Page 52 of Cooped Up for Christmas

It is a craft I have well-honed over years of painstaking practice.

Chapter Twelve

The wedding was perfect. Farley wore a beautiful white dress. A little too short, but who am I to judge? She also sported a sheer veil and tiara. She looked like a princess…in a very short dress. And yes, it did bear repeating.

Jamison wore a shiny leather suit for some reason, but all the others dressed normally…for really rich people at a last-minute, soon-to-be-legendary, Hollywood wedding in the boondocks. Though there was the occasional peacock plume bouncing about, and Whit wore a leopard-skin band on his Stetson, which confused me. What message was he trying to send by choosing that band for his daughter’s wedding? People perplex me, but I was happy to see that someone had nixed tiaras for anyone but the bride. Lola being the glaring exception.

Everything else went perfectly. For all that they were high school students playing at an impromptu wedding for one of their favorite stars, the string quartet was really good. Hardly screechy at all. But Mungo was the big surprise here, because the enormous, long-haired biker-dude really cleaned up nice. He pulled his hair back into a ponytail and wore a suit jacket and tie and everything. He even shaved. And, internet-ordained or not, he did a fabulous job.

For as much time as it took to set up, the wedding was over quickly. That’s the way it works sometimes. Hours of prep for an event that lasts minutes, but it was Farley’s first wedding, so we all wanted it to be special.

Judging from their expressions, we nailed it. When we brought out the cake, everyone cheered.

After that things moved quickly. You know how that goes? You’ve been anticipating something—the guests leaving, for instance—for what seems like forever, and then suddenly, that time is here and you’re not quite ready for it?

I was sad when the luggage started coming down, because I knew this adventure was at an end.

And it had been an adventure.

Not only had I reunited with Coop—and only time would tell where that went—but this opportunity to experience life in the trenches again had opened my eyes. I could see serious issues with staff training and mentoring. I started sketching out ideas to solve these problems with a plan to bring this up at the next board meeting. The company had multiple properties just like Mistletoe Lodge and if they had the same inconsistencies in training, we were looking at a systemic challenge.

All of a sudden—at long last—all the staff lined up in the driveway to say farewell to our guests. They came through one by one, adults first, hugging us all and gushing over what a wonderful time they’d had.

Farley was the last to come through with Eliza by her side. When she hugged me, she held on for a while. “Thank you for all your help with Jamison,” she said. “I’ll never forget you.”

And wow.

Something warm welled in my chest.

I’d made a difference. Somehow, I’d made a difference.

“Congratulations on your wedding,” I said. “I know you two will be very happy together.” I knew nothing of the sort. It was Hospitality 101: Everything’s Awesome. It was kind of a knee-jerk reaction at this point in my career. But I didn’t mind. Neither did she.

“Thank you,” she said sincerely. And then, she handed me the envelope.

The big fat tip envelope we all live to see.

She did so with a wink. So it was probably a good tip.

Yay!

We all stayed in place as we watched them climb into their various SUVs—waving their farewells—and drive away.

For a second, after they disappeared, there was silence.

Then everyone let out a deep sigh of relief.

They were gone. It was over.

But it wasn’t time for fun yet. I turned to my staff and said, “Let’s flip the house,” and they all groaned, but I could tell they were just playing. We all knew, once the house was flipped—and ready for the next Visit—we were really done.

That thought made me a little sad too.

* * *

Since Coop and his team helped as we stripped the beds and cleaned the rooms, it didn’t take long to finish. After the tip meeting—where I passed out equal shares to everyone—I rewarded everyone by treating them to takeout of their choice, which resulted in a very eclectic dinner. Jed and Ben had pizza, Olivia ordered Chinese with Coop’s team and me, and Wren and Ken Nora had sushi.

Noel had tequila. Thankfully there was still some left in the cabinet.