Once Upon a Summertime (18 page)

Ellen chuckled. “I understand completely.”

“As it is, I'm not keeping her busy enough to justify her position. I'm afraid I'll have to let her go. Unless you can think of a reason to keep her.”

“Maybe you should wait until the hotel opens,” Ellen advised. “Just to be sure.”

“Yes, that would probably be fairer to her too. Give her time to prove herself.”

Finally, they ended up at Anna's office—actually, Anna and Ellen's office. “I've already set up the filing system and am using most of the drawers in the desk, but I'll rearrange to make room for you. Or perhaps you'd like your own desk.”

“I don't think I need my own desk. You'll be in charge of the suppliers and the housekeeping budget and all that.” Ellen surveyed the small room. “I don't need much space. Just a spot for my personal things and a drawer or two.”

Based on what Ellen had said during her introduction at this morning's meeting, Anna suspected that she was probably better qualified for Anna's position than Anna. “You managed housekeeping at a Marriott—for twelve years?” Anna asked as she cleared out a drawer for Ellen to use.

“Yes. It was a good job.” Ellen straightened a stack of papers on Anna's desk. “But I was tired of the big corporate feeling. I wanted something more intimate, something special. When I heard about the Rothsberg, I immediately sent in my résumé. That was months ago. I had actually given up on ever hearing back. I figured they'd already hired everyone. But then Mrs. Newman called me last week and, well, here I am, starting work on Monday.”

“Well, I think you're going to be a great addition to housekeeping.” Anna smiled. “To be honest, I'm more trained in hotel management than housekeeping.”

“At least you have your degree.” Ellen sighed. “That's worth a lot.”

“I hope so. Still, I'm sure that there's a lot I don't know. Possibly things that you can help me with.”

Ellen smiled. “I'm happy to. To be honest, I'm looking forward to a little less responsibility. And a little more free time.”

“Oh yes, that's understandable.” Anna started to sort the mail.

“What did you think of the head manager—Mr. O'Neil? Not bad looking, eh?”

Anna set the mail down and looked at Ellen. She was probably in her midforties and probably not truly interested in someone fifteen years her junior. Even so, Anna felt slightly irked by her observation. “Yes, Mr. O'Neil is nice looking enough. That's a good reminder for me for today's meeting. I want to go over the employee manual. I've been working on it all week, and it should be back from the printer before the hotel opens. In the meantime, the maids need to understand that there is zero tolerance for workplace romances. I plan to make that crystal clear.”

“Good for you.” Ellen nodded.

Even as she'd made this strong spiel, Anna felt guilty. Who was she to lecture others over workplace romance? What if they knew about her and Sean? And that kiss? She picked up the stack of mail again, flipping through and separating the bills. That was all behind her now. That day with Sean had been a one-time thing. And that kiss . . . well, it was just a fluke. Something she'd be best off to forget.

Even without the advantage
of bakery goodies,
Anna felt the housekeeping meeting was going well. So far, she'd covered most of her list, starting with the schedule for the next four weeks. She'd gone over floor assignments, maid partnering, and a list of other concerns. She started to wrap it up with a rather stern warning about the consequences of workplace romances. They'd already been in this meeting for an hour, and Anna could tell by the maids' expressions that their attention spans were lagging.

She didn't want to quit on a negative note, though, so in the same way the Newmans and Sean had done this morning, Anna planned to finish with some positive, upbeat encouragement. “I know you women are going to be a fantastic team!” She paused to look around the table, trying to make eye contact with all of them, although some—like Bianca and Justine—made that difficult.

“I've already observed how hard you've all been working this week, and I'm so impressed. I expect we'll have all the rooms thoroughly cleaned and outfitted and ready for guests
by Wednesday. That's when we'll take a little break of sorts with some training sessions. My goals are twofold. First of all, I want to make sure that we're all doing everything we can to accommodate our guests. Besides that, I want to ensure that everyone is working in a safe and sustainable manner.”

She paused, realizing that she was losing them again. “But it's getting late!” She clapped her hands together, which seemed to wake them up. “For now, I just want to thank all of you for making such a great effort this week. A hotel is only as good as its housekeeping staff, and I think you women are the very best! Because we are so caught up with our work this week, no one will need to work on Sunday. You can all have the day off!”

They erupted into enthusiastic applause, and Anna told them to go home. “But come back ready to work hard tomorrow. Don't forget to punch the time clock on your way out. Some of you have been missing that. If you want to get paid, you must use the time clock.”

As the maids were collecting their things and waiting to clock out, Anna noticed a woman in a dark suit slipping into her office. Thinking it might be Mrs. Newman, Anna went to investigate, but she was surprised to discover it was Marley. Dressed for work, Marley was casually leaning against Anna's desk with what seemed like a rather smug expression.

“Anna Banana,” Marley said cheerfully. She used to call Anna that all the time back when they were kids, but this was the first time Anna had heard it in years, and it made her smile.

“Hey, Gnarly Marley,” Anna shot back at her.

Marley laughed. “I was told I could find you back here.”
She glanced around the small office, taking it all in. “Cozy, huh?”

“Uh-huh, but it works.” Anna set her briefcase on her desk. “What are you doing here? Looks like you're on your way to the airport. Night flight?”

“Yeah. Zurich to Bangkok to Los Angeles and home again, home again, jiggety jig. I'll be back midday Sunday.”

Anna smiled. “Maybe I can nab your bed while you're gone?”

“Absolutely.” Marley's brows arched. “And you'll never believe it.”

“Believe what?”

“I found us an apartment!”

“You're kidding? This soon?”

“All morning I'd been cruising Craigslist. Then I even called everyone I could think of in New York. It looked hopeless, so I took a break and went out for a late lunch. On my way back to the apartment, I ran into Rodney, the super for our building. He's this bald, potbellied dude in his sixties, but he's a notorious flirt. Anyway, he was doing his usual small talk thing with me, so I mentioned how I was looking for a new place, and it just so happens that the Brewsters—that's this elderly couple on the third floor—are moving. Seems that Mrs. Brewster developed some health problems, and they just gave notice on their lease. Mrs. Brewster has already gone to Ohio to live with their daughter, and Mr. Brewster is packing up their place right now. Anyway, according to Rodney, the apartment will be available by the first week of July.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah.” Marley nodded eagerly as she pulled some papers from her purse. “If you can fill out this application and give
Rodney the advance sometime this weekend, he promised that the apartment will be ours.”

“You're kidding!”

“I know—can you believe it?” Marley beamed at her. “Am I good, or am I good?”

“You're
great
!” Anna gave her a high five.

“An apartment in the same building. I could hardly believe it myself. I realize it's only a one bedroom, but that makes it more affordable. We can share the bedroom, or one of us can take the living room. Maybe we could get a sleeper sofa or a futon or something.”

“Yes, whatever it takes. It'll be a huge improvement. At least for me.”

“For me too. Going from one bathroom for four—I mean, five girls to just sharing one with you. I'll be in hog heaven.”

Anna laughed.

“Anyway, I couldn't wait to tell you the good news. Just don't forget to get this back to Rodney.” She tapped the paperwork. “The check too—I wrote the amount down there. We don't want anyone else to slip in and snatch it out from under us. Because I'm already a tenant in the building, he's not even asking for references from you. Easy breezy.”

“Nice work.” Anna nodded. “Impressive.”

Marley's eyes lit up as she looked over Anna's shoulder, as if someone else was at the door. “Hey there,” she said enticingly. “What can we do for
you
?”

Anna turned to see Sean standing in her doorway. In his hand was an oversized envelope, but his expression looked slightly uneasy. “Sorry to disturb you. I, uh, I can come back later when you're not busy.”

“Don't mind me.” Marley peeled herself from the edge of
Anna's desk, moving directly to Sean with a slightly catty-looking smile. “You don't even remember me, do you?” Her tone was definitely flirty.

Sean chuckled. “Of course I remember you. You're Max's kid sister Marley.”

“Ooh, you're good, Sean O'Neil. Very good.” Marley was standing extra close to him now, looking up into his face with undisguised admiration. “Do you know that my brother never even told me you were relocating to New York?” She jerked her thumb over a shoulder. “If not for Anna Banana, I wouldn't have heard about it at all. So tell me, Sean, are you Anna's new boss?”

Sean made a stiff smile. “Not exactly. I mean, housekeeping does report to me, but Anna's in charge of her own department. I have no reason to think she's not handling it impeccably.”

“Thank you.” Anna loosely folded her arms across her front. “Did you need something from me, Mr. O'Neil?”

“Ooh,
Mr. O'Neil
,” Marley teased. “So formal and grown-up.”

“It's policy,” Anna said a bit stiffly.

“I, uh, I just wanted to give you this.” Sean held out the white envelope. “It came to my desk instead of yours. Nothing important, probably, but I thought you might want to see it.”

“Oh?” Anna took the envelope from him. “Thank you.” She knew that Sean could've gotten this to her in a variety of ways. He certainly did not need to hand deliver it like this.

“I'll let you girls finish whatever you were do—”

“Actually, I was just leaving,” Marley said quickly. “If you don't mind, I'll walk with you, Sean. This hotel is a bit confusing. I might get lost trying to find my way back to the lobby.”

“Certainly.” Sean gave her a congenial smile.

“
Au revoir
,” Marley said to Anna as she looped her hand into the crook of Sean's arm. “See you on Sunday.”

“Have a good flight, Marley. Thanks, Mr. O'Neil.” Anna waved as the two left together, watching as they strolled down the hallway. They looked like a real couple. She glanced down at the envelope, almost expecting it to be something important—or perhaps something personal from Sean. It simply contained a bid from a linen supplier that had promised better quality for less money. No big deal.

As Anna closed the door to her office, she felt that deflated feeling coming over her again. Letting out a deep sigh, she was determined not to obsess over this. Instead she tried to focus on her lengthy to-do list, checking off the amazing amount of things she'd managed to accomplish this week. But there was still a nagging, pesky question—why had Sean gone to the trouble of bringing that insignificant piece of mail to her himself? Everyone knew how busy he was these days. Why would he set aside his work to act as a delivery boy? Even if he'd considered the letter important, he could've simply sent it by way of his assistant. Was it because he secretly hoped to see her? To talk with her privately? Her heart fluttered for a moment, and then a different kind of realization set in. Something she hadn't even considered.

Sean had probably observed Marley strolling into the hotel a bit earlier. Even from his office, he had full view of the lobby. Looking so sleek and chic in her stylish flight attendant's uniform, Marley would've been hard to miss. Knowing Marley, she probably took advantage of her entrance. Anna could just imagine her striding into the hotel with head held high, perhaps striking a pose in the center of the lobby, pausing
to ask someone for directions. Taking her time, making sure she was seen.

Sean was no dummy—he probably figured out that Marley was on her way to see Anna. Or maybe he overheard her asking for Anna. That had to be why he'd utilized the misplaced mail as his opportunity to make a connection with Marley. Really, what was wrong with that? It wasn't as if Marley and Sean had never met before. It was only a matter of time before their paths crossed again.

Of course, Marley had made the most of her “coincidental meeting.” Why should Anna be surprised that Marley really turned on the charm? Why should she even care? Hadn't Marley made it clear from the start that she wanted to get her hooks into her brother's old friend? Why should Anna give this a second thought? Especially when she had so many other things to occupy her mind right now. She slapped the thick envelope onto her desk with a loud, irritated smack. Time to move on!

On Saturday morning, Anna stopped by the superintendent's apartment on her way to work to give him a check and her application. “Ah-ha,” he said with what seemed approval. “So you're Marley's mystery friend?” He eyed her up and down. “She confessed that she'd snuck you into the apartment.”

“I'm sorry,” Anna said contritely. “Was that wrong? I'd really only planned to stay a week or two. Kind of like an out-of-town guest.”

“Lucky for you, I got you girls a place.” He tipped his head toward a closed door down the hall. “Mr. Brewster's in there packing right now. Movers will be here next Friday.
Painters on Monday. All goes well, I should have you girls in there by July first.”

“That's great.” She beamed at him. “We really appreciate it. Thank you so much.”

“Well, I like renting to stewardesses.” He winked. “They pay on time and add some class to the place.” He gave her a questioning look. “You're a stewardess too, right?”

She shook her head. “No, I work at the Rothsberg hotel. It's a boutique hotel in SoHo. Opening up soon.” She frowned. “Hopefully that's not a problem. I mean, not being a flight attendant.”

He grinned as he pocketed her check. “No, it's no problem. You'll class the place up just fine too.”

She thanked him again, then, explaining her need to get to work, she told him to have a good day. As she walked to the hotel, she chuckled to herself. Rodney was probably perfectly harmless, but if he treated women like that in the workplace, he'd probably get accused of sexual harassment. Still, if Marley wasn't concerned, Anna didn't think she needed to be either. Even so, she'd probably keep a safe distance.

As usual, Anna used her employee key card to let herself in through the side entrance. She knew this wasn't necessary, but it was just easier than walking through the main lobby—running the risk of bumping into Sean. She'd gotten over her little jealous fit from yesterday. Oh, sure, it wasn't easy imagining Marley getting involved with Sean. But perhaps it would provide a good way for Anna to get over him once and for all.

Anna knew that was her only course of action. She had to get him completely out of her system or risk losing her
job. Besides, she told herself as she put her purse away, Sean had obviously gotten over her. She didn't blame him for it either. It was the grown-up and responsible thing to do. She just wished that it was easier to do.

By late afternoon, Anna was pleased to see that more than three-fourths of the guest rooms were completely cleaned and outfitted and ready for occupancy. According to her calculations, with the maid staff she'd scheduled for next week, all the rooms would be done with plenty of time to spare for training. She felt happy and relieved as she waited for the elevator.

“Anna,” Mrs. Newman said as the elevator doors opened. “Just who I was looking for. I was about to call you.”

Anna smiled. “What can I do for you?”

“I know I told you to hold off on cleaning the penthouse suite that Vincent and I are using,” she began. “Because the priority was to get all the guest rooms up and running. But I'd like you to send a couple maids up there ASAP. We're having a last-minute dinner party tonight—just a few friends—and I just realized that the whole place needs a thorough cleaning.”

“Oh?” Anna tried not to look concerned. “You want it cleaned right now?”

“Yes, no one's up there. Vincent's at a meeting downtown and I'm on my way to pick up a few things for tonight. I don't expect to be back until after six. Our guests won't be there until 7:30.” She checked her phone. “That should give them plenty of time.”