Fiona’s mouth twitched and Sara wondered if she’d done the right thing, speaking up. But James rewarded her with a warm smile. ‘If we’re talking about temporary – to get us over this glitch and pick up the strands of work I’ve not been able to pursue as effectively as I’d like – then I’m happy for you to do more hours.’ He turned to Fiona. ‘We’ve established that our income stream is strong for the next two months, so if we transfer the hours I’m not doing to Sara, then we can make sure the wages bill is kept within budget.’

Fiona glanced at them both. ‘To be honest, I’d be happy to sanction a temporary increase in the budget if it means we can bring everything up to date. I’ve spoken to the treasurer this morning and he agreed with this as a suggested way forward. So if you’re both happy, I suggest Sara has full-time hours on a temporary contract for the next month, and James, you carry on with the two days a week you’re doing now. Then we’ll review at the next board meeting.’

Sara beamed. James pursed his lips, then nodded.

‘Excellent.’ Fiona gathered her papers together. ‘Sara, can you write that up for me, please? Then I’ll circulate it to the rest of the board, just to keep them up to speed.’

James got up, the meeting over. ‘I’ll be in on Friday, Sara. We can sort out a list of things you still need training up on, okay? By then, I’ll know which days I’ll be in each week, and we can try and get things into more of a routine instead of me flitting in and out when I have a moment.’ He ran a hand through his hair, gave her a tired smile. ‘I’m sure it’ll be better for all of us, won’t it?’ There was something in his voice that made Sara think he wasn’t as happy with the arrangement as she was, and he hurried out of the room before she could respond.

Generally, she got on well with James, and he’d been more than patient when he was showing her how to work the accounting software and the booking system for the rooms. But he was a hard act to follow, as he was one of those people who appeared to know everyone – their families, their backgrounds – and made them all feel so welcome, while Sara still forgot people’s names and wasn’t close to being the consummate host that he was. He’s right, she thought as she stood to collect the empty mugs. I’m not quite ready to run the place. But she was more determined than ever to learn and improve. In fact, she saw it as a challenge, something to work towards. I’ll show him.