“Ah! I saw they renamed it; there’s an announcement on the banner surrounding the site. El Escondite. From the renderings underneath, it looks like it’s going to be pretty fancy.”
“Not fancy, just very Spanish and very welcoming. My girl knows what she’s doing.” Stella was close to bursting with pride. She’d listened in on Lisa’s phone conversations on their drive back and she’d been impressed by her professionalism and leadership skills. She made herself an espresso behind the pool bar and handed one to Manuel. “So, what’s been happening here?”
“Nothing much. They started some minor repairs in the building, which is good. Now that the group has money after the Sunset sale, there have even been rumours that they’re going to spruce up the poolside.”
“Excellent. I was hoping they’d do that.” Stella checked her watch. “I actually have a meeting with Mr Avery in ten minutes. He never calls me in last-minute, so I’m sure it’s got something to do with planned renovations.”
“Make sure to pass on the info, I’d love to know what’s in the planning. Unless he’s going to fire you for sleeping with the guests,” Manuel joked.
“Not funny.” Stella gave him a slap on his shoulder and knocked back her espresso. “Will you take over my lifeguard duty while I’m up there?”
* * *
Unlike his predecessor, Mr Avery wasn’t a typical managing director. Never one to dress formally or even follow formal procedures very often, he was more of a hands-on type, juggling budgets and filling one hole by digging another rather than making his staff go through lengthy procedures if they needed something. Stella knew he hadn’t had an easy time since he’d started three years ago. The pandemic had wiped his ambitious two-year upgrade plan out of the window, leaving him with huge problems rather than opportunities. When he started, he was full of optimism and energy, his glowing tan a testimony to his fun-loving lifestyle. Now, he looked like the average British man in his fifties; pale, slightly chubby, and his hair was thinning at the crown of his head.
Stella glanced around the office when his assistant, Kira, let her in. The strong scent of paint thinner hit her immediately, and she was pleased to see that one wall had had a fresh lick of paint. Carpenters were filling holes and cracks in the wall at the far end of the room, and the roof terrace was being cleaned. “It’s looking better already,” she said, smiling at him as she sat down on the opposite side of his big desk.
“Yes, it is. I needed something to give me my drive back.” He smiled back at her. “It’s not just the top floor that will be fixed, of course; we’ll be working our way through the building, and that includes the poolside.”
“That’s great.” Stella leaned in and folded her arms. “I assume that’s why you wanted to speak to me?”
“Yes and no. We’ve got a pretty big team of contractors on this, and the hotel will be closed during the heavy work. The plans will be discussed with all the managers, but I can’t go into detail until we have the final schedule. The poolside renovation is booked in for early October so we’re not taking on any bookings during that period, and we’ve diverted all existing bookings to our sister hotels with an offer of a fifty per cent discount or a hundred per cent cancellation refund. So far, so good.” Mr Avery thanked Kira when she poured them each a glass of sparkling water. “But more about that later. I actually wanted to discuss something else with you.” He handed Stella a printout of an email exchange between a party organiser and the head of events for Paradise Group. “We’ve had a request from a British organisation. They want to block out the entire hotel for a three-day event. Their current venue has closed down, and they’re in a rush to find an alternative. If we hold off on bookings the weekend after the poolside renovation, it would be great timing.”
Stella took her time to read through the exchange, then looked up at him. “We’ve never done big events here, but you’re right; it would be good timing. Simultaneously it’s also a chance to get our ratings up. The hotel will look better right after the refurbishment, and people are generally very generous with positive feedback if they’ve had a good time.” She looked at him quizzically. “So why are you asking me what I think? It’s a no-brainer.”
“Well, the thing is, it’s not specified in this particular email but it’s an LGBTQ organisation and they want to hold a long women’s only weekend here. The event was supposed to be in July, as part of Pride month celebrations, but they moved it to later in the year as the rules on big gatherings were still too strict then. And then their venue closed down so they’ve been terribly unlucky.” Mr Avery blushed and looked down at his desk. “I know nothing about this community, and neither do most people who work here, so I discussed it with Kira and she pointed out that you were…”
“Gay?” Stella finished his sentence with an amused grin.
“Yes, exactly. If we take on the booking, we’ll need someone to liaise with the organiser and it may be best if that someone is part of their…” He hesitated again. “Community? Can I say that?”
“Sure, you can say that.” Stella chuckled as she’d never seen him this crimson before. “And so you need my help?”
“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “I know events is not part of your job description, but I think you might be the right person for this. You’re good with people and you have great management skills.”
“Oh. Well, thank you for thinking of me, it certainly sounds fun.” Stella handed him back the sheets, excited to take on a new challenge. “You seem uncomfortable with the fact that this is a women only event. Am I right?”
“Not uncomfortable, it’s just new to me.” He paused. “I wanted your opinion and to see if you were onboard, I guess. Before we confirm the booking.”
“Okay, in that case, consider me onboard. As long as I can do it within my workweek, I’m happy to take the lead on this from our side.”
“Great.” Stella could see his shoulders drop in relief. “Kira will put you in contact with the right people and you can take it from there. I don’t think it will take up more than four hours of your time a week. Just follow up on their requests, they’ll provide you with the budget.”
“Thanks.” She stood up and realised now was the time to discuss outstanding matters. She wasn’t in his office very often and since she was doing him a favour, she should seize the opportunity. “Just one thing,” she said, lingering by the door. “We need a new speaker for the poolside. It’s started to crackle and—”
“Consider it done.” Mr Avery smiled and stood up to walk her out. “And anything else you need. Within reason, of course.” When he opened the door, a huge sweat patch was visible under his armpit. “Thank you, Stella. Kira will be in touch.”
60
“Wow, look at the progress,” Lisa said, glancing around the poolside that looked close to finished now.
“Yes, it’s looking good.” Marcy said, removing her toolbelt. “I had a couple of days off too, and I’m pleased with the result.” She dropped it into her leather tool bag behind the bar and fished out her wallet, then slipped it into the back pocket of her jeans. “Been anywhere nice?”
“Seville.” Lisa smiled and felt herself blush. “With Stella. Her family lives there.”
“No way!” Marcy’s eyes widened. “That’s a bit soon to meet the parents, don’t you think?”
“Maybe. But things are good between us and unlike you, I’m not a commitment-phobe,” Lisa joked. She’d had fleeting conversations with Marcy over the past week and was baffled by how she’d hopped from one woman to the other.
