Chapter Four

“Which one of you is Mr. Davis’s daughter?” A woman in a tailored suit approached Jess and I as we waited in the lobby.

“You must be Natalie.” I shook the blonde woman’s hand politely. “I’m Allie and this is Jess.”

She smiled warmly. “Pleasure to meet you both.” Striking and even taller than me, Natalie wasn’t exactly what I expected the manager of the hotel to look like. I don’t know what I expected, maybe a middle-aged man or something. Then again, my dad said he did the hiring himself, and he certainly had a weakness for attractive women.

“Same to you. We’re really looking forward to working at the hotel this summer.” I nudged Jess.

“We’re super excited!” Jess’s fake enthusiasm didn’t seem to register with Natalie.

“Mr. Davis made it clear that you are only required to work set daytime shift hours, but if either of you are serious about working in the hotel industry, you should consider working some evening shifts to get a better understanding of the 24-hour nature of the business.”

Deciding to keep my thoughts about how little interest we had in the industry to myself, I settled for a simple answer. “I understand, but for now I think we’ll stick with days.”

Natalie led us over to the front desk and introduced us to the desk clerk on duty. Probably in her late thirties, Adie seemed pleasant enough.

“It’s nice to meet you girls. I’m looking forward to getting some more time off this summer. With my kids home from school, I could use it.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.” I shook Adie’s hand and Jess followed my lead.

Natalie excused herself. “Adie should be able to show you everything you need to know, but if you have any questions or need anything I’ll be in my office.”

I smiled. “Thanks, I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

The morning dragged. Although not hung over, I wasn’t feeling like myself. I had slept fitfully with dreams that slipped away before I woke up. Adie showed us how to work the computers, and she explained that unless someone was checking in or out, we could usually direct most questions to the concierge if one was working.

Adie left around noon, leaving Jess and I to our own devices.

“Hey girls,” Billy said when he came by the desk.

“Hi Billy!” Jess turned to give him her undivided attention.

“I’m going to take a break for lunch; do you guys want to join me?” He leaned casually against the desk.

“Sure,” Jess said eagerly.

“You can go, but Adie just left and we can’t leave the desk empty so I’ll stay here,” I explained.

“Oh, then forget it.”

“Go ahead, I don’t mind.”

“You sure?” Jess tried to act like she didn’t care, but her face pleaded with me. So much for being into Jared, she certainly seemed excited to see Billy.

“Yeah, go ahead,” I repeated.

“Okay, great. I’ll be back soon so you can get something next.”

“All right, have fun.”

I played around on my phone for a while, downloading some apps I didn’t actually need. A few guests came to check in, but thankfully, I was able to direct most questions to the concierge. I was feeling all right, but I needed caffeine. I noticed a sandy haired guy working at the bar and decided to go over to get a Diet Coke.

“Hi there. Are you Allie or Jess?” the bartender asked as soon as I walked over.

“Hi… How did you know our names?” I said slowly.

He laughed. “Well, how many new employees do you think started today?”

“Oh, that makes sense. I’m Allie.”

“Alex. Pleasure to meet you.” He shook my hand.

“Same.”

“So you’re the boss’s daughter, huh? What can I get you? Not going to drink on the job your first day, are you?”

I tried to ignore the boss’s daughter comment even though it irked me. “No, I’m not that desperate. I could use a Diet Coke though.”

“Coming right up.” He smiled as he popped open a can of soda and handed it to me.

I took a sip, and started to take a seat when Jess’s voice rang through the lobby.

“Oh my god Allie, I’m so sorry we were gone so long!” She joined me at the bar, Billy next to her.

“This must be Jess?” Alex asked with the hint of a smile.

“Oh no, what did Allie say about me?”

“Nothing, we’ve only been talking a minute,” Alex explained.

Billy exchanged glances with Alex. “Well, I’m glad you guys met. I thought we could all go out after work. Jess claims she wants to try some southern food.”

“Southern food, eh?” Alex arched an eyebrow.

“I want my experience down here to be authentic.”

“Oh yeah?” Alex laughed. “You in, Allie?”

“Sure, but I should probably get some lunch now.”

“I’m sorry again for taking so long, but here’s a peace offering.” Jess pulled a plastic bag from behind her. I took it, and peeked inside to find a sandwich.

“Peace offering accepted. Let’s get back to work.”

***

After running upstairs to our rooms to change, we headed down to the lobby to meet Billy and Alex.

As the elevator doors opened, I noticed the infuriatingly familiar outline of Levi walking toward us. Thankfully, he was looking the other way. Jess had already started getting out, so I yanked her back inside, letting the doors close again.

“What the hell was that?” she asked, rubbing her arm where I grabbed her.

“Sorry, I’m just not in the mood to deal with him right now.”

“Fine. I guess it’s better this way. It would have been awkward to have tried to talk to both Jared and Billy at the same time.”

I shook my head.

By the time the doors opened again, Levi and his friends had already moved over to the bar where a female bartender now worked.

Alex and Billy were waiting for us by the front entrance.

“You know those guys?” Alex asked, noticing the direction of my attention.

“We hung out with them last night,” Jess said nonchalantly.

Alex stopped to look at us as we walked out into the still bright sun. “You should really stay away from them. They aren’t the kind of people you kids should be hanging out with.”

“Kids?” I asked as we walked. “As compared to you and your advanced years?”