by Natalie Ann
“We don’t call Hunter down for things like that. If you can’t handle it, then another staff should have stepped in to do it.”
Kayla felt her face fill with the flames of embarrassment. “Tiffany did step over and tried to handle the situation. The guest didn’t want to listen when we said there wasn’t anyone around. We—”
“And you thought it was okay to call Hunter for something like that? The note said that she wanted a waterfront room even though she didn’t book it.”
Kayla was trying her damnedest to not grind her teeth after being interrupted. “That’s right. She didn’t make the correct reservations and Tiffany and I both pointed it out to her. She wasn’t leaving, but we didn’t call Hunter. He was down here and overheard it and stepped forward to deal with it.”
“Hunter was in the lobby?” Patrice asked. “He’s never down here at night.”
Those flames were turning into lava shooting out of a volcano. She was pretty sure Hunter was in the lobby looking for her but he’d never admitted it. Now that was just one more thing that made this whole situation stand out.
“He was,” she said. “You can verify it with Tiffany if you want.”
“Tiffany is off tonight. In the future you need to learn to handle these things on your own when a guest asks to speak with someone else. The CEO of this resort has more important things to deal with than a guest who messed up their reservation online and can’t wait.”
“I agree,” Kayla said. “I’m sorry. I’ll make sure I can handle it better myself next time.”
Patrice sighed. “You’re doing a good job and I’m sorry if I’m coming down on you. But there are things we just don’t call Hunter for at night. This is his job and his home and we all like to be able to get away from work if we can. I don’t want him to think that customer service can’t be handled.”
So it came down to Patrice not wanting to look bad, but Kayla didn’t say that. Not if she didn’t want another mark against her like she’d gotten for being late that same night.
She took a deep breath and asked, “Is there anything else you need to speak with me about? I hate to leave Bob and Stephanie on their own.”
“They are fine. It’s not that busy, but no, I’m all set. That was all.”
Kayla put her head down and walked back out to the front desk and just started to get to work. When Stephanie asked her what was going on she just said, “Nothing major.”
It wasn’t to someone else, but it was to Kayla. She didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize her job and if Patrice thought she couldn’t handle situations then she might replace her. If that happened, she wasn’t sure she could find another job on the island and she had a one-year lease with Amanda. And she bought a car this week.
At least this car had more room than the last one she owned when she was on the streets so she supposed she could stay in it like she had in the past.
What morbid thoughts, thinking she’d have to live in her car again. No. She couldn’t go there.
Kayla took a deep breath to try to get control of her emotions. She didn’t need to get herself all worked up over this. It’s not like it was the first time she’d been talked to at a job when she might have made mistakes.
Mistakes happened in life all the time. Kayla should know; it seemed her entire life was one mistake after another.
“Hunter, Patrice wants to know if you can talk for a minute?”
He didn’t have time for anyone. His parents had returned home yesterday and he’d spent most of the morning getting ready to meet with his father over the business and get him caught up. Not only that, he hadn’t seen Kayla since Wednesday night when she came up to have her break with him.
Kayla wasn’t in the door one minute and he had her in his arms and his mouth over hers. She didn’t fight him off, she welcomed him in. Just like she did on Sunday when he dropped her back off after they’d spent the day together.
He’d thought for sure she’d be moody after buying her car, but she wasn’t. She was in good spirits. They’d gone to lunch and then walked around downtown, but were back on the ferry by four and he was dropping her home before six.
Part of him hated how they were like an old couple that needed to get back by a certain time, but he had some packages to deliver to some of his family and they were expecting him.
Monday was busy like always and Kayla was off getting her car with Amanda. Tuesday night he didn’t get a chance to see her as she didn’t come up for her break, but they did talk on the phone. He’d wanted to see her, but he’d fallen asleep on the couch by ten hoping she’d text him and ask to come up.
Now he knew she wouldn’t do that. If he didn’t make the first move, he wouldn’t see her. So Wednesday night he made sure he sent her a message before she even got to work.
Since his parents returned on Thursday, he hadn’t had much time to do anything. They came to the island first and spent the day with him catching up and talking about their trip. By the time they left around five to go see Hailey back in Boston, he had a full day of work to catch up on and phone calls to make. When eleven rolled around he couldn’t keep his eyes open and went to bed.
So here he was on Friday trying to get everything done that he didn’t yesterday knowing he’d be done working by no later than six today. His parents were going to be back on the island and his mother was cooking dinner for him and Hailey tonight at their place down the street from the hotel.
The last thing he needed was to be interrupted by anyone. “I’m pretty busy,” he said to Marcy. “Can it wait until next week?”
“She shook her head no. I’ve got you on speakerphone.”
He hated when Marcy did that. “Fine, send her in.”
“Sorry to bother you,” Patrice said. “It won’t take long.”
“What’s going on?”
“I had a talk with Kayla Rivers last night about crediting the free room for that guest. I’ve been meaning to address it with you and that you had to get involved.”
His ears perked up hearing Kayla’s name, but he didn’t want to show it. “That’s my job,” he said.
“You don’t need to be called down to handle a guest’s complaint when they made the error themselves. I told Kayla she needs to learn to handle the guests better, that this isn’t something you get involved in nor should anyone make a habit of letting guests know you are here.”
He crossed his arms. “First off, it’s my business and I’ll get involved when I need or want to. Second of all, she handled the situation just fine. She did everything right along with the other staff on duty. I was downstairs and heard the conversation from the back and came forward when I realized the guest wasn’t going to back down.”
Patrice frowned. “So you weren’t called down?”
“Were you told I was?” he asked, surprised to hear Patrice say that.
“No. Kayla said you were there.”
His lips tightened. “And you didn’t believe her? You thought she was lying about it? Did you talk to the other staff on that night?”
Patrice’s face flushed a bit. It wasn’t like her to come up here over something like this and he suspected there was more going on. “Tiffany was on that night and their stories matched, but I know how it can be with staff.”
“So you think two staff would lie about something like this? Or did you think Kayla was giving rooms out for free and that is what you were checking up on?”
“She’s new and shouldn’t be doing that without a supervisor signing off. I was shocked to see it but haven’t had a chance to stay late and address it with her.”
“She didn’t do anything wrong and did everything right. It’s not like you to think a staff member is lying. What is going on? What do you have against Kayla?”
“Nothing,” Patrice said.
“It seems it to me. You’re wasting my time on this when you had two people tell you the truth. This isn’t a big deal and yet you’re here in my office and we’ve known each other long
enough. So speak your mind.”
“Fine. She came in late that day, saying she had car trouble.”
“And you don’t believe it?”
“Tiffany said it was true because her husband came and got Kayla’s keys and then looked at her car. I guess it was pretty much roadkill.”
“Then what more is going on?” he asked again.
“I just don’t know if I should invest much time in someone new if they aren’t doing a good job.”
He was trying to weigh his words carefully so he didn’t give his relationship with Kayla away. He didn’t normally get in the middle of these types of staff positions and would tell his managers to handle it the way they see fit. But he couldn’t do that this time.
If he didn’t know Kayla personally, if he hadn’t spent time with her or witnessed her doing her job, he might say what he always did.
“You said she was doing a great job weeks ago. I told you she handled that situation well. Tiffany backed up the broken-down car. I repeat, what else is going on?”
“People have heard her talking on the phone on her break. They said it sounds like she’s talking to a man.”
“So? It’s her break. She can talk to whoever she wants.”
“Security said she walks around the building on her break too. Up and down the floors checking things out.”
He’d have to have a talk with security. “They approached you with this, or you went to them and asked?”
“I might have asked.”
“Why is that?”
“Are you seeing her?” Patrice asked him.
He had no clue how she would figure this out. They’d been good about making sure no one saw her on his floor and since he was on the other line with the calls, he knew Kayla never said his name and rarely talked about anything that would give away who he was.
“Why are you asking that?”
“Because you didn’t just say no,” she said, crossing her arms. “And you don’t defend employees at that level either. You’ve been impatient with me over this visit. You try to be firm most times but its halfhearted. Not this time. You’re serious.”
There was no way out of this. He could lie and say no. He could tell Patrice it was none of her business, which was pretty much an admission. Or he could act like the CEO that he was.
“Whether or not Kayla and I have any type of relationship has nothing to do with her job. She’s good at her job and she doesn’t see me or talk to me when she is punched in. Not unless I go down there, and that has only happened once. And by the way, I was down there talking to Grace about something and walked back through and was going to get a drink at the bar when I heard what was going on. I wasn’t in the lobby and don’t normally go there. It’s just that guest was loud and I heard it from the hall.”
Patrice didn’t say anything, just stared at him. “So you are dating.”
“I don’t know what we are and it’s not your concern. It doesn’t affect her job and you will not say a word to her or to anyone else about this.”
She grinned at him. “You don’t ever date an employee.”
“You have no idea who I do and don’t date since my personal life is private.”
“Come on, Hunter. Rumors fly in this building faster than birds going south for the winter and you know it. If you were ever seen with an employee someone would know about it at some point in time.”
“Exactly. So that should tell you something about this.”
“You can thank me if you want.”
He frowned at her. “What the hell does that mean? You come up here all ready to hand her a pink slip, then you question me personally and now you are busting my balls?”
“I only did all of those things to get to this point.”
His fingers clenched when she burst out laughing. “You’re joking?”
“Of course not. If I just came out and asked you, you’d have said no.”
“Because it’s none of your business. So instead you have to put her job on the line?”
She waved her hand. “It was never on the line and you know it. I did talk to her and I did want to know what happened. I might have come up here to verify her story, but then I noticed the change in you over the conversation and put it all together in my head. It just solidified it for me.”
“Well, get it out of your head now,” he said.
“I can’t. I feel pretty good about myself. If it weren’t for me having a sick kid and asking you to interview Kayla, you wouldn’t have even noticed her. Admit it. Maybe it’s the Bond destiny or fate?”
He wanted to snarl at her but didn’t because his thoughts almost mirrored her words. This all went back to his employees having his number at times. “I’m not admitting anything and if you are done riding my ass I need to get back to work.”
“I’m done,” she said, turning to leave. “And, Hunter.”
“What?” he asked when she made no attempt to leave.
“Be careful with Kayla.”
“Are you watching out for her?”
“No. It’s more that I don’t know much about her and am watching out for you. She seems nice and friendly, but there is more to her than meets the eye. I don’t know what it is and it’s not my place to ask.”
“You’re right, it’s not. No need to worry about me.”
Who he was worried about now was Kayla and why she never said a word to him about what happened with Patrice. And knowing her like he was beginning to, she had to be upset and nervous over the situation.
Yet she kept it to herself.
16
Sort Of Fit In
When Kayla woke up on Friday she reached for her phone and noticed she had a text from Hunter.
If she’d been waiting for it, she tried to lie to herself and say she wasn’t. That they didn’t spend a lot of time together or even talking on the phone.
She was sleeping when he was up and he was sort of sleeping when she was up. Sure, he stayed up late some nights to see her, but he couldn’t all the time nor would she want him to.
But today he sent her a text that he missed her and that he was having dinner with his parents at six tonight. He’d like to see her when she went on break.
Since he didn’t have to get up tomorrow she didn’t feel bad if he waited up for her, so she texted back she’d love to see him and would let him know when she could come up.
Then she went about her routine with the house nice and quiet. She never moved around the place that much. Nothing more than her room, the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. But today she made a cup of coffee and went to go sit on the patio in the back for a few minutes before she continued on with her day.
Hopefully today would be much better than yesterday.
She didn’t care to have a repeat lecture from Patrice on calling down Hunter. Especially when she didn’t do it. She even got the feeling Patrice didn’t believe her. She wasn’t surprised that Tiffany had been talked to too. The last thing Kayla would do is give away free nights to someone.
Since Hunter didn’t mention anything last night or in his text today she was assuming he didn’t know about it and she had no intention of telling him.
She didn’t have to prove anything to anyone. She knew what happened that night and so did Hunter. Since Patrice made such a big deal about Hunter not being bothered for something as trivial as that, she’d assume that went for him not being bothered over their conversation too.
Once her coffee was done, she walked back in the house and pulled out her tablet, then paid the few bills she had. Now she’d be adding a car payment to it, but she liked her five-year-old Nissan Sentra.
Most wouldn’t think the car was anything special, but it was the newest car she’d ever owned. The most she’d ever spent on one too. She figured it was time to stop buying junkers and putting money in them left and right.
Bri walked in a little after five and said, “I’m dying for pizza. Want to split one with me?”
Normally she’d say no.
That she didn’t want to waste money on takeout when there was food in the house, but Bri was the one she talked to the least and figured since she was making an effort, it’d be the right thing to do.
“Sure. Should we wait for Amanda? She should be home in about thirty minutes or so too, right?”
“Nope. She texted to say she was being held up. She and I talked about ordering pizza earlier this morning before we left for work. We figured we’d talk to you when we got home.”
“If you don’t mind not waiting for Amanda, then I’d love to get pizza.”
“I’ll order it now. Veggie okay or do you like it loaded with meat?”
“I’m not fussy. Veggie is fine.” Pizza had always been a treat for her and she knew Bri prided herself on eating healthy. That she was splurging on pizza might mean something.
“It will be ready in thirty minutes. I’ll run and get it so you’ve got time to finish getting ready before you have to leave.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it. So what’s the occasion? You normally don’t eat like that.”
“Sam and I broke up. I need pizza and chocolate. If they’ve got dessert in the case when I get there, I’m buying one of everything.”
“I’m sorry,” Kayla said. She didn’t normally chat with girlfriends about things like this. Probably because she never had anyone close enough. Was that part of why she stayed on social media? So she could feel like she had a bond with women even though she didn’t talk to them? Reading about their lives made her feel like she could sort of fit in.
“It wasn’t working. He lives on the mainland and I’ve been going to see him. I was hoping he’d come see me more, but he doesn’t like it here.”
“How long were you dating?”
“Just a few months. Nothing major. But I’m ready to trash men tonight. I’d ask you to join me, but you’ve got that hunky guy of yours spoiling you left and right.”
Kayla snorted. “Spoiling? How is that?”
“I guess you’re right. You don’t really see much of him, do you? Just at work or not even then?”