by Judith Keim
Tim took a seat. “By the way, Troy is interested in having the apartment. He’d be glad to pay rent, but I told him that maybe he could do extra work at the hotel in return for rent. Like you do for me.”
“You mean when he’s not busy with clients?” I wondered how many free hours he’d have. Ours was a small spa that could handle only a couple of clients at a time.
“Good idea,” said Rhonda. “We can train him for front desk work, so we have more than Dave or Julie to back you up.”
“I think Tina is going to move in with him,” said Tim, glancing uncertainly at me. He was aware of Tina’s story.
The thought didn’t alarm me. I’d seen how protective of her Troy was. As the business in the spa began to grow, Troy had asked for permission to enlist Tina’s help by acting as hostess to his clients and coordinating the schedule for the nail salon. At first, we weren’t sure about Tina handling fussy guests, but after keeping a careful eye on her, we were satisfied. It brought out a different, more caring side of her. And I was sure if Barbara felt it wasn’t healthy, as Tina’s therapist, she’d say something to her.
Later, when I had a free moment, I headed over to the spa to see Troy and Tina. Funny, I mused, how that difficult, obnoxious girl had wheedled her way into my heart. With Liz and Angela away, I liked the idea of her sticking around.
As I entered the spa, I was greeted with a pleasant hello.
I returned Tina’s smile. Sitting behind a small reception desk, she looked like the perfect hostess, showing enough toned body to be pleasing.
“Where’s Troy?” I asked.
She indicated one of the closed doors off to the side. “He’s with a client. We’re starting to get traffic from the locals.” She gave me a look of satisfaction. “He’s really good. All the ladies like him.”
Seeing that we were alone, I took a seat in a chair beside the desk. “Tim says that Troy wants the apartment here. He says you might move in with him.”
Tina looked off into space and then turned her gaze to me. “I talked it over with Barbara. She thinks it might be a good way for me to learn to trust men. She met Troy and liked him.” Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink color. “He and I haven’t ... you know ... I guess you say ... gone to bed...yet. Weird, huh?”
“Nice,” I said firmly. “He strikes me as a very good guy. This is the way things might have been for you...” I let my words hang in the air.
“If I hadn’t been forced into the movie business.” Above her curled lips, her nostrils flared. “I never want to go back there, do those things. With my money out of my mother’s hands, I won’t have to.”
“Does your mother know that?”
Tina shook her head. “She thinks I’m recovering from the accident. She doesn’t realize that I’m recovering from her treatment of me.”
I reached over and clasped her hand. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re a very brave young woman. It isn’t easy to dump baggage.” My smile was weak. “I’m still learning to let go of a few things myself.”
“It’s hard, huh?”
I grinned and pushed my grandmother’s image out of my mind. “Yeah, it’s freaking hard.”
We laughed together.
“Are you going to be content to do this kind of work for any length of time? Doesn’t it seem boring to you?”
Tina shrugged. “For the time being, it’s teaching me how nice people can be. A lot of Troy’s clients are older ladies who have no idea who I am. I like it.”
“We’re going to have to hire you officially,” I said. “Come to the office and fill out the proper paperwork.”
“Yeah? What are you going to pay me?”
I laughed at the teasing look she gave me. “We’ll discuss it in my office.”
Troy came out of the private room he’d been in. He smiled when he saw me.
“Did Tim talk to you about the apartment?”
“It’s yours, but we need to talk about the financial arrangements. We’d like to offer you the chance to learn our front desk procedures and become a part-time team member in lieu of paying rent.”
“Okay,” he said agreeably. “And, Ann, Tina is going to move in with me.”
“Yes, I know.”
Tina turned to him. “Don’t worry about paying rent. I’ve got enough money to pay rent.”
He held up a hand. “I take care of myself. Remember?”
The smile that crossed Tina’s face reminded me of the Cheshire Cat. I realized Troy had passed a test of hers and was even more impressed with the changes in her.
Long after I left them, I thought of my own relationship with Vaughn. He made a lot of money, but we’d agreed early on that our finances would remain separate. That’s the way I wanted it. Even now, being officially engaged to him, I wouldn’t take advantage of him. Though I might struggle from time to time and worry about the hotel’s success, it made my life my own. My independence was important to me. After being overshadowed by Robert who took credit for all the work I’d done in setting up the business he then called his own, I’d vowed to never let a man diminish me. Fortunately, Vaughn was a secure man who understood.
When I went back to the office Rhonda was busy on the computer.
“What are you doing?” I asked, taking a seat at my desk.
“Brenda sent a list of requirements for the royal wedding. Wait until you see it. It’s a mile long.”
I frowned. “Why is she so late sending this to us? I’ve reminded her a couple of times.”
“She apologized, but said the bride has been difficult and wouldn’t agree to everything her mother wanted until now.”
“Is there anything on the list we should worry about?”
Rhonda turned to me with a worried look. “Two things. First of all, the number of guests has been cut. So now we can release some of those rooms, but it makes it a little difficult to provide privacy if we have a lot of other guests.”
“What else?” I braced myself for more bad news.
“The Hassels want German food for the wedding dinner.” She frowned. “I don’t think Jean-Luc will be happy about that.”
I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and squeezed my hands together. Jean-Luc prided himself on his French continental cooking.
“You’d better tell him. Not me,” said Rhonda. “I’ll save any fight with him for later.”
I sighed. “First, let’s go over the rest of the items on the list.”
Rhonda and I studied the Hassels’ requests. Nothing else seemed too difficult. We could rent the two additional limousines they required, handle the reservations, and deal with the wedding planner they’d lined up, though I’d never heard of Lorraine Grace at Wedding Perfection.
Going over the details, I realized what a difficult situation lay ahead of us. Charlotte Hassel, the bride’s mother, was apparently as much a bridezilla as her daughter Katrina. There was an imperious tone to the requests that spelled trouble.
I sat back in my chair. “We’re going to have to be very careful how we handle this wedding group. Maybe we should hire a few extra people for the event.”
“We can use more part-time service help for the holidays anyway. If we start training them now, they should be ready for New Year’s and the wedding.”
“Okay, you speak to Sabine and Consuela about hiring and I’ll call the wedding planner. We can’t waste any time coordinating with her. There are only four weeks before the wedding and a little more than three weeks before they all arrive.” My stomach churned at the thought of what lay ahead. For once, I was glad Vaughn wasn’t there to distract me.
When I spoke to Lorraine Grace at Wedding Perfection she apologized profusely for not being in touch. “The contract was just signed,” she explained. “Ordinarily, I wouldn’t take on a client this late in the game, but as you can imagine, the draw of a royal wedding was too irresistible to turn down. I’m new in town and trying to build up the business I had in St. Louis.”
“I understa
nd the clients are difficult,” I said, “which is why we want to work closely with you. When can we meet here at the hotel?”
“Let’s do it tomorrow morning. I love The Beach House Hotel but I need to see the hotel from their perspective and take measurements of the dining room in particular. I’ll bring my notes and we can go over everything then.”
“That will be fine. Rhonda and I will both sit in on the meeting.” Disconnecting the call, I felt much better about things. Though it was the first time Lorraine had overseen a wedding at our hotel, she seemed very capable. Her contribution would make a huge difference to us.
That afternoon, I went to see Jean-Luc in the kitchen. Observing him and noting the deference his staff gave him, I sometimes thought of him as an aging lion in his lair.
I approached him carefully.
He looked up from the paperwork he was studying. “Oui?”
I cleared my throat. “Jean-Luc, remember the wedding that’s scheduled for January 5th?”
“The royal wedding.”
“I know you were planning a special meal for them, some of your favorite French recipes but, well...because they’re German, they want a traditional German meal.”
I stepped back.
Jean-Luc slapped the counter with the palm of his hand. “Mais non! German food? Merde!”
I drew a calming breath and continued. “I’ve printed out what they want. You and Rhonda can work out the recipes. Fortunately, the wedding party has been reduced considerably so you’ll be able to do your usual, delicious meals for our other guests.”
I handed him the menu and turned to go.
“It’s not your fault, Ann, but this is a...what do you call it? A slap in the face to me.”
“I’m sorry, Jean-Luc, but we do everything we can to please our guests, and this is one of those times.”
He shrugged, and I left as quickly as I could.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Lorraine Grace was the epitome of elegance when she arrived at the hotel for our meeting. Her hair dyed a light gold, shone in a sleek bob. Her dark eyes were bright and all-seeing as she shook my hand and then gazed around the front entry with interest. She was dressed conservatively in a black linen dress with simple lines that covered a rather bony structure.
I introduced myself to her and explained that Rhonda would be with us shortly.
“Let me show you around the first floor so you can get a good idea of the setting for the reception and dinner,” I said.
“Yes, I will need to do that,” Lorraine said. “I need everything to be perfect.”
“How did the Hassels learn about you?”
“Friends of friends, that sort of thing. Apparently, Joseph Hassel sometimes does business in St. Louis and mentioned this wedding.” She smiled at me. “Small world, isn’t it?”
“Oh, yes. We see that sort of thing with our guests all the time.”
I showed Lorraine the library, the private dining room, the living area and then led her into the guest dining room.
“This space is very adaptable, easily changing from a casual setting for breakfast to a more elegant offering. Rhonda had her own wedding reception here.”
“Good. I like the nice clean lines of the room. It allows me more freedom to do what I need to do to make the room the way they want it.”
“And what would that be?” said Rhonda, joining us. She winked at me, telling me in her own private way that her visit to the OB had gone well.
A frown appeared on Lorraine’s brow and was quickly smoothed out by an unenthusiastic smile. “In talking to the bride’s mother I’ve learned the reluctant bride is very difficult. Concessions have been made. Bribery involved.”
“And?” I choked on the word, dreading what was coming.
“And she wants a German biergarten effect, complete with centerpieces placed in antique beer bottles.”
“What a bunch of crap!” sputtered Rhonda. “Our place isn’t a tavern!”
Lorraine’s hands fluttered frantically in front of her face like the wings of a distressed butterfly. “I know, I know. But this is where compromise comes in. I’m renting a number of potted palms that I will cover with miniature lights and place around the room in various spots as if the guests were sitting outside. And the glass bottles are in place of the beer steins the daughter wanted to be used in the centerpieces. Little by little, I’m being allowed to make changes. Next, I’ll make sure we can use tropical flowers and white tablecloths.”
Shaking her head, Rhonda sank down on a chair. “Why do I have the horrible feeling we’re being gamed? None of this makes any sense.”
I wanted to disagree with Rhonda but I couldn’t. Something was off.
“You say she’s a reluctant bride?” said Rhonda. “I think, to get back at her parents, she’s making it as difficult as possible. Maybe we shouldn’t take this on.”
A look of panic filled Lorraine’s aging face. “You can’t back out. I’ve committed a lot of my own money to this project.”
“You haven’t been paid anything?” I asked, unable to hold back my dismay.
Lorraine shook her head. “Not until they get here.”
Goosebumps sprinted up and down my back.
“Good thing we got something from them,” said Rhonda.
I’d made a pest of myself by insisting a healthy deposit be made on the rooms they’d originally requested, but even then we’d lose out if the event wasn’t held here.
“I need this job,” said Lorraine. “I moved here with my husband, who’s ill.”
Rhonda and I exchanged looks of concern.
“We’ll go ahead with it, but it won’t be the same,” I warned Lorraine. “The Hassels originally wanted to book the entire hotel, then only eight rooms. Now we’ve released half of those rooms, hoping we can sell them at the last minute.”
“And they’ll have to use the small dining room for the reception and dinner so as not to disturb any other guests,” said Rhonda, getting to her feet. “C’mon, Lorraine, you’d better meet our chef, Jean-Luc.”
I left them and went into the office to call Brenda.
A while later, Rhonda walked into the office. “What a mess. These people are royal all right. Royal pains in the ass.”
“I called Brenda. She said the daughter is putting up a fuss about the wedding out of jealousy. It seems her little sister is the apple of her parents’ eyes. And she is now engaged to the man Katrina once loved. They sound like a family that should be featured in Vaughn’s soap opera.”
“On a happier note, the baby and I are doing fine,” Rhonda grinned. “Dr. Benson says he’s growing well.”
I perked up. “He? Did they do the test? Have you been told it’s a boy?”
Rhonda shook her head. “Naw, in a couple of weeks we can have the test done, but I know it’s a boy—a boy for Will. I feel it in my gut.” She laughed and patted her stomach. “You know what I mean. Right here.”
I chuckled. The excitement of Rhonda and Will’s baby was a welcome relief from the worries of preparing for what I was sure would be the worst wedding ever.
The plans for the Christmas Open House moved forward. Dorothy Stern was handling the reservations for it. Each afternoon when she arrived at the office, she eagerly went through the mail and emails as if she were giving the party herself.
Watching her, I couldn’t help smiling. This sense of participation was something we encouraged in our help. Whether they were full-time or part-time, we asked that they consider the hotel their own. Amazingly, over the past two years, we’d had to fire only two people. Two others had left for personal reasons, but the remaining staff was loyal to us and to the hotel.
Now, with the wedding on the horizon, we’d taken on three new people. A housekeeper, a prep cook, and a bartender. With high season arriving soon, the months of January through April, they would be well used.
I did the last of a background check on the prep cook and satisfied that all was well, went into the kitchen
tell Jean-Luc that he would start as planned.
Jean-Luc was growling to himself as he mixed a batter of some kind. I knew enough not to ask him what it was. Ever since he’d been given the menu for the wedding, he’d been spending time fiddling with recipes for Wiener Schnitzel, trying to make it more acceptable in his eyes. Now, a pile of very thinly sliced apples lay on the workspace next to him. The batter, I suspected, was the apple cake the bride wanted as her wedding cake.
“Miguel is all set,” I informed him. “He’s officially on our payroll.”
He nodded and then stopped mixing the batter and looked up at me with pure disgust. “Ann, this wedding, I can’t believe it’s for real.”
“I understand, but they’ve paid a lot of money so far to have it exactly the way they want it.”
He shook his head. “C’est terrible! But for you and Rhonda I do it. Not for them!”
“Thank you, I appreciate it.” I didn’t blame Jean-Luc for feeling the way he did, but we had to go forward with the wedding plans as specified. If we didn’t, and it was all too real, our reputation would be tarnished.
I left him and went back to the office. Year-end results would be needed within the month, and I wanted to get a head start on them.
The ringing of my phone pulled me away from my work. I picked up my cell. Smiling at the picture on my phone, I said, “Hey, Vaughn! How’s California?” The last of the filming on the movie was being done there.
“It’s going well, but there’s something I need to tell you.”
The ends of my nerves tingled with a warning. He normally didn’t call in the middle of his afternoon. “Yes?”
“I met Lily Dorio for lunch, and we were photographed together. You know how rumors start out here. I wanted to give you a heads-up.”
My mouth went dry. “Lily Dorio? After what she did to you? To us?” A sick feeling washed over me. Lily had let the whole world think she was carrying Vaughn’s child. It had taken me a while to understand the downside of stardom and to try to deal with it. I still didn’t like it.