“Okay, great,” I said, pushing away the disappointed feeling and putting on a smile.
“Did Noah show you where you could put your stuff yesterday? I know it’s been a kind of whirlwind twenty-four hours for you,” Charlotte chuckled.
“Yeah, he did,” I replied. “I’ve never been hired on the spot before. Feels good for the ego.”
“I bet it does,” Charlotte’s laugh was light and airy, and her smile was friendly. “I’ll let you get settled. You’ve still got some time before you’re officially on the clock.”
I nodded my thanks, disappearing long enough to put my lunch in the refrigerator and hang my coat up on the row of coat hooks in the laundry room.
There was a bulletin board beside the back door with timesheets for employees. A new one had been added, with my name printed in barely legible scrawl. Yesterday’s hours were already filled out, so I wrote the time I arrived today on the sheet then joined Charlotte back in the office.
She smiled as I walked over and pulled out the computer chair beside her. The receptionist’s desk was essentially a long counter that spanned almost the entire length of the front office, dividing the small shop area from the workspace. A half-wall built to match the front paneling of the desk blocked off the laundry room door.
There were two computers and two phones on the main desk. On the far wall, behind the receptionist desk, was a built-in shelving unit with filing cabinets galore. One of the cupboards housed all the keys to the cottages, condos and outbuildings.
The main office’s small shop didn’t sell much, just merchandise like sweaters and T-shirts, water bottles and hats, all with the Whimsical Woods Resort logo on it.
“So, Noah said he gave you a crash course in the booking system yesterday, and showed you how to ready guest packets for check-ins?” Charlotte asked.
“Yes,” I nodded. Noah had given me a bit of a run down yesterday of how things worked, but I was far from confident about managing it on my own. I hoped the training period lasted a little longer than a day.
“Okay, great. I guess we’ll kick things off by showing you how to check voicemails,” Charlotte smiled.
“Sounds easy enough,” I said once she’d walked me through how to check voicemail messages.
“It is. A lot of people call after hours with booking inquiries, so we ask that you stay on top of answering voicemails and emails. Inquiries lead to bookings, and we want those,” Charlotte said. “The first thing you do each morning should be to check voicemail messages and write down who you need to call back.”
Charlotte put me to work, allowing me to take down the messages on the notepad by my phone.
“Great! Now we’re going to start calling those people back,” Charlotte smiled once I’d finished. “We also get a lot of inquiries throughout the day, so it’s important to stay on top of things. I’ll handle the first one, then you can try.”
“Alright,” I nodded, trying not to let my nervousness show. It was new-job-jitters. It’d been such a long time since I’d had to learn a new job. I was confident that I could do it, but it’d take some getting used to. It was a totally different vibe than being a barista at a café.
Chapter Nine
Nellie
* * *
“Don’t stress! I know it’s not easy learning a new job, but you’re doing great!” Charlotte assured me an hour later, after I’d screwed up the summer rates on a phone call.
“I guess I have a hard time with getting things wrong,” I sighed. I could run the café with my eyes closed, but this was a whole different kettle of fish.
“It’s only your second day, and there’s a lot to memorize. We have different rates, depending on the season.” Charlotte gestured to the stack of binders beside me on the desk. “These binders will be your lifeline for the next little bit. Full disclosure, I rely on them sometimes, and I’ve been here for a few years.”
“Okay, that makes me feel a little better.”
“Did you want a coffee? I’m going to go make a fresh pot,” Charlotte said, standing up and stretching a little.
“Oh, I’m okay. I might make a tea in a bit,” I answered.
“Ah, a tea drinker. You’ll fit right in with Mama Wood. She loves her specialty teas! She probably still has a stash of good ones in the kitchen cupboard. I’ll put the kettle on, too, for you.”
“Thank you!”
“No problem, you keep reading those binders, and I’ll be right back.”
Charlotte left the office, leaving me alone for a couple minutes. I took a deep, cleansing breath, reminding myself that Rome wasn’t built in a day. A lot of aspects of this job were easy, it was remembering all the small things.
