She nods her head once; she knows how much I appreciate her. “Get out of here, wench.”
I started working at The Earl Marks Hotel a little over a month ago. So far, I’ve managed to fly under the manager’s radar. Pretty impressive for someone who has no idea whatthey are doing. I had training—they showed me everything I needed to know to man the main desk. Yet for the life of me, I cannot figure it out. Luckily, I’m never on my own, and when I can, I volunteer to help behind the scenes. It’s only two days a week, but it’s enough to contribute towards my apartment and bills.
I have support from Mason, and he chose from a list of apartments that Charlie and Vinny picked out for us. I had to put my pride aside and allow it, and in hindsight, I’m glad I did. I never would have managed in my one-bedroom apartment with a newborn baby. You couldn’t swing a cat in that place.
We live in an apartment in Pimlico. It’s compact and has two bedrooms but the lounge and kitchen are spacious and allow a safe living space for us both. It wasn’t what I wanted. I always thought I’d have a more homely place away from the busy city when I eventually had children, but that wasn’t an option with the number of people helping us on a daily basis. It worked for me to live close to the city centre, and if that meant swallowing my pride and accepting a little help, then I knew I had to do it. Not just for me, but for my son.
I can cover the majority of my rent with the money I make from my monthly wage which is a relief, but the bills and food, reluctantly, I have to take from the money Mason gives me.
We live frugally, but comfortably.
Vinny is waiting at the curb when I get to the bottom of my building’s steps. He always picks me up to take me to and from work. I start early and finish late. By the time I hitmonth eight of my pregnancy, I gave up being the hero and just got in the car. It was the easier option.
As much as I know Vinny cares, I also know ferrying me around London isn’t his doing. But to complain and draw attention to it means I have to facehim,and I’ve done just fine avoiding him this far.
“’Morning, Vin!” I smile, sliding into the front seat and kissing him on the cheek.
“You’re going to be late.” He scoffs, pulling out into traffic.
The sun is just coming up, peeking through the skyscrapers and beaming in through the windscreen, temporarily blinding me.
I flip down my visor. “You wouldn’t let me be late,” I tell him.
“Put your belt on, love,” he says, a small smile tugging at his top lip. “How is the little man this morning? He seemed fussy on Sunday. His teeth seem to be bothering him.”
“He slept right through. But I think you’re right, his bottom two are cutting through. I just hope they don’t take too much longer. For his sake.”
“Me too. I was hoping to take him out for the day on Thursday; you’re working, and Mason has a meeting. He said it was fine, but I thought I’d ask first.”
“You never need to ask permission to spend time with my son, Vinny,” I tell him, watching as his features warm at my words.
“Well, that’s settled then.” He jigs in his seat, almost as if he’s excited, and I turn to look out the window to save him the embarrassment of catching him.
Work is slow. We are so high-end that everyone moves at a snail’s pace. You wouldn’t catch someone bolting around the corridors at The Earl Marks. Nope. It’s caviar and suit jackets at breakfast. Well, maybe not caviar for breakfast, but it’s all very well-to-do business people here on conferences or work trips. That being said, I am paid extremely well here. Especially as my CV didn’t have a lot going for me. The pay and the extravagant tips make it worth my while. I learned to smile extra wide when I got my first fifty-pound tip for holding open a door.
Ridiculous.
Ashley, my work colleague, is processing a guest’s invoice and I am sitting waiting to call the valet for the guest. It’s a talent to get it here right on time, and so far, I have failed miserably. My hands sweat as I grip the phone tight, my eyes glued on his credit card in his hand, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
He pauses on the way to the card machine, and I lift my eyes to meet his. His dark brows are pulled in as he watches me watch him.
I plaster a smile on my face and relax the phone in my hand. “Hi.”
“Nina, could you check the delivery in the back office for me?” Ashley asks me, looking at me with a smirk.
“Sure.” I roll back my chair and smooth down my skirt, then make my way to the office, glad to be off the front desk. I can’t make a fool of myself back here.
Ashley strolls in a few minutes later.
“Why do you have to be such a creeper?” She chuckles, looking over at me from the door. “Leave that. I just needed you away from the guests.”
“I’m not that bad!”
“You were staring all wide-eyed at him.” She laughs. “He asked if you were okay when you left.”
“Great, they think I’m crazy.”
“Come on, we have a shit ton of emails to get through this morning.”
