Page 23 of Love Fast

“It depends how seriously you take your relaxation,” Hazel says. She smiles and adds, “It’s not technically a sport, but as it’s in the swimming pool and gym area, we include it when we refer to our facilities on level one.”

We follow Hazel as she points out the entrances to the spa and gym. She explains that members will be able to order foods from various restaurants to be delivered to them wherever they are. “There’s no such thing as no,” she says. “If they don’t want to eat the food at Eat Well, they can order from wherever they like. As waitresses, you might not be working at Eat Well, but you may well deliver food from the restaurant you are working at to guests in the basketball court, or who are seated at Eat Well.”

“And if they want to eat in the swimming pool? Or want an order of fries in the sauna?” Akira asks.

Hazel nods like she’s been expecting the question. “You need to use your charm and influence to persuade them to a suitable dining location. If they’re on the basketball court and want a burger, that’s fine. It’s a big space, they’re probably with a group of friends who all feel similarly. If they’re in the sauna and order soup, you would say something like, ‘I can certainly get that delivered to Eat Well to be ready for you as soon as you’ve finished your sauna.’”

“If theyinsiston soup in the sauna?” Akira asks, an expression of concern on her face.

“Speak to your supervisor. They’ll be able to handle it. Bear in mind that while our members will be demanding and expect perfection, they’re sophisticated travelers. It’s unlikely they’ll make a request for soup in the sauna.”

Despite what Hazel says, I’m not convinced members won’t make outlandish requests. Frank was by no means a billionaire, but he liked what he liked. And he didn’t like people saying no to him. I can only imagine a billionaire will be a thousand times worse.

“The key thing,” Hazel continues, “is not to get flustered or appear shocked. You have to act like you’re taking it all in your stride—like you’ve heard this request a thousand times before. Even if you feel like a member’s being unreasonable, you can never show it. They pay an awful lot of money to have every demand catered to by us. And we have to do our best.”

For a second I can’t catch my breath, because what she’s describing reminds me of my relationship with Frank. He was paying, so he had all the power. Just like the members of the Colorado Club. It was my job to cater to his demands. At least as a waitress, I get a paycheck at the end of the week and not a ring. And I get to leave at the end of the day.

We come to the pool and stare through the glass at the inviting water.

“How come it’s full? We don’t have members arriving for a couple of weeks, do we?” Akira asks.

“Not my circus, not my monkey,” Hazel says. “But I’m sure they need to test out everything thoroughly before we launch.”

We file past the doors to the member changing rooms and, through them, enter the gym. It’s huge and full of equipment I’ve never seen before. Not that I’ve ever been a member of a gym. There’s a whirring sound in the background and I wonder if the air-conditioning is faulty, until I notice someone on one of the treadmills in the far corner of the gym. There’s something familiar about the hair, and as I turn back to whatever Hazel is saying, realization dawns.

I snap my head back toward the runner.

It looks like Byron.

But it can’t be. It doesn’t make sense. My mind is so full of him, it’s embarrassing.

Whoever it is faces away from us, so I can’t see his face. He’s shirtless, his muscular back shifting and bunching with each step. He’s built like a Greek god. From what I’ve seen of Byron, there’s no doubt he works out—but this guy has the body of an Olympic athlete.

I turn back to Hazel and she catches my eye, following my gaze to the runner in the corner. The runner who absolutely can’t be Byron.

“Let’s go,” Hazel says, her voice hushed. “We don’t want to interrupt.”

She scurries out of the gym and we follow her.

“Was that a member?” Eden asks as we exit the gym and take the steps down to the basement level.

“We’re not open to members yet,” Hazel says. “The launch is February fifteenth.”

“So staff can use the facilities until then?” Eden asks.

“Certainly not. I’m sure you know that use of any of the facilities by staff is strictly prohibited. That was one of the first things we covered yesterday.”

“So who’s that guy?” Eden asks. She needs to drop it. Hazel is clearly getting more and more irritated. It really doesn’t matter who the guy is, does it? Unless it’s Byron, in which case, it matters a lot.

“That’s Mr. Miller,” Hazel says, her voice hushed like we’re supposed to know who Mr. Miller is. Clearing her throat, she resumes the tour. “This is the basketball court.” She opens the double doors onto the full-sized court. I’m sure if I were a basketball fan, I’d be impressed. Given I’m not, I try toseemimpressed. “There’s a viewing gallery above that you can access from the hallway adjacent to the gym. You may well get food requests up there, although we expect most to be fulfilled by Eat Well.”

I stare up at the viewing gallery, wondering if Mr. Miller is still running. It’s impossible to make out any of the equipment from where we’re standing.

“Next is the racquetball courts.”

Eden rolls her eyes at me. “Will there be maps?” she asks.

“It’s a good question,” Hazel says, her tone returned to normal. “It’s something we’re working on.”

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