“Tell her to stop by my office the next time she has a chance, and we’ll go to lunch.”We continued on past the resort’s ballrooms, two of its four restaurants, and the newer, smaller event rooms.I had to appreciate the way the staff moved with energy and purpose, always smiling, upbeat.“The culture around here is awesome,” I told Janine, who tried to hide a pleased little grin.
“Culture is everything, right?You can’t convince people to come back if everyone working around them is miserable.”I noticed the way she straightened a mirror in the hall that was hanging a little crooked before moving on.
The walkie-talkie at her hip made a crackling noise.“This is Janine,” she announced as she held it up to her mouth.
The voice coming through the device was a little garbled, but not so much that I couldn’t hear the anxiety in it.“We’re short-staffed setting up for the Harrison wedding tomorrow.Enid and Nick are both out, and the tables still need setting.Everybody else is setting up the rehearsal dinner.”
“I’ll be there in a minute.”Janine released a soft sigh, sliding a guilty look my way.“There’s been a flu bug going through the food and beverage crew.We are already down another pair of servers because of it.I would rather they stay home than risk getting customers sick.”
“Of course.I prefer that as well.”We came to a stop, and I rolled my shoulders back.“Well?Let’s go.There’s a room to be set up.”
A laugh bubbled out of her.“I don’t think anybody expects you to roll up your sleeves and help with something like this.”
“Are you kidding?I haven’t folded a tub of napkins in much too long.It’s like therapy.”
Whatever it takes.
Secretly, I loved this.Looking after every last detail of an event.Putting myself in the shoes of the person paying for it, asking myself the questions they would ask.Was it worth it?Was my vision achieved?Were there any touches missed?Silverware dotted with water spots?A frayed hem on a tablecloth?The little details mattered, and anyone investing their hard-earned money with us deserved nothing less than impeccable service.
I folded one napkin after another into a rectangle, which could hold a printed menu of the reception feast.“This menu is killing me,” I admitted, laughing at myself while my stomach growled.“I would’ve loved to be part of the tasting.”
“I’m telling you, as much as I loathe wasting money, I never complain if there’s an extra plate or two after guests don’t show up,” she confessed, polishing knives.“Sometimes I need the sustenance after twelve hours on my feet.And sometimes, it just smells so damn good.”
Janine’s walkie-talkie crackled again.“We have a visitor at the front desk.Is Miss Rinaldi still with you?”
We exchanged a puzzled look as she responded.“Yes, we’re working on a wedding setup, but I don’t have any visitors scheduled for the rest of the day.”
“He isn’t here for you.He specifically asked for Miss Rinaldi.”
Immediately, Papa’s face came to mind.My phone was in my jacket pocket and hadn’t buzzed with a call, but maybe I hadn’t noticed.“Who is it?”I asked.
Janine repeated the question into the walkie.“Mr.Manning.”
I froze.Somehow, this was worse than Papa being sick.What the hell was he doing there?
“Clayton Manning?”Janine’s eyes bulged.Of course, she would recognize the name.He owned as many properties as Papa had managed to purchase, only he had done it all twenty years sooner than my father had.And unlike Papa, Clay seemed to soak in the limelight.He knew what the public wanted to see and was almost painfully aware of his image.Mr.Sporty, Mr.Outdoorsman, Mr.Panty-Meltingly Hot Playboy.“Is he going to?—”
The sharp look I gave her did the trick, snapping her mouth shut before she could go any further with employees moving around.We didn’t need a bunch of gossip and speculation until the agreement was finalized.
Dammit.What did he think he was doing, stalking me?How would he know to find me here?
The last question was a stupid one.He could easily have called in and gotten that information from Papa.Had he come out here to offer the good news that he’d agreed to be my husband?
I would never learn the answer if I stood around with a half-folded napkin in my hands.“Whatever it is, it must be important,” I decided.Was I trying to convince Janine or myself?
“You can use my office,” she offered.
I had a better idea.“No way.I’m in my groove here.Would you mind if I saw him here instead?I won’t be long.”It wouldn’t take long to shut him down and tell him to get his head examined if he thought this was acceptable.
I was simmering by the time Janine asked for Clay to be shown to the ballroom and seething by the time his tall, broad frame breached the threshold.Larger than life.How many times had I heard that expression used when describing my father?That was his personality— boisterous, generous, always the biggest in the room.
It was Clayton Manning’s athletic body and impossibly broad shoulders that brought the same to mind as he crossed the room with an elegance that couldn’t be taught or purchased.It had to be born in a person.The way he moved through space, as he owned it like the air around him was being done a favor by touching his sharp jaw.
I hated him for it.
And for so much more.
Janine’s soft gasp was followed by her tight whisper.“Oh my God.”Otherwise, it didn’t seem like she was breathing as Clay approached, finally coming to a stop in front of us.
