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The evening of the day she had booked the family’s first Mediterranean cruise, Jinnie broke the news to the family over dinner. At first, the twins were a little confused and asked if they were cruising in the Caribbean, but Izzy explained that although it was the same ship as they had been on at Christmas, it had come back to Europe for the summer and was sailing out of Southampton. She added, ‘Don’t you remember when mummy was very ill, and she and daddy came home on Britannia, and we stayed in the hotel in Southampton before meeting them.’
Slowly, it dawned on the twins, and they nodded that they remembered, before Millie said, ‘So we get on the ship in Southampton, but where do we go?’ Jinnie showed them the itinerary on her iPad and said they would have to look at the excursions and choose where they wanted to go when the ship stopped. Willie asked if they could go to the club, and Jinnie said, ‘Of course, the cruise is 15 days and we only visit six places, so that’s lots of sea days, so lots of club, and don’t forget it is the beginning of the school holidays, so there will be lots of other children on board.’
***
The adults had just sat down with their after-dinner coffee when Jinnie’s mobile rang, and expecting it to be her mother, she just said hello, and was surprised when Monica’s voice said, ‘Hello Jinnie, I’m trying to organise a board meeting for Bearcat (USA) and wondered if you would be attending. We have a few important things to discuss.’ ‘When and what?’ asked Jinnie. ‘Well, as soon as possible,’ replied Monica, ‘preferably late this week, as a couple of things need a quick decision. I’d ideally like it to be Friday, I think that gives you and Brian time to get here.’ ‘So, what’s so important?’ asked Jinnie. ‘Well, Jorja tells me that the oil exploration company she has a contract to cater for a rig off Trinidad has asked for a quote for two rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, and she wants to run the contract if they win it out of the offices here.’
‘Why Tampa?’ asked Jinnie. ‘I thought the rigs were off Texas and Louisiana.’ ‘Many of the production rigs are,’ replied Monica, ‘but the people are looking for gas and are doing it off the west coast of Florida, so Tampa is close.’ ‘That makes sense,’ said Jinnie. ‘Do you have the office space?’ ‘No,’ replied Monica. ‘We have expanded so fast and given space to Ennios and Continental that we are already using meeting rooms as offices, we are just managing. But it doesn’t stop there, Brooke wants to bring Artisan Doughnuts to Florida and that would mean more office space. I want to discuss taking another floor immediately.’
‘Is one available?’ asked Jinnie. ‘Yes, if we move quickly,’ replied Monica. ‘Our upstairs neighbour has started moving out and has emptied out one of their two floors six months early. I know we have an agreement with the landlord that we have first option in six months when the lease is up, but we have been offered a short sub-lease until the main lease expires. Do we go for it, and what are the financial implications of doing it or not doing it? There is one other thing that might influence things. We have been approached by a company that wants to open 10 franchise restaurants.’
‘Well, surely that’s good news,’ said Jinnie. ‘It is and it isn’t,’ replied Monica. ‘It’s always good to open more restaurants, but they want to open them in Atlanta, Georgia. It would mean advancing our plans for a distribution hub in Atlanta, maybe even open some of our own outlets, and I want to discuss if it’s too soon. Then there is one final thing, we have opened a regional office for Frank’s Original here and it’s growing, it could do with more spaces. I have been wondering if we should swap it to their head office and reduce the one in Atlanta to a regional one.’
***
Jinnie and Brian stepped off the BA 777-200 and onto the air bridge and headed for immigration. They knew from experience that, as they had been upgraded to one of the small number of business class seats, they were some of the first passengers off and near the head of the queue. Jinnie had chosen to fly from Gatwick, as it offered a non-stop BA flight. She would normally have chosen Virgin from Heathrow, but the flight was full and the BA flight from Heathrow was a code share with American Airways, which was not non-stop.
Jinnie was pleasantly surprised that the immigration was fairly painless and she and Brian were being picked up by Ro only 45 minutes after landing. Ro drove them to the Ennios Clearwater. Jinnie said, “I hear Rick is rather pleased with how business in Florida is going and he is looking for more hotels, but he is a bit stretched at the moment with the Cotswold just opening, Worthing being sorted, and York looking to be next.” Ro said, “We have seen him a couple of times recently, he has been keeping an eye on the Miami Ennios Executive Wing. I must say the renders look stupendous, if the final rooms look anything like the pictures they will be fantastic.”
As they walked to the reception desk, Jinnie said to Brian, “This is so much better than when Rick bought it for the chain. It’s amazing what a difference Andrew’s designs make without structural alterations. I love the choice of furniture, it looks so modern but comfortable.” The receptionist smiled and said, “Good afternoon. Do you have a reservation?” “Yes,” said Jinnie, “I’m Dame Jinnie de Luca and this is Mr Brian Quarendon.” A quick glance at the computer and reservation cards were handed over to be signed. The receptionist handed over digital entry cards and said, “Dame Jinnie, you are in the Presidential Suite, Mr Earle insisted, and Mr Quarendon, you are in the First Lady Suite. If you wait a moment, a bell boy will show you to your suites.”
“Could you book us a table for five tonight please?” asked Jinnie. “Of course, madam,” said the receptionist. “Would that be in the Diner or Main Restaurant?” As much as she fancied trying the Diner, Jinnie replied, “The Main Restaurant please, could it be for 8 o’clock?” “That’s done, Dame Jinnie, a table for five at eight in the Continental Restaurant. Are your guests familiar with the hotel? Should I email them directions?” “No thanks,” said Jinnie, “my guests all live locally.”
***
Jinnie and Brian met in the bar for an aperitif at 7:30. Brian asked, “What’s your suite like, mine is magnificent.” “I hope mine is what the Executive Suite in Miami is like,” replied Jinnie. “It oozes class and luxury. I suspect that is why Rick organised it for me, to show me what to expect.” “Well, I don’t think any executive guest would be disappointed to have a suite like mine,” said Brian. “Rick certainly knows his hotels.” “That’s true,” said Jinnie. “I am so grateful we shared a table on a cruise ship.”
Jinnie was halfway through her G&T when Monica, Ro and Jed joined them and quickly got drinks. Monica said, “This bar is rather nice, I was told it was good but I haven’t been here before, I hope the food lives up to the surroundings.” “I don’t think Trevor would let them use the Continental name if the restaurant was not up to standard,” said Jinnie. At exactly 8 o’clock, the restaurant manager approached them and said, “Good evening ladies and gentlemen, your table is ready if you would like to accompany me.”
Jinnie paused as she entered the hotel restaurant and took in the ambience. She nodded to Monica and said, “I approve, this is lovely, I do hope the food and service live up to my expectations.” Monica smiled and said, “If it does, I know where I’ll be bringing anyone I want to impress. Patricia is coming to stay for a week in August, she would love this, it reminds me of the Trattoria Trevi you took me to in England.”
They were shown to the table and immediately descended on by a gaggle of waiters, pushing in chairs, shaking napkins into laps, presenting menus, offering bread, pouring iced water and, after a respectable time, asking if they were ready to order. Jinnie said to Ro, “So far so good, this seems to be European standard waiting, not American. I wonder if the Americans appreciate it.”
Brian drained his coffee and the waiter was immediately there, asking if he wanted another cup. After saying yes please, he said to Jinnie, “That was a damn good meal, Rick has really got this one ticking. I’m surprised people aren’t fighting to get in.” Monica replied, saying, “Rick told me that he wasn’t advertising the restaurant as a place to eat yet, other than to residents.” “That explains why the receptionist asked if my guests knew the hotel,” replied Jinnie. “Personally, I think it’s ready to be sold to everyone. If they have any sense, they will save tables for residents and let them to walk ups if they are not taken.”
Over post-dinner drinks in the bar, Jinnie told Monica she had been thinking about their phone conversation, and she had decided to back plans to start the expansion to the next floor. Then she said, ‘I seem to remember that when we purchased Frank’s you had plans to move their HQ to Tampa and Belinda costed the refurbishment.’ ‘We did plan it,’ said Monica, ‘but we were expanding so fast, with Ennios moving in, that we neither had the space nor the money, so we left Frank’s HQ in Atlanta and just opened a regional office. Well, we now have the money and hopefully the space. The refurbishment is very simple, the offices are in excellent condition, and we just need to build a few offices, add some signage, a bit of furniture and a lot of network rewiring.’
‘As for the franchise in Atlanta,’ said Jinnie, ‘I think we should go for it. We always planned to go into Georgia, maybe not quite this soon, but Florida is ahead of the programme, so why not. Let’s talk about it at the board meeting tomorrow, but I think I have made my decision, but you never know, someone might change my mind.’
As Monica, Jed and Ro left, Jinnie suddenly remembered Ro’s Maine Coon cat and asked, ‘How is Syd?’ ‘He’s huge,’ replied Ro, ‘and getting bigger every week. He’s still only a kitten, but he is bigger than any of the local cats and he’s eating enough for a horse. But there is something about him, he seems to understand every word I say.’ ‘He sounds like a young Larry,’ said Jinnie. ‘He knows exactly when I am coming home and is always waiting for me and the twins swear he talks to them by putting pictures in their heads.’ ‘Maybe they are distant relatives,’ chuckled Ro.
***
The following morning, Jinnie and Brian entered the hotel’s Diner for breakfast and saw Brooke, Jorja and Sebastian eating at a table by the window. Jinnie helped herself to a yoghurt and fruit and headed for a table near Brooke. As she passed Brooke, she said, ‘Hi Brooke, Monica didn’t say you were here for the board meeting.’ ‘Hi boss,’ replied Brooke, ‘we have been asked to attend to do presentations on the catering business and on Artisan Doughnuts.’ ‘I suppose I shouldn’t be talking to you then,’ said a smiling Jinnie. ‘I guess I need to see the presentations before I make up my mind.’ ‘Knowing you as I do,’ replied Brooke, ‘I suspect you have already made your mind up.’
***
As the board meeting broke up, Monica said to Jinnie, ‘I thought that went rather well.’ ‘Yes,’ said Jinnie, ‘the board agreed to everything, and Brian has agreed to make the necessary funds available. They even agreed to helping set up the Artisan Doughnuts chain. I can see why you are happy, but you realise you have set your team a whole load of additional work.’ ‘I realise that,’ replied Monica, ‘but at least now I have a core team who I can delegate to. In those early days, Ro, Jed and I had to do everything. I really don’t know how I would have coped without them. OK, I have to make the ultimate decisions, but Ro runs the day-to-day machinery of the place, she is so much more than my PA, she is the glue that holds this company together. Sometimes I wonder if I need to get her an assistant.’
Jinnie thought for a moment before saying, ‘You know, that may not be such a bad idea on two grounds. The US business is growing quickly, and I know Ro thrives on hard work, but you don’t want to burn her out, there is a limit to what she can do on her own. And of course, you must remember she and Jed are on limited stay visas. You really need to start looking at succession. They both need someone in place who can step up when they move back to the U.K. It’s a bit different for you, your Green Card is as good as guaranteed, you get to stay in the US, they don’t. If you look for successors now, you don’t have to tell them that’s what they are being tried out for, and if either or both prove to be unsuitable, you can move on until you find someone who is.’
‘I suggest you talk to both Ro and Jed,’ continued Jinnie. ‘Make it clear to them what you are doing, succession planning for the day they go home. You never know, they might already have identified someone internally they think would be ideal, or I’m certain they would like to be in on the hiring of their successors.’ ‘Thank you so much for that,’ said Monica. ‘You know that being at the top of the tree here, sometimes it’s a bit difficult not having an immediate boss I can bounce that kind of thing off. In Barbados, I always had Patricia. But as they say, “the buck stops here”.’ ‘Don’t hesitate to bounce ideas off me,’ replied Jinnie. ‘I do it with my fellow directors all the time, particularly Alberto and Sir Nigel.’
Instead of using an em dash, use a comma or full stop: ‘If I walk into Alberto’s office and close the door behind me,’ Jinnie said, ‘he knows I have something to discuss and always says the same thing, “how much do you want to spend this time”. It’s not always money, sometimes it’s just to kick over an idea. When I went to him to discuss the idea of a mid-market restaurant chain, he saw what I was trying to do immediately and pointed me in the directions I might take. The Sybaritic came out of that discussion and a jolly successful chain it is too, particularly now we have it sharing premises with Artisan Sandwich Bars. I relish both his and Sir Nigel’s advice, they have been in business a long time and have loads of experience. Bounce your ideas informally off your fellow directors, ask Ro what she thinks, she has a pretty good idea what will and what won’t work, and don’t forget I am usually about for a video call. Of course, when I’m on a cruise it’s only a phone call, but let me be your new Patricia, I’m only happy to help.’
***
On the flight back to the U.K., she told Brian how happy she was with the way Bearcat (USA) was progressing. He nodded and said from his point of view it was looking good financially. Of course, he said he didn’t need to see the operation in person to come to that conclusion, SAP gave him all the numbers, but seeing the US business up close gave him a much better idea if it was a tight ship. Jinnie smiled to herself, that was exactly what she felt. Video conferences and SAP were all very well and good, but sometimes you had to talk to people in person to know if everything was as it should be.
Jinnie asked, ‘So what did you conclude?’ ‘Well, I think Monica is running a tight ship,’ replied Brian, ‘but she leans very heavily on Ro for the day-to-day running of the business, perhaps a little too heavily. But overall, the business is in good hands and is generating a lot of revenue. The overheads are controlled well, I think Ro has a lot to do with that, in fact it is fast becoming one of the Group’s bigger profit centres. I know I agreed to make funds available for the new sub-lease, but I don’t think it will be needed, the business has loads of internal funds. I chatted with their financial director and he confirmed my opinion, but Monica hasn’t yet spoken to him about funding the project internally.’
‘Interesting,’ said Jinnie. ‘I had a long talk with Monica about firstly succession planning for Ro and Jed, she admitted she relied too heavily on Ro and is going to look for deputies for both. Then we talked about decision making, she feels a little exposed with no one above her in the company to discuss things with, she trusts both Ro and Jed explicitly, but she always had Patricia to talk things over with in Barbados. I told her to talk to her directors more or talk to me. I think she is doing OK, her business instincts are pretty good, she just needs to trust her directors a little bit more and I think she will.’
‘Mind you,’ said Brian, ‘I did think Rick had got it spot on with that Ennios Hotel, it was bloody good. I hope the others in the chain are equally good.’ ‘I’ve stayed at a few,’ replied Jinnie, ‘and they all have been good, but I think Clearwater was exceptional. I picked up a rate card, and it seems to be no more expensive than other hotels, but clearly this is a cut above the others. I need to talk to Rick and find out if this is to be a one-off or is it the standard he aiming to have across the chain.’
Belinda was waiting for Brian at the doors out of arrivals and they had a chat about the trip. Jinnie said how impressed she had been with the Ennios Clearwater. Belinda explained that Andrew’s department had done a normal Ennios design with standard rooms and executive rooms, but had also submitted a design that included a couple of what he called ‘super executive’ rooms. They borrowed heavily from the executive wing being developed for Miami, but without the separate dining room and butlers.
Belinda explained that Rick had loved the idea and had decided to trial it, and it had proved such a hit with the high rollers that he was thinking of trying it at the Ennios Heathrow and Southampton, where they got quite a lot of big spenders. She added that most of the other hotels coming online, like Cotswold, York and Worthing, were in the tourist bracket and wouldn’t merit ‘super executive rooms’.
Jinnie wheeled her little suitcase over to the Artisan Sandwich shop and joined the quickly moving queue to get a coffee. She was served by the same girl who had been troubled by her staff card and wondered if she would remember her. Jinnie noted how in the few weeks since she was last there the girl had blossomed and was now highly professional. Jinnie offered her staff card and credit card and the girl said, ‘I don’t think that will be necessary, Dame Jinnie, I can hardly charge the boss for a large flat white.’
Jinnie headed for Gatwick Station, checked the destination board for the next Thameslink train to Potters Bar and went down the escalator to the appropriate platform and headed for the platform waiting room, as she had 20 minutes to wait. She spent the time drinking her coffee and checking the private messages on her phone. Mum and Dad had confirmed they would be joining them in Barbados. Penny said she and Dan should be joining them, but work could be a problem, there seemed to be a flap on, but as yet it didn’t affect her. Finally, there was a message from Simone, she reported that she, Jan and Juliette had booked their flights to Bridgetown. She said there were no direct flights from Nice, and the travel agent had advised flying to Heathrow and changing to either BA or Virgin. They had picked Virgin as it was slightly cheaper and the flight times fitted better with the Air France flight from Nice to London. Finally, she reported how excited Juliette was, only ever remembering going abroad to her grandparents in Poland.
Jinnie settled into her first-class seat and wondered if it was worth paying the extra to travel first class, as standard class was almost empty. Then she thought, ‘it’s mid-morning, I bet it’s not like this in the rush hour’. Her phone had picked up the train’s WiFi, so she scrolled through the news she had missed while away and checked her company email and messages. She saw one from Caroline entitled ‘Press Cuttings’ and opened it to find Caroline had written, ‘The Bill Furr interview seems to be the one that has caught the press’s attention.’
Jinnie opened the attached file and found a clipping from the FT and read a story about TT SuperBurger, clearly based on her interview with Bill Furr. Jinnie read through the story and was intrigued as to how the journalist had turned the interview into an article purporting to be a deep dive into the ‘secretive’ TT SuperBurger Group. It amused her, they weren’t exactly secretive, they just didn’t make a huge fuss about things, their results were filed online for anyone to see, they gave interviews, they now put out press releases. If the press didn’t pick up on them, it was hardly the company’s fault.
Jinnie was really quite pleased with the report, it pointed out that the Group, although making a decent profit, weren’t paying it all out in dividends and huge wages for executives. Instead, they paid their employees well above the going rate and reinvested large sums in expanding the business, often in new directions, the recent venture into ice cream being an example. The writer had praised the management as forward-looking and innovative and said any company would be lucky to have Dame Jinnie De Luca as their Managing Director.
Having read the clipping, Jinnie typed the journalist’s name into her phone and decided to see what Caroline knew about him, he may be someone to brief directly in future. Glancing out of the window, she realised the train was nearing Potters Bar, so put her phone away and got ready to get off. She thought about giving Izzy a call to pick her up but decided on a minicab from the office on the station forecourt.
As always, Larry was waiting for her behind the front door and rubbed himself around her legs while she said hello to him and told him that his American cousin Syd was growing up fast and Ro said he was growing into a handsome cat but was always hungry. Jinnie suddenly found the picture of a bowl of cat food in her head and said to Larry, ‘I know you’re not hungry, Izzy never forgets to feed you, and the twins always slip you little bits from their plates. They think I don’t notice, but they are wrong. While you don’t get fat, I don’t mind. If the vet says you are getting chubby, I’ll stop them, also Nigel giving you cat treats and it’ll be no more Hobnobs, so you can stop trying to con me into feeding you.’ Larry meowed loudly and the picture disappeared from Jinnie’s mind.
Jinnie found Izzy in the utility room loading the tumble dryer with damp clothes straight out of the washing machine, and said, ‘Hi Izzy, is that the twins’ stuff.’ Yes,’ replied Izzy, ‘I like to see them in a clean school uniform every day. It’s surprising how mucky those two manage to get!’ ‘Don’t I know it,’ said Jinnie. ‘They both seem to get their school dinner down them every day, but not when they eat at home or out.’ ‘That’s because you have them use a napkin,’ said Izzy, ‘they don’t even supply paper ones at school.’
‘Good trip?’ Izzy asked. ‘Excellent,’ replied Jinnie. ‘The American company is growing fast, and Monica is doing much better than she realises. She still is a bit reluctant to make some of the strategic decisions, but her instincts are invariably good. Oh, we stayed in the Ennios Clearwater and it was fabulous, the refurbishment looks terrific and Rick has instilled a European standard of service, even the restaurant was way above American standards. I think it is going to make pots of money.’
‘I am going to catch up on my sleep,’ continued Jinnie. ‘I don’t think I will be more than a couple of hours. But if I’m still asleep when you make your lunch, please wake me up. I have a couple of work things to do this afternoon, then I want to be with you when you fetch the twins from school.’
In Chapter 14, A Swimming Party
© WorthingGooner 2026
