Listen to Your Heart

by Mona Ingram

  After a few moments, he looked up. “I see you’re expressed an interest in our concierge training programme.”

  She nodded eagerly. “Yes, Sir. I was delighted when Mr. Blenkinsop told me I’d been accepted. It’s something I’ve wanted to do forever.”

  “Daniel Blenkinsop does not manage this hotel.” He spat out the words and Morgan recoiled. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

  “Yes Sir, I know that. I just meant...”

  His eyes glittered and she realized that he was enjoying himself. “This is a very popular programme, and we accept only our most promising employees.”

  What was he saying? She was afraid to ask, but she had to know.

  “I don’t understand, Sir.” She tried to remain calm.

  He picked up a pen and tapped it against the papers in her file. Mesmerized, she watched the up and down movement as the tapping grew louder in her head.

  “I don’t know what Mr. Blenkinsop told you, Miss Dempsey, but one of the criteria we use to choose from the many applications we receive is length of service with Zimco. This year Mr. Drescher will be training someone who’s been with the chain for many years now.”

  Morgan’s heart fell. “You mean...”

  The manager ignored her. “Mr. Drescher will be training Adrian...”

  “Adrian?” She couldn’t believe what he was saying.

  “Yes.” He smiled, but it was not a pleasant sight; he was enjoying himself far too much. “So you’ve met the young man?”

  “Yes, Sir. He checked me in on Saturday.” She thought back to Adrian’s odd behaviour. “But he didn’t mention anything.” The last was said quietly, almost as an afterthought.

  “Yes. Well, he’s a very discreet young man.” He examined his fingernails. “We got word from Zimco headquarters two weeks ago that he’d been chosen.” He closed the file and set it firmly aside. If he had any idea that he’d just crushed her dreams, he didn’t show it. “And now if you’d like to report to the Front Desk, Miss Anderson is prepared to review our systems with you.” He picked up another file; she’d been dismissed.

  She gave the secretary a weak smile on the way out. “Thank you,” she said, walking stiffly from the room. Her father had trained her to say thank you. “Always be polite,” he’d said. “It takes no extra effort.” This time he’d been wrong. It had taken every ounce of strength she possessed to smile and speak in a pleasant tone, but she’d managed. A small victory to be sure, but she refused to appear beaten on her first day.

  “He told you, huh?” Karen’s sympathetic smile almost brought her to tears. She glanced around and lowered her voice. “I’ll bet he loved that.”

  Morgan nodded and sucked in a deep breath. “You knew?”

  “I’m sorry, but yes. To tell you the truth, I didn’t even know you were interested in the programme until you mentioned it. I thought maybe I was mistaken about Adrian, so I decided not to say anything.” She looked away and her voice trailed off. “I just got here a couple of weeks ago myself.”

  Morgan blinked back tears of frustration. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you should have said anything. I just need a couple of minutes to let this all sink in.” She looked toward the concierge alcove and was surprised to see the light on. A dark-haired man sat at the desk, engrossed in a computer screen. “Is that Mr. Drescher?”

  Karen nodded. “Yes. He’s really nice. He and his wife are here for a year and from what I hear he plans to train several people in that time.”

  There might be hope for her yet, but right now that was little comfort. “Where’s he from?”

  “They’re from Zurich, but I understand that he worked for Zimco in Italy, at their flagship hotel.”

  “I was hoping for a career like that some day.” Morgan spoke quietly but passionately. “Maybe I just wanted it too much.”

  “Maybe.” Karen didn’t look convinced. “But I hear you about needing some time to absorb the disappointment.” She looked closely at Morgan. “Go check your makeup for a minute, and then I’ll show you our computer system.”

  Morgan studied her reflection in the small mirror someone had tacked onto the wall. Her brothers had loved to tease her when they were growing up together and she’d learned to hide her weaknesses from them. She would do the same now, only she’d be hiding her disappointment.

  She wished that she hadn’t been so quick to tell everyone here that she’d been accepted into the training programme, but she’d been so excited, so enthusiastic. “And why not?” she said aloud, daring the woman in the mirror to contradict her. “It was something to be proud of.”

  She considered her immediate future at Zimmerli. The hotel chain she and Dale had worked for was large and impersonal. A great training ground, but completely opposite from the boutique hotel concept. Zimmerli Whistler may have only a fraction of the rooms, but those rooms were costly, exclusive and occupied by guests who expected superior, discreet service. The opportunity to work in a hotel of this calibre was one of the reasons she’d applied to Zimco...that and the possibility of an international posting sometime in the future. She’d observed a large commercial hotel in operation; it was time to add to her experience.

  * * *

  “Welcome back.” Karen gave her a brisk nod and Morgan realized she’d passed some sort of test. “Now, let’s get you familiar with our CRS.”

  The morning passed quickly as she absorbed the intricacies of the hotel’s reservation system. It soon became obvious that guests who’d stayed at Zimmerli hotels were loyal customers and often visited several other hotels as well. Their personal preferences were saved in the central data bank and Morgan was impressed with the level of service the chain offered as a matter of course.

  By noon, she and Karen had reviewed all of the day’s arrivals, assigned suites, and she had observed several checkouts.

  “You should be able to do a couple of check-ins this afternoon,” Karen observed. “It looks as though you’ve worked with this system before.”

  Morgan nodded. “One very similar. In Banff we...”

  Karen held up a finger and reached for a phone that was tucked discreetly below the desk. “Outside line,” she mouthed, then glanced at the clock. “Good morning, Zimmerli Whistler. How may I help you?”

  She shot a quick look at Morgan. “Yes, she’s here.” She passed the phone to Morgan. “It’s for you.”

  “Hello?” Morgan frowned. She’d completely forgotten about Dale.

  “Hey.” The familiar voice was music to her ears. “I’m at the Vancouver bus depot and I’m about to get on the express bus. Have you taken your stuff to our place yet?”

  Morgan smiled. Dale wasn’t one to waste words. “Yes. I moved over there yesterday.”

  “Good.” An announcement blared in the background and her friend waited for the noise to subside before continuing. “I think I’ll pass on the free hotel accommodation. I’ll get to know the rooms soon enough. Where do I go to find this Lodge place?”

  Morgan wasn’t sure if she should mention Chance’s offer. What if he couldn’t make it? She gave Dale the address. “What time does the bus get in?”

  “Two thirty.” Another announcement in the background. “Listen, I have to go.”

  “Okay, but why don’t you come here after you drop off your bags? I don’t have any food in yet and there’s a place connected to the hotel where people hang out...”

  “I’ll think about it. See you later.”

  Morgan lowered the phone and stared at it for a moment before hanging it up with a smile. “I have no idea why we’ve managed to stay friends for so long. She can be impossible sometimes.”

  Karen grinned. “Those are the best friends, aren’t they?”

  Morgan nodded her agreement. “Yeah.”

  Karen stiffened and looked toward the concierge desk. Morgan turned, fairly sure she knew why the other woman had reacted. Adrian stood beside the desk, in earnest conversation with Klaus.


  “Would you like to take a break for lunch?” Karen motioned toward the restaurant. “We usually grab something in there.” She glanced at the wall clock. “If you go in now, you’ll beat the hungry hordes coming down from the mountain. I’ll go later.”

  She wasn’t quite ready to deal with Adrian yet and agreed. “Sounds like a great idea.” She grabbed her purse and headed into the restaurant. It was already busy, and she recognized some of the lift personnel from yesterday at the regular staff table. She joined them and listened with an amused smile as they exchanged stories on what had happened this morning.

  Chapter Five

  Morgan was stirring sugar into her coffee when the table went silent. She looked up to see Adrian standing hesitantly by the receptionist’s podium, scanning the restaurant. He spotted her and came directly to the table.

  “Could we eat together?” he asked, nodding politely to the others at the table. “At another table?”

  “What’s the matter with right here?” She wasn’t going to make this easy for him. The “liftys” were suddenly engrossed in conversation, their heads together.

  He sat beside her at the end of the table, effectively isolating them from the others. He seemed nervous but determined, and as he opened his mouth to speak their server came by.

  “Have you ordered?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  “Just coffee please, Janine.” He shot a quick look at Morgan. “Something tells me I won’t be staying long.” She tried unsuccessfully to hide a smile.

  “Listen, Adrian...”

  “I’m sorry, Morgan...”

  Their words hung there and she forced herself to look at him. Why did he have to have such remarkable eyes? There was no superiority there, no sense that he’d edged her out for the coveted job. As a matter of fact, he looked miserable.

  She sighed and sat back; waited for him to speak first.

  He looked at her for a long moment and his gaze softened. “I should have told you,” he said, keeping his tone low. “I just didn’t know what to say.”

  She released the air from her lungs, surprised to find that she’d been holding it. “It’s not your fault,” she said. “But when I spoke to the manager at the Zimmerli in Banff I really thought I’d been chosen.” She shrugged. “There must have been some mix-up. Mr. Wynn-Jones said they always choose the person with the most experience working for Zimco and that’s obviously you.” She gave him what she hoped was a confident smile. “That’s all there was to it.”

  He frowned. “Not really. You see...”

  “Hi guys. Can I join you?”

  Chance was already pulling up a chair. He looked back and forth between them, but if he noticed anything out of the ordinary, he didn’t let on.

  “Oh, my goodness.” Morgan smacked herself on the forehead. “I was supposed to phone you.”

  Adrian raised an eyebrow. For a moment he looked jealous, but Morgan told herself she was imagining it.

  “Dale is arriving this afternoon. She said she’d find her way to the Lodge, but if the offer is still open...”

  A smile lit up Chance’s face. “Is she coming on the two thirty?” He didn’t wait for her to reply. “This is ideal. We’ve been training a new employee, so it will be a perfect opportunity to slip out and leave the two of them to fend for themselves.” His grin was infectious. “Although I don’t know. She’s young and pretty and Ken, my assistant manager, is all over her like a bad rash.”

  Morgan smiled back at him. “She can probably take care of herself.”

  “You’re right.” He sat back while the server brought Morgan’s soup, and coffee for everyone. “I don’t know what I’ll do if I ever have a daughter of my own. Probably lock her in the house until she’s thirty.” He looked up at Janine. “Hamburger, please.”

  Adrian watched the exchange with interest. “Your friend arrives today? The one with the masculine name?”

  “Yeah.” She turned back to him, her earlier tension forgotten. “Dale. Chance offered to pick her up.”

  “Be careful of your ears.” Adrian smiled at his own joke but Chance looked confused.

  Morgan jumped in to save him. “I was telling Adrian how Dale reacts when people comment on her name.”

  He reared back, miming fear. “Am I in danger of losing my ears?”

  Morgan laughed. “No. Just don’t mention that Dale is a man’s name and you’ll be fine.”

  “What about your name?” Chance took a sip of coffee. “That’s about as masculine as you can get.”

  “Ya.” Adrian cupped his mug and Morgan stared at his hands. They were large and competent-looking; she had the sudden feeling that she would be safe in those hands. She shook off the thought as he continued speaking. “You said you’d tell me about it.”

  She looked at him, then back at Chance. “It’s not much of a story, really. It’s something we argue about in our house every year when my birthday comes around.”

  “Say no more. Say no more.” Chance seemed pleased with himself. “Her father has a car dealership,” he said to Adrian. “I’ll bet the argument is whether he named you after the Morgan.”

  Adrian looked confused.

  “It’s a classic old car. A sports car.” He grinned at her. “Am I right? You’re convinced that your Dad named you after the classic Morgan and he denies it.”

  “Something like that.”

  “Why do you care? It’s a wonderful name.”

  “Okay, I admit. I don’t mind it now, but when I was young it wasn’t so funny.”

  He sobered. “I can imagine. Hey, thanks,” he said as his hamburger arrived. He took a big bite. “So what does she look like? How will I recognize her?”

  Morgan leveled a look at him. “Why do you want to do this? Really?”

  Chance swallowed and turned to face her. “Because she sounds interesting. She sounds real, and that appeals to me.” He lowered his voice. “Look around. These women are snow bunnies, and to be perfectly honest, I’m tired of them.”

  Morgan hadn’t expected such a heartfelt answer. Her respect for Chance went up a notch or two. “The day we met, she called me a stuck-up bitch.”

  Chance swallowed. “An interesting start.”

  “I probably deserved it. Mom used to make sure I had all the latest fashions, even when I was young.” Her eyes took on a distant look. “And Dale was on the opposite end of the spectrum. I guess that’s why we became such good friends. You know, opposites and all that.”

  Chance was listening carefully. “She had a tough upbringing, huh?”

  Morgan gave her head a quick shake. “I told you yesterday, it’s her story to tell. But to answer your question about recognizing her, she’s almost as tall as you; she’s thin and athletic, and she has short dark brown hair. You’ll recognize her by the chip on her shoulder.”

  Chance froze, his burger halfway to his mouth. “Still?”

  She nodded. “Sometimes.” She laid a hand on his arm. “Don’t expect too much, okay? And for goodness sake, don’t let on we talked about her.” She went back to her soup, watching Chance out of the corner of her eye. How had he managed to get her to divulge so much information? Especially when she considered how closed up Dale was.

  Because of that face, she answered herself. He’s got such a nice, honest face. God, I hope he doesn’t break her heart.

  * * *

  Dale stepped off the bus and stood aside to stretch. It had been a long day, starting with Morgan’s mom driving her to the airport. Eager to get going, she’d left Banff last night and stayed overnight in her old room. Cynthia Dempsey had kept it much the same as when she and Morgan shared it all those years ago.

  At the airport, Morgan’s mom had insisted on walking with her as far as security. Dale recalled her words. “Have a good time,” she’d said, concern evident in her eyes. “I worry about you, you know.”

  “Yes.” Dale gave her a fierce, quick hug. “I know. And I’ll try. I promise.”

  “It’s j
ust that...” Cynthia Dempsey had stood there in the pale morning sunshine, eyes brimming with tears. “I love you, Dale.”

  “I know, Mom.” She’d given her a kiss on the cheek, inhaling the familiar perfume. “I’ll be in touch.”

  And with that, she’d turned, walked through security and hadn’t looked back. She loved Morgan’s mother too much to let her see the tears that threatened. Some day she’d get up the nerve to tell her that she loved her, too. Someday.

  Dale watched as the bags were unloaded from the bus, placed onto a cart and wheeled to the baggage claim area. The huge suitcase held everything she’d need for the next few months and her skis were top of the line. She wasn’t about to lose sight of them now. The cart was crammed with wrapped skis and boards. The young people who arrived in Whistler by bus didn’t have fancy bags; they spent all their money on gear and lifts.

  A group of youngsters hopped up on excitement milled around the baggage claim area and she observed them dispassionately. She’d never been like that when she was young. She’d been too busy hating everyone and building walls that couldn’t be breached.

  A tall man stood off to the side, silhouetted against the brilliance of the sun. He seemed to be looking at her and she stared at him, wishing he would move so she could get a better look at his face. A cart came whizzing by and he stepped aside to avoid it. She could see him clearly now; he was smiling in her direction. He had a dimple in his right cheek and she had the oddest urge to get closer so she could gaze into those dark brown eyes.

  She took a quick look behind her to see who he was meeting but there was no one. When she turned back, he was walking toward her, smiling as though he knew her.

  “I’ll bet you’re Dale.” He was a couple of inches taller than her, and for a moment she couldn’t speak.

  “Uh-huh,” she nodded finally. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Chance.” He smiled down at her and she took a step backward. She could already feel her defenses crumbling, and she couldn’t allow that to happen.

  She smiled at him in spite of herself. “I’ll bet you got a lot of mileage out of that name when you were in school.”