Teacher's Pet

Something had happened today. He wasn't really Nate Stone to me anymore. He was Nate, just Nate who hated being called Mr. Stone. A guy, like any other I had met in my life. One who had a problem that I wanted to help him with.

I knocked at the door before going inside.

"Abby, what took you so long? Where did you go?" Joseph said. One day, he would greet me like a human being before laying into me, I thought.

"We went to Keahiakawelo."

"Did he ask you to take him there?"

"He didn't suggest anywhere. I chose it."

"You didn't ask him where he wanted to go first?" he asked.

"This is his first time on Lanai. Besides the beach, he hasn't seen the outside of his suite. Keahiakawelo is an important piece of Lanai history and culture."

"Why doesn't he know where he can visit on the island? You didn't tell him?"

"He wanted to be surprised," I said, figuring that was what it was. I knew he had the pamphlets with him telling him what he could do here. It wasn't my fault if he hadn't read them. "He had a good time."

"He did?"

"Yeah," I said. "He even said he wanted me to take him somewhere again on Sunday."

"Where?" he asked.

I felt like he was my parent, giving me the third degree before he let me go to a party with all my friends. I didn't know where; I hadn't thought of anywhere yet. He'd liked Keahiakawelo, so maybe somewhere like that.

"I'll ask him ahead of time so he can pick," I said, thinking it would be a good way to get Joseph to stop asking me questions. He nodded.

"I'm trusting you with this, Abby," he said. "It's your job to make sure he has a good time during his stay here. He is a person whose positive recognition would mean a lot of good things for the resort."

"I understand. He's an important guest. I won't let you down."

"Did he say anything about the hotel?" he asked hopefully. I shrugged.

"He mentioned he liked the suite when he checked in," I said. "He hasn't said anything was lacking, so I'd say he was pretty satisfied." If the presidential suite wasn't enough for the guy, then I didn’t know what would be. He seemed comfortable. The man barely left his rooms, if that was an indication of how much he liked it.

"Whatever he needs, Abby," Joseph stressed. I nodded smiling. He had to be a little more careful with what he was asking me; this was cutting it a little close for workplace decency. I was answering directly to Joseph when it came to Nate now. A lot was at stake, probably my job if I really messed up.

Helping Nate was important to me, too. I’d been so upset about taking him out today that I hadn’t realized what he had agreed to let me do. He was letting me help him. He was letting me take him out of his luxury prison of a suite and see that there were bigger things than his addiction. That was more important than whether he liked the kind of pillows the hotel used on his bed. It didn't matter if he thought the hotel was heaven on earth because he was still extremely ill.

"Of course. I won't let you down," I assured Joseph before he let me leave. I hurried to get changed and put my hair up before returning to the front desk.

"What did he want?" Makani asked as I came behind the desk and took my seat.

"He was just asking about Nate. He's worried about whether he's having a good time."

"I thought he was just a guy in a band. Why does Joseph care so much? Is he a fan, too?" I laughed imagining Joseph a screaming fanboy for Remus. Him enjoying their music wouldn't have shocked me that much. Their latest album had rocked the charts; they obviously had a huge fan base.

"Yes, he is just a guy in a band, but his father is an extremely wealthy, influential man on the mainland. Just think, if he, on the recommendation of his son, came here and loved it, he could base himself here when he comes to Hawaii."

"I guess," she said thinking about it. "For your sake, I hope this season flies by."

"He isn't that bad," I said. "In fact, he's pretty nice."

"Nice, huh? So you had a good time on your date?" she asked.