Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 93942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
But I also found myself wondering why I hadn’t liked the first position we’d been in. It seemed important to identify what had happened, but I was too drowsy and content. somehow it had felt different. I wasn’t sure why. So I pushed the thought away—that was a problem for another day.
31
ZOE
“Zoe!” a woman’s voice called. Even if I hadn’t recognized Vivian’s voice, I would’ve known it wasn’t Mrs. Greer. She never sounded happy to see me.
“Hi Vivian.” I admired the head of the concierge team. She was knowledgeable and efficient—that was her job. But she managed it while still being open and friendly. Real friendliness, not just the polite friendliness staff often used with guests.
“I’d ask how your Christmas was, but I know it was just like the rest of ours—busy being here.”
I nodded. In my case, that was a good thing. Even though Mrs. Greer hadn’t noticed, I’d learned a lot during my time here. And not just about bedroom activities that involved three hot men.
Vivian cocked her head at me. Her navy suit was pristine… both right for the season and the grandeur of the resort. “I’ve been hearing some very interesting things about you.”
Uh-oh. Hopefully she didn’t mean the interesting things that had been happening to me recently.
“No need to be afraid, it’s all good.”
Apparently, she’d mistaken the embarrassed flush on my face for worry. “Who did you hear these things from?”
“The staff. And the guests. Everyone’s very impressed with your work here. Pam and Dennis sing your praises. And Mrs. Worthington made a special point to tell me how well you handled her hot-headed husband.”
It took me a moment to recall what she was referring to, but then I smiled. I’d been passing by the game room the other night when I heard shouting—or at least as much shouting as two old men with oxygen tanks could do. They’d been playing poker and got into an argument. By the time I’d arrived, they’d looked like they were ready to ram each other with their walkers in a gladiator-style death match.
“I’m glad I was able to help,” I said modestly.
Vivian grinned. “I’m glad for their wives’ sake. Don’t tell anyone, but personally, I wouldn’t have minded if those two old farts had knocked each other’s remaining teeth out.”
I bit back a smile. “It does seem like a lot of the guests here have extra time on their hands to get into trouble.” Like that jerk Mr. Hartley, who’d been such a pain in my ass until Kai had given him a taste of his own medicine.
“They’re powerful, entitled, and filthy rich. It goes with the territory. At any rate, I just wanted to pass along the compliments. I do that for all the staff when I can.”
“Thank you. It means a lot.” A flash of dark brown hair caught my eye, and I saw Asher standing by the fireplace on the other side of the lobby. He had on his white chef’s jacket, which looked good on him. Very good. Was he waiting for me?
“You’re welcome.” Vivian strode back to reception, but a second later, I caught up with her, doing some quick thinking.
“Um, Vivian?”
“Yes?”
“Do you think… would it be possible for you to write a report about my internship that I can take back to school?”
Surprise and then understanding flashed quickly across her face. “You mean instead of Helen Greer?”
“Or in addition to.” My heart beat rapidly, but I tried to project the same sort of outward calmness that she did.
Then her brow wrinkled with sympathy, and my heart sank even before she spoke.
“I wish I could, Zoe. You’ve done an excellent job here. But that’s Helen’s domain. I need to maintain a pleasant working relationship with her, and that would be stepping on her toes.”
“I understand.” I fought to keep my voice steady.
“I suppose that feels a tad cowardly to a young woman like you, but I’m very happy with my position here.” She gestured at the mountains outside the window. “I can’t do anything to jeopardize it.”
“I understand. Really, I do.”
“However, please feel free to list me as a professional reference when you’re applying for jobs.”
That shocked me for just a moment. “Thank you. I really appreciate that.”
She smiled and took her leave. I stared at the marble floor as she walked away. Having her as a reference would be a real plus—but it didn’t matter if I couldn’t get a positive internship report. Without the report, I wouldn’t graduate.
It just seemed so unfair that four years of hard work hung in the balance. More than that… this had been my career path since middle school, and I’d worked damn hard to get here.
“Hey.”
I looked up to find Asher in front of me. I blinked rapidly in case any tears had collected on my lower lashes. “Hi.”