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The problem was, she couldn’t forget it. She unclenched her fists and took a deep breath of caffeinated air. They had been together for nearly two years, so maybe things were getting a little stale.
“Good morning, Hope! I saw you in line, so I made your coffee,” said the barista, Ashley, in her crisp green apron.
Hope furrowed her brow as she swept back a lock of chestnut hair. “How did you know what I was going to order?”
Ashley’s smile fell. “Oh! You always get a Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte. If you want something else today, it’s ok. I’ll make a new one.”
Hope ran her card through the reader. “No, my usual is fine. I didn’t realize I was so, uh, obvious.”
Ashley’s sunny smile returned. “We’ve got to have our routines, right?”
“Yeah, I guess so. Thanks.” Hope grabbed the coffee, chewing on a fingernail as she walked toward the door.
Am I getting a wake-up call here? Kyle and Ashley?
The icy sleet once again pelted her as she left the shop and headed toward her car. Pulling her coat tighter, she had much more important things to think about. You’ve earned this promotion. It’s time to prove it to Terrance.
Hope started her car, rubbing her hands together in front of the heating vents before driving the two miles to work. Pulling into the parking lot of Rosemont Inn & Suites, her trusty SUV only skidded a little. I really hate snow.
She inspected the tall building before her. Built fifteen years ago, the hotel still looked modern and upscale. The light-gray rectangular facade was broken up with rows and columns of windows. Royal-blue accent lighting was still on in the darkness.
Eduardo, the front-desk clerk, grinned from his computer as she passed by into her office. “Morning, Hope. It’s another gorgeous day.”
He soon appeared at her door, his black hair short and clean. Eduardo was thirty but looked fifteen—he complained he still got carded. “Hey, isn’t your interview today?”
“Ugh. Chicago winters are the worst. And yes, my interview is this afternoon. Assistant general manager has a nice ring to it. If things go well, your sentence with me as front-desk manager will soon end.”
Eduardo smirked. “Well, you’ve worked here forever. They’d be stupid not to promote you.”
There was a poster on the wall of a runner breaking the tape as she won a race. The caption read, Good Things Come to Those Who Don’t Give Up. “Sometimes it feels like forever, but it’s been ten years. And thanks for the compliment.”
* * *
Later that morning, Hope sat in her office looking over occupancy lists when raised voices drifted in from the front desk. She smiled at Eduardo’s soothing tone as he tried to calm a customer.
“What do you mean you aren’t giving me an upgrade? Don’t you know I’m a Gold member?”
“Yes, I see that, and we thank you for your loyalty. Unfortunately, we don’t have any suites to upgrade you to. Our check-in time isn’t until 3 p.m. If you’d prefer to wait for a better room, I can see what opens up between now and then and call you immediately.” Eduardo used the extra-sweet tone he always took with awful customers.
The man bellowed, “This is completely unacceptable!”
Ok, that’s enough.
Hope rose and approached the front desk, finding a very large and very red middle-aged man looming in front of the counter. He wore a rumpled suit, and his graying hair stuck up on one side.
She peeked at Eduardo’s computer screen to scan the details before putting on her best professional smile and introducing herself. “Hello, Mr. Goodson. Eduardo is absolutely right about no suites being available, but I have a great corner room that just opened up. Would that work? I know it’s an inconvenience, but our options are limited when checking in this early in the day.”
Goodson deflated. He’d been puffed up, spoiling for a fight. “Ok. I guess that could work. I’ve been flying all night, and it was a terrible flight.”
Hope’s face hurt from smiling so hard. “I understand completely. Red-eyes are the worst.” The fire in the hearth gave a loud pop, making Goodson jump. “I’ll let Eduardo finish getting you checked in. Our restaurant is open if you’d like to get breakfast.”
He shook his head, still grumpy. “At this point, I only want to get some sleep.”
“Our rooms are soundproof, so that should help. Please let me know if there is anything else you need. I’m here to help.” Hope handed him her card. “I’ll leave you in Eduardo’s expert hands.”
“Thank you,” Goodson said, flushing now.
Hope smiled and walked back to her office. Entitled Elite Number One handled for today. He wouldn’t be the last, but she could handle people like him in her sleep.
