Page 100 of Mr. Almost

“Is that a good thing?” I ask.

“Absolutely. Did you know that Tristen was only meant to be front desk until we hired someone to manage the desk full-time?”

“I didn’t. Have you hired that person?”

He gives me a warm smile. “This morning I contacted the temp agency and bought out your contract. I’m sorry that it took so long, but the temp agency has processes they have to follow. The position we would be hiring you for is one of the management positions. Wehave three available. What this means is that you would be responsible for training new employees, keeping things running smoothly, preparing schedules for your assigned areas, and reporting any issues to us and HR. The salary starts at fifty thousand a year, but with your experience here already and your schooling, we are prepared to offer you seventy to start with a quarterly bonus based on set goals. The position also comes with full health benefits and a 401k. You are salary, so no more set hours unless you want them. Your schedule is flexible. You also get three weeks paid vacation a year.” He slides a piece of paper across his desk. “It is all laid out here in your offer letter.”

My heart is racing in my chest. This is what I wanted, but it seems too fast. Too good to be true.

“You don’t have to offer me a better job because of my connection to you. Your relationship with Ari isn’t contingent on giving me a job. Nor do I want it because of Mason. I don’t want to be handed anything.”

“No, Olivia. That’s not it,” Max starts, but Iris cuts him off.

“Liv, I can call you that, right?” Iris asks.

I nod, so she continues.

“You have known me for a bit now. Remember that conversation we had on the walk here?”

“Yes,” I answer easily.

“Good. Do you honestly think that I would allow Max to make any decisions based on his emotions and not good business sense?”

“Allow?” Max mumbles, but she hushes him.

I think about it for a moment. Iris has no obligation to me. She’s not related the way Max is. She would fight against him if he were doing something wrong.

“No.”

“That’s right. So let me lay it out for you. You have a bachelor’s degree in hospitality, and based on your transcripts, you graduated top of your class. You did that while being a single mother and working to support your family. That shows me that you are resilient.Resourceful even. That’s only the first point in your favor. Then you walk in here and grab the reins of the front desk and lead it like the boss bitch you are.”

I gasp at her cursing, but Max laughs, shaking his head.

“You created a new system for the check-in process that has reduced our guest wait time by five point six minutes. Not only that, but we have had fewer complaints about the front desk. Now when people talk about the face of our hotel, they talk about how kind they are. Tristen was only supposed to cover the front desk until you came on. She was meant to go back to being a hostess because she didn’t have the skills needed to work the front desk. She was still a bit shy and unsure of herself. Walking people to their tables was about all we could trust her to do. You trained her, and now she has blossomed. I have seen the change in her. She is more outgoing with the guests. She used your training to develop a way of connecting with the guests so that each one feels valuable and unique. That was something we had been missing for far too long. So when we say we want you on as manager, it’s because we have seen the skills you have and want to make sure we are utilizing them in the best possible way.”

My eyes are a little teary hearing how she views me.

“You really think I’d be a good manager?” I ask her.

“It was my idea to hire you for the position. Not that Max doesn’t believe in you too, but I knew he would struggle with the decision knowing how you feel about nepotism. I took it out of his hands. You are an invaluable asset to this hotel, and we don’t want to lose you. It would be a huge loss if you ended up at a competitor. That is why we are offering you a higher salary. It’s standard practice. You offer the employee what they are worth, not what the market deems them worth.”

“Mason has no idea about this?” I aim this question to Max.

He shakes his head once. “None whatsoever. He asked to be left out of any decisions regarding you. He knows he can’t be impartial. He cares for you too much. I think he’d give you his CEO position if you asked for it. I figured I would leave it up to you to tellhim. Might want to do it sooner rather than later, though. We like to announce when employees are hired or promoted. I mean, assuming you are taking the position,” Max says.

There is no doubt in my mind now. This job isn’t a charity case thing. It’s because my skills are recognized. I would be an idiot to turn it down.

So I do the only thing I can do.

“I accept.”

MASON

One of the highlights of my day is spending time with my little girl. If you had asked me six months ago if I would be the dad who left work early to pick up his kid, I would have laughed in your face. Back then, it would have been comical to even think of myself as a dad, but if I did, I would have assumed that was the woman’s duty.

Then I met Ari and Olivia, and everything changed. Now I want to spend all the time with Ari that I can. Not only that, but I want to support Olivia. She went into the hotel industry because of our night together, but she’s damn good at it. I think she actually likes what she is doing too.

I’d do anything to make sure she keeps doing it. Even if it means having to let her go to a competitor. I would make Max write her the best damn recommendation letter that the world has ever seen. She deserves it.

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