“What was he doing there?” Rosie demanded. “Pepe’s isourhangout.”
“Who knows? Out drinking with his minions? Looking for innocent women to lure into his web? But when he saw me, he justhadto make my night even more unbearable.”
Though none of the Damsels liked the stuck-up managers at the Grand Duke, Selena was unrivaled in her hatred of Alejandro. True, he was known for his condescending attitude, but no one had clashed with him the way she had.
“What did he do?” Charlie asked.
“He started bragging about all the prestigious events his hotel was going to be hosting this fall. Like a huge society wedding at the end of September and a fancy Hollywood-type gala in October, for some big-deal fantasy show from Vancouver.”
“A fantasy show? Do you meanThe Hidden Forest?” Even if Charlie hadn’t watched it in years, she’d always dreamed of meeting the cast members.
“That’s the one. Apparently, they’re celebrating their hundredth episode.”
“Why are they hosting the event in Victoria?” Charlie asked. “Why not at a hotel in Vancouver?”
“Alejandro said the show’s executive producer has ties with the CEO of Royal Host—the company that manages the Duke. Something like that. Anyway…” Selena drew out the word. “I should have stopped after my third drink because I couldn’t keep my big mouth shut. Instead, I bragged about us hostingCanada’s Most Haunted.”
No.Charlie’s gut knotted into a tight ball. “We’re not even sure if they’re going to pick us. And we don’t have any evidence our hotel is haunted yet.”
Selena groaned. “I know, but I had to say something. Which backfired because he laughed at me. He said someone from the show had already met with him, and he’d turned them down.”
“I should have told you the Duke was the show’s first choice,” Charlie said. “That’s on me.”
“No, this mistake is all my fault.” Selena tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ears. “Now, Alejandro thinks we’re even more of a joke. Worse yet, he said he’ll be ‘watching closely’ to see how this plays out.”
“You don’t think he’ll try to discredit us, do you?” Rosie asked.
The concern on her face ramped up Charlie’s anxiety. She didn’t need their biggest rival spreading rumors that the Duchess was so desperate for attention they’d fake a haunting. “It might be okay. I haven’t done any background research yet, so I still might find something. All I did was check out the show with Knox. He came over last night and watched a bunch of episodes with me.”
Admitting it filled her with a surge of pride. Like she’d accomplished a huge goal, rather than taking a baby step.
Rosie brightened. “Yes. How’d it go?”
Charlie responded with a dreamy smile. “It was so nice. We totally bonded.”
“Bonded as in talked, or bonded as in you dragged him into your bedroom and had your way with him?” Selena’s grin made it clear she was over her momentary bout of self-loathing.
“Just talked, though he did come into my bedroom. Not to have sex, but…because I wanted to show him all my books. Of course, he noticed the stack with the spicy romances first.”
“Girl, your TBR pile is out of control,” Selena said. “You’re lucky he didn’t run screaming from your apartment.”
“I know. But he told me he collects paperbacks, too. And then, when we were leaving…” Charlie went on to explain the awkward situation with her parents and Randolph, which had led to her spending an hour with Knox at a nearby cove. “Even if the night didn’t end on a romantic note, we definitely connected.”
Selena placed her hand over her heart. “I love this for you. But you know this is only the first step, right? You lit the match, and now you’ve got to fan the flame.”
“I agree with Selena,” Rosie said. “Stay on him. Since you’re working on this show together, you’ll have lots of excuses to hang out. The next time you’re alone, try dropping a few romantic hints.”
Romantic hints? To be honest, dealing with ghosts might be less terrifying.
* * *
Charlie had intendedto hole up in her office and start researching the hotel’s history, but she got stuck dealing with one crisis after another. Like the fallout from a computer glitch that messed up a ton of reservations. And the loss of two newly trained employees, who’d gotten better offers from the Grand Duke. Now, she was filling in at the front desk for a clerk who’d taken off for a few hours to handle an issue with her son’s school.
She did her best to greet the guests with her cheerful customer-service smile in place, even though her mind was plagued with worries. Foremost among her concerns was Selena’s confrontation with Alejandro. Did they need to do damage control, or was Selena overreacting because she hated him so much?
Charlie’s mood worsened when Preston strode over to the front desk with a serious expression on his face. “Charlotte. Did you make any progress this weekend?”
No matter how many times she asked him to call her Charlie, he never listened. “Yes. Knox and I watched a bunch of episodes ofCanada’s Most Haunted, and we took notes. We got a good sense of what ghost hunters look for when they visit a haunted location.”
