“I’m sorry, Grace, I’m afraid I’ll have to postpone our chat,” he said, returning his master key ring to his pocket and turning back towards the lobby. “There’s a problem with the computer system over in the spa and no one seems able to fix it, and it’s causing chaos with the client bookings. I need to get over there and sort it out immediately.”
“Of course,” Grace said, still hurrying along in his wake, this time in the opposite direction. “These things happen.”
“I’m so sorry to drag you to my office and then leave you in the lurch.” Clive looked apologetic as he hurried across the lobby. “You’re working tomorrow from nine, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Good, in that case come and find me later in the morning when you have a spare minute, and I promise we’ll talk then. I should be free around eleven, if you can carve out ten minutes or so.”
With a hurried wave goodbye, Clive veered off towards the spa complex on the other side of the hotel estate. Grace was left lingering in the lobby, wishing she’d had the forethought to tell him that she’d hoped they could chat for longer than just ten minutes. Clive’s guidance was valuable to her, and she wanted to hear everything he had to say about how she could maximise her chances of success in the promotion process, and doubted they’d be able to get into much detail if they only had ten minutes to talk.
Still, at least it was something. Perhaps once they’d chatted tomorrow, they’d arrange to talk again at a more detailed level?
Grace’s mind whirred with thoughts of the promotion process as she returned to the staff area to grab her things from her locker. Once she’d collected her belongings, she walked through the staff exits towards the car park.
The evening air was cool outside and Grace was grateful for it after the unexpected excitement of thinking she was about to discuss her big promotion plans, only to have the conversation cancelled before it had even begun. She got in behind the wheel of her car and rolled the window down to let the unseasonably chilly breeze waft inside the vehicle.
Compared to yesterday’s balmy conditions, the weather was all change today. The English summer liked to springunsuspecting surprises on everyone, Grace mused as she watched tiny raindrops landing on the windscreen just as the cool breeze turned into a gusting wind that shook the trees on the car park perimeter.
It was all change on the weather front, and Grace wondered if it was about to be all change as far as work was concerned, too. If only Clive hadn’t had to rush off to deal with the computer system malfunction over at the spa, she’d be sitting in his office right now and hearing his thoughts on her promotion prospects and what she needed to do to make sure she got the outcome she so desperately wanted.
Grace reminded herself that when Clive asked to fit in a quick chat before she finished work for the day, she’d been trying to come up with a polite way to get out of it because she wanted to get back home and check on Stanley. Thoughts of the little dog who was waiting for her at Ryan Lewis’s house brought a smile to her face to replace the frustration over the delayed conversation with Clive Peters.
She started the car and drove out of the car park. There was no point thinking about the promotion chat she was so keen to have, because she had no choice now but to wait until tomorrow to hear what Clive had to say. She might as well forget all about it until then.
Which, admittedly, was far easier said than done.
