“I’ve already observed how hard you’ve all been working this week, and I’m so impressed. I expect we’ll have all the rooms thoroughly cleaned and outfitted and ready for guests by Wednesday. That’s when we’ll take a little break of sorts with some training sessions. My goals are twofold. First of all, I want to make sure that we’re all doing everything we can to accommodate our guests. Besides that, I want to ensure that everyone is working in a safe and sustainable manner.”
She paused, realizing that she was losing them again. “But it’s getting late!” She clapped her hands together, which seemed to wake them up. “For now, I just want to thank all of you for making such a great effort this week. A hotel is only as good as its housekeeping staff, and I think you women are the very best! Because we are so caught up with our work this week, no one will need to work on Sunday. You can all have the day off!”
They erupted into enthusiastic applause, and Anna told them to go home. “But come back ready to work hard tomorrow. Don’t forget to punch the time clock on your way out. Some of you have been missing that. If you want to get paid, you must use the time clock.”
As the maids were collecting their things and waiting to clock out, Anna noticed a woman in a dark suit slipping into her office. Thinking it might be Mrs. Newman, Anna went to investigate, but she was surprised to discover it was Marley. Dressed for work, Marley was casually leaning against Anna’s desk with what seemed like a rather smug expression.
“Anna Banana,” Marley said cheerfully. She used to call Anna that all the time back when they were kids, but this was the first time Anna had heard it in years, and it made her smile.
“Hey, Gnarly Marley,” Anna shot back at her.
Marley laughed. “I was told I could find you back here.” She glanced around the small office, taking it all in. “Cozy, huh?”
“Uh-huh, but it works.” Anna set her briefcase on her desk. “What are you doing here? Looks like you’re on your way to the airport. Night flight?”
“Yeah. Zurich to Bangkok to Los Angeles and home again, home again, jiggety jig. I’ll be back midday Sunday.”
Anna smiled. “Maybe I can nab your bed while you’re gone?”
“Absolutely.” Marley’s brows arched. “And you’ll never believe it.”
“Believe what?”
“I found us an apartment!”
“You’re kidding? This soon?”
“All morning I’d been cruising Craigslist. Then I even called everyone I could think of in New York. It looked hopeless, so I took a break and went out for a late lunch. On my way back to the apartment, I ran into Rodney, the super for our building. He’s this bald, potbellied dude in his sixties, but he’s a notorious flirt. Anyway, he was doing his usual small talk thing with me, so I mentioned how I was looking for a new place, and it just so happens that the Brewsters—that’s this elderly couple on the third floor—are moving. Seems that Mrs. Brewster developed some health problems, and they just gave notice on their lease. Mrs. Brewster has already gone to Ohio to live with their daughter, and Mr. Brewster is packing up their place right now. Anyway, according to Rodney, the apartment will be available by the first week of July.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.” Marley nodded eagerly as she pulled some papers from her purse. “If you can fill out this application and give Rodney the advance sometime this weekend, he promised that the apartment will be ours.”
“You’re kidding!”
“I know—can you believe it?” Marley beamed at her. “Am I good, or am I good?”
“You’re great!” Anna gave her a high five.
“An apartment in the same building. I could hardly believe it myself. I realize it’s only a one bedroom, but that makes it more affordable. We can share the bedroom, or one of us can take the living room. Maybe we could get a sleeper sofa or a futon or something.”
“Yes, whatever it takes. It’ll be a huge improvement. At least for me.”
“For me too. Going from one bathroom for four—I mean, five girls to just sharing one with you. I’ll be in hog heaven.”
Anna laughed.
“Anyway, I couldn’t wait to tell you the good news. Just don’t forget to get this back to Rodney.” She tapped the paperwork. “The check too—I wrote the amount down there. We don’t want anyone else to slip in and snatch it out from under us. Because I’m already a tenant in the building, he’s not even asking for references from you. Easy breezy.”
“Nice work.” Anna nodded. “Impressive.”
Marley’s eyes lit up as she looked over Anna’s shoulder, as if someone else was at the door. “Hey there,” she said enticingly. “What can we do for you?”
Anna turned to see Sean standing in her doorway. In his hand was an oversized envelope, but his expression looked slightly uneasy. “Sorry to disturb you. I, uh, I can come back later when you’re not busy.”
“Don’t mind me.” Marley peeled herself from the edge of Anna’s desk, moving directly to Sean with a slightly catty-looking smile. “You don’t even remember me, do you?” Her tone was definitely flirty.
Sean chuckled. “Of course I remember you. You’re Max’s kid sister Marley.”
“Ooh, you’re good, Sean O’Neil. Very good.” Marley was standing extra close to him now, looking up into his face with undisguised admiration. “Do you know that my brother never even told me you were relocating to New York?” She jerked her thumb over a shoulder. “If not for Anna Banana, I wouldn’t have heard about it at all. So tell me, Sean, are you Anna’s new boss?”
Sean made a stiff smile. “Not exactly. I mean, housekeeping does report to me, but Anna’s in charge of her own department. I have no reason to think she’s not handling it impeccably.”
“Thank you.” Anna loosely folded her arms across her front. “Did you need something from me, Mr. O’Neil?”
“Ooh, Mr. O’Neil,” Marley teased. “So formal and grown-up.”
“It’s policy,” Anna said a bit stiffly.
“I, uh, I just wanted to give you this.” Sean held out the white envelope. “It came to my desk instead of yours. Nothing important, probably, but I thought you might want to see it.”
“Oh?” Anna took the envelope from him. “Thank you.” She knew that Sean could’ve gotten this to her in a variety of ways. He certainly did not need to hand deliver it like this.
“I’ll let you girls finish whatever you were do—”
“Actually, I was just leaving,” Marley said quickly. “If you don’t mind, I’ll walk with you, Sean. This hotel is a bit confusing. I might get lost trying to find my way back to the lobby.”
“Certainly.” Sean gave her a congenial smile.
“Au revoir,” Marley said to Anna as she looped her hand into the crook of Sean’s arm. “See you on Sunday.”
“Have a good flight, Marley. Thanks, Mr. O’Neil.” Anna waved as the two left together, watching as they strolled down the hallway. They looked like a real couple. She glanced down at the envelope, almost expecting it to be something important—or perhaps something personal from Sean. It simply contained a bid from a linen supplier that had promised better quality for less money. No big deal.
As Anna closed the door to her office, she felt that deflated feeling coming over her again. Letting out a deep sigh, she was determined not to obsess over this. Instead she tried to focus on her lengthy to-do list, checking off the amazing amount of things she’d managed to accomplish this week. But there was still a nagging, pesky question—why had Sean gone to the trouble of bringing that insignificant piece of mail to her himself? Everyone knew how busy he was these days. Why would he set aside his work to act as a delivery boy? Even if he’d considered the letter important, he could’ve simply sent it by way of his assistant. Was it because he secretly hoped to see her? To talk with her privately? Her heart fluttered for a moment, and then a different kind of realization set in. Something she hadn’t even considered.
Sean had probably observed Marle
y strolling into the hotel a bit earlier. Even from his office, he had full view of the lobby. Looking so sleek and chic in her stylish flight attendant’s uniform, Marley would’ve been hard to miss. Knowing Marley, she probably took advantage of her entrance. Anna could just imagine her striding into the hotel with head held high, perhaps striking a pose in the center of the lobby, pausing to ask someone for directions. Taking her time, making sure she was seen.
Sean was no dummy—he probably figured out that Marley was on her way to see Anna. Or maybe he overheard her asking for Anna. That had to be why he’d utilized the misplaced mail as his opportunity to make a connection with Marley. Really, what was wrong with that? It wasn’t as if Marley and Sean had never met before. It was only a matter of time before their paths crossed again.
Of course, Marley had made the most of her “coincidental meeting.” Why should Anna be surprised that Marley really turned on the charm? Why should she even care? Hadn’t Marley made it clear from the start that she wanted to get her hooks into her brother’s old friend? Why should Anna give this a second thought? Especially when she had so many other things to occupy her mind right now. She slapped the thick envelope onto her desk with a loud, irritated smack. Time to move on!
On Saturday morning, Anna stopped by the superintendent’s apartment on her way to work to give him a check and her application. “Ah-ha,” he said with what seemed approval. “So you’re Marley’s mystery friend?” He eyed her up and down. “She confessed that she’d snuck you into the apartment.”
“I’m sorry,” Anna said contritely. “Was that wrong? I’d really only planned to stay a week or two. Kind of like an out-of-town guest.”
“Lucky for you, I got you girls a place.” He tipped his head toward a closed door down the hall. “Mr. Brewster’s in there packing right now. Movers will be here next Friday. Painters on Monday. All goes well, I should have you girls in there by July first.”
“That’s great.” She beamed at him. “We really appreciate it. Thank you so much.”
“Well, I like renting to stewardesses.” He winked. “They pay on time and add some class to the place.” He gave her a questioning look. “You’re a stewardess too, right?”
She shook her head. “No, I work at the Rothsberg hotel. It’s a boutique hotel in SoHo. Opening up soon.” She frowned. “Hopefully that’s not a problem. I mean, not being a flight attendant.”
He grinned as he pocketed her check. “No, it’s no problem. You’ll class the place up just fine too.”
She thanked him again, then, explaining her need to get to work, she told him to have a good day. As she walked to the hotel, she chuckled to herself. Rodney was probably perfectly harmless, but if he treated women like that in the workplace, he’d probably get accused of sexual harassment. Still, if Marley wasn’t concerned, Anna didn’t think she needed to be either. Even so, she’d probably keep a safe distance.
As usual, Anna used her employee key card to let herself in through the side entrance. She knew this wasn’t necessary, but it was just easier than walking through the main lobby—running the risk of bumping into Sean. She’d gotten over her little jealous fit from yesterday. Oh, sure, it wasn’t easy imagining Marley getting involved with Sean. But perhaps it would provide a good way for Anna to get over him once and for all.
Anna knew that was her only course of action. She had to get him completely out of her system or risk losing her job. Besides, she told herself as she put her purse away, Sean had obviously gotten over her. She didn’t blame him for it either. It was the grown-up and responsible thing to do. She just wished that it was easier to do.
By late afternoon, Anna was pleased to see that more than three-fourths of the guest rooms were completely cleaned and outfitted and ready for occupancy. According to her calculations, with the maid staff she’d scheduled for next week, all the rooms would be done with plenty of time to spare for training. She felt happy and relieved as she waited for the elevator.
“Anna,” Mrs. Newman said as the elevator doors opened. “Just who I was looking for. I was about to call you.”
Anna smiled. “What can I do for you?”
“I know I told you to hold off on cleaning the penthouse suite that Vincent and I are using,” she began. “Because the priority was to get all the guest rooms up and running. But I’d like you to send a couple maids up there ASAP. We’re having a last-minute dinner party tonight—just a few friends—and I just realized that the whole place needs a thorough cleaning.”
“Oh?” Anna tried not to look concerned. “You want it cleaned right now?”
“Yes, no one’s up there. Vincent’s at a meeting downtown and I’m on my way to pick up a few things for tonight. I don’t expect to be back until after six. Our guests won’t be there until 7:30.” She checked her phone. “That should give them plenty of time.”
Anna glanced at her watch, hoping that the last of the maids hadn’t left yet. She’d told several of them that they could go home early since they were nicely ahead of schedule, and she was certain they’d spread the word. She’d have to catch a couple of them before they were all clocked out. “Yes, I’ll see if I can round up someone,” she promised.
“Thank you.”
The elevator stopped at the lobby floor, and Mrs. Newman went toward the main exit as Anna hurried toward housekeeping. When she reached the maids’ lunchroom and checked the time cards, she was dismayed to see that most of them had already clocked out. The only time card remaining belonged to Velma, but she had been a little negligent about her time card this week. That in itself was troubling, but Velma was such a consistently diligent worker that it was hard to hold her forgetfulness against her. Plus, she was the oldest of the maids and her presence always seemed to have a steady effect on the others. As a result, Anna had been punching out her time card for her occasionally and reminding her later.
Anna was just about to slide Velma’s card into the time clock when Velma appeared. “What’re you doing?” she demanded.
“I’m sorry.” Anna handed Velma her card. “I just assumed you’d left with the others.”
“Nah. I was just giving the lobby restrooms a wipe down. They weren’t on my schedule, but Mr. O’Neil mentioned that the men’s room needed a little TLC. So I just finished up.” She started to put her card in.
“Wait, Velma,” Anna put up a hand to stop her. “Can you stick around a couple more hours? I’ll give you overtime.”
“Sure.” Velma removed her card. “What do you need done?”
“We’re going to clean the Newmans’ penthouse suite,” she told Velma.
“We?” Velma frowned skeptically.
“You and me.” Anna made a sheepish smile, then explained about the unexpected dinner party. “Hopefully it won’t be too messy up there. I know they had maid service early in the week, but we’ve been so busy that, at Mrs. Newman’s suggestion, I took them off the roster. As it turns out, they’re having a dinner party at 7:30. But I’d like to get us out of there before six. Is that okay?”
“Okay by me.” Velma nodded. “Overtime, you say?”
“That’s right. You grab a cart and I’ll go find the key card for the Newmans’ suite.” Anna knew that it was unfair for Mrs. Newman to throw this assignment at her last-minute like this, but she also knew that she was determined to bend over backwards if necessary, just to prove that the Newmans had not made a mistake in hiring her. Even if she had to clean their penthouse all by herself, she would do it—cheerfully.
21
Before long, Anna and Velma were inside the Newmans’ penthouse, which unfortunately was more than just a little messy. “I’ll tackle the kitchen,” Anna told Velma. “You start in the powder room and the living room and work your way to the master bedroom.”
“You sure?” Velma asked. “That kitchen looks like a pigpen.”
“I know.” Anna nodded grimly. “But I’m pretty good at kitchens. If you get done with your cleaning, you can always come back here and giv
e me a hand.”
Anna tried not to feel resentful as she cleaned up after the messy Newmans. For a seemingly organized couple, they sure weren’t much use in the housekeeping department. Note to self, she thought as she touched something stubborn and sticky on the granite countertop. Schedule the Newmans’ suite for daily maid service starting on Monday.
With the dishwasher fully loaded and running—and more dishes left to hand wash—she went to work scrubbing the granite countertops. When was the last time someone had cleaned these?
“Hello?” a man’s voice called from the living room.
“Hello?” she answered, hoping it wasn’t Vincent. She wasn’t eager to be discovered playing the role of a maid. With a dish towel in hand, she went out to investigate and was surprised to see it was Sean coming into the penthouse. His arms were filled with flowers: a big, clear, elegant vase of purple irises, as well as a huge container filled with peonies and other pastel-colored blooms.
“Anna?” He looked as surprised as she was. “What’re you doing up here?”
She helplessly held out her hands. “Cleaning.”
He set the vase of irises on the large dining table that Velma had already cleaned. “Why didn’t you send some maids up to do this?” He peered curiously at her.
“I have a maid with me. The others were already gone by the time Mrs. Newman told me she needed help up here.”
“Oh yeah, she said it was last-minute.” He held out the other flowers to her. “These need to be arranged. A large one for the island in the kitchen and a smaller one for the powder room, but she wants them put into special vases. I’ll get them.”
As she carried the blooms into the kitchen, Sean went over to a wall of cabinets and began to search. Setting the pretty flowers in the sink, she tried not to think of the irony of this—Sean handing her a bouquet. What if it was really for her?
“I think these will work.” Sean set an attractive round vessel made of thick, watery-blue glass on the counter she was cleaning and then a smaller cut crystal vase next to it.
Once Upon a Summertime Page 18