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Leaving his apartment, he walked to the end of the pier and sprayed down the fiberglass deck of the boat, thoughtful now that the action of the day was over.
This might not be the life I had planned, but it could be worse. As long as I keep busy, I can’t think too much.
CHAPTER 5
Beep, beep, beep . . .
Hope cracked open a resentful eye and stared at her phone, hoping she was dreaming and didn’t have to get up yet. No such luck—it was 6 a.m. Groaning, she silenced the alarm and sat up on the edge of the bed.
February twenty-fourth. Today marked her thirty-sixth year around the sun. It was also the day management would announce the winner of the promotion. Hope stood with a smile. Couldn’t ask for a better omen . . .
She padded into the kitchen and brewed herself a cup of coffee before opening up her laptop to check her email. Kyle hadn’t contacted her since their breakup two weeks previously, but he might still wish her a happy birthday. Her inbox proved her wrong. Hope sighed and closed her laptop.
After finishing her coffee, she headed into the bathroom, peeling off her sleep shirt as she walked. Glancing in the mirror, she stopped for a moment, the three-inch tattoo on her right shoulder making her pause. The chrysalis was a muted green, with a looping black line that led to a brilliant butterfly, resplendent in the same green as well as bright yellow with black accents. She stroked it then met her gaze in the mirror. “You’ll get there, Hope. Believe.”
After changing into workout gear, she headed to the apartment gym and climbed onto a treadmill to start her usual thirty-minute run, which was a breeze for her. She’d run a half marathon last summer and was looking at a repeat this year.
No self-doubt today. You ARE going to get this promotion. You’ve given a lot to this hotel, and now it’s about to pay off. Today was literally her day.
Hope increased the speed on the treadmill.
* * *
The morning passed in a haze of anxious anticipation. Hope endured not one but two endless teleconferences from corporate while she refreshed her email every few minutes. She pictured herself as a cog in a vast machine—the effects of working for a corporate behemoth.
Instead of a friendly face-to-face meeting with Terrance about the job, she had to wait for the email blast that would be sent to all applicants. She ordered a sandwich and soda from the hotel restaurant to eat at her desk and smiled at Eduardo.
“Nothing yet?”
“Nope. My stomach is so knotted up I probably won’t be able to eat.”
“Well, it can’t be long now. Hang in there, Hope. If I were doing the hiring, you’d be a sure thing.”
“Too bad you’re not deciding. Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Any time.”
There was a snowstorm forecasted, so the hotel was sure to book up with expected delays and cancellations at O’Hare. At about 3 p.m., she was looking over the staffing report to make sure there were enough people scheduled when her email pinged. She looked up—it was from Terrance Bartlett.
Subject: Decision approved for position N43678A
Even though she had been waiting for it all day, her heart dropped into her stomach. With shaking hands, she reached for her mouse before hesitating.
Come on, Hope. It’s only what you’ve wanted for the past four years.
She double-clicked the subject line to open the email.
We wish to extend our sincere thanks to all who applied for the assistant general manager position. We were humbled by the number and quality of applicants. This was an extremely difficult selection to make, but we are pleased to announce Greg Parsons has accepted the position. Greg has a solid background as food and beverage manager for Paragon Airport Hotel, and we are looking . . .
Hope closed the email and laid her head on her folded arms. She had met Greg a time or two at local meetings. Tall and confident, bordering on cocky, he was probably ten years younger than she was and much less experienced. Worst of all, Greg was from an outside hotel chain and knew nothing about this hotel.
Raising her head, she opened the email again and read it. Nothing had changed except her heart pounded. She dug her fingers into the desk.
What was Terrance thinking? What do I have to do to get ahead with this company?
Tears threatened, which only made her angrier.
Absolutely not. No one sees my tears.
