“Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “I couldn’t resist.”
A bark sounded, and a second later, Duke, Rex’s six-year-old, floppy-eared retriever, came bolting in her direction, stopping shy of taking her down. He yipped happily up at her until she gave his head a rub. “Hey, Duke,” she greeted. “Good to see you, too.
“Well, if you’d like to give your pretend guest their keys, we keep ’em locked up in that cabinet right there.” He pointed to a large lockbox mounted to the wall.
Bailey stared at him for a moment, wondering if he was teasing. She decided it didn’t matter because she wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity he was handing her.
“Great idea, Mr. Sharpe,” she said with a smile as she turned toward the box. It was locked, but she gestured for him to open it for her.
Clearly amused, his eyebrows rose, but Rex strolled over, used his thumbprint to unlock the biometric lock.
She stared at the rows of keys with numbers.
Figuring it was better to be safe than sorry, she leaned toward him and kept her voice low. “Are all of the rooms vacant?”
“As long as there are two keys, it is.”
One, four, and seven only had one key. She skipped over them.
Squaring her shoulders, she grabbed the set with the number 3 inscribed on the plastic tag.
“Right this way.” She motioned toward the stairs. “I’ll show you to your room.”
Playing along, Rex and Duke followed behind her as she slowly ascended the stairs.
“I hope your trip was good,” she said conversationally. “I noticed on the reservation you had a plus one. Will your significant other be joining you?”
“He’s tied up right now,” Rex teased. “But he’ll break free eventually.”
Bailey laughed, hoping it covered her blush. She had no idea if he was serious and a graphic novelist was currently handcuffed to his bed, nor did she really want to know.
“Here we go,” she said when they approached room number three.
She used the key to unlock it, then opened the door inward, stepping inside and just out of the way so Rex could follow. Duke opted not to come in, turning around and flopping down in the hallway as though standing guard.
“As you can see, you’ve got a small kitchenette, and over there’s the bathroom.” She gestured toward the far corner of the room. “Your room overlooks our beautiful grounds, and you’ve got a balcony where you can enjoy your morning coffee.” She turned and beamed a smile at Rex. “Breakfast is served daily between six and eight. Come down and join us if you’d like, or you can place that”—she pointed toward a small piece of paper on the desk—“on your doorknob the night before, and we’ll deliver your selection to your room.”
Rex was staring at her, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “That’s not a service we offer, but I like how your mind works, Ms. Weber.”
“Please, call me Bailey,” she noted. “I was improvisin’.”
“But you knew about the kitchenette and the balcony?”
She felt her cheeks heat. “I might’ve stalked your website to learn the details of your options. I also know the dates for all the upcoming festivals and activities taking place in town. I figure that’s good information to have so the guests can see the sights while they’re here. I thought maybe we could do some marketing around those events. Maybe some promotional deals.”
“I’m impressed.” He tilted his head toward the hallway. “Why don’t we head back down?”
Bailey took the liberty of locking the door back before passing the key to Rex as they headed back down to the main floor.
“I know you’ve been here, but I’m not sure if you’ve had the grand tour yet. Do you have any questions about the amenities?”
She figured she should probably have some questions, but she couldn’t think of any. “I’ve seen most of it, so I’m comfortable with the layout. I’d like to understand the process, but I figure that’s an on-the-job sort of thing. Something I can do as I work my way up the ladder.”
“There’s not much to it, although it’ll keep you busy day and night.”
“I’m sure.”
“As far as the ladder goes, there’s only one rung, and you’re on it. This is a full-time gig. We’re lookin’ to hire a manager to live on-site.”
