On Sunday a fortysomething husband and wife appeared at the front desk to check in. As Lauren pulled up the schedule, it took everything in her to keep the smile from sliding off her face. She’d put the Lawsons down for three nights in Willow Cabin—but it was already occupied.
Her heart skittered across the floor as she met their expectant gazes. “I’m so sorry to tell you this, but I’m afraid we’ve accidentally overbooked the cabin and we’re currently full up. But I’m sure I can find someplace else nearby that will accommodate you.”
A frown pinched Miles Lawson’s brows as he stepped closer. “Overbooked? That’s unacceptable. We don’t want to stay somewhere else—this is where we came for our honeymoon twenty years ago.”
This wouldn’t be easily resolved. The coming conflict wracked her nerves. “I’m terribly sorry about the mistake, Mr. and Mrs. Lawson. I know you must be disappointed, but none of the cabins will be available until Tuesday. We’d be happy to book you someplace else, our compliments, of course, and you could return here if you’d like for the remaining night.”
“Now listen—”
“Honey.”Mrs. Lawson set her hand on her husband’s arm.
“This is unacceptable! We left the kids with their grandparents so we could celebrate our anniversaryhere.”
Lauren’s cheeks heated. How had she made such a terrible mistake? “Again, I’m so sorry—”
“Sorry does not fix the problem!”
“No, you’re right. There are other lovely resorts where we could possibly get you in. I know it’s not the same, but we could comp your next visit here if you’d like to reschedule.”
He threw up his hands, intimidating her with his six-foot-something height and formidable glare.
“What can we do to rectify the situation?”
“You can get us in the Willow Cabin where we spent our honeymoon! But since that’s obviously not gonna happen, I guess we’ll be airing our grievances on social media—loud and often.”
Tammy slipped out of the office and joined her behind the desk. “Hi there, I’m Tammy Landry, owner of Pinehaven. I couldn’t help but overhearthe situation.” The phone rang and Tammy turned her warm brown gaze on Lauren. “Could you get that, dear?”
Lauren was only too happy to take the call in the office. It was a potential guest with all kinds of questions about the resort. The older woman from Maine didn’t own a computer, so after a lengthy discussion Lauren promised to send a packet in the mail.
By the time she got off the phone, all was quiet in the lobby.
Her skin still tingled with embarrassment. This was her second double-booking. But Tammy had caught the first. Lauren didn’t know how the woman had resolved the situation, but it would probably be costly, financially if not publicity-wise.
Mustering courage, she returned to the desk and found Tammy restocking the area maps. “I’m so sorry about my mistake. I can’t believe I did that. Were you able to mollify the Lawsons?”
Tammy’s smile was kind. “I wouldn’t say ‘mollify,’ but I don’t think they’ll blast us on social media. They’ll be staying at the Harborview Resort and I got them in for a couple’s massage tomorrow. I think Mrs. Lawson was secretly delighted about the mix-up.”
The Harborview was the most expensive hotel on the lake. “I’m so sorry. You can take the cost out of my check.” It was more than a week’s pay, but this was her fault after all.
“I’ll do no such thing. It’s the cost of business, dear. We all make mistakes.”
“I promise I won’t let it happen again.”
Tammy patted her shoulder. “You’ve done a wonderful job, Lauren. Don’t let one little mistake bring you down.”
Despite Tammy’s kindness, the day only got worse. The Drurys got stuck on the lake when Pinehaven’s motorboat stalled just as they were coming in from the rain. They finally got it restarted, but they were unhappy when they returned, dripping wet, back to the pier.
The toilet in the Ogdens’ cabin overflowed, and by the time Lauren finally managed to clear the plug and clean it up, her jeans reeked of sewage. She returned to her cabin to change, waving at the Gentrys, whose three kids were playing in the sand on the beach. They asked for more paper towels, and Lauren promised she’d bring more by later, even though every cabin came adequately stocked with four rolls. Some guests felt entitled to all the paper goods they could stash in their trunk.
Oh, well. That was the least of her worries today.
She changed her entire outfit, wishing she had time for a shower because the clogged toilet had left her feeling disgusting. But she needed to schedule the repair on the boat’s motor. Tom and Tammy were gone for the rest of the day, and Lauren didn’t have a truck or the experience necessary to pull a boat from the water or haul a trailer. She would have to ask Jonah. That should be fun.
As she crossed the property heading toward the office, she dictated her task list into her phone. “Schedule boat repair, comma, paper towels to Maple Cabin, comma, gather supplies for s’mores, comma, take dog treats to Oak.” The black lab was beautiful—and sometimes it was the little things that made a difference. She was glad the resort was pet friendly.
She’d always wanted a dog of her own, either a Yorkshire terrier or a Maltese, a sweet little pup to cuddle with. She’d enjoyed two dogs in foster care. But they were family pets and she wasn’t family, so when she moved she left them behind.
Once she’d aged out of foster care, taking care of herself was enough of a challenge. And by the time she’d gotten on her feet, work and school had kept her away from home for long periods of time. It wouldn’t be fair to keep an animal cooped up in an empty apartment, and boarding was expensive.
