Melissa flicked her gaze up to Angelica and shook her head. “She worked in a kitchen for twelve years before we hired her.”
“Twelve years? Doing what?” Hope had implied in a late-night conversation after the kitchen had been cleaned out that Dawn hadn’t had chef experience.
“When she was inside.”
“Inside?” Angelica furrowed her brow, tapping her fingers on the top of the reception desk. When Melissa didn’t immediatelyanswer, it hit Angelica exactly what she wasn’t saying. “You mean prison?”
“Yes.”
Angelica bit her lip. They were going to have to handle the way they talked about this very carefully. “And you hired her because of that experience?”
“She had twelve years working in a kitchen.”
Angelica sighed heavily. Yes, Dawn had experience working in a kitchen, but it wasn’t a high-end kitchen, and she certainly hadn’t been in charge. And, as much as Angelica hated to admit it, the standards in a kitchen in prison and one outside of prison were vastly different.
“What kind of training has she had beyond that?”
“None.” Melissa turned back to the computer and flicked through something on it.
Angelica cringed. Why was this such a struggle? It was a hotel outside their normal range of income, not high-end at all, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t fix it. Angelica pressed her fingers into the top of the counter. “I’d like you to meet with the site manager who’s going to be working on the renovation of the rooms this afternoon. We’ll start with the upper floors and work our way down. And then we’ll overhaul this area.”
“I can do the work,” Melissa shot back, a glare in her gaze.
“I’m sure you can.” Angelica treaded carefully. “But to get it done in a week is a big job. Why not take the help when you can get it?”
“Because I’m not stupid, and I know how to do my job.”
Angelica’s chest constricted. “No one’s calling you stupid, Melissa. In fact, I think quite the opposite.” Melissa managed to run a construction business perfectly fine without help. It was the hotel side of things that she struggled with, which probably came down to hospitality. That wasn’t something Melissa seemed particularly adept at, and probably why she’d partneredwith Ali. The problem was, Ali was nowhere to be seen. She really only showed up toward the tail end of the day to collect Melissa and head on home.
“I don’t need to be patronized.”
“Are you defensive about everything someone says?” Angelica squared her shoulders. “Not once have I insulted you and yet you seem to think everything I say is an insult. Melissa, I think you’ve done amazingly well with what you’ve had and the knowledge you have. But you haven’t had the training to run a hotel. It’s not a construction business. You can’t just order people around and make them work long hours. Think about it like this. A construction site has strict rules, right? You have to follow regulations, safety precautions, you have to have inspections and more, right?”
“Yeah?”
“So does a kitchen. So does a reception area, and housekeeping. You have none of that. And not because you don’t know how to do it, but I don’t think you thought that you needed it here. The standards have to be just as high here.” Angelica shook her head in disbelief. “Do you hear what I’m saying? You’re not stupid. You’re just ill-equipped, and all I’m trying to do is give you the skills and knowledge that you need to make Harbour Inn thrive.”
Melissa held her breath. Angelica counted to three and was just about to speak again when Melissa dropped her chin in a nod. “All right. Teach me.”
“Good.”
“And cut!” Rex clapped his hands loudly. “That was fantastic, Ange!”
Angelica blew out a breath, leaning heavily on the counter to hold herself up. She had nearly forgotten that there were cameras surrounding them, that people from all over the world would be tuning in and watching what she’d just said. Becauseshe hadn’t done it for the views. She’d done it because Melissa needed to hear it.
Her knees were weak, and she felt like she was going to fall over. Surely it was just because of adrenaline that conversation had required from her. She straightened herself and focused on Rex, but her skin was clammy. She felt like she was going to pass out.
“I need you to go have that chat with Hope.”
“What?” Angelica breathed heavily, looking up and finding Josef’s dark eyes staring at her. She had to blink three times just to focus on him.
“Talk to Hope about Dawn.”
Angelica breathed slowly, loosening her grip on the counter as she found her feet again. She felt steady enough to let go after a few more seconds, though her knees were still jelly. “Why would I talk to Hope about Dawn?”
“Because she’s part of the kitchens.” Josef shook his head in bewilderment. “Because it’ll add to the drama.”
There was the Josef she’d come to know. The one always concerned about drama and ratings. Angelica pursed her lips and nodded. She really didn’t want to talk to Hope, but it was better to be in Hope’s presence than his. She still hadn’t gotten over the end of last season and the shit he’d pulled then.
