Page 5 of Wrong Idea

Not that I planned on staying that long.

I knew having two people in a department they could dissolve wouldn’t last much longer. It wasn’t personal, justbusiness. Olive and I worked nights. I’d done it for a long time. It got a little easier after I graduated. But since I didn’t have family or a whole bunch of friends, my days were a little lonely.

I’d heard coloring was relaxing, but when I couldn’t find something I enjoyed coloring, I’d started to design pages of things I would want to color. By accident, it had turned into something after I’d showed Olive. She’d seen them and encouraged me into trying to sell them.

I’d been shocked when downloadable sheets started to sell. After that, I’d put them together into books and found a way to get them printed, and it all snowballed after that. I wasn’t earning a lot, but every month, I made a little more. Not enough to quit my job, or at least not yet, but I was impressed and proud of how my small business had grown and the nest egg I had saved. It wasn’t much, but something I had started on a whim had flourished into something I was hoping to be able to do full-time.

At the very least, it was a side hustle that could help keep me afloat if I lost my job and had to find something else.

My lip wobbled, and I shook away the tears that threatened to make their way down my cheeks at the thought of not being at The Crown on a regular basis. This had been my safe haven for so long. Stan had given me a makeshift family of cooks and housekeepers and receptionists and landscapers who would never know exactly how much of a difference they made in my life when I landed here.

Maybe it’s why I am so loyal to the place?

It wasn’t like I hadn’t been offered a job at other places. Olive had mentioned on countless occasions that if I wanted to quit, her brother would hire me in a hot second at his new brewery and grill. But then again, Olive was a sweetheart.

“So, that’s why I think something is going on with Cora and Jack. Not that she’s going to admit it.” She shrugged, andI blinked hoping that I had caught enough to not get caught having drifted off in my thoughts. “You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?” she asked, obviously amused and not in the least offended.

“I’m sorry.” I shook my head. “I came for a massage yesterday, and I’ve been in la-la land since,” I admitted as I headed towards the towels to get those tackled first.

“Oh, that’s right! How was that? Are the spa rooms really as gross as people say they are?” She stuck her tongue out adorably.

“Oh my god!” I laughed. “No! I mean, the room I was in was okay. Clean. Nothing a little paint and some TLC couldn’t fix.”

“I heard the big guy was out and about here yesterday. Did you see him?” she asked, and I shook my head.

The big guy, or the Storm brother who was in charge, was usually here, but from what I heard, he hardly left his office. But when he did? The rumors flew!

“Well, I guess he was late to meet with the construction crew that is in charge of updating the rooms in the west wing of the resort.”

“I’m surprised he didn’t order to get it demolished,” I noted, and she nodded. The last owners had started to do that in that wing and had left that side of the building in shambles.

“I know! I thought the same thing when I heard about the sale, but I guess he wants to renovate it. Heather in admin thinks this place is special to him for some reason or another.”

“If it’s that special, why is he so mean to everyone around here?” I wondered out loud.

“Right? So, like I was saying, Julia in accounting was there, because you know how she likes to have lunch by the lake?” I nodded, and Oli kept sharing, “Anyhow, she said he and the foreman got into it and it was ugly. Storm looked pissed. Oh! And get this! Mister Better-Than-Everyone was wearing one of our uniform shirts!” She started to giggle.

“Really?” My lips twitched. That shocked me. I had never seen the guy, but from what everyone said, the man wore nothing but designer suits. There was a running joke that he probably slept in a suit and didn’t own a pair of jeans.

I glanced down at my own shirt. It wasn’t the nicest we’d had in the past. With every new owner, the quality of our uniforms had downgraded. They were cheap and not well made. I’d already had to sew the seam at the underarm once since I got this one, and it had just been two months.

“Maybe it’s the scratchy material that set his highness off?” I joked and shrugged. “I just hope they were able to square things away. The sooner those rooms get fixed up, the sooner we can start to offer them and the family suites at that end. Those were always the ones people would book first during the summer because they’re so close to the lake.”

“Those were nice.” Oli nodded. “I remember my parents had us stay here for a spring break when I was in middle school. It was so much fun!” She shook her head and sighed, moving to the bedding. “But the massage itself? It was nice?”

“Yeah, really relaxing.” I smiled thinking about Car again, half tempted to book another massage just to have him touch my body again.

“That’s good! You deserve it! You work too much.”

“I work too much?” I shot her a look, and she sassily rolled her eyes. We both knew she worked nonstop. She shrugged and grinned.

“I’m almost at my goal,” she shared, starting two of the washing machines she had been working on loading. “If everything goes as planned, I will be resigning in June,” she whispered.

“June!” I smiled, happy for her. “That’s incredible!” June felt like it was right around the corner.

Olive was a seriously talented baker. She had been saving to open a bakery forever now. She not only baked from the moment she got home from out shift here but also had a weekly booth at a farmer’s market in town on Thursdays and was the one who supplied cookies, pies, and cupcakes to the Moonlit Diner all week long.

“June will be here in no time.”

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