“Need any help with that?” she offered meekly.
“I think I got it.” He filled the aquamarine vase with water. “How about you? You need any help when I’m done here?”
“No,” she said quickly. “I just need to get back to what I was doing.” Yet she just stood there, watching as he carefully selected flowers to go in the vase, cut their stem bottoms with scissors, and dropped them in.
“My offer is genuine,” Sean assured her as he reached for a pale pink peony. “I don’t mind helping.” He looked up with an open expression.
She returned his gaze and immediately regretted it. The last thing she needed was to get pulled into those deep blue eyes and be captivated by that smile. “Really,” she told him. “I’m fine.” She returned to the countertop, scrubbing the granite like her life depended on it.
“I’ve been wanting to talk to you, Anna.” He spoke quietly as he placed the flowers in the large vase.
She just kept scrubbing, wishing there was a way to do this differently but knowing there wasn’t.
“I feel really badly for how things went with us that Sunday,” he continued. “I never meant for it to go—”
“It’s okay,” she said quickly. Without looking at him, she rinsed out her cleaning rag. “There’s nothing you need to say. Really.”
“But I wanted to tell you that I’m—”
“Please, Sean.” She whirled around, locking eyes with him. “I mean, Mr. O’Neil.” She tipped her head toward where she could hear Velma running the vacuum cleaner in the master bedroom. “One of my maids is here with me. I can’t risk her hearing this conversation.”
“She can’t hear us—”
“I fully understand the hotel’s policy,” she continued urgently. “Mrs. Newman has made it crystal clear to me. I’m to keep my staff from engaging in any workplace romances . . . uh, relationships. Any employee who doesn’t comply with the rules will be immediately terminated. Period.” She paused to watch him arranging a few of the flowers in the smaller crystal vase. He was actually pretty good at this. Not that she planned to mention it. Mostly she just wanted to get him out of here.
“Yes, I know all about the policy, Anna, but I—”
“There are no buts.” She turned back to her feverish cleaning, bending down to scrub some drips from the face of a lower cabinet.
“Couldn’t you just meet me somewhere away from the hotel, Anna—just to talk?”
She rinsed the cleaning rag again, determined not to get pulled in by him, although everything inside of her wanted to declare, “Yes, Sean, I will gladly meet you anywhere. Name the time and the place and I’ll be there.”
“Please, Anna, just hear me out—”
“Miss Gordon?”
Anna whirled around to see Velma standing behind Sean with a furrowed brow. “Yes, Velma?” Anna said nervously. “Do you need something?”
“I finished up everything you said to do. Living room, powder room, master bedroom. What now?”
“How about the second floor?” Anna said eagerly. “Make sure it’s presentable in case some guests go up there. Please check the other bedroom suite too.”
Velma studied Sean and Anna with what seemed a knowing or perhaps even suspicious expression.
“Thank you, Velma,” Anna said evenly. “You have no idea how much I value your help with this.”
“Yes, Miss Gordon.” Velma nodded in a subservient way. “Pleased to be of assistance.”
“If you’ll excuse me, Mr. O’Neil, Velma and I have work to do,” Anna said crisply.
“Sorry to intrude,” he said as he backed away. “Good evening, Miss Gordon.”
Anna took in a deep breath, then muttered “Good evening” back at him. Without giving him another glance, she returned to her cleaning. As she scrubbed, she felt seriously aggravated at him. Why had he been so stubborn? Despite her warning him—practically begging him—to be quiet and just leave, he had persisted. She’d told him that Velma was here, that she might be listening, and yet he’d ignored her. It was as if he didn’t even care. Maybe he wanted her to lose her job. But how could they fire her and not fire him? That wouldn’t be fair.
However, Anna knew from experience that life was not always fair. It had often been her experience that life was completely unfair. And she knew it could happen again. She also knew that Velma was not stupid. She could put two and two together—and maybe already had. Then what? Anna could not afford to lose this job. Especially after having given Rodney that deposit check this morning. No, somehow she must do damage control with Velma. She must make her understand that there was nothing between Sean and Anna.
They finished up just a little before 6:00. “I’m so grateful for your help,” Anna told Velma as she gave the sleek dining table one last swipe of her dusting cloth. It looked absolutely gorgeous with the tall vase of irises.
“Well, I appreciate the overtime,” Velma said as she wheeled the housekeeping cart out the entrance, waiting as Anna securely closed the door. “My old man’s been out of work for the last six years. I’m starting to think Marvin will never get back to work.”
“Sorry to hear that.” Anna pressed the button for the service elevator. “I know what it’s like to be dependent on yourself . . . your income.”
“I expect you make more than a maid,” Velma said a bit wryly.
“Well, yes. But I went to college for five years to train. And my job comes with a lot of responsibility.”
Velma nodded as she pushed the cart into the elevator. “Yeah, I guess I wouldn’t trade you for that. I’m not big on stress.”
“I’m starving,” Anna said as they went down. “I skipped lunch.”
“Yeah, I just had some leftover soup. I’m hungry too.”
“Want to join me for dinner?” Anna asked suddenly. “My treat since you helped me out. Or maybe your husband expects you home?”
“It’s Marvin’s poker night.” She rolled her eyes. “Thank goodness, it’s penny poker.”
“I saw a cheeseburger place a couple blocks down. I’ve been dying to try it out.”
“A cheeseburger sounds real good.”
“Then come with me,” Anna said as the elevator doors opened. “I’ll even call ahead to see if we can get a table.”
Velma nodded. “All right then. It’s a date.” She giggled as she wheeled the cart toward the storage room.
Anna told herself this wasn’t exactly a bribe. It wasn’t. It was simply her attempt to get to know one of her most dependable maids—and to thank her for her help this evening. Even so, she felt a tinge of guilt as she called the cheeseburger joint.
By the time Velma had changed and they’d walked to the restaurant, it was 6:45. Since Anna had made a reservation for 7:00, they hardly had to wait.
“This is fun,” Velma said happily as they were seated at a colorful table. “Can’t remember the last time I went out to eat at night.”
“Well, I’m glad you could come.” Anna picked up the menu. “I really don’t enjoy eating alone.” She told Velma about her four flight attendant roommates and how they came and went so much that meal planning was impossible.
“I think I’d like that.” Velma sighed. “Every time I get home, Marvin looks at me like meals on wheels just arrived.”
After they placed their order, Anna worked the conversation back to the incident between her and Sean. “It’s interesting,” she said. “Mr. O’Neil and I grew up in the same town. We’ve known each other since we were kids.”
“Really?” Velma nodded. “I had no idea.”
“Well, it’s not something I’d go around advertising. I realize that we need to keep everything professional, but I’ll admit it was a little awkward getting used to calling him Mr. O’Neil when I’d always known him as Sean.” She laughed.
“I can see how that would be tough.” Velma peered curiously at her. “For a moment there, I thought that maybe you two were involved. You know, like maybe you’d been dating?”
&
nbsp; “No, no,” Anna assured her. “I mean, we’d spent some time together before we started work at the hotel. But it was never anything serious. As a matter of fact, I think Mr. O’Neil is interested in my roommate Marley. She grew up in our hometown too. Her brother and Sean—I mean Mr. O’Neil—are old friends.”
“Well, it certainly is a small world.”
“I’m guessing that’s what Mr. O’Neil wanted to talk with me about. He probably wanted my opinion on whether Marley would like to go out with him or not.”
“Would she?”
Anna nodded. “Most definitely. She’s been trying to get me to work on him for her. But I’ve been so focused on work, I suppose I forgot. Anyway, she came by yesterday, and she and Mr. O’Neil really seemed to hit it off.” To change the subject, Anna told Velma about how she and Marley had managed to secure an apartment. “It was truly miraculous—right there in our same building. We get to move in the first of next month.”
By the time they finished dinner, Anna felt certain of two things. One, Velma was convinced that there was absolutely nothing besides old friendship between Anna and Sean, and two, Anna could trust this older woman. As they parted ways and Anna walked home, she decided that she would choose Velma to be head of her shift. Besides her having more experience than the other maids, Anna knew she could count on her. And Velma probably wouldn’t mind getting a small raise.
Anna had intended to work a full day on Sunday, mostly because she knew she’d accomplish more with no maids around to distract her. But as she walked to work she realized it was a beautiful day and her last free Sunday before the hotel opened. By the time she reached the hotel, she had decided to quit early. She was only accountable to herself on this, and she knew that housekeeping was already ahead of the game and in great shape. So why not?
As usual, she let herself in the side entrance, careful to punch in the security code lest she trigger the alarm system. She knew that some workers might be around today, but for the most part, the hotel would be quiet and empty. She turned on a hallway light and went to her office, going straight to work on the projects that seemed most pressing.
It was close to 1:00 by the time Anna was turning off the lights and locking the door to her office. She wasn’t even sure what she’d do with this slightly unexpected time off, but she intended to do something. As she turned around, she ran smack into someone.
“Sean!” she exclaimed. “I mean, Mr. O’Neil—you scared the life out of me!”
He made an apologetic smile. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”
She steadied herself, putting her purse strap over a shoulder. “I was just finishing up,” she said. “Just leaving.”
“So was I,” he said brightly. “Why don’t we leave together?”
“Um . . .” She looked around, worried that someone might be watching. “What about the security cams?” she whispered.
“It’s okay, Anna. We’re simply co-workers, exiting through the side door. Don’t act suspicious and no one will suspect.” He nodded in the direction of the exit. “Let’s go.”
“Okay.” She tried to act natural as they walked together. “Sorry, you just caught me off guard. I sort of forgot anyone else was in the building.”
“It’s pretty much evacuated,” he said as he opened the door and punched in the security code. “It will be a much different place by this time next week.”
“Yes.” She nodded as they stepped out into the bright sunlight. “Exciting, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” Sean securely closed the door, testing it to be sure.
Anna reached in her purse for her sunglasses, slipping them on partly to shield her eyes from the sunshine and partly to mask the surge of emotions running through her. “Well . . . have a good day, Mr. O’Neil.”
“Come on, Anna.” He tilted his head to one side. “You don’t have to call me that when no one’s around to hear.”
“It’s a good habit to stay in.” She started walking in the direction of the apartment, although she was not really sure that was where she wanted to go. Of course, Sean continued walking with her.
“I’m really sorry about saying what I did yesterday,” he began. “I really didn’t think the maid was listening.”
“Well, she was,” Anna snapped back at him. Oh, she regretted her tone, but maybe it was for the best.
“I’m really sorry about that, Anna. I just felt so desperate to talk to you.”
“Don’t worry. I did damage control with Velma. Took her out for a cheeseburger and told her we were old friends.” She glanced over at him. “I also told her you were dating my roommate.”
“Dating your roommate?” His brow creased.
“Yes.” She nodded firmly, feeling stubborn and still a little vexed. “Marley would love to go out with you, Sean. I thought perhaps you two might have already set something up by now.”
“Would that make you happy?” He frowned.
She shrugged. “It would make me happy to remain gainfully employed.”
“I get that, Anna. But it seems like you’re being a little extreme about this.”
“I’m being extreme?” She stopped walking, staring up at him. “I feel like I’ve risked everything to get this job. I realize I was lucky to get it. It could be a huge opportunity for me to finally get a good reference. Plus I’ve placed a pretty big deposit on an apartment. I feel like my whole life is riding on this right now. I can’t afford to blow it, Sean. Do you get that?”
He pressed his lips together, exhaling through his nostrils like he was holding back whatever it was he had wanted to say.
“If that’s extreme,” she continued, “well, then I suppose I am being extreme. But I honestly don’t know how else to be.”
He slowly nodded. “I understand, Anna.”
“Thank you.” She let out a sigh and started to walk again.
“The reason I’ve been kind of stalking you lately—”
“Stalking me?” She blinked, turning to stare at him.
He grinned. “Well, not exactly stalking. But for the last week I’ve been trying to get a chance to have a word with you in private. You should’ve seen how many times I tried. Most recently in the Newmans’ penthouse yesterday. I guess I was just so eager to speak to you that I threw caution to the wind.”
She felt an unwanted surge of hope. He had made that much effort just because he wanted to talk to her—in private? “What did you want to speak to me about?”
“I just wanted to tell you I was sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“For letting things get carried away . . . on that day we spent together. I felt bad then and I’ve felt worse ever since. I knew about the hotel’s policy, Anna. I should’ve been more careful.”
“Oh.” She simply nodded. “Okay, I accept your apology.”
“I was really hoping we could still be friends.”
She looked up at him, then quickly looked away. She couldn’t bear to look into those eyes. He wanted to be friends? Really? “I, uh, I don’t know, Sean. I mean, it’s tricky being friends with fellow employees, you know?”
“But we could—” He stopped talking as someone approached.
Anna looked over to see that it was Max, just emerging from Elsie Dolce. He had a big smile and was coming directly toward them. “Just who I wanted to see.” Max clapped Sean on the back. “I was about to call you, buddy.”
“Hey, Max,” Sean said with a smile.
Max looked at Anna now. “How’s it going, Anna?”
“Good.” She forced a big smile. “Great weather, huh?”
“I’ll say.” Max turned to Sean. “Elsie wants you to come to dinner tonight, Sean.”
Before Sean could respond, Anna decided to use this opportunity to excuse herself. “You guys have a great day,” she said as she waved, hurrying off. On one hand, she was thinking it was a little rude to invite someone to dinner when someone else was just standing there. On the other hand, she was relieved to escape. Be
sides, she reminded herself as she strolled in the sunshine, Max and Sean’s manners had improved greatly since adolescence. She remembered a time when she and Marley had made a batch of chocolate chip cookies, and while the treats were cooling and the girls were preoccupied with something else, the boys had gobbled them all up. And they never even said thank you. Maybe some things never changed.
22
Anna spent her afternoon walking around Greenwich Village and SoHo—much like she’d done before, only today she took the time to browse in the shops and even bought a few specialty grocery items. She stopped at Washington Square Park to listen as some classical musicians performed. It was really a lovely afternoon . . . except that she felt lonely. Compared to that other Sunday in New York, despite the ongoing blue sky and sunshine, the day felt gray and dismal. Really, it was more fun being drenched in a thunderstorm with someone you liked than being all by yourself on a warm sunny day.
It was nearly 6:00 by the time she got back to the apartment, and she was just putting away her groceries when Marley burst in. “What a day!” she exclaimed as she kicked off her shoes. “We got stuck in LA for three hours!” she declared as she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “Three freaking hours just sitting on the tarmac. It was stinking hot, and we couldn’t even run the AC most of the time. Talk about a nightmare. The passengers were furious. Like it was the flight attendants’ fault for not taking off.” She pressed the water bottle against her temple and sighed. “I’m beat.”
“Sorry it was such a bad day,” Anna said as she folded a bag. “Hopefully you can kick back and take it easy.”
“No way. I’ve got a big date tonight.” She glanced at the stove’s clock. “Yikes, I better get ready.”
“Big date?”
Marley’s eyes lit up. “Well, sort of. You see, I texted Elsie last night—or maybe it was this morning New York time. Anyway, I begged her to throw an impromptu dinner party for Sean . . . and for me too. She’s going to serve it on their rooftop terrace with all her pretty lanterns and stuff. It’s really romantic up there. You should see it.”
Once Upon a Summertime Page 19