by Natalie Ann
Or maybe he knew when to cave and when to fight. Just because he hated interviewing and didn’t have the time didn’t mean it wasn’t one of those days to help Patrice out of a bind.
He let out a breath. “Fine. What time is it scheduled for?”
“Eleven. Here is her resume. I’ll have the front desk send her here when she arrives.”
“You can wipe that smirk off your face now that you and Patrice got your way. I think you two put your heads together and decided to pin this on me.” He started to flip papers around on his desk. “I’ve got to meet with the people at the conference at ten. I might be late.”
Marcy laughed. “We’d never do that. And if you’re a few minutes late, she can wait, it’s not a big deal. After all, you’re the CEO and you’re busy. We know.”
When she walked out the door still laughing he knew they did plan it exactly the way it happened.
He lifted up the resume of Kayla Rivers and looked it over. The only hotel experience she had was in housekeeping eight years ago. Looked like she was there for a year and then moved on.
She moved on with a lot of jobs by the looks of it. Lots of customer service positions, but not much more. Some labor positions too. Nothing steady either.
There wasn’t much he could do other than give Kayla an interview and hope it wasn’t a complete waste of his time.
Nothing ever seemed to go according to plan, Kayla thought as she sat in the waiting room outside of Hunter Bond’s office.
She was supposed to be interviewing with the manager, Patrice Martin, but when she showed up she’d been told Patrice was out with a sick kid. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Kayla had almost missed her ferry.
Time had never been her friend. She wasn’t late often, but she was always there right on the dot, normally from running the last distance to get in the door on time...just like today.
The short run and fresh air at least added some color to her face and took her mind off the bumpy ferry ride that turned her stomach and face to match the color of seaweed. Having never been on a ferry before she had no idea she’d react that way.
The minute she was in the building Kayla realized she had five minutes to spare and asked the front desk where the bathroom was so she could check over her appearance.
She’d turned down a hall, figuring she was lost, and bumped into someone, stumbled and he had to reach out to steady her so she didn’t do a face plant and have to show up for her interview with a black eye. When she looked up it was a man. A hot man. One that was staring down at her with a grin on his face, his big hands on her shoulders and then dropping away faster than she’d hoped. Talk about a crazy thought.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, rambling on. “I’m here for an interview and I’m nervous and excited because this island is so beautiful, but I look like Cinderella after the coach turned back into a pumpkin thanks to that ferry ride. I thought I was going to get sick it was so windy. I asked where the bathroom was and now I think I’m lost. But I suppose I should thank you for stopping my fall or I might look like the pumpkin guts smashed into me when the coach changed over.”
The man was laughing now. Since he was dressed up and there were a lot of people walking around in business attire, she assumed he was there for the conference and here she was babbling like a fool to him. Typical.
“You’re not lost. Keep going down this hall and turn left. And don’t worry, you look fine.”
“Thank you,” she said. She took a deep breath, wrapped her hand around the star pendant on her necklace, grinned at him and dashed away.
A few minutes later on the tenth floor, the woman named Marcy said to her, “Kayla, Hunter is ready now, if you’ll follow me.”
Kayla stood up and followed Hunter’s secretary to his office. She felt so out of place with her cheap—but clean—black pants and a white shirt with a blue cardigan over it. She suspected all the executives were housed here on the tenth floor.
“Hi, Kayla,” Hunter said with his hand out, then motioning her to a chair over in a sitting area.
Yep, that black cloud that always floated over her head from the day she was born to a teenage mother that would rather party than raise her seemed to cover the island, too. Here it was again as she faced the man she’d bumped into in the hall, looking like a train wreck while she was lost in his hotel.
“Nice to meet you,” she said as calmly as she could. There wasn’t much she could do other than acknowledge what happened. “Or we meet again. I’m kind of embarrassed.”
“No reason to be. We’ve all had rough ferry rides. And I’m sure Marcy explained to you why I’m doing the interview. Normally I don’t have a hand in positions like this.”
Meaning positions that were completely beneath him, she was sure, but wasn’t stupid enough to voice that, especially after the first crazy impression she gave him. “Not a problem. This place is even nicer than it looks online.”
“You’ve never been to the island before, I take it?” he asked.
“No.”
“Well, you got here okay,” he said. “I guess the first thing I should bring up is not everyone that works on the island lives on the island, but it is much easier to reside here. The ferry almost always runs on time, though the weather does play a part. There are three different ferries that you can grab. Two from the south port and one on the north end that comes in from Boston.”
“That’s the other end of the island,” she said. “How many miles away is it?”
“The Romeo Port on the north end is about sixteen miles away. Juliet Port is the south port that I’m assuming you came in on.” She nodded her head. “You can get a ferry from Plymouth or Provincetown off of Cape Cod.”
She’d done her research on the resort and the ferry she was taking to get here and how to get from the ferry to the resort, but that was all she’d done since she’d been working, trying to make up the time for being off for this interview so she didn’t go unpaid.
“I wasn’t aware of the two different ports, just how to get here today.” She caught herself reaching for her necklace to fidget and pushed her hands back down. She should have known that information and hoped it wasn’t held against her. This morning was going from bad to worse. She should just get up and walk out. It’s not like she’d ever see him again once she got on the ferry.
“Not a problem,” he said. “And you didn’t find the ferry ride that wonderful?”
“It was bumpier than I thought. I’d had an Uber waiting for me and then had trouble finding them.” Always something, but she’d finally found the driver and then got to the resort in the nick of time and ran through the parking lots to get to the entrance.
“It can be worse. It’s a windy day out there today. If you get the job, like I said, there are three different ferries that arrive at multiple times throughout the day. The first comes in around seven in the morning; the last to depart is nine at night. The last arriving here at eight.”
“So if I missed the last one, I’m here for the night?” she asked. “What are the hours of this job?”
He grinned at her, his straight white teeth flashing like a beacon calling her forth. His blue eyes were as clear as the sky had been outside when she ran in the door and had a humorous glint to them as he gazed at her. “We would never schedule anyone where they might miss a ferry. This position would start at seven at night and end at six a.m. An hour lunch and it’s four ten-hour days. This gives you time to catch the first ferry after work and not worry about missing it if you get held up at work.”
“Does that happen often? Being held up?” she asked and wondered why she was because she knew she’d be living here if she got the position. Which was pretty much a pipe dream with the way things were going. Yet he wasn’t acting like she didn’t have a shot. Probably just being nice.
Sometimes she just didn’t think before speaking and had to shut her trap so she didn’t blow this interview.
“It can if your replacement is late or you are
dealing with a guest. Though on the night shift you aren’t quite that busy.”
“That all sounds good,” she said. “But if I get the job I’ve got a place to stay on the island.”
“Good,” he said. “Then let’s talk about your experience. I see though you’ve never worked the front desk at a hotel you’ve got a lot of customer service experience. A nice well-rounded resume.”
Which was probably his polite way of saying she’d bopped around from job to job lately. “I don’t want you to think I can’t hold down a job. Some of them I was laid off when the work slowed down. Some just didn’t work out, and others I found a better job.”
“So you are always looking for a better job?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “Not really. I started working at a young age and I’ve got experience in a lot of fields as you can see. Some of it just wasn’t to my liking, but I’ve never left before a year at any of my jobs. Sometimes I have jobs that overlap if you look closely.”
He lowered his head and focused on her resume. “I see that.”
“I’m a hard worker,” she said earnestly. She didn’t want to beg, but now was the time to sell herself if she had any shot in hell at this job. “I like to learn new things. I’m trying to find a career over a job. I guess that is the best explanation.”
“And you think this would be a career for you?” he asked.
“I’d like it to be. I just want to settle down and have a normal life.”
He laughed. “Life on Amore Island is hardly normal, some would say.”
She grinned. “Is it true what they say? That most come here to find love or are hoping for it?”
“That’s what they say. An island started by lovers that even one of the biggest storms of that time couldn’t prevent them from meeting. But I’ve been on this island my whole life and it’s just home to me.”
“You’ve lived here your whole life?” she asked, surprised to hear that.
“Not entirely. I grew up in Boston but spent my weekends here working or hanging out. Later I traveled by ferry back and forth to Boston for a few years, then decided it was best to just stay here. I can go into the city anytime I want and do, but I live here now.”
“I always wanted to live on an island,” she said without thought. She couldn’t stop her lips from flapping like the wind on the ferry ride and getting off topic. He didn’t seem to mind though so that was good.
“Then I guess you’ll get your chance,” Hunter said.
“What? I’m hired?” Woohoo—wishing on her necklace worked when it never had before. Imagine that.
“You are. When can you start?”
“I have to give two week’s notice at my job and move my stuff over here. It shouldn’t be too hard.”
She didn’t think so. She was just going to pack what she had in her car and bring it over in a few trips. It’s not like she needed much since she was going to be renting a bedroom and wouldn’t need furniture. She’d sell the used stuff she had and get some extra money for it.
Hunter stood up so she did the same, noticed that he had to be at least seven inches taller than her five-foot-five-inch frame easily. She figured he was a busy man and this twenty-minute interview was probably enough for him.
Not only that, she got the job and needed to get out of there before she did or said anything else stupid and he rescinded the offer.
“If you have any questions or concerns about the job or the move, Patrice can help you. You’ve got her number, correct?”
“I do,” she said.
“I’ll let her know that I’ve hired you and she’ll be in touch.” He held his hand out for her to proceed to the door and she did so, turning to shake his hand one more time. She must be more messed up in the head because she felt a spark and heat like she had when his hands stopped her from falling.
“Thank you so much. I’m excited to start my new career.”
“That’s what sold me, you know,” he said.
“What?”
“I don’t care what the rest of your resume says. I see you’re a hard worker by the jobs you’ve held. But you don’t want a job, you want something meaningful and that means more to me than any work experience. You can be taught the rest.”
Kayla nodded her head, and when she was out the door, she reached up and clasped the silver star on her neck that she always thought was a good luck charm. The only frivolous gift she’d ever been given with words that she’d kept close to her heart. On her way here she had made a wish on it while she’d held her breath in an attempt to not toss her cookies on the ferry ride over.
As good days went in her life, this one was right up there.
2
Dent In His Authority
“You hired her on the spot?” Patrice said the next morning. “That had to be one hell of an interview.”
Hunter looked up from the report he was reading. “What?”
“Marcy said you hired Kayla Rivers yesterday and that I’d be contacting her today to set everything up.”
“Oh, yeah,” he said and then signed his name to the check in front of him. There were a lot of checks in front of him and he looked them all over.
“So how was she?” Patrice asked.
“Who?”
Patrice walked forward and put her hand on the check he was signing. “Kayla. You interviewed her. Tell me what was said and how it went.”
Hunter looked up and grinned. His staff were always on the feisty side and he allowed it in his office. He wasn’t joking when he’d told Marcy that Patrice could give him crap.
“It wasn’t a long interview. Maybe twenty minutes tops.”
She frowned. “What could you have learned in that time? I noticed she’s had a lot of jobs. Did you ask why?”
He didn’t need anyone to tell him how to interview. “It was brought up. She brought it up. I didn’t need to ask. She said that she didn’t go to college and started working right away. Each job she left for a better one, or sometimes she got laid off. Other times the job wasn’t for her, but she always stayed at least a year. Many of her jobs overlapped showing me she works a lot and is a hard worker.”
Patrice tilted her head side to side. “I hope this isn’t one of those jobs that she decides not to stay at for long. It’s hard enough finding people at that pay rate and then having them come to the island.”
He didn’t think Kayla was like that. “She said she was looking for a career not a job. You know how I feel about that.”
“So she sold you with that line right away?” Patrice said with a smile. He remembered Patrice saying that herself many moons ago.
“She did.”
Hunter wasn’t going to add how Kayla seemed scattered when he ran into her in the hall before the interview. She was nervous and excited. She was bubbly and friendly. Then she was embarrassed when she realized who he was when she walked into his office.
But she squared her shoulders and faced it head-on. That showed strength and character and he was sold right then and there.
Or maybe it was the tingling in his hands as he held her by the shoulders. Her blonde hair was a little wild as if the wind ran through it on the ferry ride over.
Her face had a nice pink hue, probably from running into the building since she said she thought she’d be late. Yeah, she’d been a bit unkempt, but he brushed it off since she’d tamed it all down before she got to the tenth floor.
Her clothes weren’t anything fancy, but they were clean and she was presentable.
It wasn’t just the strength and character he saw in her, it was her eyes and the honesty. She didn’t seem to have any problem saying what was on her mind with her hazel and expressive eyes.
For an island that prided itself on fanciful thoughts, sometimes he had to tell himself that maybe he should loosen up and give someone a chance. But hadn’t he done that with Kayla yesterday? It’s not like it was the best interview of the century but she was trying and knew the right things to say at the exact time.
Some might call that fate, he’d heard whispered in his head and wanted to wave his hand away like he often did when he had those thoughts.
Thoughts of this island he was sick of hanging over his head.
“Now we can only hope the ferry ride doesn’t make her quit. Especially having the night shift. She was fine with that too?”
“She was. You told her the rate of pay. If she wasn’t fine with it, she wouldn’t have interviewed. And she said she had a place to stay on the island.”
“Oh thank God,” Patrice said. “Finally.”
“Not all our staff live on the island,” Hunter pointed out. Which was why they’d gotten creative with their scheduling, trying to give staff longer days but shorter workweeks.
“No, they don’t and that is what makes some things hard. I wonder where she is staying? It’s not like it’s cheap to live here or there are that many places available to rent.”
“I didn’t ask,” Hunter said. “It wasn’t my business. Nor does it affect her ability to do her job if she shows up on time each day.”
“You’re right,” she said. “I guess I’ll go give her a call and get it all set up. I can’t wait to train her. Did you tell her she’d be training for the first week on a different shift?”
Hunter sighed. “No. I’ll leave that up to you. You left the interview for me, and I took care of it even though I’m swamped. You can thank me at any point if you want.”
Patrice laughed at him. “You get paid the big bucks to cover all our butts when we are in a bind. But thank you, Hunter.”
He shook his head. “Get out of here and let me sign these checks. I believe there’s one in here for new office furniture that you begged me for.”
“Now I will thank you. I appreciate you giving into me for that.”
“Not a problem.”
“I just wonder how long it will take to get it here on the ferry.”
“I had it delivered to Boston with a bunch of other stuff and an employee will take the van on the ferry to go get it. It was delivered today so it should be here tomorrow.”