Read sample Problems at the Lakeside Hotel

Chapter One 

Alex Berger grasped the box of groceries in the boot of his car and manhandled it onto the pavement. Yikes – good job he went to the fitness centre regularly, because Ma’s shopping weighed a ton this week. Judging by the amount of sugar and flour on the list, though, not to mention birthday cake candles, she was going to be baking – which was a good thing. Making cakes for other people’s happy events kept her mind off her own problems, and it meant she was in contact with the outside world, too. Whistling, Alex heaved the box into his arms, strode up the steps of his mother’s apartment building in north-east Switzerland, and jabbed the button for the lift with his elbow.

His phone buzzed as the lift arrived, and he fumbled it out with one hand while his stomach somersaulted in anticipation. Was this the message he’d been waiting for – and dreading, in case it contained bad news – ever since his interview for the receptionist job at the Lakeside Hotel last Monday? They’d said he’d hear by the weekend, one way or the other. He had no idea if this would be by text or an email, but please, please let it be good news. He flipped his phone case open and – ah. A warning from his pollen app; the grass pollen season had started. Alex stuffed his phone back into his pocket. Panic over.

Denise Berger was waiting at the door of her first floor flat, and Alex put the box down for their usual hug.

‘Hey, Ma. Did you see me coming?’ She’d have been standing at the window for the past half hour; he was late today.

She snorted. ‘No one could miss you. I’m sure you drive the only bright yellow car in Rorschach!’

Alex took her shopping through to the kitchen and shoved the ice cream into the freezer. Ma got most of her stuff online, of course, but he did an extra shop for her at the weekend when he could. She followed, and unpacked the rest while Alex put the kettle on for their usual Saturday morning mug of English Breakfast. She seemed more down than usual today – maybe she hadn’t had any visitors yesterday. Alex grimaced. Agoraphobia was the pits, and she’d had it for as long as he could remember, though it wasn’t always so overwhelming that it confined her to the flat. The past three or four weeks had been bad, though. She’d always been nervous – his father used to say it was post-traumatic stress due to the time she’d spent in Sarajevo between the start of the war there and her escape home in 1994, but as Ma refused to go anywhere near a doctor and Dad had given up and left her to it when Alex was barely ten, there was no official diagnosis. Hopefully, she’d soon get back to going out for the odd trip around her home town here in Rorschach.

The kettle boiled, and Alex took his tea out to the balcony. The flat was near the top of a steep hill, so the view was terrific. It was fortunate Ma had bought this place when she and Dad split up, because she’d never be able to afford it nowadays. She barely scraped a living making alterations to clothes, curtains, etcetera, for people, and baking cakes. Alex leaned on the railing. It was horrible when someone you loved had problems and you were powerless to help them. A view was no use when it was people you needed.

He stared into the distance, the wide sweep of Lake Constance spreading out in front of him while the roofs of Rorschach peppered the foreground below. The other side of the lake was Germany, and the mountains of Austria towered in the distance to his right. Further along the Swiss bank you could see the various little towns and villages – Horn, Grimsbach, Steinach, all the way along to Romanshorn, where the car ferry to Friedrichshafen over in Germany was pulling out of the bay. Alex shaded his eyes. The Lakeside Hotel was in Grimsbach. If he had binoculars, he might even be able to make it out from here. He slid his phone out. Nothing. ‘By the weekend’ – that was today, wasn’t it? Or tomorrow?

Denise joined him on the balcony, but to Alex’s dismay she sat down right by the French door. Hell – she was having a bad go of it this time if she couldn’t make it over to the railing.

She sounded bright enough, though. ‘What are you and Zoe up to today?’

‘Markus and Selina have asked us over for pizza tonight, but Zoe isn’t feeling great this morning, so here’s hoping.’

‘Not the flu, I hope? They were saying on the radio yesterday there’s still a lot of it about. Late this year.’

‘Dunno. Don’t think so.’

Alex tapped his fingers on the balcony railing. Flu had nothing to do with it. Zoe was in a blue funk because she wanted to move to Zurich, and that was impossible, unless of course she decided to leave him. No way could he abandon his mother – and living on the banks of the most international lake in Switzerland was pretty special too, wasn’t it? The only downside to the place was he didn’t have a job at the moment; he’d been temping ever since his old company closed down last year. Otherwise, lakeside life had a lot going for it, but Zoe was more of a bright lights girl. He could understand that as a musician she’d have better job opportunities in the city, but–

Alex’s phone buzzed again, and he pulled it out. Oh… Sweat broke out on his brow, and the phone shook in his hand. Lakeside Hotel was right there on the screen; this was either a ‘yes, you have the job’ or ‘sorry, we don’t want you’ kind of call. His heart thumping, Alex swiped to connect.

The voice in his ear spoke English. ‘Hello, Alex, this is Stacy Townsend at the Lakeside Hotel in Grimsbach. I’m calling to offer you the receptionist’s job you interviewed for this week.’

Alex punched the air, then gathered his best English to reply to her. ‘Thank you – that’s fantastic. I’m really pleased. When would you like me to start?’

‘Are you still available right away? The fourteenth would be ideal for us, then Karen, who you’re replacing, can be there on your first day to show you everything. Her grandchild’s come early, so she’s keen to leave as soon as possible.’

‘That sounds excellent.’ They arranged a few details about signing contracts and times, then Stacy rang off and Alex grabbed his mother in a bear hug, waltzing her round the balcony and back into the living room.

‘I’ve got the job at Lakeside! That’s the hotel I told you about, with the spa and the lovely terrace. Maybe I’ll be able to get special staff rates for you at the hairdresser – or the beautician!’

Denise was laughing, and Alex’s day brightened even more. She hadn’t minded that dance across the balcony – that was a good sign, wasn’t it? They’d soon have her out and about again. She reached up and cupped his face in both hands, then brushed his hair back from his brow.

‘Well done, Alex – I’m proud of you, son! But you’ll need to get that mop cut if you’re going to work in a hotel!’

He kissed her. ‘Thanks, Ma. Things are looking up, eh? We’ll get you out for a visit to Lakeside before the summer’s over, okay?’

‘You’re the boss. Off you go and give that girl of yours the good news.’

Alex ran down to the ground floor, then turned at the car to wave. His mother was standing on the balcony – not quite at the edge, but definitely on the balcony. It was a start. And he had a fresh start too.

Ten minutes later, he was running up the stairs to the flat he and Zoe shared on the other side of town. It wasn’t as posh as Ma’s building, in fact it wasn’t posh at all, but the rent was reasonable and it had suited them for the past few months. You couldn’t afford to be choosy when one of you was job hunting and the other was your typical penniless musician. Zoe played the violin in the Bridge Theatre Orchestra in St Gallen, around ten kilometres away. She didn’t earn a fortune, and he’d had to dip into his savings to pay his way recently. That would change when he started at Lakeside.

Alex turned his key in the lock. ‘Anyone home?’

‘Here! And you’ll never guess!’

Zoe whirled into the hallway, clutching the briefcase she kept her music in. Gone was this morning’s misery; just two hours later, Zoe looked as though she’d swallowed the sun. She deposited her briefcase by the coat stand and flung her arms around Alex. Wow. By the look of things, he wasn’t the only one with good news.

He spoke into her hair. ‘I never will – tell me!’

‘Poor Phillip jammed a finger in the boot of his car last night, so he’s off work for a couple for weeks and oh, I know it’s awful for him, but they’ve given me his solo while he’s off!’

She danced back into the living room and seized her violin, and the haunting opening notes from Fiddler on the Roof filled the flat. Alex watched, captivated. Zoe was a different creature when she played; her whole body was fluid, moving with the music, part of a different world. For a few seconds, the air in the flat sang, then she laid the violin back in its case and beamed at Alex.

‘We’re rehearsing this afternoon, so I’ll have to leave soon. I’ll go straight to Markus and Selina’s later. Oh, Alex, this could be my big chance!’

Alex had to force a smile. Another kind of fear was churning in his gut now, and he hated himself for it. Ever since he’d met her over a year ago, Zoe’s ambition had been to move up the ladder in the music world. A solo in Fiddler on the Roof was a dream come true. The production was attracting an audience from all over Switzerland as well as nearby Germany and Austria, and some of them were big music people, too. Being noticed was everything, and Zoe, with her long dark hair and moving, passionate face when she was immersed in her music, stood out in a crowd.

Was this really the best time to tell her he’d just accepted a job that would tie him indefinitely to this area, far away from the Zurich crowds and bustle that Zoe was longing to get back to?

Chapter Two

Eyes tightly closed against the early morning sunlight shimmering through the curtains, Stacy Townsend stretched a hand across the bed, only to find a dent in the pillow where Rico’s head should have been. Ah, well. She lay still for a moment, then stretched luxuriously. No Rico, but she had five whole days off work in front of her, and after weeks of wall-to-wall rain, today looked like being gloriously different. Time to get up and remind the love of her life that they were, technically, on holiday. The trouble was, live-in spa hotel managers were on call 24/7, and Rico was the dedicated sort.

The silence in their flat at the top of the Lakeside Hotel told her she was home alone. Stacy had a quick shower, then headed straight for the kitchen. The day was always more manageable after a shot of caffeine. She pushed a strand of blonde hair away from her face and flipped the radio on while her coffee burbled through the machine, then took her mug out to the long wooden balcony off the living room.

At long last, a sunny day. Across the lake, Germany was even visible today, after being shrouded in rain for so long. Four floors below on the terrace, a few guests were having an early breakfast outside, something that hadn’t happened this season yet. Stacy beamed at the waterlogged geraniums in their terracotta window boxes lining the balcony. At long last, the hotel was going strong, and how odd it was to think it was a year almost to the day since she and her friend Emily had breakfasted down there as guests, on the terrace of a failing hotel. Little had she known back then that she’d return to work at Lakeside. Not to mention finding the man she was going to marry here – and come to that, where was he?

She was heading inside in search of her phone to call him when the flat door banged open before slamming shut again. Rico’s lanky form appeared in the hallway, and Stacy jerked upright at the sight of his face. He hadn’t looked this uptight since he’d had to wait for the results – fortunately good – of his chest scan in January. He flung himself down at the kitchen table, and she grabbed his hand.

‘For heaven’s sake, what’s wrong?’

‘We’re going to have a problem, Stace. A huge one. The lake.’

‘What about it?’

He shot her a hunted look. ‘I went to give Lakeside Lady a polish – Dad’ll go bananas if she’s still all rain-splashed and wet when he arrives this afternoon – and I noticed the water level had risen. A lot.’

Lakeside Lady was the family cabin cruiser, and the apple of Ralph’s eye. Stacy could well imagine what he would say if the boat was anything other than pristine when he arrived.

‘Water in the boat? I guess some got under the tarpaulin? We should have put her in the boathouse during all that rain.’

He was gripping her hand so hard it hurt. ‘It wasn’t water in the boat. It’s the lake, Stace. It’s way higher than it was a few days ago. I’m really scared we’re going to get flooding.’

Stacy gasped. The hotel was only a handful of metres from the lake bank, hence the name Lakeside. And after their extensive renovations last winter to add the spa facilities, a flood was the last thing they needed. On the other hand, Rico was the kind of person who worried about things that were never going to happen.

‘I’m sure it’ll be okay, Rico. I heard the forecast this morning and it’s all about hot sunshine for the rest of the month.’

He glared at her. ‘And what happens in May when we get hot sunshine?’

Stacy opened her mouth to snap back, then changed her mind as the penny dropped. ‘Oh. The snow in the mountains will melt and come down–’

‘–into a lake that’s already way higher than it should be. Come and see.’

He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the flat and down the wooden staircase into the hotel. Stacy followed him across the front hallway, busy with guests going to and from breakfast on the terrace or en route for the spa rooms. ‘Good morning’ came from all directions and in several languages as Stacy and Rico moved through the crowd. At the reception desk Karen was at the computer with Alex, the new bloke. He was looking pretty hot and bothered, fine sandy hair standing on end where he’d pushed a hand through it. Stacy gave him a smile, and left them to it. She would check in with Alex later. He’d be a good addition to the team, and after the unpleasantness caused by Karen’s jealousy last year, a change of face at reception could only be a good thing.

Lakeside Lady was moored at the tiny hotel jetty, and heavens, yes, she was higher in the water than she usually was. Stacy’s heart sank. Lake Constance was huge – however much water would you need to raise it – what? Thirty centimetres? More, she decided, peering down between the cabin cruiser and the jetty.

Rico strode ahead into the boathouse, a grey stone building open to the lake at one end with water channelling into the middle section. He walked along the narrow platform that ran around the other three sides of the boathouse, then crouched down beside the mooring post furthest from the entrance.

‘Here. Back in 1999, the lake flooded badly. I was just a kid, but I remember biking through water all along the lake path. And we had pumps in for weeks to keep the cellar dry. Dad marked the water levels on this post every Saturday. Then in 2016, there was a bit of flooding again, and we added that year’s levels and freshened up the old marks. Look.’

Stacy leaned over and peered. The 2016 marks were nowhere to be seen, but the lake today was nearly as high as it had been in mid-May 1999. Standing straight again, Rico pointed to a mark over a metre higher than the lake was now, and Stacy’s mouth went dry.

‘Tell me the water didn’t get that high.’

Rico stood up. ‘I’m afraid it did. And the situation in ninety-nine was similar to this year’s in every way. Massive snowfalls the previous winter, followed by a very wet spring. This could all go pear-shaped any day. I’m worried, Stace.’

Stacy was worried now too. How cruel it would be if half their lovely new renovations ended up underwater. The sauna was in the cellar, not to mention the brand-new fitness room with all the machines. She stood straight and gazed across the lake. All that water, and more on the way… and there was no way to control it.

She took Rico’s arm on the way back to the hotel. ‘We’ll hope for the best, Rico, love.’

He sniffed. ‘And we’ll prepare for the worst while we’re doing it.’

She couldn’t argue with that.

Back inside, most of the guests had moved on into the spa areas or gone out for the day, and the new receptionist was alone at the desk.

Stacy let go of Rico’s arm. ‘I’ll have a quick chat with Alex.’

‘See you upstairs. I think I’ll phone the water insurance people and check we’re insured for everything that might happen.’

Rico loped upstairs, and Stacy stared after him. No point saying it was too late to get insurance for something that could happen as early as tomorrow. She swung round and went over to the reception desk.

‘How’s it going? The first day anywhere’s pretty intensive, isn’t it?’

He grinned. ‘Karen showed me the booking systems and the spa lists, etcetera. I hope I remember everything.’

‘Give me a shout if you have any problems. Is Karen…?’

‘She’s gone for a quick break. No problems so far. I’m really pleased to be here, and it’s quite different to my last job. That was ninety per cent telephone work. This is much better.’

‘Receptions are different everywhere, I guess. We chose you for this job because your English is so good – you even have a bit of an English accent. Plus, you’re local to the area, which is important when guests want information.’

‘Thanks. My mother and I sometimes speak English for fun, and she speaks it like a native. She has a hotel background too – she and Dad met in Sarajevo in the eighties when they were working in a hotel there. They left in the nineties when the war got going, though.’

Stacy stood still. Sarajevo, wow. ‘That must have been a hard time for them. Do they live locally?’

‘Ma’s in Rorschach, but she and Dad are divorced. He runs a hotel in Goa now.’

‘So you’re carrying on a long family tradition of hotel work. You should bring your mum here and show her around, Alex. If she’d be interested, that is.’

His face clouded over. ‘I’m sure she would, but–’

‘Problem?’ Karen bustled back, frowning.

Stacy moved away. She didn’t want to stamp on Karen’s toes on the woman’s last day at work.

‘Not at all, I was just saying hello. I’ll see you both later!’ She moved away, stepped into the lift as it was standing there with its doors so invitingly open, and jabbed the button for the fourth floor. It would be interesting to meet Alex’s mother and hear about the hotel she’d worked in. Stacy did sums in her head as the lift jerked upwards. Alex wouldn’t have been born until several years after his parents’ return from ex-Yugoslavia. It must have been a traumatic time for the couple – and the marriage hadn’t survived, too.

In the flat, she joined Rico on the balcony. ‘Full house, but Alex seems to be taking it all in his stride. Bit different to this time last year, isn’t it?’ She sat down on a deckchair and stretched out her legs. Sun tan, here she came… and this week, she could relax with an easy conscience.

Rico poured her a glass of iced tea. ‘A lot of it’s down to you. All I hope is we don’t have to start handing out wellies as well as room keys when the guests arrive!’

His voice was strained in spite of the little joke, and Stacy’s heart melted. Rico cared so much about Lakeside – for him, the hotel was his mother’s legacy, and he was desperate for it to be successful. Business was picking up nicely after the long sticky patch after Edie’s death a couple of years ago. More than nicely, actually.

She sipped her iced tea. ‘Try not to worry. Your dad’ll be here this afternoon, and he’ll know if it’s time to start issuing the guests with extra towels and wellies.’

Ralph, Rico’s dad, was ex-manager at Lakeside, though he now lived in Lugano in the Ticino, the southern, Italian-speaking part of Switzerland where he’d grown up. It would be lovely to see him again, and this time he was bringing his brother Guido and sister-in-law Julia. The plan was to have a big party for Ralph’s birthday on Friday, and Stacy was looking forward to it – and to showing Ralph how well the hotel was doing. In spite of this latest worry, it was a lovely feeling that she was part of the new Lakeside, with its smart spa rooms and all the etceteras, and while her position as head nurse and assistant to Rico wasn’t quite what she’d envisaged at the start of her nursing training back in England, it was interesting and fun and – best job ever, in fact. Surely a mere lake wouldn’t spoil that.

Their visitors arrived shortly after two o’clock. Stacy was tidying round the flat when voices on the landing had her running to open the door.

‘Ralph Weber – you can’t be here already!’

He hugged her tightly, and Stacy hugged back. She had a lot of time for Ralph. He hadn’t had an easy life since Rico’s mum died, but he was always cheerful and generous – he’d given Rico the chance to prove he could get the hotel back into profit. Come to that, he’d given Rico the hotel.

He winked at her. ‘Yup. Lugano to Grimsbach in two and a half hours. Not bad.’

‘Bet you were speeding.’ Rico took Stacy’s place hugging his father, while Stacy went on to be given the usual Swiss right-cheek, left-cheek, right-cheek kisses by Julia and Guido.

‘Are we in with you, or have you put us in the bikers’ flat?’ said Ralph, indicating the second flat on the top floor landing. It was fitted up as basic accommodation for cycling tourists, who generally moved on after one night.

‘In with us,’ said Stacy. ‘If that’s okay?’

Ralph lifted his case. ‘Lead the way.’

Stacy grinned, listening to the banter flying around in both German and Italian as her guests unpacked. They’d have a fun two weeks with the Swiss family, then she and Rico would have plenty of time to get the place straight again before Mum and Dad arrived. And oh dear, that might not be such a light-hearted visit. Mum had been unexpectedly despondent last time they’d phoned. Stacy’s happy mood evaporated as she thought back to what Janie had said. ‘Of course, we’d originally planned to come later in the summer and bring you home at the end of your year, darling. I suppose that won’t happen now?’

Stacy waggled her left hand with the diamond and emerald engagement ring. ‘Bringing her home’ definitely wasn’t going to happen, and it was hard to know why her mother had even asked. A roar of laughter came from one of the bedrooms, and Stacy cheered up again. When Mum saw the place, she would love it as much as they did.

‘Right – I’m ready to try the famous tubs!’ Julia came out of her bedroom and looked expectantly at Stacy.

‘You’re on. Anyone else feel like a soak?’

The men opted for a beer on the balcony, and Stacy showed Julia round the large spa room where the tubs were, and the small spa which held the manicure and hairdressing rooms, with the massage therapist just across the hallway. And how brilliant was this? Today, she could behave like a guest in her own hotel. Well, in Rico’s hotel. Stacy joined Julia in the tub, leaning back as the warm water and soft music relaxed muscles she hadn’t realised were tight. Oh yes, she could get used to this.

The feeling of being on holiday continued that evening, when they all went for dinner in the hotel restaurant. Stacy took her place beside Rico at a window table and sighed happily. This was fab – having a trained chef on hand when you had guests was one of the boons of living in a hotel. They’d reached the coffee stage when Stacy’s phone rang in her bag and she scrabbled for it. Heavens, it was her mother. Mum didn’t usually phone this late – was anything wrong? Better take this somewhere more private. She hurried out to the deserted entrance hallway, swiping to connect as she went.

‘Oh, Stacy, love, thank goodness. We’ve had a problem here and I hope I’ve found the right solution, but…’ A huge sigh came down the phone.

‘Is everyone okay?’ Stacy sank down on the leather sofa at the side of the front door.

‘Yes, but Sue’s been given a date for her new hip. You know she’s been on the waiting list for ages. It’s on the 5^th of June, and of course that’s the middle of our stay with you. Your dad wants to be here for Sue, so I’ve changed our flights – we’re coming on Wednesday. That’s all right, love, isn’t it?’

‘Wednesday?’

Her mother inhaled sharply, and Stacy gripped her mobile, trying to sound more hospitable. ‘No problem. What time’s your flight?’ Phone clutched to her ear, she went over to reception for pen and paper. She could understand John Townsend not wanting to be out of the country while his sister was having major surgery. But, oh dear… Stacy wrote down the new flight details, her brain racing. This meant Mum and Dad would be here at the same time as Ralph, Guido and Julia. The upside was her parents would meet the Swiss family and be here for Ralph’s birthday party; the downside was they couldn’t all stay in the flat.

‘I’m sorry it’s such short notice, but I couldn’t bear not to see you for months, darling.’

Help, Mum was nearly in tears. Stacy leapt in before the deluge started. ‘It’s great, Mum. Even better, in fact, because you’ll meet Rico’s family. We’re having a birthday do for Ralph on Friday.’

They chatted for a few more minutes, then Stacy went into the reception computer to look at guest numbers and vacant rooms that week. They’d need to do some reshuffling, but it would be possible. They would manage.

She went back to the others, who were speaking Swiss German now. Rico raised his eyebrows at her.

‘Mum and Dad are coming on Wednesday,’ she said, also in Swiss German, and Ralph patted her shoulder.

‘Good for you! We’ll make a Swiss citizen of you yet.’

Stacy joined in the laughter, but uneasiness was growing in her middle. Rico’s family were so different to hers. And if Mum wasn’t happy about Stacy’s decision to make her home here in Switzerland, the next couple of weeks might not be easy.