony talking in raised voices.
‘You’re mistaken,’ he said.
‘I’m not great with names, but I never forget a face.’
‘Then I’ve got a double,’ he snapped, arms crossed, staring defiantly at her. ‘I don’t live in Whitsborough Bay and I never have.’
‘You do,’ Ruby insisted, nodding vigorously. ‘You’ve got a wife and three little ones, and you live near North Bay.’
‘I assure you I don’t.’
‘Perhaps you’re not married to her. Perhaps she’s just your… what’s the word these days… your partner?’
‘Neither. Callie’s my partner.’
‘And Callie’s right here,’ I said, marching across the room and handing Ruby her tea, my heart thumping. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Ruby here thinks she knows me,’ Tony said. ‘But she doesn’t, do you?’ His emphasis on the last couple of words wasn’t lost on me.
Ruby looked up at me, defiance on her face. Then her eyes softened. ‘Old age. Gets us all. I’m obviously a bit mixed up. Thanks for the tea, darling.’
Tony stood up.
‘Are you still wanting to see the laundry room?’ I asked.
‘More than ever. Goodbye, Ruby. It was nice chatting to you.’
‘Hmm. Goodbye, Mr Sinclair.’
‘What on earth did you do to Ruby?’ I asked as we walked along the corridor towards the laundry room.
‘What do you mean?’
‘She was all over you when you arrived and now it’s all formal titles and the cold shoulder.’
He shrugged. ‘Ironically for my job, I’m not great with the elderly. I get frustrated with people like Ruby who won’t accept that sometimes their memory isn’t what it used to be.’
‘Like when they accuse you of having a wife and three kids?’ I stopped and faced him. ‘Is there any truth in it?’
‘Only in Ruby’s head. I had a wife and we divorced eight years ago, as you know. I’ve never had kids and I don’t live in Whitsborough Bay. I have a flat in Sheffield. You know that too. I’d take you there but there’s no point. I hate Sheffield and the flat’s a dump but it was the first place I viewed when the divorce came through and I was so keen to move out that I stupidly bought it. If you want to believe an old lady’s ramblings rather than me, though, we might as well call it a day.’
I looked into Tony’s pleading hazel eyes. He was telling the truth. I was sure of it. Ruby was very confused about her grandson and this was clearly another example of that. ‘So, about this laundry room…’ I said.
7
The She-Devil cast a hard stare around the staffroom a week later, invoking instant silence. ‘The Starling Group intend to add Bay View Care Home to
their portfolio. They’ll be investing in the buildings and grounds and may even expand so I’m not anticipating redundancies. You’ll see some branding changes and receive new uniforms but that’s it for the moment. I don’t have time for questions and I insist that you don’t say anything to the residents ahead of my lunchtime announcement or there will be consequences. Do I make myself clear?’
There was a fearful murmur of, ‘Yes, Mrs Kimble.’
‘Good. You’ll notice Mr Tony Sinclair around quite a lot over the next few weeks. Please stay out of his way so he can do his work, but make sure you answer any questions he may have. Back to work, then.’
Something was definitely wrong with the She-Devil. Even though her voice had been strong and scary as always, she looked broken. Her eyes were red and puffy and her hands shook while she spoke. Oh God! What if she knew that we were about to lose our jobs and that’s why she’d been crying? Why give us the reassurances, though? Why not say she didn’t know what the future held? Unless this Starling Group had told her she had to say that. I’d have to ask Tony. He’d be honest with me. Okay, so he hadn’t told me that the sale was confirmed but I understood why. It was business and I knew how these things worked. He wouldn’t have been allowed to make the announcement until it was official.
‘Callie! Callie! There you are!’ Ruby rushed out of the dining room. She’d obviously been waiting for me to pass.
‘Morning, Ruby. How are you?’
‘I’m brilliant. I’ve got the most amazing news.’
‘Spill.’
‘Rhys is moving back to Whitsborough Bay.’
I decided to humour her. ‘When’s the big event?’
‘I’m not sure of the exact details.’
Hardly surprising. How could you be sure of the exact details about something fictional? I smiled. ‘I’ve got to sort out the medication, Ruby. We’ll talk some more later.’
I followed the corridor round to the She-Devil’s office to collect the key for the medicine room. The blinds were drawn across the internal windows so I lightly tapped on the door. No answer. I knocked a bit louder. She called something. Was it ‘come in’ or ‘coming’? I cringed as I pushed the door open, hoping I’d made the right choice, and gasped. Tablets were strewn across the desk and tears were streaming down her face.
‘What are you doing?’ she cried. ‘I told you to wait.’
‘Sorry. Can I help?’ I stepped forward to pick up some tablets.
‘Hay fever,’ she snapped. ‘Makes my eyes stream. Spilt the tablets. Stupid caps. Leave it! I’m fine.’
I stepped back.
‘You can go.’
‘Sorry, but I need the keys to the medicine room.’
She groaned then pointed to a bunch of keys resting in her in-tray. ‘Bring them back.’
‘I will.’ I glanced down at the tablets she was scooping up. I didn’t know what they were, but they certainly weren’t antihistamines. She clearly didn’t want to talk to me, but I hoped she had a friend or family member in whom to confide because something was seriously wrong with her.
8
I squealed as a pair of hands covered my eyes a few days later. ‘Happy anniversary.’
‘Tony? You didn’t say you were coming here today.’
He sat beside me on the bench in the gardens out the back of Bay View. ‘I wanted to surprise you.’
‘How did you know I’d be here?’
‘Your friend Maria said that you had a favourite bench overlooking the sea, so I headed towards the sea and found you. Nice view.’
Perched on a cliff top, there was a sweeping view of the north side of Whitsborough Bay: The Sea Rescue Sanctuary to the far north, the beach, the brightly-painted wooden beach huts, and The Headland bustling with vehicles and pedestrians. To the south, the castle bravely faced the elements from its cliff top position. If I stood up, I could see the River Abbleby separating the two bays as it snaked towards the harbour, although the harbour itself was obliterated by the castle. ‘It’s perfect on a sunny day like today, but I like it just as much when it’s stormy.’
Tony looked around him. ‘The gardens are bigger than I thought.’
‘They’re amazing, but they’re not the best for those with limited mobility. We’ve got a new gardener starting tomorrow who’s going to make them more accessible so I nipped out for one last look before everything changes.’ I rolled my eyes. ‘You probably already knew about the gardener.’
‘He’s nothing to do with us, but we’ve given input to the plans because it’s pointless him developing where we want to expand.’
‘So you are expanding?’
‘Definitely.’
‘And my job’s safe?’
Tony took my hand in his. ‘I knew you were moody about something. Is that what’s been bothering you?’
I decided to let the ‘moody’ accusation go and nodded. ‘I didn’t like to ask you as I know you’d have to keep certain things secret.’
‘You should have just asked, angel, if it’s been worrying you. Everyone’s jobs should be safe. If anything, your boss will be recruiting more staff, not laying any off.’
‘That’s a relief.’
Tony stood up. ‘How long have you got left for your lunch break?’
I glanced at my watch. ‘About fifteen minutes.’
‘And you say the gardener doesn’t start until tomorrow?’
I frowned. ‘That’s right. Why?’
‘I’m thinking that last year was the year of the laundry room, but we should start our second year together with a new special place and, on my way to find you, I came across a secluded summerhouse.’
‘Tony! We can’t. Someone might see us.’
‘Who? You just said that the gardens aren’t used and there’s no gardener until tomorrow.’
I stood up, smiling at his enthusiasm. ‘It’ll be locked.’
‘It isn’t. Come on. Race you.’
His enthusiasm was infectious and I couldn’t help but run after him, giggling.
Tony was right; the summerhouse was pretty secluded, helped by a scattering of trees and mature shrubs. Yellow gingham curtains covered the windows, which would at least give us some privacy in the rare event that someone did walk past.
Tony’s eyes shone as he reached for the door handle. ‘What do you reckon?’
It would make a change from my flat. Or his car. ‘Go on, then.’
Inside, I wrinkled my nose at the dampness. On one side of the summerhouse, plastic reclining chairs were stacked up and, next to them, a pile of chair cushions. On the other side was a smaller pile of sun-loungers and cushions. At the back, a sturdy-looking wooden table had various plastic plant pots and trays piled on it. Tony swept them to the floor with one swing of his arm, grabbed a lounger cushion, placed it on the table, then turned to me. ‘All yours.’
I whipped off my trousers and sat on the table. ‘We’ll have to be quick.’
‘We will be. I’m so ready for you.’ He unzipped his trousers and I smiled at exactly how ready he was.
‘Happy anniversary to me,’ I mumbled as I wrapped my legs round his back, pulling him even closer.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ yelled a man’s voice.
I squealed and leapt back, banging my head on the wall.
‘Shit!’ cried Tony.
‘Get your clothes on and get out.’ The door slammed.
Cursing, I pulled my bra into place and zipped my tunic back up, my face flaming. ‘I told you it was risky.’
Tony fumbled with his trousers. ‘Who was that?’
‘I’ve no idea.’ I hadn’t seen his face and I didn’t recognise the voice. Jumping off the table, I hastily pulled on my trousers and shoes.
‘Do you think he’s waiting outside?’ Tony asked, sounding as nervous as I felt.
‘Probably.’ I felt queasy at the thought of it. How embarrassing.
The bright sunlight dazzled me when I opened the door and stepped out into the gardens,
blinking. For a relief-filled moment, I thought he’d gone, but he stepped out from behind a tall shrub, arms folded, face like thunder. Heart thumping, I surveyed the stranger. He was about the same height as Tony – five foot eleven – but with a larger, more muscular build. Messy dark curly hair ruffled in the light breeze as his bright blue eyes pierced into me.
‘Who the hell are you?’ he demanded.
I folded my arms too and tried to sound confidant. ‘I could ask you the same thing.’
‘I’m the new gardener.’
‘But I was told you weren’t starting until tomorrow.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘So you thought you’d have one last shag in the summerhouse first, did you?’
‘It wasn’t like that.’
He raised the other eyebrow. Okay, it was exactly like that. There was no hiding it.
‘Really?’ he said. ‘Oh! You were doing a stocktake of the garden furniture ready for my arrival, were you?’
‘Sorry, mate,’ Tony said. ‘It was my fault. It’s our anniversary. We both work here. Well, Callie does, and I’ve been doing a spot of consulting.’
‘Is that a euphemism?’ Despite his unimpressed tone, his eyes twinkled and I’m sure he was fighting the urge to smile.
‘You won’t tell the She-… Mrs Kimble, will you?’ I begged. ‘She’ll fire me.’
He stared at me for a while as if debating. My heart thumped until he eventually shook his head. ‘I won’t tell Mrs Kimble, but only because it would embarrass the hell out of me if I had to describe what I’ve just seen. Don’t let me ever catch you again in the summerhouse, shed, greenhouse, or anywhere else because, regrettably, I can’t un-see what I’ve just seen.’
‘Thank you. It won’t happen again,’ I assured him.
‘It had better not.’ With a grin, he strode across the garden, whistling.
‘Shit!’ I cried. ‘Do you really think he’ll keep it secret?’
Tony shrugged nonchalantly but I could tell by his expression that he was worried about the consequences. ‘We’ll just have to hope he does. You’d better get going or you’ll be in trouble for going over your lunch break.’
Making Wishes at Bay View Page 4