I swirl the scotch in my glass. “Qualified?”
She shrugs. “Time will tell.”
She folds her hands neatly in her lap.
“Peter’s friend at The Gilded Crown Ranch & Resort highly recommended her. Said he would have hired her in a minute if she had been willing to relocate after graduation.”
I smile faintly. “That’s good to know.”
The Gilded Crown is an outdoor resort with five-star accommodations, Michelin-starred chefs, and a renowned wellness retreat. I know the owner personally.
I make a mental note to give him a call to check in.
“Her family runs a large ranch in the valley of Wildhaven.”
“That explains the suntan,” I mutter under my breath.
Diana’s lips purse. “Yes, well, I don’t foresee a long-term commitment on her part,” she says.
“Why’s that?”
“She told me over lunch that she wants to eventually develop a guest ranch experience on her family’s land.”
That catches my attention.
I sit up slightly. “A guest ranch?”
“Yes.”
I tap a finger against the desk. “Interesting.”
Diana watches me carefully. “Seems she’s only here to gain what knowledge and experience she can before moving on,” she continues.
I shrug. “That’s okay.”
She shifts slightly in the chair. “You’re fine with her wasting our time?”
“It’s not wasting if she does the job we hired her for while she’s here,” I say.
“I just think it’s an unnecessary use of our time and resources to train someone who has no intention of staying loyal to the company,” she says.
“We’re in the hospitality industry, Diana,” I say. “It’s like the restaurant industry. High demand and high turnover.Besides, very few people who have goals of opening their own establishment ever go on to do so.”
“I understand that, but …”
“It’s fine. She’ll begin training with Estelle and Mabree at the front desk.”
“The front desk?”
“Yes. I’d like you to go over the basics with her during the first two weeks so she’s familiar with how things work here from top to bottom.”
She nods curtly as she stands. “Absolutely. We’ll begin in the morning.”
My attention drifts toward the stone fireplace.
Specifically …
The hidden seam along the right edge of the masonry.
