“What do you mean?” Frannie asked.
Daph had been suspiciously quiet since they’d reamed her and Timothy over their relationship, which had felt oddly like the pot calling the kettle black.
“From the moment a guest steps in the front doors, well, honestly we can go even before that, in how all emails and communications are framed, it’ll be an experience as if they’re truly going to another country.” Angelica tapped her fingers one after the other rapidly across the tabletop.
Hope had to stop herself from staring at them, because she wanted to be doing something else with that hand. Last night had been lovely, but she’d wanted a different ending to it. She could wait for whenever they had another moment, though.
“You’re talking about changing all of our communications, from reservations, to the website, to everything.” Frannie shook her head, the look of disbelief obvious.
“We are,” Hope agreed. “To make it a full well-rounded experience.”
Frannie bit her lip nervously and shifted her gaze to Daph. Was she expecting Daph to object and then push to get her way?
“When guests arrive, we want them greeted by the hospitality team who has been specifically trained to greet them in an accent, in a few words of German perhaps, and we want tochange up the uniform to be more authentic. We want to integrate the technology that everyone looks for in a hotel stay more seamlessly and to make it less obviously glaring and contrasting with the aesthetic that’s already here.” Angelica pulled up something on her iPad and spun it around so that Daph and Frannie could look at it. “Here.”
Hope could see the top of the screen, and she was impressed with what Angelica had managed to pull together so quickly. It was a very rough plan, especially considering they were changing the plan overall for this hotel and how they were going to fix it. Production was going to have a fit over the budget, but it’d do.
“When it comes to the food, Jenesis is working on a new menu, but also meals that would be served in style and flare. We’re hoping to have a sample service prepared for you to experience tomorrow while you’re working with Angelica on all of the changes for the rest of the hotel.” Hope snagged a few pieces of pita bread and hummus and slid them onto a plate, which she put in front of Angelica.
Then she made herself a plate. No one was eating. And while she was trying not to be offended by that fact, it still stung slightly. Food was meant to be savored, to add pleasure to life. Yet everyone at this table was so locked in on work that they were missing out on some of the best things right in front of them.
“A new menu?” Daph blew a raspberry. “This is all so much to take in at once.”
“I know it is,” Angelica said, her voice oddly tender compared to how she normally was. “But we do think it’ll be for the best in the long run. We think that this will set you apart from the rest of the hotels in town, and that’s exactly what you need right now.”
“It is, I agree with you there,” Daph said, growing a bit warmer. “But that still doesn’t mean I fully understand what’s going on with everything here.”
“It’s okay. We’ll take it one step at a time. But things are going to move quickly, and you’re going to have to accept that a bit and not fight me a ton. Hope will take care of the kitchen, hospitality, and room service. I’ll be handling the rest.”
It was the first time Hope had heard that. She wasn’t used to taking on hospitality within the main part of the hotel, but it couldn’t be that hard, could it? She’d watched Angelica do it how many times over now? Flicking her gaze toward Angelica, Hope nodded. “Of course.”
“Good.” Angelica focused back on Daph and Frannie. “For starters, I want each of you to go out and call an all-staff meeting with everyone who is here, and I want you to tell them about the changes that are going to be happening. We’ll be working on renovations in the lobby area immediately.”
“Okay.”
“Good. Let’s get started.” Angelica closed her iPad and glanced at the plate of food that Hope had set in front of her.
The real question would be whether or not she’d actually eat it. Daph and Frannie walked out of the office to do as they were told, which left Angelica and Hope alone, again. Hope eyed Angelica curiously.
“You do have to eat at some point,” Hope said, her voice quietly chiding, but it was said with love, not with judgment.
“You’re right.” Angelica picked up a piece of bread and popped it between her lips. “And your sweet nibblings are always so delicious.” She chuckled as she chewed and swallowed.
“Are you done filming for right now?” Logan’s voice boomed through the room.
When had he arrived?
Hope looked at him and then at Rex and shrugged slightly. Logan was pale, and his eyes weren’t leaving Angelica’s face.
“Yes, we are,” Rex said, stepping out from behind the camera. Sy was already moving it out of the tiny room to give them some extra space.
“Good. Microphones.” He pointed at Angelica and Hope and then just waited for them to comply.
The air in the room thickened instantly. Logan shooed Rex out and shut the door before leaning against the door.
“Ange, I’m going to assume anything I share with you that I can also share with Hope.” Logan looked directly at her. “About Josef.”
“Yes,” Angelica responded immediately, her shoulders squaring as if she suddenly realized the insanity of whatever was about to happen.
