The Hotel

by Pamela Kelley

  “I have someone in mind. I’d like to offer you the role.”

  Paula thought she must have heard wrong. “What did you just say?”

  “I want you to be the next general manager. I think you’re more ready for it than you realize.”

  “Me? But I’m not general manager material. I’ve never aspired to that role. I like being in the background, handing the financials.”

  “I know you do. But you’re capable of more. You listen to everything in our meetings and you’ve had some very good ideas and as you well know, some have worked out well. You’re also a lot nicer than your cousin. People like you and I think they will like working for you.”

  “But I’ve never done any kind of people management before,” Paula protested. She was flattered by her grandfather’s confidence in her, but this was way out of her comfort zone.

  “Yes, I’ve thought of that too. I met with a consultant in New York. David Connolly was recommended to me. He’s an expert advisor in hotel management and he agreed to come work with you.”

  “Work with me?” What did that mean? Paula felt a bit like Alice in Wonderland when she stepped through the looking glass and her whole world instantly shifted.

  “He’s a great guy, and he has family on Nantucket too, so he knows people here. You’ll like him.”

  “When is he coming?” This was all happening too fast for Paula. She was not an impulsive person. She liked to process and digest information before making a decision. Especially a decision this big.

  “He’ll be here a week from Monday. He just has to wrap up his current engagement.”

  “Okay. When do you need a decision by? I need to think about this. Maybe you should call Elaine and give her a heads up, just in case.”

  Her grandfather patted her arm. “I know this seems sudden and maybe a bit overwhelming. But I have every confidence that you will do a marvelous job. But I figured you’d need to sleep on it. Today’s Friday. Why don’t you take the weekend, make your pros and cons list or whatever you do and then let’s talk Monday morning. If you really don’t want this, I’ll call Elaine then. But I know you can do it.”

  “Thank you. I’m flattered that you have so much confidence in me. I wouldn’t want to disappoint you.”

  Her grandfather lifted his glass and tapped it against hers. “I don’t think that’s possible. Unless you say no.” He grinned. “I hope we’ll have something to celebrate on Monday.”

  Chapter 2

  Paula didn’t stay for the whole wine dinner. She sat with her grandfather and, once the main meal was served, they were both ready to go. He was tired and she was eager to get home and spend the weekend trying to process what had just happened.

  She walked home after saying goodbye to her grandfather. Her house was a small cottage on the outskirts of the hotel property. It was an area that was considered too far from the main property to be attractive to visitors, especially as it lacked the stunning views from the main hotel.

  There were very distant views, especially from the second floor and all of the grandchildren had been granted a plot of land when they were young. He’d given all of his children land and it was understood that eventually, the hotel itself and all of his other properties would go to his children and grandchildren. Her grandfather occasionally wanted to talk about his will or even his funeral and Paula would never allow it.

  “I don’t want to think about a time when you’re not here.”

  “Well, I don’t plan on going any time soon, but I like to plan these things. To make sure everything is taken care of. I just told your father that no one will have to worry about my funeral.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I stopped by the funeral home today and paid for it, picked out my music and everything. There will be no crying at my funeral, no sad music. Just happy memories.” He had looked very pleased with himself.

  “That’s a very thoughtful thing for you to do. But I really don’t want to discuss your will or think about any of that.”

  Her grandfather had laughed. “I was like that at your age. When you get to be older, like me, you think about this stuff more. I just want to make sure it’s all done right.”

  “I’m sure it will be.”

  Paula smiled at the memory as she reached her cottage. It was on a street with several similar cottages, owned by her brother, sister and her cousins, Andrea and Hallie. They all lived just a stone’s throw from each other and within easy walking distance of the hotel, where they all worked. Most of the time, it was convenient to be so near to each other and to the hotel. But sometimes, it was a little too close for comfort. Especially as Andrea’s house was just two doors down. Lucy was in the middle of them. Nick and Hallie were across the street.

  And Paula worried about Andrea’s reaction to her grandfather’s decision. She tried to put herself in her cousin’s shoes and imagined she was feeling angry, hurt and betrayed and not just by her grandfather. Paula suspected that Andrea might direct some of that frustration her way as well. Paula had considered refusing the job partly for that reason, but she also knew that her grandfather had made up his mind about Andrea. So, if Paula said no, he’d just call the general manager search out to Elaine. He would not reconsider giving Andrea another chance. He’d made that clear.

  Paula flipped the light on as she walked through the door and into her small, all-white kitchen. She’d designed it herself and loved the sleek white cabinets, white subway tile backsplash and elegant Carrera marble countertops and island. She poured herself a glass of cold water and smiled as her slightly chubby, cream-colored cat, Chester, sauntered into the room and shot her a glare as he stopped by his empty dish.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t intend on being home this late.” Paula quickly filled his bowl with wet food and he attacked it like he hadn’t been fed in days. She’d left him a bowl of dry food to snack on while she was gone, so she knew he was just being dramatic.

  She flopped on her living room sofa, grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. She found a Hallmark movie that was just starting and half-watched it as she thought about how her life was about to change. Did she want it to go in this direction? Did she really have a choice? She knew if she turned the opportunity down that her grandfather would be disappointed in her. And she also knew now that it was in front of her, even though she’d never aspired to being the general manager, if she didn’t give it a try, she would always wonder.

  Chester hopped up next to her, walked around in a circle a few times then plopped down on her lap. As she petted him, she made her decision. She’d take the job. She didn’t want any regrets on what might have been.

  “Did any of you know that Grandfather was thinking of doing this?” Paula asked her family. They were all gathered at her parents’ house for Sunday dinner. It was the one day of the week they usually had off and, whenever possible, everyone gathered to enjoy a meal together and catch up on their week. Her mother was a great cook and loved to have all of her children over.

  Today’s meal was ‘company pot roast’ with mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables. It was an Ina Garten recipe that her mother had made so many times that Paula recognized the rich scent as soon as she’d walked in the door. She put her fork down and looked around the table, waiting for answers. They were oddly quiet, for her family.

  Finally, Nick spoke. “Do you mean letting Andrea go? Or offering you the GM role?”

  “Either one, but mostly I was curious about if you knew he was thinking about me for the role.”

  “Well, he didn’t say a thing about letting Andrea go, but he did recently ask my opinion on if I thought you’d be interested.”

  “He did? What did you say?”

  Nick grinned. “I told him you’d be terrified, but that you’d probably do a fantastic job. I think you should do it.”

  Her parents both nodded. “He mentioned it to me too,” her father said. “And I agree with your brother and told him the same thing.”

 
Her mother smiled. “And your father of course told me, and I couldn’t be happier for you, honey. It’s a big job, but I think you’re ready for it. You’ve done almost every job in the hotel and you have the advantage of knowing the business side better than just about anyone other than your grandfather.”

  “Thank you. I just truly never even thought about that job, though. I didn’t think Andrea would ever leave.”

  “I don’t think she would have,” Nick agreed. “But Grandfather did the right thing. No one ever said anything to me directly, but I’ve overheard some of the kitchen staff muttering about her over the years. Andrea wasn’t easy to work with.”

  “What do you think, honey? Now that you’ve thought about it, will you accept the promotion?” her mother asked.

  Paula nodded. “How can I say no? It’s an incredible opportunity. I just had to think about it and process what it would mean. It’s going to be awkward with Andrea, though. I feel badly about that.”

  “Don’t feel bad. It has nothing to do with you,” her father said. “That’s all on her. I agree with your grandfather that the concierge role is a much better fit. Hopefully she will see that too and accept it. It might be a little awkward at first, but it’s not a role that has any people management, so she won’t be at your weekly meetings anymore. You might be able to avoid her, for the most part.”

  Paula sighed. “That all sounds good, but I don’t think Andrea is going to be easy to ignore. Knowing her, I suspect there might be a good amount of anger directed my way. She probably thinks I orchestrated this with Grandfather.”

  “She should know you better than that, honey,” her mother said.

  “She should, but I don’t think she ever really has taken the time to know me. She’s always seemed resentful for reasons I could never understand.”

  “Andrea’s not a bad person. She’s had her issues. Things weren’t easy for her when she was younger. You know that,” her mother said.

  Her mother was referring to when Andrea’s father disappeared for almost five years and her mother struggled as a single mother while he was gone. Andrea was in middle school then, around twelve or thirteen. Her grandfather wanted to help, but her mother wouldn’t take any handouts and insisted on working long hours at the hotel front desk.

  Looking back, that was the beginning of Andrea turning difficult. Paula didn’t learn until many years later that Andrea’s father had been incarcerated, sent to Cape Cod and sentenced to five years in the Barnstable County jail for possession of drugs with intention to distribute.

  “I know. But Hallie is such a sweetheart, and she went through the same thing.”

  “Everyone is different with how they handle things like that. And as the oldest, Andrea was more aware of what was going on than the others. Tracy said she had a really hard time with it.” Paula’s Aunt Tracy was best friends with her mother. Paula had often wished that she and Andrea could have a similar close relationship, but it never happened. Hallie, on the other hand, was like a second sister.

  “It really is funny how different two sisters can be,” she said.

  Her mother laughed. “It’s true. Look at you and Lucy, the two of you are like night and day as well.”

  Paula glanced at her sister, who had recently colored the bottom half of her hair a deep purple, had a nose ring and was wearing paint-splattered overalls and a tie-dyed shirt. Paula meanwhile had more of the typical Nantucket preppy look with a clean, crisp light brown long bob and she wore a simple, light pink crew neck cashmere sweater and tan pants. Lucy wore her hair up and took the nose ring out though when she worked the front desk at The Whitley.

  She and Lucy were very different, but they also were close. Both of them were laid back and easy-going. Of the three children, Nick was the one that was the most outgoing and energetic.

  “She’ll come around, I bet. My father is a pretty sharp guy. I think he knows that Andrea will ultimately be more effective and happier in this new role. If she gives it a chance,” her father said.

  A few miles away, a very different conversation was happening.

  “Did you know about this?” Andrea asked her sister. She and Hallie were at their parents’ house late Sunday afternoon, but no one was cooking. Her mother set out a container of French onion dip and rippled potato chips and poured red wine for Andrea, Hallie and herself, while they waited for Andrea’s father to return with pizzas. Andrea hadn’t talked to anyone yet about what had happened. She’d been in shock after the meeting with her grandfather and went home and sulked for the rest of the weekend and debated what she wanted to do.

  Hallie looked uncomfortable. “No, I didn’t have any idea. But I can’t say that I’m surprised. Cassie confided that she was going to give notice and I knew Grandfather didn’t want to lose her.”

  That stung. “You thought he’d rather keep her than me? Thanks.”

  “No! That’s not what I meant at all. I just sensed that maybe changes might be coming. I didn’t know what that would look like. And he does want to keep you or he wouldn’t have offered you the other position. You loved the concierge role when you did it one summer during college.”

  “Sure, I did. But as you said, that was during college. It’s a huge demotion, Hallie. You have to admit that.” That’s what hurt the most, that she’d be taking such a big step down.

  But Hallie didn’t see it that way. “I don’t think you’re right about that. Grandfather kept your salary the same, right?”

  Andrea nodded. “As far as I know.”

  “He’s not going to blindside you after the fact. My guess is he sees that role as an important one. It’s like you are an ambassador for the business. It’s a very visible role. And it’s social. It could also be a lot of fun for you. No more pressure.”

  Andrea thought about that. There were some advantages to the role. Hallie was right about that. But to Andrea, what was most visible about it was the fact that she was no longer the general manager. Would the staff think less of her?

  “Paula’s behind this. She’s always whispering in Grandfather’s ear. She’s his favorite,” Andrea said bitterly.

  “It really doesn’t seem very fair,” her mother agreed.

  But Hallie would have none of it. “Paula had nothing to do with this. She doesn’t even know if she’s going to take the job. She was shocked. She was never after your job, Andrea.”

  “Well, she has it now. That actually makes me feel worse if it’s true.”

  “I’m just saying, don’t be mad at her. None of this is her fault. Grandfather just did what he felt was best for everyone.”

  “I don’t know about that.”

  “Have you decided what you’ll do?” her mother asked.

  Andrea sighed. “I don’t really have much of a choice, do I? I thought I’d ask Grandfather for a few weeks off before I start. Harry gave a month notice a week ago, so that would give me three weeks to take a break and start sending resumes out. I know the job so there’s no training required.”

  Her mother looked concerned. “So, you’ll try for another management job. Will you just focus on Nantucket or look off-island, too?”

  “I don’t think there’s much available here on Nantucket, and everyone knows me as a Whitley. That might not be an easy transition, even if there is anything available. I think I might have to focus on the Boston area, maybe even New York.”

  “I think you should give the concierge role a real chance first. What if you love it?” her sister asked.

  “I’m not ruling anything out. But I need to keep all my options open.”

  Chapter 3

  “Lucky you, heading off to Nantucket. You get all the best assignments. Maybe you need an assistant? I just went on the bench, so I’m available.”

  David Connolly looked up from the computer screen he’d been glued to and saw Bethany, one of the junior consultants standing there, holding a file folder. He knew she was teasing, but he also knew she had a bit of a crush on him and would jump at the cha
nce to be part of his team on Nantucket. Except that he didn’t have a team for this assignment. It was just him and it wasn’t likely to be a fun trip—though he was glad that the opportunity had come up, otherwise he would have had to use some vacation time to head home to Nantucket.

  “No time on this assignment, I’m afraid,” he said with a smile. Bethany was a good kid and a talented consultant. But she was barely twenty-three. He was almost thirty-six and preferred to date women closer to his own age. When he dated. That was one downside of the consultant lifestyle. It was hard to maintain a relationship when you traveled as much as he did.

  “Oh well. Here’s the data you asked for. Michelle asked me to give it to you.” She handed him the folder. Bethany left and he flipped open the folder and gave it a quick look. Michelle was his assistant in the New York office and she’d printed out a bunch of research he’d gathered online, as well as the detailed documents and emails that Alvin Whitley had sent to him.

  They’d had an interesting meeting when Alvin was in the city and the timing of what he was looking for was ideal for David. He’d agreed immediately and blocked his calendar for the next two months, which was the time period they’d discussed for him to consult with The Whitley and also for him to mentor Alvin’s granddaughter. He’d questioned Alvin hard about that decision.

  At first, it didn’t make sense that he’d promote someone from a back-office position—especially someone who expressed a desire to remain in the role. But Alvin was persuasive. And he also agreed to respect David’s opinion after the two months were up. If David didn’t think it was working out with Paula in the role, he wasn’t going to hold back from recommending that Alvin go in a different direction. Alvin hadn’t been fazed though.

  “You haven’t met Paula. I’m not worried about that.”

  David flew home to Nantucket on Saturday. Alvin wanted him to start the following Tuesday. His father was at the airport waiting when his plane landed. It was good to see him, but he looked exhausted.