Page 10 of Housekeeping

6

Laura

The next morning, I didn’t want to get out of my now warm and cozy bed. My mind slowly woke up as I slid off the bed and headed for my bathroom. After a quick shower, I dressed and went to the kitchen to make a light breakfast. I glanced at the knitting I’d left on the couch last night and sighed.

“It’s almost time to visit the hospital again, huh…”

The local hospital had a cancer center where I usually dropped my creations off. While I was there I’d go in for a checkup. I was officially cancer free but it was recommended by my doctor to go for regular checkups in case the cancer came back. No one would force me to go, but I did it for the sake of my health.

I put my knitting away in a box back in my bedroom where I already had a few other hats I’d finished. Then I checked the time and cursed, hurrying out of my apartment. I locked my front door, pulled up some music on my phone, threw my bag over my shoulder and headed out with my earphones in. I listened to my usual playlist as I walked to the hotel, letting the music drive my steps.

The trip wasn’t exactly a long one, and though there were some bus stops in between where I lived and the hotel, I usually didn’t bother taking it, and not just because I’d have to be half an hour earlier. The walk to work was the one time every day where I got to breathe some fresh air. Though just how fresh that air was I wasn’t sure as all the cars went by.

When I arrived at the hotel, it was at my usual time, not a little late like yesterday. There were a few people already in when I went to the locker room to change into my uniform, and someone had been nice enough to put on a pot of coffee in the staff lounge, so I got myself a cup. There were some muffins too, and I wondered if they were bought or if Jessi made them. One bite was enough to assure me that she did. My eyes drifted toward the doors to the kitchens, and I thought of going to see her. Then I figured she was fine and let it be. Besides, I had my own work to do.

Just before I could pick up a trolley of supplies and start making my rounds, I was called to a halt.

“Laura, can I talk to you?” Margret Jones asked, and she wasn’t just another colleague. She also wasn’t really asking because she was the head of the cleaning department, which pretty much meant she was in charge of us maids.

My heart skipped a beat after she called my name because it wasn’t usually a good thing when Margaret interrupted our work, since we all had set schedules that detailed where we’d start work from. Occasionally, she’d do inspections of a maid’s work or respond to a client’s complaints if they said something about the state of their rooms.

So it was with dread that I stopped and slowly turned to face her, waiting to hear what I’d done wrong. Instead of looking her usual prim and haughty self, she looked a little unsettled. Her hair was still put up in that severe bun, and she had on her pristine skirt suit uniform, black with gold trim, with a white blouse and gold scarf tied elegantly at her neck, to match the hotel’s colors. Her hands were clasped in front of her, and she kept rubbing them together.

“Is there something I can do for you, Ms. Jones?” I asked, being as polite as possible and hoping she’d called my name by accident.

It was as if she’d drawn a complete blank. I didn’t know whether to prompt her again or not, but then her back straightened and she clasped her hands behind her back instead.

“You’re not in trouble, Laura,” she said quickly, probably reading my awkwardness all over my face. That was something I needed to work on—being so easy to read. “I called you because you have a special assignment today, and you’ll be going to do that first.”

I held back the groan I wanted to let out. ‘Special assignment’ couldn’t possibly mean anything good.

“What do you mean?” I asked. “Are you sure no one in my block complained or something?”

“Um, no.” There was a slight furrow in her brow, and it was enough to alert me. “There were no complaints, but a client did call and ask for you by name, and it’s a little far from your usual block. You’ll just work there for now, and once you’re done you can go on with your usual routine.”

The feeling of dread in my chest had solidified. I had the most horrible thought, and looking at Margaret trying to act all nonchalant, I knew it had to be true.

“Was it… Mason Thompson’s room, by any chance that called for me?” I asked, and I could hear my voice shake. He wouldn’t do that would he? He’d barely even noticed me!

“He did,” she admitted. “I don’t know why because we sent someone to him already, but he sent her back, then called with your name and description.”

I wondered why he’d even call for me, or how he knew my name. Did he ask the maid they’d sent?

“Can I just ask if there was a party or something? Or if he has any guests?” The worry thickened my throat and made it hard to speak.

“Not that I know of. Although, the request came yesterday, and since you were busy, he instructed you be sent as soon as you come in, no need to bother calling first. He insisted on his room being the first you worked on today.”

I rolled my eyes at what I knew was a demand from a spoiled little rich boy. I couldn’t exactly refuse, so I got some supplies and went on my way after Margaret gave me the room number. It was four floors above where I usually worked, and I sighed, already feeling that today was going to be tiring.

With the thought that Mason would possibly still be in the room, I set out to do my job. I paused outside his door, stalling for a minute, dreaming of just walking away and ignoring the kid’s summons, but in the end I sighed and opened the door, unlocking it with my hotel card.

“Dang!” I hissed to myself when I got a look at the room.

It was pretty messed up. There must have been some other people there at some point because there were empty bags of junk food thrown around, and a few bottles of beer here and there. There were spills on the floor—thankfully nothing on any of the rugs—but cleaning it all up would just take time. And it had all been left since yesterday, so it smelled.

The very first thing I did when I went in was to open the window, then pick up the bottles, wrappers, and bags to throw in the trash bin. I’d pack it all up and go with it afterward, but it was best to just leave it for the moment.

Next, I looked through the rest of the suite, freezing when I walked into the bedroom, to find Mason asleep and sprawled over his bed on his stomach, arms folded on his pillow and head on his chest. He had a sheet over him that covered the tops of his thighs, but nothing else. For a moment, I was tempted to just stand there and admire, but then I got a hold of myself. Then, I was furious.