Even if Rosie could barely stand Alejandro, or pretty much any of the senior staff at the Duke, she could sympathize. “That’s awful. Was anyone hurt?”
“A few of the kitchen staff suffered minor burns. Then we fired the line cook who started it because he was drunk. Now we have to close the restaurant, which isn’t ideal during the holiday season. To make things worse, the rooms above the kitchen suffered serious smoke and electrical damage. We were able to move the guests around temporarily, but we have a sizeable group coming this afternoon that needs their rooms. And—as you probably guessed—we’re fully booked this week.”
Of course you are.“Why not prioritize the existing guests and move the incoming group somewhere else?”
“No can do. They’re here for a convention. Something to do with green energy? Or conservation? We can’t boot them out, not if we want their group to return next year.”
As the realization struck Rosie, she couldn’t help but grin. “So you’re askingusto host the displaced guests?”
Over the past year, there had been a few times when other hotels in the area had “walked” their guests to the Duchess—a hotel term that meant sending them elsewhere versusliterallywalking them over. But the Grand Duke had never sent guests their way.
“We didn’t have much choice,” Alejandro said. “Usually we’d ask the Hotel Grand Pacific or the Magnolia to accommodate them, but they’re full. And we all know your hotel hasn’t exactly been overflowing with guests.”
Ignoring his dig, she responded cheerfully. “We’d be happy to help. If you want to send them over, I’ll alert the staff, and we’ll make sure we have rooms ready for them.”
“Knew I could count on you, princesa. I’m sending you an email with all the details. Keep in mind that these guests might be a tad grumpy since the Duchess is a considerable downgrade. But I’m sure you’ll do your best.”
The downgrade comment was uncalled for, but she let it pass. After chatting with him for a few more minutes, she ended the call and refreshed her email. Sure enough, the list was there. Enough guests to bump their occupancy rate to a whopping eighty-five percent. Not wanting to waste any time, she radioed housekeeping and the front desk.
Minutes later, a knock came at her door. “Come in,” she called out.
Charlie popped her head in. “I can’t believe Alejandro is sending guests here!”
Rosie motioned her inside. “I know, right? But we have rooms available, and we’re only a block away from the Duke. I’ll take it as a win.”
“It’s a major win.” Charlie clasped her hands together. “We have to make these poor souls feel like VIPs. Free drink coupons for our weeknight happy hour. Christmas cookies. Maybe a few other goodies. They’re going to love it here.”
“They might not be that appreciative. If anything, they’ll be pissed they got booted from the Duke.”
“Then we’ll make this a positive experience for them. But right now, we’re understaffed because Bri’s home with the flu. Any chance you could jump in and help me out?”
“Absolutely. I forwarded you Alejandro’s list, but let me print out a copy for myself.” Rosie took another sip of coffee and winced, realizing it had gone cold. She’d have to reheat it in the microwave later.
“I’m so glad we’re getting more guests,” Charlie said. “I forgot to mention—we got a couple of stellar reviews on Expedia. Both were from families that were part of the Restall reunion. They loved our holiday activities.”
“That was quick. Most of the Restalls just checked out yesterday.”
“Laurel also told me one of Sofia’s videos got tons of views! Guess which one it was.”
Rosie grabbed a peppermint candy from a bowl on her desk and popped it into her mouth. “The video with the photo booth?”
“No. The one where she talked about our ‘hot Santa’ and showed her viewers what a delight he was.”
“What?” Rosie’s heart began beating frantically. This was too much excitement for a Monday morning. “What hot Santa video?”
“You didn’t see it? Oh my God, it was awesome!” Charlie took out her phone and pulled up the video. “Check it out.”
Rosie watched in stunned silence. At some point, Sofia had conducted a mock interview with Santa, where she teased him about his workout regimen. Drew had played along, telling her how he could lift a reindeer over his head and did weight training using sacks of toys.
How had Rosie missed it? Maybe it had happened while she was taking a breather in the washroom. Either way, there was no denying Drew was a complete charmer, his eyes twinkling as he bantered with Sofia.
She handed the phone back to Charlie. “Why does he keep getting more irresistible? How am I supposed to keep things platonic?”
“From what I saw on Saturday, you’re way past that point. If I hadn’t interrupted, you two might have had sex in the breakfast room.”
Rosie frowned. “I’d never do anything so unhygienic. Not to mention, there are two security cameras in that room.”
“I guess it’s notthatromantic. But you could have brought him back to your apartment afterward.” Charlie placed her hand over her mouth. “Ooh, is that what you did?”
