Once Upon a Summertime

by Melody Carlson

  “I think I heard that,” Tia said. “But there was so much going on that it was hard to keep track.”

  “You lived in New York during Sandy?” Anna asked.

  “Yes. It was crazy.” Tia groaned. “It’s painful even to remember what a mess it was.”

  “I was here too,” Marley chimed in. “I’d just moved in. It was pretty freaky.”

  Both of them began sharing their memories from the brutal storm and the chaos it brought to the East Coast. Anna felt like maybe she’d dodged a bullet in regard to Sean. Because the truth was, she’d almost forgotten about Marley’s interest in him. But really, was it Anna’s fault that she and Sean had hit it off so quickly? It wasn’t as if she’d gone after him. It all seemed fairly serendipitous. Besides, it was a free world, wasn’t it? And Marley would have her chance with him. It certainly wouldn’t hurt that Max and Sean were still good friends.

  As Tia and Marley argued about the date of the hurricane, Anna went over to her suitcase and picked it up. “I think I’ll slip into something more comfy. I’ll get my stuff out of your room too.”

  They hardly noticed as she slipped into their bedroom and quickly changed into a pair of sweats that Grandma had packed for her. Then she gathered her other clothes, put them back in her carry-on, and brought both bags out into the living room. Not wanting to add more clutter to the already cluttered space, she parked her bags near the door.

  “Getting ready to go somewhere?” Tia teased.

  “No. Just trying to keep my things out of everyone’s way. And trying to figure out where I should sleep tonight.”

  “Just use Kara and Sophie’s room tonight. They won’t be back until tomorrow night anyway.”

  “You sure they won’t mind?”

  “Nah.” Tia waved her hand. “It’s not like you’re a real slob.”

  “Thanks.” Anna smiled gratefully. “Then if you guys will excuse me, I’m going to call it a night. It’s been a long day, and I start the new job tomorrow.”

  As Anna got ready for bed, she knew it would take some finely tuned organizational skills to keep her act together in this tiny apartment with four other women and one bath. The living situation here made sharing a house with her grandmother look like a day at the beach. It seemed her best solution would be to organize her two bags in such a way that finding things would be easy. If that was even possible. Perhaps, if Mrs. Newman had no objections, she could store some of her clothes and personal things in her office and just keep a minimum of things here—kind of like camping.

  By the time she got into bed, she had a plan of sorts. It wouldn’t be easy, but hopefully it would be temporary. Maybe she and Marley would find a place of their own to share in time. Of course, thinking about sharing an apartment with Marley reminded Anna of the friction she’d felt when Marley had started to question her about having dinner with Sean. It wouldn’t be pleasant rooming with a girl who had her eye on the same guy. Not that Anna really had her eye on Sean. Really, today might’ve just been a great big fluke. It was possible that she’d made it into something it wasn’t. And that kiss at the door—well, she could blame it on the wine.

  However, as she rolled over, trying to force herself to sleep, all she could think about was Sean O’Neil. Everything about him seemed so perfect. Not just because he was a gentleman, or because he had an appreciation for things like architecture, history, and good food. But because he seemed to get her. And she felt like she got him. It was like they fit together—they thought alike and enjoyed the same kinds of things. Neither of them was faking it either. She could tell. Anna had had boyfriends before. Never anything terribly serious. And never anything that felt like this. Never anyone like Sean O’Neil.

  He honestly seemed perfect. Oh, she knew that was impossible, and she really didn’t want to be with someone who was perfect anyway. But he did seem perfect—perfect for her. She remembered what Grandma liked to say, something Anna had heard off and on throughout her life: “If it seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t true.” But somehow, she just didn’t believe that adage could possibly apply to Sean.

  17

  On Monday morning, Anna felt a sense of excitement and adventure as she walked to work. Admittedly, this had as much to do with Sean as it did with her new job. Perhaps it was also partially thanks to Sean that Anna had reached the place where she was perfectly happy with the idea of overseeing the housekeeping staff. Just hearing his perspective of how vital housekeeping was to management and how it would be such great experience for her painted her position in a whole new light.

  Even though Mrs. Newman had said to dress casually, Anna had dressed carefully. First of all, she wanted to be perceived as a professional. Besides that, she just wanted to look nice . . . probably because of Sean. For that reason she’d passed on jeans and a T-shirt, like she’d seen the maids wearing. Instead, she went with a pair of dark blue cotton trousers and a white lace-trimmed tank with a light blue denim shirt over it, along with her comfy Cole Hann loafers. She’d pulled her hair back into a sleek ponytail and tied a blue bandana around it. She looked casual but neat. At least she hoped she did.

  As she went into the hotel, she felt a little nervous. As much as she wanted to see Sean, she also didn’t. In some ways it was similar to how she’d felt in high school when she’d had a crush on Stefan Rollins during her junior year. Every day she went to school hoping that he’d notice her, which he never did. That just irritated her—not that Stefan hadn’t noticed her, but that she was feeling just like that times ten about Sean. Time to grow up, she told herself as she headed for her office. Focus on your job.

  Already she’d started making a to-do list on her iPad. She was also listing questions she had for Mrs. Newman. Hopefully she’d get to meet with her today. Anna’s office looked just the same as it had on Saturday, with the addition of a new laptop on top of her desk. But today she felt so much happier to see this space. Her very own office! Perhaps it was related to sharing an apartment with the four flight attendants, but she felt so glad to have a place of her own. For a moment she imagined sneaking in a cot and attempting to sleep in here. But that probably would not do.

  “Anna—you’re here.”

  She turned to see Mrs. Newman standing in the doorway. “Good morning,” Anna said cheerfully.

  “Good morning to you. Glad to see you’re already on the job. All bright-eyed and bushy-tailed too.”

  Anna chuckled. “Yes, I’m one of those early bird types.”

  “In our business, that’s a good thing.” She came into Anna’s office. “Getting all settled in?”

  “Working on it.” Anna set her iPad down on the laptop carton. “I’m so pleased to see this laptop.”

  “Yes. Our computer technician already set them up for the management staff, so that one should be ready to go. In the future, when you’re not on the job, we ask that you keep it locked up, unless you take it home with you.” She pointed to a storage unit with locking cabinets and the keys already in the locks. “Anyway, I just came by to tell you I want to meet with you at 11:00. Okay?”

  “Great. Where do we meet?”

  “My office.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “I think Vincent also wants to have a management meeting at the end of the day today. I’ll let you know when I hear for sure.”

  After Mrs. Newman left, Anna continued organizing her office, using colorful Post-its to mark file drawers, planning where she’d keep various necessary information, from personnel files to professional cleaning resources. Before long the office looked like a Post-it patchwork quilt. The truth was, she didn’t know exactly what she would need, but she planned to be ready for anything.

  Time flew by until it was nearly 11:00 and Anna was on her way to Mrs. Newman’s office. As she strolled through the lobby, she wondered if she would run into Sean—and if she did, what she would say—but she didn’t see a trace of him. She felt a mixture of relief and disappointment as she turned down the hall
way to the executive offices.

  “There you are,” Mrs. Newman said from her desk. “Right on time too.”

  Anna grinned. “I didn’t want to be early and have to stand outside your door. You might think I was stalking you.”

  Mrs. Newman laughed. “Take a seat. I wanted to go over some things with you.” She was shuffling through some papers and files on her desk.

  Anna sat down and opened her iPad, ready to take notes if necessary. Ever efficient. “I just have to say, I’m so excited to be part of this,” Anna said as Mrs. Newman continued to organize her desk. “It feels like we’re all embarking on a great adventure.”

  “That’s exactly what my husband keeps saying.” Mrs. Newman seemed to have found what she was looking for. “Here it is.” She handed a paper to Anna. “This, importantly, is your housekeeping budget.”

  Anna glanced down the lengthy list.

  “As you can see, I’ve attempted to break it down for you. However, I want you to go over it carefully—make sure that it’s all right. I really don’t want to go much over the figure I’ve budgeted, but at the same time I absolutely refuse to skimp on quality.”

  “I understand completely.”

  Mrs. Newman pushed a thick folder toward Anna. “These are the rest of the maid applications. I’ve been handling the interviews so far. Virginia’s been so busy with other applicants. I’ve only hired four maids. I’d like you to take over from here. Okay?”

  “No problem.” Anna set the file on the chair next to her.

  “Great. I’ve marked the ones that I’ve already done a first interview with, and I made notes on some of the applications that I’d planned to call back. I know they’ll be eager to hear from you. We really need at least half of the maids to be fairly fluent in English. That’s all I’ve hired so far. But we probably need a couple more. I never want to see a shift without at least one English-speaking maid, but I’m fine having half without English skills. I honestly think they’re the hardest workers. But they must have a green card.” She eyed Anna. “Right?”

  “Absolutely. And I have to agree with you. Two of my most dependable maids back in Springville were immigrants from Guatemala—they were sisters and they were excellent. I could always count on them.”

  Mrs. Newman’s brows arched. “Think those girls would want to come here?”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” Anna frowned. “I assume they want to be with their family, you know. And would be more comfortable in a small town. I’m afraid New York would feel like another planet to them.”

  “Yes, that’s probably true.” Mrs. Newman put on her reading glasses, looking at the stack of papers in front of her. “I want to go over some suppliers with you first of all. I’ve been dealing with them, but I want you to take over.” She started listing companies they’d been working with and what she liked about them and what she didn’t. “If you research some companies you think are better—and less costly—you can make some changes. The truth is, I’ve had to throw things together rather quickly.”

  “I can imagine.”

  “You’ll need to hire an assistant. Someone to step in for you when you have time off.”

  “Yes, of course.” She wrote that down.

  “Vincent had been nagging at me to hire a head of housekeeping for weeks. I just kept putting it off.” She shoved the pile of papers toward Anna and continued going over other miscellaneous things related to housekeeping, explaining what needed to be done to the guest rooms in detail. “I meant to write that all down, but there just hasn’t been time.”

  “I understand.” Anna continued taking fast and furious notes. She hoped she was getting it all.

  “I’m sure I’m overwhelming you,” Mrs. Newman finally said. “If you have questions, feel free to ask.” She held up her own iPad. “I prefer email.” She slid another paper toward Anna. “Here’s the info on getting your hotel email address. First initial, last name, at the Rothsberg dot com. Simple, eh?”

  “Yes. Simple is good.”

  “This list is the landline phone numbers for everyone in the hotel.” She slid some stapled pages toward Anna.

  Like a magnet, Anna’s eyes went straight to the manager’s phone number as she set the paper on the chair.

  “I know you have a million things to do, but I want you to put together a little employee manual for the maids.” She slid what looked like an employee manual from another hotel toward Anna. “A friend sneaked this out for me. Use it as a guideline, but keep it simple.”

  “Okay.”

  “From what I hear, the biggest concerns with maids are stealing, laziness, and substance abuse.”

  “Yes, well, I think those kinds of maids are in the minority. Unfortunately, they give the others a bad name.”

  “I’m sure you’re right. My other big concern—and something I want you to speak to your staff about directly and often—is that hotel romances are strictly forbidden. I’ve heard too many horror stories about maids having affairs with other employees. Your maids need to know from the get-go that a hotel romance will be grounds for immediate firing. It’s in their contract and in the employees’ manual. No exceptions. No warnings. No mercy.” She eyed Anna. “Right?”

  Anna felt her throat getting dry. “Yes. Right. Of course. Absolutely.”

  “I hate being so hard-nosed about this. I realize that some maids come from impoverished backgrounds, and I understand how some poor girl might see another hotel employee as her ticket out of her circumstances. But that is exactly why we have to be very clear on this—right from the start.”

  “Yes, of course.” Anna cleared her throat, trying to block out the amazing kiss she and Sean had shared just last night. Did that mean they could both be fired?

  “You must also make it clear to your staff that even flirting will not be tolerated at the Rothsberg.”

  “That might be difficult to monitor.”

  “Not for me.” Mrs. Newman made a sly smile. “I have a very good eye for this sort of thing. I used to have a management job at Lord and Taylor. I could sniff out an employee romance even before the offenders figured it out.” She laughed.

  “I assume this rule applies to all hotel employees, not only the maids, so I’m sure everyone will be clear on this policy.”

  “Absolutely. It was even in the contract you signed. Although I’m not so worried about upper management.” She twisted her mouth to one side. “When I say hotel romances are forbidden for the maids, I don’t mean just limited to employees. If a maid is caught with a guest, it means immediate dismissal. No questions asked.”

  “Of course.” Anna nodded eagerly. “That’s to be expected.”

  “Just make sure your maids understand.”

  “I will do my best.”

  Mrs. Newman went over a few more things, and although Anna took fastidious notes, she was having a hard time focusing. When the meeting ended at a little past noon, her head was swimming.

  “Remember, Anna, just email me if you have any questions.” Mrs. Newman stood.

  Anna nodded as she gathered her pile of files and paperwork. “I’ll do that.”

  “According to my math, we need a total of twelve maids, but you can figure it out for yourself. I’ve hired four, but I want the rest hired by tomorrow. I know that will keep you busy today, but make that your first priority.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  “And don’t put off hiring that assistant.”

  “I won’t.” Anna happily underlined her previous note on this.

  “You should have a meeting ASAP with the maids I’ve already hired. They know what’s expected of them for right now, but I want them reporting to you from here on out. Without close supervision and direction, they assume they’re on a break.”

  “I’ll schedule a meeting for tomorrow afternoon,” Anna assured her. “I’ll go post it on the bulletin board straight away.”

  Mrs. Newman shook Anna’s hand. “I knew you’d be good at this job, Anna. I knew I could count
on you when I caught you wiping down sinks in the restroom.” She smiled. “It was like fate.”

  “Thank you,” Anna told her, “for giving me this chance to prove myself.”

  As Anna left Mrs. Newman’s office, she felt a shadow of gloom hovering over her. Was it really possible she had jeopardized her job yesterday, just by spending time with Sean? Did he know about this policy yet? Surely he did. If not, someone should tell him. But not her—she had no intention of having a personal conversation with him after hearing Mrs. Newman’s warning. From now on everything between her and Sean O’Neil would be strictly business. Naturally, he would understand. If he was smart—and she knew that he was—he would even be grateful.

  As she went into her office, she felt fully deflated, and as she shut the door, she felt a lump in her throat. Really, this was going to be the end of what had seemed to be budding between her and Sean?

  She set her stacks of files on the desk and took in a deep breath. Put on your big girl pants, she told herself. You’re an adult, not a schoolgirl. You must provide for yourself and build your references. She knew that her future was at stake right now. She needed to take it seriously. Everything that had happened yesterday—everything she had felt and hoped for—she would now have to bury deep down. Too bad she hadn’t listened to that inner voice that had warned her to be careful, to keep the relationship casual, and to remember they were co-workers. But she was only human, and yesterday had been so amazing . . . so magical . . . so perfect. Yet she knew from experience that what seemed wonderful one day could blow up in your face the next. For that reason, she was determined to go cautiously.

  18

  As Anna plunged into a to-do list that was longer than her arm, she reminded herself that hard work would be a great distraction for the state of her heart. With all she had to accomplish this week, she would have little time to mope around over her shattered love life . . . or Sean. Instead, she rolled up her sleeves and dug in. First on her list was to post an announcement for tomorrow’s meeting with the maids. Hoping that she’d get the rest of the maids hired by the end of the day, she decided to schedule the meeting for tomorrow afternoon. If the new hires could attend the meeting, it would be both an introductory meeting and a training session.