My mother’s bed was empty the next morning, and I had some time to kill before I needed to get ready for work—except I really didn’t want to go. My thoughts were on what Rosa told me—what I finally saw with my own eyes—and I decided that I was going to the Pembroke Hotel. If they were looking for a new front desk clerk, then I certainly had experience. I had no idea if the pay was as good as Rosa said, but more money wouldn’t hurt. I would miss being able to do my schoolwork while I was getting paid to sit behind a desk if the job worked out, but I could manage. I needed to save some money anyway if I was going to move away from Carson Cove once I graduated from college.
“Good morning.” I gave the man at the front desk a friendly nod as I approached. “Is the manager around by any chance?”
“The manager?” The man tensed up. “Was there a problem with your stay? I would be happy to assist you with any concerns you may have…”
“Oh no.” I held up my hands. “I’m not a guest here. I just wanted to apply for a job…”
“Okay, good.” He let out a sigh of relief and smiled. “You’ll have to go to the website and submit your resume. It’s jobs.pembroke.com.”
“Awesome, thank you so much!” I waved and walked back towards the door.
So much for that…
I should have known the Pembroke Hotel wasn’t the kind of place you could just walk into and ask the manager for a job. I pulled out my phone once I was in the parking lot and went to the website. It didn’t look very complicated, so I flipped the button that would turn my phone into an Internet hotspot and sat down in the driver’s seat of my car. I had a resume saved on my laptop that I had been tinkering with since I was forced to put one together for a class at Carson Cove University. I only had to make a couple of quick updates before I uploaded it along with the completed application. I had no idea if I would even hear back from the Pembroke Hotel, but I hoped the fact I had experience would give me an edge.
I’ll have to look at some other options if this doesn’t work out because I believe my time at Carson City Inn is going to be over soon.
It was impossible to close my eyes or thoughts to Mr. Pruitt’s wandering gaze once I became aware of it. There was a part of me that wanted to call him out on it—and another part of me that was curious to know what it was about me that he thought was so damn interesting. I wasn’t very attractive—which was partially my fault. I didn’t wear clothes that accentuated any of the features I did have, and they never seemed to impress anyone in high school when I hoped one of the guys I liked would notice me—I certainly didn’t think I had an ass worth staring at. I barely wore makeup, and I hadn’t let a hairdresser touch the mop on my head since prom. A ponytail was all I felt like I ever needed, and that didn’t take much effort.
Hmm. I don’t recognize this number…
“Mr. Pruitt, I’m going to take a quick break.” I knew he was behind me, but he had no idea I was aware of it, so he just mumbled a response and made a dash for his office.
I said a silent prayer before I slid my finger across the screen and nearly jumped for joy when the woman on the other end introduced herself as the manager of the Pembroke Hotel. She was impressed by my resume and wanted to interview me. I quickly agreed to the time she suggested, which was early enough that I could still make it to the Carson City Inn before my shift—unless she offered me the job on the spot. It seemed like a long shot, but I spent the rest of my shift, hoping it would happen.
Maybe I’ll tell Mr. Pruitt exactly what I think of him on the way out—then again; I
’ve never been one for confrontation…
My interview with the manager of the Pembroke Hotel was incredibly professional—it was almost like I was applying for a real job, which was a stark contrast to all of the other interviews I had up until that point. I don’t know if I impressed her or if she just really needed someone at the front desk, but the interview ended with a job offer—but it was conditional—I had to start the very next day.
If Rose hadn’t made me aware of Mr. Pruitt’s wandering gaze, I would have felt incredibly guilty for quitting without giving him a notice, but I was just happy to have that option once I became aware of it. He was upset when I told him—then he tried to give me a goodbye hug, which I immediately declined. It just seemed too creepy at that point. The next day, I reported to work at the Pembroke Hotel, in a brand-new uniform that I was going to have to wear every day from that point forward.
“You’re the new girl I’m supposed to be training?” The guy I had previously seen at the front desk walked up to me while I was clocking in for my first shift.
“Yep! It’s my first day.” I turned to him and smiled.
“I’m Hank.” He tapped his name tag, then looked where mine should be.
“Oh, I’m Leigh. I don’t have a name tag yet…” I shrugged. “Ms. Valerie said they have to order it.”
“Right…” He nodded. “Okay, follow me. I’ll have you running the front desk on your own before it’s time for my first break today.”
“Awesome!” I nodded and followed him.
The Pembroke Hotel was a lot busier than the Carson City Inn. There was no way that I would be able to do any schoolwork—it didn’t seem like the kind of place where I could just take a seat and plug in my laptop, even if there wasn’t a customer in need of assistance. Still, it paid a lot better, and I had set hours that weren’t going to change. Half the time, I had no idea what days or shifts I would be working at the Carson City Inn until Mr. Pruitt posted the schedule for the next week. I was able to handle things on my own by the time Hank took his first break, just like he said, but shortly after he returned—all hell broke loose.
“Call an ambulance!” Rosa came running into the front desk with what appeared to be blood on both of her hands.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt!?” I ran around the front desk as Hank grabbed a phone and started dialing.
“There’s a man—he’s in the stairwell!” She pointed. “He’s hurt—there’s a whole lot of blood!”
“Oh my god!” I blinked in surprise, and my jaw fell open.
I never expected my first day at the Pembroke Hotel to turn into a scene from a horror movie, but that’s exactly what it felt like when I followed Rosa to the stairwell. There was a man laying across several steps, and he was bleeding from two wounds on the lower part of his back. I was no forensic scientist, but it looked like he had been stabbed.
Rosa and I took turns putting pressure on his wounds until the paramedics arrived, and by the time they got him loaded on a stretcher, I had blood all over my uniform. Rosa and I looked like we were the ones who had been stabbed. A couple of police officers took our statements, and then they were gone as well.