Once Upon a Summertime (10 page)

“That's the one.”

“Max never even told me. The dirty rat.”

“Maybe he didn't know. Sean just got hired today. Like me.”

“So you're going to be working with Sean?”

“Well, we're both managers.” Anna hadn't told Marley yet that she was in charge of housekeeping. Not that she was hiding this . . . but there was no hurry.

“Maybe you can put in a good word for me, Anna. I mean, if Sean's single. Is he single?”

Anna frowned. “I honestly don't know. For some reason I just assumed that he was. I mean, I didn't look for a ring or anything. Who knows? He could be with someone. I mean, he's the same age as Max, so it's possible he's married too.”

“No, no. He can't be. He's got to be single,” Marley insisted. “Tell me he's single. Please.”

Anna laughed. “Well, just because I tell you he is doesn't mean that he is.”

“Is he still as good-looking as in high school? Or has he gone bald and gotten a beer belly from drinking all that Irish Guinness?”

“He still has his hair and his waistline.”

“Oh, good.”

“I actually think he might've gotten better looking.”

“Oh, Anna, you're killing me. Now I can't wait to get home.”

“Hey, is there any way you could check a suitcase for me when you come?”

“Sure, why not?”

“I'm supposed to start work on Monday, so I probably need to change my return flight too. Do you think that'll be a problem?”

“No. I mean, they might charge you a little, but I'll handle it for you while I'm at the airport tomorrow. We'll just leave it open-ended.”

“I told Grandma I'd give her a list of things I might need. She offered to mail them, but—”

“Tell her I'll pick them up tomorrow. Probably in the afternoon.”

Anna thanked her. “It'll save her from having to take it to the post office.”

“No problem. They might even let me check it for free.”

“Great. Already I'm wishing I'd packed a few more pieces of clothing.”

“Well, my closet is next to the bed. Like I told you, feel free to use whatever you need.”

“Thanks. I'll let Grandma know you're coming.”

“This is so exciting, Anna. We're going to have such fun in New York together.”

“I hope your offer to sleep on your couch is still good.”

“Totally. And as often as the girls are in the air, you can probably have a bed a lot of the time.”

“Thanks, Marley. I owe you.”

“Well, you can pay me back by finding out everything you can about Sean. First of all, find out if he's single. If he is, I'll see if I can get Elsie to throw a dinner party soon. Maybe next weekend. Naturally Max will want to invite Sean. And
us too. Maybe the Newmans can come, just to make it bigger and more festive.”

“Sounds fun.” But as Anna listened to Marley making plans for Sean's future, she started feeling uneasy. Oh, she knew Marley was kidding about scheduling her wedding date and how some of the best venues were booked years in advance. But not that long ago, Marley had told Anna they could get an apartment together eventually. Anna had been looking forward to it. What if Marley really did catch Sean's eye and they did get engaged—and married?

Anna was experiencing another disturbing emotion. She didn't even quite get what it was at first. But by the time she dropped her phone back in her purse, she knew it was jealousy. Plain old green-eyed envy. And that was perfectly ridiculous. She had no right to feel jealous. For one thing, Sean and Marley weren't even a couple. Besides that, it wasn't as if she'd had any real interest in Sean. Well, other than admiring him from afar. Like Mrs. Newman said, he was awfully nice to look at.

All these things aside, Anna knew that Sean had never shown any serious interest in her. She was surprised that he'd even remembered her name. Today when he'd seemed so enthused and attentive, she knew that he was just being polite. Professionally polite. Nothing more to it. There was absolutely no reason for her to feel jealous of Marley's “big plans” for Sean O'Neil.

Besides all that—and probably more importantly—Anna and Sean were co-workers now. And everyone knew that co-workers were not supposed to get involved with each other. She grimaced to remember Mickey and Shawna at the Value Lodge—what a disaster their on-again, off-again relationship
had been. No, it seemed perfectly clear, if anyone should go after Sean—if he really was single—it made sense that it would be Marley. Really, wouldn't that be advantageous for everyone—Marley snagging her big brother's old best buddy? How handy!

Anna changed into comfortable clothes
and, armed with a walking map, set out to see some sights in Lower Manhattan. She wasn't sure about exploring by herself, but once she got outside and walking around, she felt perfectly safe. Anna suspected that the sunny Saturday afternoon had lured a lot of people out of doors today. It felt good to be out among them. She started her walking tour by exploring the Greenwich Village neighborhood surrounding the apartment. She took her time, pausing to study the various forms of amazing architecture and taking numerous photos with her phone.

Eventually she looped back around, going, she hoped, toward the SoHo district. She was curious as to whether she could find the Rothsberg without using her map. Eventually she got confused and feared she was lost. Oh, she knew she could grab a taxi if necessary. Instead, she asked for directions and to her delight discovered that she was actually fairly close, although she had been turned around. Perhaps she needed to walk with a compass in hand.

When she finally got back into familiar territory, spotting the Rothsberg from a short distance, she noticed a charming little Italian café. Tired and hungry, she decided to take a break. “May I have a table outside?” she asked the hostess.

“How many in your party?”

“Just me,” she said apologetically.

Although the café was busy, Anna was soon seated at a tiny bistro table down on the edge of the dining area. That was fine with her. She mostly wanted a chance to sit down and catch her breath. She'd been hoofing it over the pavement for close to four hours and was ready for a break. Even though the waitress seemed to have no interest in coming to take her order, Anna didn't care. It felt so good to be here in New York, sitting outside like this, watching the people going on their way, enjoying themselves and this gorgeous day—it was all good. Life was good. New York was going to be her new home, and she even had a job. Who cared if it wasn't her dream job? It was a great job in a great hotel. Far better than where she'd been just days ago.

She felt amazed to think how little time had passed since she'd been stuck at the Value Lodge. That all seemed like another lifetime to her now. Well, she decided, it actually was another lifetime, because she was a totally different person now. A person with a future and with all of New York stretched out before her like a big, fat, happy promise. She felt a tiny bit silly sitting there with a big smile on her face, but she couldn't help herself. Everything felt so right. So perfect.

“Anna?”

She looked up to see a man in jeans and a T-shirt, a Yankees ball cap, and aviator sunglasses peering down at her.
Squinting into the bright light behind him, she tried to determine who he was. When he grinned, it hit her. “Sean?”

“Yeah.” He nodded as he flipped up his shades. “Sorry to sneak up on you like this.”

“I didn't recognize you.” She made a nervous smile.

He laughed, pointing to his hat. “Playing the tourist this afternoon.”

“Yes.” She nodded. “So am I. I mean, I was. I'm taking a break now.”

“Sounds like a great idea.” He pointed to her empty table. “Just finishing up?”

“Actually I haven't even been waited on yet.” She shrugged. “Not that I mind. I'm just enjoying the ambiance.”

He nodded, studying her with interest. “Meeting someone?”

“No.”

He seemed pleased with that. “Want any company?”

She blinked. “Uh, yeah, sure. Why not?”

Just like that, he pulled out the chair next to her and sat down. “I'm starving,” he said as she handed him her menu. “I've been sightseeing all afternoon. Mostly on foot.”

“Me too,” she confessed. “I actually got a little lost. At least I thought I was lost. I was really just a few blocks from here.” She laughed. “I think I might need a compass.”

“That's not a bad idea.” He handed her back the menu.

As they waited for the waitress, they compared notes on what they'd seen. When Sean discovered her interest in architecture, he told her she had to get to West Tenth Street. “There's this row of great townhouses that were built in the mid-1800s. Designed by James Renwick Jr. and really worth seeing.”

She pulled out her map, and he pointed out where they were. “It's a bit of a walk from here. Especially if you've already had a long day.”

They paused as a waiter came to take their drink orders, promising that their waitress would take their food orders soon. After he left, Sean told Anna about visiting the site of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. “I'm still feeling slightly haunted by the photo images of the victims.” He slowly shook his head. “Really gruesome.”

“That factory fire sounds familiar, but I don't really recall the details.”

“The fire happened in 1911. On a Saturday afternoon. Not so unlike today. It was one of the deadliest industrial disasters in the history of New York City. One hundred forty-six garment workers—mostly young women—died in that fire.”

“How tragic.”

“And unnecessary. Exits were locked. The owners claimed it was because of problems with theft.” He scowled. “But even the stairwells were blocked. The workers never had a chance to escape. Many plunged to their deaths out of the windows, if you can imagine.”

“That's horrible.”

“I know. It's a good reminder to me as a hotel manager of how important it is to take the city's fire and safety codes seriously.”

“Yeah . . . absolutely.” She hated to imagine what it would be like if there were a fire at the Rothsberg. “Surely the Newmans have done everything right.”

“I have no doubt about that. I'm sure they've passed all their inspections too. Just the same, I think I'll check it out for myself. Just part of the job, you know.”

“Of course.” She nodded solemnly.

His serious expression warmed up as their drinks were set down. “Sorry to sound so gloomy,” he said quietly. “I didn't mean to bring you down, Anna. I guess it was just weighing on me. My apologies.”

“It's okay. It's actually rather interesting to hear about it.” She didn't want to admit this, but she was impressed that Sean had immediately applied his fire safety concerns to the hotel. No doubt, he really was the best man for the job.

“The upside of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory tragedy is that the laws changed afterward. Public sympathy put serious pressure on the city, and conditions for workers slowly improved. Plus the garment workers came together to form a union.”

“Well, that's something.” As she studied him, she realized there was a lot more to this guy than what met the eye. He wasn't just a pretty face.

Their conversation paused as the waitress finally arrived to take their orders. By then Anna had completely forgotten what she'd wanted. She apologized as she grabbed up the menu again, quickly scanning it while Sean placed his order.

“Oh, that's right.” She pointed to what she'd decided on earlier. “I'll have the pesto linguini with scallops.”

The waitress grinned at Sean like they were sharing a private joke. “You're both having the same thing then?”

Anna handed her the menu. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“You want the house dressing on your salad too?”

Anna nodded. “Thank you.”

“Thank
you
.” The waitress winked. “For making it easy.”

Anna knew it was silly to feel embarrassed by this. “That was really what I was planning on having,” she explained to
Sean. “I was so focused on the menu that I didn't even hear you ordering it.”

“Hey, I think it's pretty cool that we like the same thing.” He lifted his drink glass like a toast. “Here's to fellow employees with similar tastes.”

She clinked her glass against his and smiled. Sean was so different than she'd imagined him before—back in high school. As a young teen she'd always thought of him as removed and superior and unattainable, almost like a rock star. But seeing him like this, well, he was so warm and easygoing, so friendly and approachable, that she felt taken slightly off guard.

They continued talking about the sights to be seen in New York. Since Sean had been there a few days longer than Anna, he had lots of suggestions. “But I don't want to try and see everything at once,” he finally said. “I want to spread it out. Some things, like the Museum of Modern Art, will take some time.”

“Yes, I'm really looking forward to that myself.”

“Well, if we ever have the same day off, maybe we can see it together.”

She wasn't sure how to react to this, so she simply nodded, then pretended to be distracted by a pair of young parents who were wheeling a stroller past them. Inside was a fussing infant, and the man was tugging a reluctant toddler, plus they had a small dog on a leash. “Looks like they have their hands full,” she commented.

Sean nodded with a furrowed brow. “That reminds me. I want to ask Vincent about something.” He pulled out his iPhone and made a note. He looked back at her. “I'd be interested in your opinion too, Anna.”

In an instant, her mind spun in several directions. She was impressed with how he was so focused on the Rothsberg, and she was flattered that he cared about her opinion, but more than these and more disturbing, she was curious as to why he was already calling Mr. Newman by his first name.

“I've noticed there are a lot of young families around and about the city.” He peered at her. “Have you noticed that too?”

She considered this. “Now that you mention it.”

“I think of SoHo as kind of a young, hip neighborhood. People who come to visit here are too.”

She just nodded, wondering what he was getting at.

“But the Rothsberg has this traditional old-world elegance, you know?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

“I was trying to figure out, where do noisy children and perhaps even dogs fit into that picture?”

“Good question.” She frowned to imagine unsupervised children and dogs racing about the lobby. “Do they?”

“Well, they're part of our culture. Do you know how many American households have pets?”

She shook her head.

“Last time I checked, it was more than half.”

“Wow. That's significant.”

He looked at her. “Do you have a pet?”

She sadly shook her head, remembering a mutt she'd found on the street when she was about ten. She'd named him Bingo and brought him home. “I wanted a dog once, but I lived with my grandparents and my grandfather had allergies, so I never did get to have one.”

“Too bad. We always had pets in our house. Even when I was in college, I adopted a homeless cat. My parents kept him while I was in Ireland. Someday, if I get a place where I can have pets, I'll bring him here.”

She tried to imagine Sean with a cat. “What does he look like?”

He slowly smiled. “He's a great big tiger-striped cat. Everyone who knows him agrees that he's got the laid-back personality of a dog, though. His name is Burt.”

“Sounds sweet.”

“Anyway, here's what I'm thinking in regard to the Rothsberg, Anna.” Suddenly he was leaning toward her, outlining a plan where the hotel would have an entire floor dedicated to children and pets. He explained how the staff would cater to their young and furry guests, making their visits as pleasant as possible, and all without interrupting the serenity of the other guests. But all Anna could really think about was how it sounded when Sean had said her name. “What do you think?” He waited for her response.

“It's a really great idea,” she conceded. “Brilliant, in fact.”

He beamed at her. “Really? You think so?”

“Absolutely.”

“Cool.” He nodded eagerly. “If we do this, I'll need housekeeping to back me on it, because it might require extra work on the staff's part. We would add an extra security deposit to cover damages or cleaning expenses.”

Their food arrived, and as they ate their pasta, the conversation continued. It was relaxed and interesting and amazingly fun. As they were finishing up, Anna remembered her promise to Marley—to determine if Sean was single. Everything about him, including his conversation and lack of a
ring, seemed to suggest he was not in a relationship. Even so, she was determined to find out.

“This has been so much fun,” she said as a waiter was clearing their table. “So unexpected.”

“Thank you for letting me crash in on you.”

“Yes, you crashed my party of one.” She laughed. “The truth is, I always find it a little uncomfortable eating by myself at a restaurant.”

“Not me,” he said. “I like watching people. Sometimes I pretend to be reading, but I'm really secretly studying the folks around me. I think it helps me in managing hotels.”

“Interesting.” Anna could see how this actually would be a smart practice, perhaps even something she should try. “Do you eat by yourself a lot?”

He chuckled. “Well, I'm not exactly a hermit. I like eating with people too.”

“You know, I would've thought someone like you would've been snatched up by now.” She felt her cheeks warming. “I mean, I know your buddy Max just got married.”

Sean's countenance seemed to fall now.

“I'm sorry,” she said quickly. “I don't know why I suddenly got so nosy.” She laid her napkin on the table. “It's none of my business.” She almost added that the only reason she asked was because of Marley's interest, but she knew that wasn't the smartest thing to admit.

“It's okay.” He set his napkin on the table too. “The truth is, I was in a relationship . . . in Ireland . . . but it just didn't work out how I'd planned.”

“Oh.” She felt terrible now. Like she'd just ripped off a bandage, exposing a wound that had yet to heal. “I'm sorry.”

“Really, it's okay.” He waved his hand. “It's because of . . . her . . . that I'm here in New York. I always wanted to live here.” He paused as the waitress returned, setting their bill in the center of the table. “And here I am.” Without missing a beat, Sean picked up the leather-covered folder and flipped it open.