I close my eyes for a second. “Leo, I owe you an apology about what I said yesterday. I’m not normally so mean.”
“That’s okay. I know I did a crap job of things my first shift. I’d want to get rid of me, too.”
“It’s not… You didn’t…”
“Oh, Idid.I can see calling room 551 once.Maybetwice, butfivetimes?” he says, sitting down across from me.
We wince at each other for a second, then both laugh a bit. “That was particularly awful, wasn’t it?”
Leo nods. “When she came storming in wearing that negligée under a jacket? I very clearly interrupted what was likely a much-needed intimate moment.”
The thought of an intimate moment with Leo pops into my mind, and I whisk it away as quickly as possible. “I think you may have done, yes.”
“The entire shift was bad. I’ve honestly never been so flustered in my life. I couldn’t even figure out how to use the carts properly.”
“I should have written down the instructions instead of making things harder for you.”
“They’ve proven most useful. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I say, smiling at him for a second. I quickly turn my gaze to my laptop screen, afraid to stare at his gorgeous face too long. “And again, I really am sorry about earlier.”
“Apology accepted. Now tell me about this garden suite.”
“I can’t see you there. There isn’t even a washroom, so you’d have to come into our house to use the loo and shower.” An image of this preposterously gorgeous man showering pops to mind. Naked. And wet. And soapy. And… oh God, can he read my mind? Because he is giving me this lopsided grin that seems to say he can read my dirty, dirty thoughts.
“I’d be the perfect renter, I promise. You won’t even know I’m there,” he says. “Except for the monthly cheque.”
Do not say yes. Find anyone but him to let the suite, Bree. You’d be better off trying your hand at pole dancing than having him live with you.“I’d prefer cash.”
CHAPTER 11
Booze and Ice Cream—the Answer to All of Life’s Problems
Leo
Well, this is nothing short of a disaster. The lobby is filled with hot, angry, exhausted guests, and we’ve got no way to check them in. Even if we could check them in, we’re unable to program the keycards, so they couldn’t get into their rooms. To make matters worse, it appears all of our new arrivals are either elderly people travelling alone or families with dozens of toddlers, so I honestly don’t know who to help first.
Libby is barking orders at all of us simultaneously while Bree is desperately trying to locate that sarcastic IT guy who, it seems, has disappeared at exactly the worst moment.
“Hello everyone,” Libby yells. “Welcome to Paradise Bay.”
“You mean Paradise Delay,” a man answers, setting off a chorus of “yeahs” and “no doubts.”
“We are very sorry about the long wait. We’ll have you out of here and onto your vacation as soon as humanly possible. In the meantime, please help yourself to some juice, water, or coffee.”
Grumbling comes from around the room as a few of the guests walk over to help themselves to a drink, and the rest hold their places in line.
“Leo,” Libby yells at me, snapping her fingers. “Get moving with the carts. Start stacking luggage.”
“Righto,” I say, hopping to it. Maneuvering my way around the lobby proves both dangerous and difficult with tiny humans running everywhere. I stop at the nearest family and smile at the weary parents. “Hello and welcome.”
The blond woman scowls at me while the baby she’s holding pulls at her earing, stretching her earlobe in a way that makes my stomach turn. “How much longer is this going to take?” she asks while a boy who looks to be about six pulls on her other arm and shouts, “I want to go swimming, Mummy! You said we could swim as soon as we got to the Caribbean!”
Turning to him, she says, “I know, baby, but these people won’t let us until we check into our room.”
The pint-sized tyrant glares at me. “You’re a nasty man to keep us here. I want to go swimming NOW!”
Chuckling, I say, “Yes, andIalso want you to go swimming as soon as possible, my young friend.” Preferably into a riptide. “How about you help me get your bags onto this cart so we can get you on your way quicker?”
