She couldn’t say for sure yet, but she was feeling optimistic. “I think so. For now, I’m not going to worry about it. Let’s just enjoy our first Christmas together.”
Hopefully, it would be the first of many.
Twenty-Eight
January11
Once again, Rosie sat in her boss’s office, awaiting his verdict.
Though he’d called her in to discuss her future, she wasn’t sure what his decision would be. After she’d stood up to him on Christmas Day, he’d cooled toward her a little. Less sociable chatter, fewer compliments about the efforts she’d made. But regardless of his attitude, she’d still shown up and done the work. At times, she’d felt anxious, not knowing whether she’d be let go in January, but Drew and her family had offered their full support.
No matter what he decided, she was confident she’d done a kick-ass job making the Duchess holiday-friendly. Not just her, but all the Damsels. Together, they’d increased the hotel’s occupancy rate, garnered attention on social media, and bumped up its rankings on Tripadvisor, Google, and Expedia. Though they hadn’t repeated their Christmas miracle of filling every room, they’d come close. Their Boxing Week special had drawn in a lot of guests, and they’d started getting bookings for spring break.
Preston turned his attention toward her. “Thanks for waiting. Before I discuss your future at the Duchess, I wanted to talk to you about the conversation we had on Christmas Day.”
Oh shit, here it comes.She braced herself, gripping the arms of her chair.
“To be honest, at first, I was insulted by your accusation. I almost retaliated in anger, but I let your words sit with me.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “And then I remembered that my AGM at the Devonshire accused me of the same thing. Of running him into the ground just to get the results I needed.”
Rosie blinked, shocked that he’d admit this much to her. “I had no idea.”
“Yes, well, whenever I’ve shared my Devonshire stories, I tend to take most of the credit. Which isn’t true. Not by a long shot. But that’s the reason the Lyons family hired me to run the Duchess. And as with the Devonshire, I promised them they’d get the results they wanted, even if it meant working my assistant manager to the bone.”
Given what Rosie knew of the hospitality industry, his behavior wasn’t that surprising, but his willingness to confess it took her aback.
He continued. “Because of your experience at the hotel, I leaned on you more than I should have, but I never meant to take advantage. You’ve done so much over the past two months, and what’s more, you got your entire team on board. Instead of showing my appreciation, all I did was increase my demands. That’s not the way to be a good manager. Going forward, I’ll try to do better.”
These were words she’d never envisioned hearing from her boss. “It’s all right. Thank you, sir.”
“No. Thankyou, Rosie, for everything you’ve done to make the Duchess the most holiday-forward hotel in Victoria.”
“It wasn’t just me. My entire team pitched in, as did many of the other staff members.”
“I was impressed with the way you pulled everyone together, for the good of the hotel.” He shuffled a few papers together. “Back in October, when I began working here, I figured the easiest way to take over would be to start fresh with a new managerial team. Now I realize how wrong I was. Even the most experienced staff in the country wouldn’t share your devotion to this hotel. You really care about the Duchess.”
“We all do. I know we’ll never be at the level of the Grand Duke, but I think we’re more charming and down-to-earth.”
“I agree. With that in mind, I hope you’ll be willing to continue your role as the AGM of the Duchess.”
Her relief was so palpable that she almost burst into tears. “Thank you. I’d love to stay, but I’d also like to keep my team in place.”
“Yes, of course. I have no intention of letting anyone go. And I fully intend to dole out Christmas bonuses to all of you, even if they’re a little late.”
Thank God. She couldn’t wait to tell the Damsels. Now, they could finally relax, knowing they wouldn’t be facing the prospect of unemployment.
Preston cleared his throat. “However, I don’t want us to rest on our laurels, so to speak. Given our success in bringing holiday cheer to the Duchess, we’ll want to continue the tradition next year. I also think we could lean in to a few other holidays, like Valentine’s Day or Easter. And definitely Halloween.”
While his eagerness was admirable, she wanted to make sure he understood the costs. “Sounds like a great plan. We should create a master calendar to schedule all our events, and we’ll need a bigger budget. Our success this season partly came about because of the staff’s generosity. They baked cookies and contributed craft items, all without compensation. In the future, we want to make sure we’re not asking for any unpaid labor.”
Preston blanched. “Right. We can’t have that. Let’s set up a meeting with the head of accounting next week. Then we can make sure we have enough funds set aside.”
“Excellent. The Grand Duke might boast about their High Tea, but we could be known as Victoria’s premier destination for holiday travel.”
“Yes, and we’ll start by focusing on Valentine’s Day. We could make this the most romance-forward hotel in all of Victoria.”
“Brilliant idea, sir. If there’s one thing I love, it’s romance.”
Or rather, she did now. Ever since she and Drew had gotten back together on Christmas Eve, he’d become an integral part of her life. Most nights, he slept over at her apartment, and she cherished their mornings together, planning their days over coffee and smoothies.
