by Chelsea Hale
Chapter 8
Liam felt bad that he’d gotten Callie into trouble. From the way the supervisor looked at her, he knew it wasn’t good news. But she wouldn’t get fired over it, would she? He ran a hand through his hair. Trying to act nonchalant around Callie hadn’t worked, and in the process, he’d tipped over the towel cart. Flirting with her had been fun though.
He shook his head, trying to clear it. His flirting had gotten her into trouble. Now he needed to stay focused. He had a pretend job that he needed to be decently good at as he observed the pulse of this entire resort. He wasn’t one for making knee-jerk decisions. He had known he would have to see this place firsthand and get a feel for it before he even attempted to make the decision. Who left a whole resort like this to someone in their will? Frustration mounted at even being put in this situation of having to make a decision. What was he supposed to learn here?
“Excuse me, could I get one of those?” Sayler stood in front of him, her hand open to receive a folded towel.
“Of course.” He handed her the towel. He lowered his voice. “What are you doing here? I’m on duty, and I just got Callie in trouble.”
Sayler only smiled. “I need a few signatures.”
“Just sign the documents digitally for me.”
Sayler shook her head. “No can do. They need to be in the mail postmarked today.”
Liam looked around. “How is that going to look, in the middle of working? As soon as Callie gets back, she’s training me on a new area.”
Sayler clicked her tongue. “Fine. I have a map of the resort. Point to a few things on it, and then sign by the x’s right under it. I would have waited until tonight, but we have some uptight lawyers trying to keep your business thriving while you’re here.”
Liam moved a towel, making room for Sayler’s papers and signed them. “Is there anything else I can help you with before I get back to my job?”
“You need to drink some water. You’re always more irritable when you’re dehydrated.” She pulled her sunglasses down from where they perched on top of her head and let them rest on her nose. She turned her head to the side, taking in movement. “Hey, is that Dawson? What is he doing here? Did you invite him to come and stay too while you’re working?”
Liam looked over to see Dawson, his cousin, here. “I didn’t invite him. Why would I?” Dawson could easily blow his cover.
He watched as Dawson talked to a woman with dark hair pulled into a high ponytail just outside the pool gates, in the parking lot. The woman looked just like Callie and then she turned. It was Callie.
“Sayler, will you find out about that?”
“I’m on it.” She hurried in the opposite direction.
A few minutes later, Callie joined him. She had come from the inside of the resort, but he knew he’d just seen her with Dawson. That was so strange. Dawson was located on the West coast right now. Why was he here? They were on good terms. But if Dawson was a guest at the resort, he could blow Liam’s cover. It was best for Sayler to take care of it.
“Hey, I’ll show you a few more things in the pool area and then we’re up in the rooms for the rest of the afternoon,” she said.
He followed her to the large swimming pools where they picked up used towels and garbage.
She seemed to stay far enough away from him that they couldn’t hold any kind of conversation with so many guests around them.
“Is everything okay? Did you get in trouble because of me?” he asked.
“No. I’m okay.”
He looked at her but didn’t want to push it. Maybe she was just helping a guest, or maybe … could she and Dawson be dating? He wasn’t sure why that thought bugged him. He and Dawson had always gotten along.
“Do you … do you have a boyfriend?” he asked her. Maybe he could find out about Dawson without asking about him by name.
“No. Do you have a girlfriend?”
He cleared his throat. How had the conversation been turned around on him? “Uh, no.”
“That question came out of nowhere.”
“I thought I saw you with someone is all.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “No. I’m done with boyfriends.”
Well, at least that was something. Though the admission of that didn’t make him feel better either.
“If you’re wondering, you don’t have to take anyone to the employees’ party. It’s just dinner and an evening of entertainment, you don’t have to bring anyone. I never do.”
“Oh, that’s good to know.” He racked his brain for information on it. Maybe it was this weekend? Or next? Either way, socializing with everyone before he took over or he let everyone go wouldn’t be a good idea.
* * *
The moment he was off work that evening, Sayler called him. It was crazy how she could do that. He walked out of the resort, heading to his room. “Did you find out anything?”
“I did. He’s on assignment. He wouldn’t say with who, but I suppose you can guess.”
“What kind of trouble is she in that she’d have Dawson helping with her case? He’s the big-time.”
“I suppose you could ask him.”
“He won’t tell me about active cases. I’m just glad that Callie admitted she didn’t have a boyfriend. Of course, maybe they aren’t that serious.”
“Dawson isn’t dating anyone. Don’t go there. Besides, why would it matter anyway?”
“It doesn’t.” He lied. He wanted to figure out Callie’s story. Just being next to her the last couple of days had been enjoyable.
Sayler made a noise on her end of the phone. “Did you want me to bring you dinner?”
“No, I ate with the employees.” Actually, he had just sat next to Callie, and hadn’t said too much. She had seemed quiet too. “Anything pressing for me to do tonight, Sayler? Any work calls I need to make?”
Sayler laughed. “You have two emails, but I suppose you could take the rest of the night off. Folding towels is getting to you, eh?”
“I’ve got another early morning. These are long days.”
“You’re the one who wanted the expedited schedule. That’s a lot more overtime. I hope it’s worth it for you.”
He thought about Callie, and about her comments by the beach today. “I hope so too.”
He hung up with Sayler, took care of his emails and paced the three steps to the bathroom sink and back to the bed. He was going to go stir-crazy in this little room. He needed to get out. He thought about calling Sayler back, maybe go over more business, but then he realized that she’d also been working all day long, and she could probably use a break too.
He put on flip flops, grabbed a towel, and wandered toward to the beach. As he wandered on the outskirts of the pool area, he realized that this part of the resort felt like his type of place. If that was because it seemed more updated or just because he’d spent time with Callie there, he wasn’t quite sure.
His feet hit the fine sand. He looked down the beach toward the larger beach. Without his name badge, he could probably blend in with the other guests, but he still made his way to the opposite side where the employees’ beach was off by itself. An hour of relaxation was exactly what he needed during his break. It was evening but the sun was still high, beating down its heat and warming the sand and the lounge chairs. His muscles needed relaxing. He thought of his jetted tub in any number of his suites in his resorts. He could last the full two weeks. He already had two days down. It would be fine. Maybe after he left here, he would head for his villa in the south of Italy. It was time for a change, and it had been months since he’d been there.
Liam sat in a lounge chair on the beach. He listened to the roar of the waves for a few minutes, allowing his mind to drift to his thoughts about his resorts, but The Hideaway was all he could think of. The beach wasn’t helping him to clear his head to make a rational decision. It only thought of one thing—that he wished he’d had more time to talk to Callie this morning. Tomorrow’s work wouldn’t come soon enough a
s he looked forward to spending more time with her.
He took his shirt off, and laid it on a lounge chair that was next to another one with a towel over it, likely it belonged to one of the employees playing Frisbee. He set a timer on his phone and tipped his hat over his face. He let the sound of the waves rushing up the shore soothe him. This was one of the many reasons he enjoyed his beach resorts. The ocean calmed him and provided for the perfect backdrop for his guests. He closed his eyes, hoping to doze.
He’d barely shut his eyes when he heard movement next to him. He lifted his hat just enough to see Callie in a swimsuit, spreading out her towel on the lounge chair next to him. Her modest one-piece was flattering, accentuated her curves in all the right ways. “Hello again.”
Callie jumped and turned around. “Hi. I didn’t recognize you there. I wasn’t planning to stay too long.”
“Don’t leave because of me. I can find another spot to lay out before I need to be back for my evening shift.”
“No. Don’t leave. I wouldn’t mind some company.” She smoothed the towel and finally sat down. “You’re tan,” she said.
“And you’re … working on your tan?” he asked her.
She smiled. “That’s a nice way of putting it.”
“Tell me about you, Callie.”
For the next hour they talked about random things about each other, and Liam was glad that he didn’t have to wait until his next shift to talk to her again.
Chapter 9
Liam started to feel the routine of The Hideaway. Every morning was going to be spent at the pool. Then in the afternoons, he learned a new area inside the resort. Liam took Callie’s lead around the pool area. He watched as she interacted with the other employees. She smiled genuinely at everyone. A small child threw a ball out of the pool and began crying. The dad looked between the child and the direction the ball rolled, looking like he was debating whether it was better to leave the ball and let his son cry or if he should get out and retrieve it.
“I’ve got it,” Callie said, rushing after the toy. She returned it to the boy and he grinned at her.
“Thank you,” the dad said to her.
“No problem.” Callie turned to Liam, still smiling.
“You’re really good at this,” Liam said.
“Good at what? Chasing after toys?”
“No. Yes. All of it. You’re good at helping people.”
She shrugged. “I think it’s something that comes naturally when you’re here at The Hideaway. There’s a culture here. The staff and the guests are all connected.”
“How so?” Liam asked, curious to know what she’d learned about this place after only being here six months.
“People come back here. They’ve made memories here. It’s unique because you can drive here but it’s a small little island.” She dropped her voice. “Admittedly, it’s not the prettiest resort on the island, but it’s one that people come back to year after year. Some come once a quarter because they love it that much. Regulars sign a special guest book. It was started years ago by the owner. Something that families could look back at each time they came.”
“A guestbook?”
Callie nodded. “It’s pretty remarkable. As soon as you’re a repeat guest, you’re invited into the small Hideaway room off the main lobby where you can write your name in the book, or draw a picture if you’re a child. They have this crazy archival system for it now, but on display is the very first book. It must be twenty or thirty years old. Anyway, it’s this cool tradition. You can always tell a repeat guest in the lobby because the kids and the adults are in a hurry to get through the check-in process so they can go take their turn in the Hideaway room.”
“Could I go see it sometime?” he asked, wondering if employees were allowed inside. If not, he’d have to make special arrangements with the hotel manager to see it during his off-hours.
Callie looked around their area. “This is fairly well staffed right now, so sure, let me show you.”
Liam followed Callie into the main lobby. They waited until a few guests came out of the door. Liam looked around the lobby wondering how he missed the door, marked “The Hideaway” in the corner. He’d been through a tour of the hotel, but it was done with generality, not looking at every room specifically.
“Hi, Trent,” Callie addressed one of the front desk clerks. “How was your daughter’s soccer game yesterday?”
Trent smiled at Callie. “She did really well. Those six-year-olds run around like bees chasing that ball. I can hardly keep them all straight.”
Callie nodded. “It’s so cool that you coach her. I bet she’s going to be on the comp team just like you were in no time.”
“You never know, but I hope so,” he said, nodding at her. “How is training going this week? Are you still enjoying all of the hours?”
“Yeah. I need to stay busy, so it’s a good position for me right now. In fact, I’m training Liam for this rotation.” She gestured to where Liam stood next to her. “He wants the accelerated program, so lots of overtime.”
Trent held out his hand to Liam. “Nice to meet you. I’m Trent. I’m here only part-time while I’m finishing up a Masters, so I don’t often meet the new staff until after they’ve gone through training.”
“I’m Liam, nice to meet you too.” Liam was impressed by the friendliness of the staff and especially that Callie knew so much about her coworkers and their personal lives.
“So, how can I help you today?” Trent asked.
“Any chance Liam can see what it’s like in the Hideaway room? He was interested in the tradition and didn’t see it on his tour.”
Trent nodded. “We really should add it to the new hire tour. I think it used to be part of it, but it’s hard to give the place up to show employees when we usually have a lot of check-ins during that tour.” Trent talked quickly to the other front desk clerk and grabbed a large gold key, easily twelve inches long, from where it hung prominently on the back wall.
Trent led them over to the Hideaway door and allowed Liam to insert the key and turn the knob. “We like to let guests open it with this big key, but in actuality, it doesn’t lock anymore. We use a latch on the top to keep it shut when no one is using it,” Trent said.
Liam opened the door to find a bigger room than he’d expected—about 20x20. The room opened up into a vaulted ceiling, with stained glass windows on one side. Against the wall was a treehouse-type structure inside, with a ladder climbing up to a fort lookout that was painted to look like it was coming out of a tree. There was also a slide hanging off the second floor of the balcony.
Against the opposite wall was a row of books behind glass cases and a large TV with a log-in screen. There were tables and chairs with markers and crayons in the center, and stacks of blank paper. The room was bright, and Liam looked to Trent for an explanation of this whole space.
“It’s quite something, isn’t it?” Trent pulled out a piece of paper. “So here’s what happens. A family will come in and play for a few minutes and then create a memory. They’re allowed to do this as often as they’d like during their stay. They write something special about their vacation or children can draw pictures. When they are completed, they scan in their pictures.”
“What is the screen for?” Liam asked.
“Ah, yes. That’s where they log in. That way all of their memories are saved together under their account. They can play a slideshow of their past memories and can watch them while they are in this room.”
“What if they want to keep the memories?” Liam asked.
“Many do. They’ll keep the hard copies, or we’ll put them in the books behind the glass case. But they can also scan it in, and there’s an option to have all of your memories emailed to you.”
A place where people returned to. Wow. Not just for the resort but for the memories. The idea was so different, and yet, it somehow fit this place. He thought of his uncle. Was this what his uncle wanted him to see?
“What do y
ou think?” Callie asked, studying him as intently as he had studied the room.
“It’s certainly something,” Liam said. “Thanks for showing it to me, and thanks Trent, for letting us see it.”
“My pleasure.” Trent held open the door for them to exit.
To the side of the door was a small plaque in black and gold. “Always remember where you’ve come from. Those powerful memories will shape the rest of your life. I’ve never forgotten where I’ve come from. Memories are magic. –Dale S.”
Liam stared at the plaque. Dale S. His uncle. Right there in front of him were his words. In his letter, his uncle had said he’d found magic here. Liam reached out a hand to touch the words on the plaque, when Callie turned to him.
“Are you okay?” she asked him quietly.
“Yeah, that’s a touching quote,” he said, moving through the door and following Trent back into the lobby. An eager family stood in front of them, and Trent ushered them into the Hideaway room.
“Thanks again, Trent,” Callie said, as they headed back to the pool.
“Anytime, Callie,” he said.
Outside, Liam continued thinking about the quote, trying to sort through his feelings.
“Dale was amazing around here,” Callie said, as if reading his thoughts. “I think it was his vision that made this resort what it is today. At least that’s the impression I get.”
Liam cleared his throat, wondering what she meant. “Oh? Who was he?”
Callie shrugged. “Was? I think he is one of the founders. There’s a lot of his quotes around. To be fair, I’ve seen a few other names and quotes around too, but some of them are Shakespeare or other famous people.”
Curiosity pulled at Liam to learn more. “More quotes?”
Callie nodded. “Haven’t you noticed the plaques? They’re in the employee rooms and in the laundry facilities. When I first got here it was kind of like a treasure hunt trying to find them. It’s one of those strange things but most employees don’t share them. When you find it, it’s like an Easter egg. You just enjoy it and leave it for someone else to discover.”
