“I’m not sure what sort of delay there is in the kitchen this evening, as I understand they’re working on a skeleton crew because of the party tonight. Oh, yes, Mr. Werner. I quite understand. Sometimes curling up with a good book is a lovely way to spend the evening. Happy New Year to you, too.”
Sage finished the email and clicked send to the kitchen. He wasn’t sure how it was Mr. Werner could have such a pleasant evening scoffing that much uncooked mince -maybe he has a dog, or something paranormal like a dog,Sage thought. But he shrugged it off, it wasn’t his concern.
As he swiveled his chair to turn back to his own laptop, a decidedly fake cough stopped him mid-swirl. Glancing up, Sage had to sit back to look up and up again, his eyes widening.
It was as if the two statues that had been in the foyer had now come to life and were standing right in front of the reception desk. Nic with his tousled hair and tattoos, Luc with his long curly hair and intense eyes. Both men were dressed in white shirts and black jackets, with their cuffs rolled up to theirforearms, and both men had their shirt collars open at the neck, revealing tanned skin.
Sage’s knees literally turned to water. He couldn’t have stood up if he tried. Completely thrown off balance, especially as Nic leaned over and was looking at his laptop screen, Sage said the first thing that came into his head. “Good evening, I’m Sage at reception. Happy New Year. How may I help you this evening?”
What an idiotic thing to say. What am I doing?Sage thought as Luc grinned and Nic swiped his laptop off the counter.At least they’ll know I’m efficient…I think. What do they want? Did they listen to Mr. Diamant’s complaints after all?But no, that couldn’t be right. Surely both men wouldn’t be smiling if that were the case.
“You can take that call.” Luc pointed at a flashing light. “Then we’d like to talk to you, if that’s all right.”
“It’s your hotel.” Sage coughed and then quickly turned in his seat, hitting the phone light. “Front desk reception. This is Sage. Happy New Year. How can I help you this evening?”Oh, my gods. Why do they want to talk to me?
Chapter Eleven
Luc
“This is our in with Sage.” Luc barely paid attention to Nic’s hurried whisper. He was too caught up in watching Sage, their third, handle a hotel client with efficiency and just the right amount of friendliness without being over the top about it.
“What do you mean by our in?” Nic was still stabbing at Sage’s computer screen.
“A lead for how we can be seen as decent mates,” Nic hissed. He dragged Luc over to the side of the room, not too far away. They both still wanted to watch Sage working. “This thing here, look. He’s trying to organize flights to go to Iceland. It looks like it’s a sudden trip – perhaps some kind of emergency. He’s planning to fly out tomorrow. We have a plane, big boy. We can help him.”
“Help him do what exactly?” Luc couldn’t resist looking back at Sage, who was still talking on the phone. “What on earth would he be doing in Iceland?” Then the place dinged an alarm bell in his brain, and he looked at Nic in concern. “Hang on a minute. You always said you didn’t want to go anywhere near that part of the world anymore. Look.”
He tapped on another tab that Sage had open – a map showing towns in Iceland. Luc pointed farther north. “Look, up here. This is where you and I met. As much as I think this is a really sweet idea, and it would be a perfect way for us to spend some time with him, hon, you didn’t want to go there anymore. You haven’t been north of Ontario in years.”
“I can do this.” Luc absolutely loved the determination in Nic’s eyes. “I don’t know why he’s going, and hopefully, he doesn’t have to stay there long, but we could make this trip with him.Look at his search terms. He’s looking for cheap, inexpensive, discount. Luc, maybe he hasn’t got a lot of money…”
“We can’t assume that,” Luc said quickly. “That suit he’s wearing is not cheap. A bit dated, but perhaps he’s just careful with his money.”
“Yes, I know. We have to ask him,” Nic said. “But don’t you see? This could be a perfect idea. We’ve got a plane. And it’s not like we can’t rent a car when we get there. Take Sage wherever he wants to go. That would be us being super helpful and supportive mates.”
And I’ll probably be the only one who knows how much this idea is costing you mentally, Luc thought. “I think that’s a lovely idea,” he said softly. “Genuinely, good thinking, love.”
He and Nic had spent the afternoon curled up together on their bed, talking at times and dozing at others. They had heard the staff preparing the party outside the door, but Luc trusted the people they had working for them. Nic was far more important than worrying about a party setup.
It had been a rough few days – from being on the island and cutting their holiday short. Talking to the Oracle and the implications of it. Arguing never sat right with Luc, and he hadn’t forgotten it was only a matter of hours before he’d seriously considered that he and Nic would have to split up.
Being held, and holding Nic in return, was a semblance of normality Luc didn’t know he needed. He felt a lot calmer and centered with his relationship with Nic now – no more secrets, and they were on the same page.And it’s New Year’s Eve,he thought.That’s got to count for something, right? Make a wish. Hope it comes true.
“Sage is finished on the phone,” Luc said, keeping his voice low. “We’ve got to get him to have dinner with us first.”
“I know. That might be an issue,” Nic said. “Did you hear what he said about us owning the hotel. Is asking him to dinner going to be weird? Gods, would that be another HR nightmare?”
“It’ll be fine.” At least Luc hoped it would be fine. “This is Sage’s last shift. I can’t see him making a complaint, especially after we’ve talked to him, and neither will anybody else. Come on.”
Sage had finished the call and was looking at his laptop which Nic was still holding. “I haven’t got anything to hide on there,” he said as Luc and Nic stepped back in front of the counter. “I wasn’t doing anything wrong, and I did check with Barry if it was all right to use my own laptop if things were quiet. I’m trying to arrange some transport for an urgent trip I need to make.” Sage’s smile was uncertain. “He promised me it wasn’t very busy this evening and that nobody would mind. Is there an issue with your party? Did you need me to contact somebody for you?”
“No, actually. We wanted to have a talk with you. In private,” Luc added, flashing his brightest smile. Looking over toward the door, he called out, “George, can you come in here? You know how this phone system works and the emails, don’t you?”
George straightened his spine as he strode across the foyer. “Yes, boss, I’ve seen Marty and Barry do it a million times. It’s not difficult as long as you remember to type in the address for the right department.”
“Thank you for being so observant. As you heard Sage, and likely Barry, say, too, it won’t be very busy. You and your brother can take turns between manning the door and manning the desk. We’d like Sage to come with us, so we’ll leave you to it. I’ll be sure to add something extra to your paychecks. Happy New Year.”
Confident George could take care of things, Luc softened his voice as he turned back to their third. “Sage, if you could come with us, please.”
