He pauses. “Does me staying for the summer make you happy?”
I bite my bottom lip, deciding whether to be honest. I finally settle on, “Maybe.”
He says nothing, turning into the driveway.
“You’re back to being Mr. Wolf when we pass those gates, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” No hesitation.
“Well, then it was nice to spend this time with you.” My eyes drop to my lap.
“I trust you know where you’re going this afternoon.”
“To set the rooms on the fourth floor, and then collect my uniform.” The instructions appeared in my inbox last night during dinner.
A secretive smirk touches his lips. “Don’t worry, I doubt you’ll find it as awful as you expect.”
“We’ll see what your guests have to say. I don’t think I’ve ever actually made a bed properly.”
“Huh.” He mutters something that sounds like, “I’ll keep that in mind,” under his breath. The wheels squeak as the truck rolls to a stop where Henry picked me up this morning. The hotel is alive with workers now, carrying supplies from the docks, raking the beach, and I’m sure a thousand other things I’m not even aware of. Grizzly bear or not, the morning was much more peaceful than what I anticipate the next few days will be. “Do you need me to help you unload the wood?”
“No. I have the Outdoor crew for that.”
I shoot him a glare, earning his smirk.
It quickly falls off his beautiful face, though. “I’m glad I can trust you to keep things to yourself. I’d like to ask that you continue to do so. If anyone does ask, tell them you helped me load wood. If anyone asks.”
I frown. “That’s all I did. Do you mean about the bear? Or...” My eyes inadvertently drift to his lap before I snap them back and swallow hard.
A wicked smirk touches his lips. “You can respect that, right?”
“Yes.”
“I thought so.”
“Maybe I’ll see you around.”
“Maybe.”
I reach for the handle, but then stop, the one unanswered question still ringing in my ears. “You said that you hired me? Why?”
He stares out the windshield for the longest time. When he finally turns, it’s to settle a dark, heated gaze on me. “Because it looked like you really needed this.”
“I did. I do.” I clear my voice to get the shake out of it. Lord, he can be intimidating at the snap of a finger.
“Well then, I wanted to give it to you.”
The mood in the truck has turned dark and palpable, and I feel the sudden urge to escape. I slip out and head toward the main lodge, replaying his words. It would be easy to believe he meant that I really needed this job, or I really needed to get away to the peaceful wilderness of Alaska.
Something tells me he’s talking about something else, though.
I glance over my shoulder to find him watching me quietly from his truck. That stare, it’s almost... wolfish.
Chapter Ten
“Fifth floor needs ten more corkscrews and shoe polish kits!” Shelley, one of the room service supervisors, hollers. “Can you ladies bring those up? Last request, then you can go get your uniforms and call it a day. Promise.”
“Sure thing,” Tillie answers for us, strolling past me to grab the corkscrews from the supply bin against the wall to our left. All the major staples—bottle openers, extra pens, batteries, adapters for foreigners, the special custom-made Wolf Hotel branded chocolates—are sorted there for easy access. “Maybe you should carry these, with those broken arms and all.” She winks and dumps the corkscrews into my appreciative hands.
I guess being in Chicago all year has softened my muscles, because only hours later—albeit long, arduous hours of shuttling extra pillows, towels, and hair dryers all over the hotel and, yes, wrestling with bed sheets—my arms are aching something fierce.
I’m exhausted. All I want to do is curl up in my little bed, and as soon as I’m able, that’s exactly what I’ll be doing.
“That’s what you get for disappearing into the woods with Mr. Wolf,” Tillie hisses as we head toward the staff elevator.
I spear her with a warning glare. Tillie’s the only one who knows who I left with, and that’s because she badgered me until I let it slip. In trying to respect Henry’s wishes, I asked her to keep it to herself.
“Oh, relax. I’m not gonna say nothin’.” She hits the Up button with her elbow and then stands back. “I can’t believe you spent all morning watching that man cut wood and did not take one picture. Did he sweat? Oh, I bet he was sweating.”
“I didn’t notice,” I lie. “I know that I was sweating. It was hard work.”
“Why’d he ask you, anyway? I mean...” Her eyes roam my tiny frame.
“I think it was a reality check for outdoor work in Alaska. So I’d shut up and be happy in Housekeeping.”
“Lugging wood would do it, I guess.” A woman passes us in the corridor, her maid uniform slung over her shoulder. “Not bad, hey?” Tillie says, nodding toward it.
As far as frumpy housekeeping uniforms go, I’d say we lucked out. The French-inspired dresses are classy yet functional, all black with cap sleeves and cowl necklines, trimmed with white lace. Someone was modeling it earlier. It’s flattering. Nothing too revealing, and comfortable enough—though I haven’t scrubbed any toilets, yet.
The elevator doors open just as someone calls out, “Abbi, wait!” We turn to see Belinda speeding toward us, her heels clicking furiously.
“Go ahead. I’ll be up in a sec,” I tell Tillie, watching her disappear behind the doors.
“Did you get my message?” Belinda pants, like she’s out of breath.
I frown. “No. But I don’t have my phone on me.” I’ve enjoyed not carrying it, being disconnected from the world. Mainly from Greenbank.
She waves it away. “Not a problem. We have a solution to the role mix-up.”
Dare I hope? “You’re moving me to Outdoor?”
“No.” Her lips purse together. “But I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.” Is there a hint of bitterness in her voice? “Beginning tomorrow morning, you’ll be covering Penthouse One.”
“Penthouse One.” I frown. “I don’t understand. What does that even mean?” And how is that better?
“Here.” She thrusts an iPad at me. “All the information you need is in there. Guest programs, amenities, procedures. It’ll take you a few days to digest it all, but you’ll have time to do that.”
“But—”
“You’ll need a liaison’s uniform. They should have something that fits you.”
I stare at the iPad. “Okay?” I’m starting tomorrow and yet the hotel manager has admitted that it’ll take me a few days to know what to do. “Are you sure I’m the best person for this job?”
Again, that lip pucker. “It doesn’t matter what I think. Mr. Wolf insisted on it.”
My eyebrows must jump halfway up my forehead. “He did what?” Clearly he’s not as smart of a businessman as I thought he was if he’s going to put me with his most valuable guests.
Belinda hands me a key card. “Each penthouse has its own uniquely coded liaison card. You know where the penthouses are, right?”
I nod absently.
“To the right of the guest door is another door. That is the one you use. You’ll be expected to arrive on site tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m., sharp.”
There are so many questions flying through my head that I don’t know where to begin.
She taps the iPad in my hand with her nail. “Watch the video, read through the training sections, and if you have any more questions, Paige will help you.”
I watch her stalk away as if in a rush, checking her watch as she rounds the corner.
A rash of nerves floods my stomach. What on earth was Henry thinking, putting me in this job? I thought he cared about his hotel?
I wish I knew how to find him so I could talk him out of this. But I don’t have time to hunt him down. I need to drop off these kits, get my new uniform, and get back to the cabin to familiarize myself.