Raina gritted her teeth and sat at the head of the table. How a hotel whose cheapest room was one thousand dollars a night couldn’t afford some rolls and coffee for the staff was beyond her. To her right was Kelly, her oldest friend as well as the head of housekeeping and customer service of the Del Mar, and to her right, was Mathew, who was the restaurant manager.
“Good morning, everyone.”
“Good morning,” they dutifully echoed back.
“It’s good to see you all looking chirpy this morning,” Raina said and grinned. “Let’s get straight to business. I saw a few complaints from yesterday’s guests.”
Her tone changed from playful to serious. Her day started better when there were no complaints whatsoever, but that was a rare morning. Rich people liked to complain a whole damn lot.
“Yes, we had a guest checking out in the evening who complained that her room was too close to the fire exit and she heard noises all night. Don’t ask me from what.” Kelly said. “However, we did sort it out by giving her a complimentary night and she left quite happy.”
That’s what Raina loved about Kelly; cool headed and efficient, she sorted out the complaints swiftly and usually had a positive outcome with the guests. Raina went through two more, one from the restaurant and another from checkout. They were minor issues but their effects spread far as Raina drilled her staff about procedures and how to improve guest relations. Word of mouth was very powerful and if one guest bad-mouthed them to five friends, those were five potential customers lost.
“Right. Let’s move on to today’s banquet schedule, Mathew?”
As the restaurant manager, Mathew’s duties included organizing the menu for any events at the hotel.
“We have the Deputy Mayor’s State of the City Banquet Luncheon today and a black tie charity dinner for the ‘Wonders of Uplifting Children Charity’ in the evening.”
Raina watched Mathew as he spoke. He dressed immaculately, in black or dark blue suits and matching ties but it was his face that caught your attention. He had eyes which were blue and sometimes green depending on which direction they caught the light. He was handsome in a good-guy sort of way that made women swoon. He was also very, very gay. She’d learned that the hard way many years ago, much to her disappointment. Still, she could admire the view from where she sat.…
She wound up the meeting fifteen minutes later and everybody left for their various stations. She and Kelly lingered behind. They hadn’t caught up in the last week except to consult on professional matters.
“How are the kids?” Kelly said.
“They’re fine, growing too fast.” Raina said. “Crystal spends hours at the mirror and getting her to be on time is turning out to be a nightmare every morning.”
“Ah,” Kelly said with a smile. “The joys of motherhood.” She nodded sagely.
“How would you know?” Raina said with a raised eyebrow, looking at her friend askance.
Kelly flopped back into a conference chair and moaned. “I know, I know. I don’t and at this rate I probably never will. Honestly, Raina, I can’t remember the last time I went on a date!”
“You and me both. At least your evenings are free. Look at me—after work, I have to rush home and see to the children. And who’s gonna want to take on a single woman who is responsible for three young kids?! Still, I’m not complaining. They are totally worth it.”
“I know and they are all so sweet and different—difficult to believe that they are from the same parents.”
“Yes, I know,” Raina said, momentarily saddened by the circumstances that brought her nieces and nephew into her life. “But what happened to the guy you went out a few times with last month? He seemed promising” Raina said, steering the conversation away from the children.
Kelly made a face. “He was moving too fast for me.”
Raina burst out laughing.
“It’s true,” Kelly insisted. “He wanted us to talk marriage and kids. Urggg … I just want a good relationship, not a lifetime commitment.”
Raina didn’t bother to point out that Kelly had just contradicted herself in two breaths. That was typical for Kelly.
“You’ll find the right guy. And besides, finding someone just to have ‘fun’ with isn’t that hard,” Raina said.
“So you keep saying, but I tell you, men prefer the curvy types like you. All hips and backside and chesty bosoms.” She used her hands to make wavy motions around her breasts and burst out laughing.
Raina had no idea what men liked. She hadn’t been on a date in years. Her career had taken priority for the last five years with the idea of dating taking a backseat—something she had time to worry about later, she had told herself. And now, later was here, but she had even less time than before.
“Speaking of men, I have a tip that Pervy Roger may be coming down here in a day or two,” Kelly said in a low voice.
Raina covered her face and groaned loudly. Roger was the regional director and worse, the group owner’s uncle. He was a nightmare to deal with and whenever he visited people lost their jobs over petty reasons due to his childish demands and whims. Raina hated the way the atmosphere at the hotel changed when he was around. The staff were fearful, moody, and withdrawn while she herself could barely concentrate on work.
By now, the two women had left the conference room and were walking to Kelly’s small office. They passed by Raina’s office, which was the first in the long hallway. The housekeeping department was fronted by a large linen room and off it, a changing room and then Kelly’s office.
Raina nodded approvingly at the neatness in the linen room, running her hands over the smooth fabric, and then followed Kelly into her minuscule cubby hole of an office. Kelly’s desk though, was another matter and was overflowing with papers and folders. Raina had no idea how she worked in such chaos. As bad as her own office was these days, with the limited support she now had, Raina wouldn’t have survived an hour in Kelly’s office. For Raina’s brain to function properly, everything had to be where it was supposed to be.
Maybe, she thought to herself, that’s why
her brain hadn’t been as alert as she needed it to be. She made a mental note to actually get around to sorting the papers in her office in the next few days.
“What’s he coming for?” Raina said, even though she had an idea.
Kelly shook her head. “No idea, but it is part of his job description as the regional manager to keep a tab on each of the hotels.”
“Yes I know, but he’s such a creep,” Raina said with an exaggerated shudder.
Kelly responded hopefully, “You know, when you’re promoted to district manager, I’ll never have to see him again … maybe? I hope? Pretty please with a cherry on top?”
They both laughed, and then Raina sobered up. As much as she wanted that promotion, it would mean working directly under Roger on a daily basis and she didn’t know how she would be able to stand him day in and day out.
“That may be very well for you, but what about me? I’d have to work with him every day.”
“That’s the only down side.”
“What’s the upside?”
“Money. Lots and lots of money.”
“Oh. Yeah. That.”
“Yeah. That.”
The phone rang just then and Kelly picked it up. When she finished, she turned to Raina.
“The handyman guy is in the lobby waiting for you. You have an interview?”
“Oh, right.” She looked at her watch. “I lost track of time.” Raina said. “Well, I hope this applicant is finally the right one. See you later.”
He stood out like a sore thumb from the rest of the people in the lobby.
He wore a tattered baseball cap on his head and a shabby but clean jacket, and he had a stubbly beard, which was unusual for people in hospitality, even if they were just handymen.