She holds out the picnic basket and I take it from her, noting she was right about it being heavy, and placing it on the coffee table. The girl is almost bouncing on the spot with excess energy. It’s kinda cute, but also exhausting to watch.
I’ve no idea if she’s an omega like me, or a beta like I’m pretending to be. But she’s small, curvy and brim-full of energy.
“So, you’re probably wondering who I am. Nanny D asked me to look out for you, drop some fresh bits off for the fridge, and to generally make you feel welcome. Take you under my wing so to speak.”
I give her a tight smile because despite this information dump, she’s still missed out one key detail - her name. Also, why is she callingmynan, Nanny D?
“Thanks…?” I raise a brow at her waiting for the introduction.
“Oh shit! Hi, I’m Aisling by the way. And you’re Lani. Nanny D is, like, my favourite person in the whole wide world and she said we would get on like a house on fire! I already miss her so much, she’s only been gone two days. I hope she left some cookie dough in the freezer. I’d die if I had to go three whole months without her cookies, wouldn’t you? Chocolate chip are my favourite. You don’t fuck with a classic, Nanny D always says, and I agree. The cookies at the hotel are rank. Who the fuck wants avocado in their cookies?”
I nod along as Aisling rambles on, taking in her energy and enthusiasm. It’s a lot to handle, but there’s something infectious about her that makes me want to listen to her all day. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m all alone in this big old house and she’s the first friendly person I’ve spoken to since I got here.
“Thanks for bringing this,” I say, gesturing to the picnic basket on the table. “It was really kind of my nan to ask you to look out for me.”
“Oh, it’s no problem at all,” Aisling says, grinning at me. “I love meeting new people, and I love Nanny D, so it’s a win-win situation. Plus, it’s not like there’s much else to do around here.”
I laugh, feeling a little more at ease now that she’s made me feel welcome. “Yeah, it seems pretty quiet.”
“It is, but there’s plenty of stuff to do after hours, if you catch my drift.”
“Ummm…no?”
“Well tomorrow is officially the first day of the summer season for us. By us, I mean everyone who works for the hotel or just the Butler empire in general, which means that tonightis the annual summer launch party for all the staff and locals. It’s an absolute scream. You have to come.” I grimace. “Uh-oh what’s that face for? Don’t tell me you hate parties. Oh god, it’s the beach isn’t it? You hate sand? You prefer books to people? Shit! I thought we were going to be friends!”
I laugh and hold up my hands to stop Aisling’s spiralling ramble. “It’s not that partying isn’t my thing – I love to dance and I can hold my drink when I’m in the mood for it.” She doesn’t need to know that Idoprefer books to people.
“Oh good! See? I said we’d have the best time! Plus, you’re, like, really pretty. And you’re new here, so you’re gonna attract a crowd, but we can totally work that to our advantage and?—”
“But,” I say with emphasis, interrupting her interruption. “I have a job interview in the morning. Nan left me a note on the fridge and it’s at nine am, so the last thing I need is a late night or a hangover.”
Aisling grins at me. “First, the interview is a technicality. You’ve got the job, trust me. You could turn up to that interview in nipple tassels and a thong and Old Pete will hire you on the spot.”
“Because he’s a lech?” I ask, screwing up my nose in disgust.
“Nooooo, because everyone loves Nanny D and will do anything for her. Well, except for the Butlers, but that’s a whole other story.”
“Okay…?”
“Second, you don’t have to drink or stay out late. I’m not about to be the sort of friend who peer pressures you into doing a whole heap of shit that you hate. Except coming to the party in the first place. That part’s mandatory.”
“Tell me about the Butlers. What’s their problem with my nan?”
“They want her house. It’s the last remaining plot of private land around here. ‘On the estate’ as they like to say, which isutter bullshit. It’s not an estate, they just railroaded their way through the locals, turfing them out, knocking down houses and building their steel monstrosities in their place. Not themselves of course, but they hire builders, you know? Anyway, Nanny D is the only one who refused to sell. Repeatedly. They think this place is an eyesore but they’re wrong. I love the character and charm.”
“Me too,” I quickly agree. I couldn’t imagine this beautiful old house not overlooking the ocean because something modern and cold and impersonal was in its place.
“Yeah so anyway, the Butlers absolutely hate her for it, but mostly they try to keep on her good side and try to change her mind at every opportunity. They hope to wear her down or something. They’ll be so pissed off when they find out about you.”
“Me? Why?”
“They assumed she didn’t have any family.” I wince. That’s the second painful reminder I’ve had since arriving that my nan and I are still strangers. “Sorry. But everyone thought Nanny D was a loner, and there’s, like, a clause in the land deeds or something that says if the house isn’t sold or passed down through an inheritance when the resident dies, it reverts back to the beach estate. Which means it becomes part of the Butler empire because they now own the beach.”
“People can own a beach? Jesus, that sucks.”
“Sucks for them! Because now you’ll get the house and they’ll be forced to look at the peeling paintwork for another eighty years.”
I laugh because I doubt I’ll live to be almost one hundred, but I love Aisling’s exuberance and her stick-it-to-them attitude. I don’t know who the Butlers are, but they sound like entitled, rich arseholes if you ask me.