“Dad, are you feeling okay?”
His father smiled. “I’m fine, now that you’re here. It’s been a long week. Your mother had a couple of rough days. She knows you’re coming though, and she’s been better.”
“She didn’t want to come with you?” His parents almost always came together to pick him up. He didn’t care, but it made him worry that things might be worse than his father had let on.
His father hesitated before saying, “She probably would have loved to, but it was easier for me to just run out and to be honest, I needed the break.”
“Oh, okay. How is she doing?”
“You’ll see soon enough.” He sighed. “She’s good. She’s excited to see you and she’s thrilled that you’re staying a while.”
They arrived home fifteen minutes later. It was a good-sized house with four bedrooms and distant water views. His parents had lived there for as long as David could remember. He’d been born there and had gone to the Nantucket public schools. He tried to picture Paula but couldn’t remember her well. She’d been a freshman when he was a senior and even though the high school was small, she’d been younger and they didn’t share the same circle of friends.
His father pulled into the garage, and David grabbed his suitcase and followed his father inside. He was surprised that his mother wasn’t at the door to greet them. He heard the sound of the television and walked into the living room. He found her there in her recliner, watching a sit-com. She got up when she saw them.
“David! It’s so good to see you! Did you have a good flight?” She looked and sounded perfectly fine. It was a relief to see her familiar, friendly face. He pulled her in for a hug and a kiss hello.
“You look great, Mom!”
“Well, thank you. But I think I probably look the same as ever. Are you hungry?”
“I could eat.” He hadn’t had anything other than a banana since lunch. And it was nearly eight.
“Let me fix you a plate. We had roasted chicken with mashed potatoes earlier. You love that.”
“I do.” He followed his mother into the kitchen and she quickly made him a plate of food, then put it in the microwave and heated it up for two minutes. When the buzzer went off, she opened the oven and looked confused when the food wasn’t there.
“Check the microwave honey,” his father said.
She did and pulled the plate of food out. “How silly of me! Here you go.” She set the plate in front of David and he ate seated at the island while his parents chatted with him. Other than the mix-up with the oven, his mother seemed really good, better than he’d expected.
The next morning after a great night’s sleep, he woke around eight, feeling energized and hungry. It was a beautiful day and he’d brought his running shoes. A run down to the beach and back after he ate a light breakfast seemed like a good plan. He dressed and went down to the kitchen where his mother was sitting at the kitchen island, reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee. She looked up and smiled. “Hi, honey. There’s coffee made if you want to help yourself. I could make you an omelet if you like. Your usual tomato and onion?”
David smiled. That was his father’s usual breakfast. “No thanks. I thought I’d have a quick bowl of oatmeal and some coffee before I go out for a run.”
“But you can’t run, honey. What about your knee? You know the doctor said that wasn’t a good idea since you had the surgery.”
David just stared at his mother in confusion. His knees were fine. But ten years ago, his father had both knees replaced. What should he do? Should he correct her? Before he could say anything, his father walked into the room, saw David’s face and glanced at his mother. “How’s everyone doing this morning?”
A pained look crossed his mother’s face for a moment before she smiled and glanced at David. “You look like you’re dressed for a run. That’s a great idea. It looks lovely outside today.”
Later that afternoon, while his mother was taking a nap, David sat down in the kitchen with his father. He’d never known his mother to nap. She was only in her late sixties.
“What do the doctors say?” David asked.
“We just had a battery of tests done at Mass General. We flew into Boston and spent the night there the day before. Had a lovely dinner in the North End and then met with her doctors the next day. It’s officially Alzheimer’s.”
His mother had Alzheimer’s.
“What exactly does that mean? Are there different degrees of it? And does she know?”
“She knows. Sort of. She was right there with me when the doctors went over everything. I’m not sure she’s really processed it though. But I think on some level, she knows something is wrong. Sometimes when she forgets something a look crosses her face that is heartbreaking. She looks afraid. Imagine knowing that your mind is going? How do you deal with that?”
“How are you dealing with it?” David asked. He was worried for his father as well as his mother. He’d never seen his father so stressed.
“I’m not going to lie to you. It’s been hard. Really hard. I think we might have some difficult decisions to make soon.”
“What are you thinking?”
His father stood and started pacing the room. “Well, there are a few options. We could put her in an assisted living—Alzheimer’s unit, which I am not ready to do. She’s not that bad yet. We could both move to an assisted living place and then she’d have access to services if she needed them. Or I could hire someone to come here.” He stopped pacing and sat down again and looked at David.
“She’s at the point where she really can’t be left alone for long. If I just run out to the store, it’s fine, but longer than an hour and it’s potentially unsafe. She left the stove on the other day and luckily, I was home. The smoke alarm went off and everything was fine. But if I hadn’t been here…”
“How have you been managing? What do you do when you go to work?” David’s father worked as an attorney and had an office downtown, near Main Street and the waterfront.
“I’ve been working from home for the past few months, except for when I need to meet in person with a client, and then I run into town and back as quickly as possible.”
No wonder his father looked so exhausted.
“What do you want to do?” David asked.
“I want things to stay as normal as possible. I don’t think I’m ready to move to an assisted living place, not yet. I think if I can get someone to come in here maybe every afternoon during the week, then I could go into the office.”
“That sounds like a good plan. I can help you find someone.”
His father looked grateful. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
Paula’s grandfather didn’t believe in wasting any time. When she told him first thing Monday morning that she was accepting the general manager position, he’d been pleased but then surprised her by saying, “Good, because David Connolly, that consultant I mentioned to you? He starts tomorrow, and so do you.”
So, the next morning they all gathered in the conference room around a big oval table, for the weekly managers’ meeting. Paula sat next to Hallie and across from Nick.
“How’s Andrea doing?” she asked her cousin. Paula still felt somewhat guilty that she was taking over Andrea’s job.
“She’s ok. Disappointed of course and pissed off. I saw her on Sunday for pizza with the family.”
“Did she say what she is going to do?”
“She’s not ready to give up on a GM role somewhere. She has a few weeks before she is coming back, so I guess she’ll feel the market out.”
They all looked up as her grandfather stepped into the room and was followed by a tall, blondish man who looked vaguely familiar. Paula had done her research on David Connolly and she remembered him from high school. He’d been on the basketball team and he’d always had a quiet confidence about him. She didn’t know him back then, but she could picture him walking the hallways surrounded by his friends or his girlfriend, Missy. She was a cheerleade
r, and they were together all of senior year. Paula knew they’d broken up soon after, because Missy married a local Nantucket boy a few years later. Paula also thought she’d heard recently that they’d gotten divorced.
Her grandfather made the introductions all around, then he and David took their chairs. Her grandfather led the meeting, as usual and everyone gave their weekly updates. Paula handed out her copies of the numbers. She went through them quickly, giving brief summaries so that she didn’t bore anyone. Everyone nodded and she expected that to be the end of the meeting.
But then David opened his briefcase, pulled out a manila folder and flipped through it until he found a spreadsheet. He glanced at it and looked back at Paula’s handout.
“It looks like you’re down about ten percent from this time last year. Any idea why that might be?”
Paula glanced at her grandfather before speaking as she wasn’t sure if he’d want to answer. He nodded at her to go ahead.
“We are down some, just over ten percent for the year. It varies by month. It started when a new hotel opened two years ago. Nantucket Grand is right downtown and a lot of people like that. Do you think we should lower our prices? We haven’t done it yet.”
David shook his head. “No, I don’t think you should lower your prices. I think you should raise them.” Everyone at the table looked confused.
“You think we should raise them? We’re already one of the most expensive on the island,” her grandfather said.
“Yes. You don’t want to be one of them. You want to be the most expensive, most luxurious, most sought-after hotel on Nantucket. The people that come here can afford it. If they are looking for less expensive accommodations, there are plenty of options. There are many people that equate being the most expensive with being the best.”
“You really think we should raise all of our prices?” Paula wasn’t sure about that.
“Yes. But on the regular rooms don’t raise by much. We can research the prices and just go a hair above the rest. But on the suites and villas, those can go up by 10 to 20%. I’m guessing they stay booked pretty steadily?”
Paula nodded. “Yes. We don’t have as many of those rooms and they always go quickly.”
“Good. So that’s the first step. We’ll also look at what you’re doing for marketing and see if we can make some tweaks there. And over the next few months, I’ll be assessing everything to see how we can be more efficient and more profitable.”
“Excellent, we welcome your input,” her grandfather said.
David turned his attention to Paula. “Have you told the staff yet that you’ve taken over the general manager role?”
“No, not yet.” She smiled. “I only just accepted the role yesterday.”
“Well, we should do that as soon as possible. We’ll walk around the property today. You can introduce me, and yourself as the new general manager, at the same time.”
“How do you suggest we present this?” her grandfather asked.
“Matter of fact. Andrea has accepted the concierge role?”
“Yes, she starts in three weeks,” her grandfather confirmed.
“Okay, so we just say that. There’s been a management shift. Andrea is going to be heading up concierge services and Paula is moving out of the back office and into the GM role. That’s all we have to say.”
“Good. I agree, let’s do that today.” Her grandfather stood. “Okay, great meeting everyone. Paula, do you want to show David around the property?”
“Of course.”
Paula had opted to stay in her current office. It was the same size as the one Andrea was using which was right across the hall. It made sense to have David use Andrea’s old office while he was going to be with them. Paula showed him his office first and he dropped off his briefcase before they headed out for their tour.
“It’s a beautiful property,” David said as they walked into the main lobby first which had soaring ceilings and white Carrera marble everywhere. Square-cut crystal vases filled with fresh flowers gave the room a lovely scent and welcoming feel.
Paula introduced David to the reception team and explained that she was taking over the general manager role. She was a little nervous about telling them, but as soon as she did, they were all smiles, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
“That’s fabulous news, Paula. I know you’ll do a great job.” Maeve was close to her mother’s age and had worked the front desk for as long as Paula could remember.
As they walked away, David gave her a curious look. “You seemed surprised that they were enthusiastic about the promotion. They seemed happy for you.”
“They did. I just wasn’t sure what people would think.”
“You mean if you’re ready for it? You were in a very different role for a long time.”
“Yes. And I enjoyed it too. As you know, my cousin Andrea was the GM. It’s a little awkward.”
“It’s not your fault that it didn’t work out with Andrea. Your grandfather did the right thing in moving her to a role that better suits her.”
“I know. It’s just a big change, and sudden.” She didn’t add that she wasn’t totally sure she was ready for it.
David looked at her closely. “It is a big change. Very different from what you were doing. You could hide in your office, do your thing with numbers. This is a very visible job. Are you sure that you’re up for it?”
Was she? It was one thing for her to have doubts, but it irritated her to hear him voice them.
“My grandfather thinks that I am,” she said stiffly.
He laughed and she saw the warmth in his eyes. “Yes, I know. He thinks very highly of you. So, let’s do this. You have me for two months. Let’s work together to get you up to speed and comfortable in the new role and see what we can do to get that ten percent back.”
“Sounds good. So, let’s head to the kitchen next. You can meet Roland the head chef and my brother, Nick, is his right hand.”
They spent the rest of the morning making the rounds and talking to everyone in every department. Paula was relieved that everyone seemed supportive of the changes. They had lunch with her grandfather in the dining room and David seemed impressed with the menu and the food.
“I noticed that you do a fair number of weddings, but not very many corporate functions,” he said.
“You mean like conferences and meetings?” Paula asked.
“Yes. That could be a huge growth area for you. This is the kind of place that companies would love for corporate outings or conferences. There are a lot of companies with deep pockets—hedge funds, investment firms, and we could tap into more of that market. The profits are as big, if not bigger, than a wedding—without the headaches.”
Paula laughed. “No diva brides. We certainly get our share of those.”
“It can be recurring income, too. A lot of these corporate events happen every year.”
“That’s a great suggestion,” her grandfather said. “You can work with Paula to develop that?”
“We can. Oh, and another thing. You get a lot of celebrities that come here, but you could increase that too and overall awareness by using influencers on social media. We could choose a couple of highly connected Instagrammers and invite them for a complimentary weekend, with the understanding that they say nice things and post pictures. That can create some buzz fast.”
Her grandfather laughed. “That’s all Greek to me. Maybe Paula knows what you are talking about. The two of you can go after those influencers or whatever you called them. You have free rein to do whatever you think best.”
Paula knew what influencers were and her head was spinning with all the possibilities. She’d known David was going to help her acclimate to the GM role. She didn’t realize he’d have expertise in these other areas, too. She was excited to see what they could do.
Chapter 4
Bella was thrilled to discover how easy it was to hide in plain sight. All she had to do was turn her instantly recognizable long platinum b
lond hair into a deep brunette, chin-length bob. To be safe, though, she also added sunglasses and a pink Red Sox cap. Her jeans were baggy, and she wore several bulky sweaters. No one looked at her twice. It was wonderful.
She flew first class from LA to New York, then on to Nantucket and slept most of the way. When she landed and got her luggage, there was a white Range Rover parked out front and a driver holding a card with her name on it.
His name was Johnny, and he was very enthusiastic about the hotel he was bringing her to.
“Have you been to The Whitley before?” he asked, once her luggage was in the back and they were on their way.
“No, never. It looks lovely online, though. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Oh, you’ll love it. It’s a special place. Everyone loves it there. Where are you from?”
Bella thought about that for a moment. Where was she from? She wasn’t sure anymore. “I’ve been living in Los Angeles for the past five years. I grew up in Vermont, though. A really small town.”
“No beaches in Vermont. I’ve never been to Los Angeles. You ever see any movie stars there?”
“No,” she lied. “Some of my friends have, though.” That was true.
“Oh, too bad.”
Johnny was quiet for the rest of the drive and Bella stared out the window as they drove. It was still light out and the island was even prettier than she’d imagined. There was sand along the side of the roads and pink roses everywhere. Johnny turned off the main road and onto a long winding driveway. When he came around the final bend, Bella saw The Whitley straight ahead. It had a long, sprawling main building overlooking Nantucket Sound with individual cottages closer to the beach. The lawn was lush and perfectly maintained.
Johnny pulled up to the main entrance and jumped out to get Bella’s luggage. She didn’t have much with her, just one big suitcase and a carryon. Not a lot considering she was going to be staying for several months. But she’d wanted to travel light. She figured she could go into town and shop a bit and get whatever else she might need.
The Hotel Page 3
