Page 45 of Santa Maybe
“I can’t believe I have to put up with this,” she said. “I made my reservation at the Grand Duke weeks ago. There’s no excuse for sending me to this shit heap.”
“I’m so sorry,” the young female clerk said. “But the Grand Duke is overbooked due to some unexpected maintenance issues.”
The woman leaned on the counter, getting right up in the clerk’s face. “What about the other upscale hotels around here? Like the Magnolia or the Coast?”
“They’re also full. But we offer—”
“I don’t care what you offer,” the woman snapped. “I need to speak to the manager.Immediately.”
“Of course. I understand. I’ll call our assistant manager right now.”
Drew wanted to tell the woman to chill out, but it wasn’t his place. He edged over to the lobby, stood behind the fully decorated Christmas tree, and waited to see what would happen. A minute later, Rosie strode out to the front desk, looking sharp in her navy blue blazer and matching pencil skirt. Though she was sexy as hell in workout clothes, the sight of her in business attire really turned him on.
Rosie faced the woman calmly. “May I help you?”
“Only if you can get me back into the Grand Duke. This place is a huge step down. If this isn’t rectified, I guarantee you’ll be getting a scathing review.”
Drew still couldn’t figure out why disgruntled guests always took out their animosity on the Duchess when the Duke was the one who’d given them the shaft.
Rosie flashed the woman her brightest smile. “I wish I could send you back there, I really do, but we’ll try to make your stay here as pleasant as possible. Right now, we’re offering a host of holiday amenities, including a wonderful weeknight happy hour, a delicious, holiday-themed free breakfast, a goody bag filled with holiday treats, and some great discounts on our local restaurants and shops.”
“Do I look like I give a shit about discounts?” the woman demanded. “This place is sub-par. What kind of a dump doesn’t even have a workout room?”
“I apologize for that, but we do have an agreement with Northlife Fitness, just around the corner. It’s the premier health club in downtown Victoria.”
Sensing a role he could play, Drew emerged from his hiding place and headed for the front desk. He couldn’t miss the way Rosie’s eyes lit up when she saw him, but he kept his focus on the irate guest.
“Good morning,” he said, channeling as much enthusiasm as he could muster. “I just stopped by to chat with the manager, but I’m glad to be of service. I’m one of the personal trainers at Northlife Fitness, and we pride ourselves on having a top-notch facility. As a guest of the hotel, you’ll be able to work out there or attend any of our classes for free.”
Damn, he sounded like a freaking infomercial.
“What kind of classes?” the woman asked.
“All kinds—Pilates, yoga, spinning, you name it. Personally, I’m in charge of our boot camp classes, and most of our attendees agree that it’s a challenging workout.”
She raked her gaze over him, lingering on his body in a way that made him uncomfortable. But he kept his smile in place. Finally, she shrugged. “I suppose it’s better than nothing. But if a room becomes available at the Grand Duke, I want to be transferred over there immediately.”
“If that happens, I’ll contact you right away,” Rosie said. “In the meantime, Bri will get you all checked in.”
As the woman turned her attention back to the clerk, Rosie inched over to Drew. Taking his arm, she led him away from the front desk and flashed him a grin. “Thank you. Great save, Mr. Fitness.”
He wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her thoroughly. But since they were in a public place, he played it cool by pretending to doff an imaginary cowboy hat. “Glad to be of service, ma’am.”
She glanced at the to-go cups in his hand. “Is one of those for me?”
He was tempted to tease her, but she was gazing at the cups with such longing that he didn’t have the heart. “It is. I got you a vanilla latte.”
She took it from him. “Thanks. I really appreciate it since today’s been kind of rough. This is the third guest in a row who’s complained to the front desk about the Duke situation.”
“Sorry you have to put up with that.”
“It’s okay, but I’m also bummed because Preston just informed me that he wants to add an event on Sunday night. That means we might have to miss my family’s Sunday dinner. My mom’s not going to be happy about that.”
Drew longed to tell her demanding boss to take a flying leap, but he didn’t want to add to her stress. “Maybe you could tell your mom that you’ll make it up to her after the holidays. She knows you’re under a lot of pressure right now.”
“I can try.” Rosie took a sip of her latte. “Mmmm. So good. I’d love to stay and chat, but I have a Zoom call in a few minutes.”
“No problem. I’ve got to get back to Northlife before my next client shows up at eleven.” He gave her arm a quick squeeze.
