The Book Club Hotel(62)

Erica would have said the same herself, only without the shoulder rub.

Unfortunately, neither seemed to soothe Hattie.

“Everything is not fine.” There was a note of hysteria in her voice and she breathed in short, rapid snatches. “I just lost my housekeeper and apparently, I’ve already lost my chef, only unlike Stephanie he didn’t have the courtesy to shout at me before he drove into the sunset.”

Noah’s hand was still on her shoulder, strong and supportive. “A housekeeper who has been giving you grief for two years, and a chef who constantly behaved like a toddler midtantrum.”

“Maybe, but he’s a great chef.” Hattie wrapped her arms around her middle. “Brent thought he was a creative genius.”

“He was unpredictable and a liability.” Noah was blunt. “And as for Stephanie, you did what needed to be done. Said what needed to be said. Not easy. I was proud of you.”

Hattie didn’t appear to hear him. She didn’t seem aware of anything that was going on around her. “She’s right.” She muttered the words to herself. “I have let Brent down. I’ve tried to keep things going the way he wanted them, to do the things he would have done, but I’ve failed. I’ve lost his two key members of staff. He was excited when he appointed them. He said that they’d really put the place on the map. And they’re gone because of me. And poor Helen, the sous-chef.” She fumbled for her phone. “Did the pan he threw actually hit her? I need to check she is all right.”

Noah glanced out the window. “Her car is still in the parking lot, so she hasn’t left.”

“She’s fine,” Chloe said, “although there is a large dent in one of the kitchen cabinets.”

“I don’t care about the kitchen, as long as she’s all right. I’ll talk to her in a minute, although I don’t know what I’m going to say. Maybe she’ll sue us.” Hattie sank onto the sofa. “I can’t do this. I don’t have what it takes. I should hand it over to someone who is better than me at making decisions.”

Erica decided Noah needed reinforcements.

“You’re making good decisions. They feel difficult, but that doesn’t mean they’re not right.” She used the same calm tone she used when advising clients facing a crisis. “You clearly have a vision for the inn, and it’s an appealing one. This is the perfect opportunity to make that vision a reality. To shape the business the way you’d like it to look. You’ve made a good start. You’re doing well.”

Her intervention seemed to snap Hattie out of her trance. She looked at Erica as if she’d finally remembered she was there.

“But you’re checking out tomorrow,” she said. “So I can’t be doing that well, can I?”

Erica felt a mixture of guilt and admiration. It was encouraging to see Hattie at least had some fight left in her.

“That’s nothing to do with the hospitality,” Claudia said. “That’s just Erica.”

Erica ignored that. “For now, the focus needs to be on what needs to be done to get through tonight. After that we can formulate a longer-term plan.”

“We?” Noah gave Erica a cool look, which made her suspect Hattie had told him everything in the short time they’d had together before the situation with Stephanie had erupted. He was suspicious of her, and given what had transpired, he probably had reason.

Erica thought about what she’d overheard at the bookstore. The women had talked about Noah. How protective he was. And now she saw it for herself. Not just in his words, but also in the way he stood close to Hattie, as if providing a physical barrier between her and the rest of the world.

No doubt Anna was already busy spinning romantic scenarios.

That wasn’t what interested Erica. “I can help. If you’d like me to.”

But Noah’s attention had returned to Hattie. “I know it seems daunting at the moment, but things will change for the better now. And she—Erica—is right.” He said the words reluctantly. “You figure out what needs doing, and do it. You solve the problems one at a time. You’re good at this, Hattie.”

“Good?” She gave a disbelieving laugh. “Did you not hear a word Stephanie said?”

“Stephanie is wrong. You need to do things the way you feel they should be done and trust your instincts. I predict the place will be even more successful.”

Hattie looked unconvinced. “I hope we survive long enough to find out. I can’t run an inn without staff.”

Someone needed to get on and do something, Erica thought, or it definitely wouldn’t be successful. Every minute they spent chewing over what had happened was a minute wasted.

It was a process, she understood that, but the process needed to be accelerated.

“You’re looking at what you’ve lost,” she said. “What you need to do is consider the resources still available to you, and how you might use them most effectively.”

“That’s me! I’m a resource, and I’m not leaving.” Chloe spoke up from the doorway. “I can handle the housekeeping. I’ll work as many hours as needed. There’s nothing Stephanie can do that I can’t do. Except possibly the moody attitude part. I’m not great at that. I’ll get so much more done without her pulling me aside to tell me where I’m going wrong all the time.”