I’m not sure what his problem with me was, but it sure as hell wasn’t going to get in the way of me doing my job. Once Bev saw how much of an asset I could be, then I’m sure she would sign the contract. She had said it herself. They were drowning. I just needed to make a good impression tomorrow and hit the ground running with whatever work needed to be done.
Giles Stone was not my problem, and I refused to spend one more iota of energy being worried about winning him over.
ChapterEleven
“Good morning.”I swept into the lobby bright and early with a drink carrier full of coffee in tow.
Bev was sitting at the front desk. Unfortunately for me, Giles was seated beside her.
“Well, aren’t you Ms. Rise-and-Shine?” Bev took one of the cups I handed her and sipped it gratefully.
“I got up a couple of hours ago. I wanted to make sure I got here early enough to have time for a tour. Plus, I had to check out that cute cafe across the street from your house. It’s adorable in there.”
“Lucy’s place,” Bev said.
“I love that everyone knows everyone here."
“It’s a small town. You’ll get to know all of the locals soon enough.”
“Good morning, Giles. Coffee?” I handed him a cup in what I hoped could be considered a peace offering.
To my genuine surprise, he nodded and took it from me without a fight.
“Thanks,” he said.
“So, are you ready to give me the tour? I’m so excited to see everything. Are the rooms all the same inside? Can I see an example of every layout?”
Giles side-eyed Bev.
“You’re quite the burst of energy.” She chuckled before finally eyeing my new vibrant coat. “Um, that’s a loud coat you’ve got yourself there.”
Giles smirked into his coffee cup.
“Isn’t it fun,” I replied, shaking it off my shoulders. “The store didn’t have many options, but I feel like now that I have it, I might as well embrace it.”
“I might need sunglasses if you’re going to show up every day wearing that,” Giles said. This time there was a playfulness in his voice.
I laughed maniacally. “That’s funny,” I choked out.
They eyed me like they thought I should be medicated, so I cleared my throat to try to bring it down a notch. My nerves were getting the best of me. I had been up since five a.m. and had already consumed four cups of coffee. My jittery energy was not giving off the stellar first-day-on-the-job impression I wanted.
“So,” I started again. “The tour?”
“Right, yes.” Bev got up and came around to the other side of the desk.
She took my coat and placed it on a nearby hook.
“Off the main lobby, through this hallway, are twenty-five rooms.” We walked down a short hallway, and she pointed out the different types of rooms. “Straight through this hallway, there’s an exit and a stairwell. The stairs take you to a second and third floor with twenty-five additional rooms each. The only other way up to the rooms is through the elevator off the main lobby. If you head out the exit in the stairwell, it’ll take you to our fenced-in spa area. We have a ten-person jacuzzi that’s popular with the guests after a long day of skiing.”
We poked our heads outside briefly, and I saw the spa area in question. It looked clean and had a few chairs scattered around. I made a mental note to buy some string lights to hang over the top.
“Do you have a map of the lodge anywhere?” I asked as we closed the door to the outside.
“Nope, I know this place like the back of my hand.”
“It’s just they can be helpful for guests. I can whip one up in photoshop and print some out. We can place a few in the hallways.”
“Sure, if you think the guests will like that. I guess we do get a lot of questions about where the hot tub is. People tend to stop paying attention when you tell them where everything is located during check-in.”
