Once Upon a Summertime (17 page)

Bianca raised her hand.

“Yes?”

“I'd like to be paired with Justine.”

Justine nodded eagerly. “Yeah. We always work together.”

Anna gave them a placating smile. “Yes, I'm sure that would be enjoyable for both of you. But it just doesn't align with my paradigm.”

They both looked confused.

“My paradigm is my plan for making housekeeping as efficient as possible in this hotel.” She smiled at the others. “After all, that's my job. I feel it's in everyone's best interest to partner like this.”

“But you said we could trade shifts,” Justine interjected.

“That's right. But I still want you to be paired with a non-English-speaking maid, and from what I can see, you're both quite fluent.” Maybe too fluent.

Both Justine and Bianca looked disappointed, and Anna felt fairly sure that these two were going to be a pain. She wondered why Mrs. Newman had hired them. Perhaps she'd take a peek at their applications to see what they had to offer.

“Okay, unless anyone has more questions, I think that's all I have.” She smiled at her team of maids. “We'll have staff meetings regularly once the hotel opens. Probably on Wednesday mornings. In the meantime, I'll do some training in time management and injury prevention. I want to do all I can to equip you to be the finest maids in New York. I believe you women have the kind of excellence that matches the quality of the Rothsberg. That is exactly why you are here. I hope that you will exceed my expectations.”

Several of the women nodded, and several started to clap—then others started clapping, even the ones that didn't speak much English. Everyone was clapping except Bianca and Justine.

“Thank you,” Anna said. “I look forward to working with you.” She gathered her papers and exited to her office, but to her surprise she was being followed by Bianca and Justine. “Did you have a question?” she asked.

“We want to talk to you,” Bianca told her.

“Certainly.” Anna smiled. “Come into my office.”

Soon they were seated and Anna waited for them to begin.

“When Mrs. Newman hired me, she said that I might be considered for management,” Bianca told her.

“Management?” Anna tried not to act shocked.

“Yeah. She said that because of my experience, I might get a supervisory position over the maids. Not during the really busy times, you know, but on the days when the head—I mean, you—won't be here. You know?”

“No, I didn't know. Mrs. Newman never mentioned this.”

“Yeah, well, she mentioned it to me.” Bianca sat up straighter in her chair. “That's why I took the job in the first place—why I gave up my job at the Marriott. That's why I encouraged Justine to leave her job and come on board too.”

“That's right.” Justine nodded eagerly. “Bianca was supposed to be in charge, and I was supposed to be working with her. Now you've split us up. That doesn't seem fair.”

“We're not sure we want to work here if that's your para—whatever it was you called it.” Bianca locked eyes with Anna.

“I'm sorry to hear that.” Anna felt guilty for speaking falsely, but she knew she couldn't say the truth. “I wish you both the best in—”

“Wait,” Bianca said quickly. “I didn't say we were quitting.”

“It sounded like you said that.” Anna frowned.

“I just said we're thinking about it.” Bianca looked mad. “Maybe we should talk to Mrs. Newman.”

“You're welcome to talk to her,” Anna said crisply.

“Okay.” Bianca stood. “That's what we'll do. Come on,” she said to Justine. “Let's go.”

As Anna watched them leave, she couldn't help but think these two had suffered some kind of arrested development—
like they were both stuck in middle school. Even so, she reached for the phone, hitting the extension for Mrs. Newman's number. Hopefully she would be in her office.

“Yes?” Mrs. Newman answered in a brisk voice, as if she was busy.

“Sorry to bother you.” Anna quickly explained about Bianca and Justine. “I think they're on their way to your office right now, to complain.”

Mrs. Newman let out an irritated sigh. “Anna, I expect you to deal with these situations
without
my assistance.”

“I know. But Bianca insisted you'd hired her with a promise of a mid-management position. Honestly, I wouldn't like to see her in that position and I—”

“Then
deal
with it.”

“Okay.” Anna bristled. “I will. Sorry to bother you.”

Without saying another word, Mrs. Newman hung up. Anna took in a deep breath. The first rule of management was not to let difficult situations get the best of you. Instead, you had to get the best out of them. Feeling fairly certain that Mrs. Newman would refuse to see Bianca and Justine, Anna decided not to give it another thought. She would deal with these two rogue maids later. Perhaps she'd give the Gonzales girls a call before the end of the week. Maybe they'd like the opportunity to come to New York after all.

The first
two weeks at the hotel passed
in a fast blur for Anna. So much to be done and, it seemed, not enough time to do it. As a result, she was averaging twelve hours a day. At least she'd hired a temporary assistant, an energetic young woman named Krista. She'd started work at the end of the first week, and Anna knew that she'd eventually be helpful, but it seemed to take a lot of extra time just to get her up and running. Anna knew that Krista hoped to make this a full-time position, but Anna had her doubts. Still, if the chatty girl could prove herself invaluable, Anna might rethink that. In the meantime, Anna still had a mountain of her own work to do.

The upside was that by the time Anna got back to the crowded apartment each night, she was so tired that she didn't even mind sleeping on the love seat. Since the other roommates hadn't been on any overnight flights this week, it was her only option.

“This has got to be hard on you,” Marley told Anna on a Thursday morning.

“What's that?” Anna quickly folded the blankets she'd used last night, stashing them back behind the love seat. She'd slept later than planned and needed to make up for lost time.

“Sleeping there.” Marley frowned. “It's too short for you.”

Anna made a tired smile. “Yes, but I sleep on my side, curled up.”

“I'm going to start asking around for available apartments.”

“Really?” Anna brightened. “That would be awesome.”

“Problem is . . .” Marley frowned. “I'm not sure I have enough in my savings for the deposit it's going to take.”

“Maybe I could cover your half,” Anna offered as she pulled on the clothes she'd laid out last night—her khaki pants and a white shirt. “For now.”

“Great. If you can do that, I'll pull out the stops in finding us a place,” Marley promised.

As Anna made quick work of her hair and makeup, worried that she might be late for work, they discussed a budget. By the time they agreed on some numbers, Anna knew it was time to go. “Sorry,” she told Marley as she headed for the door. “Thanks for looking into this. Good luck.”

Anna jog-walked to the hotel. She knew there was a management meeting first thing and didn't want to be the last one to arrive. Nor did she want to be the first one. Most of all, she wanted to avoid any time alone with Sean. So far she'd managed to avoid him almost completely. When their paths did cross, they both were busy and Sean, like her, seemed to want to avoid eye contact. That was fine with Anna. Well, it was fine . . . but painful.

She got to the hotel five minutes before the meeting was scheduled to start, and instead of going to her office, she
went directly to the conference room. To both her dismay and pleasure, Sean was already there. So were several other new employees, some she'd met and some she hadn't.

“Good morning, Miss Gordon,” Sean said in a friendly yet formal tone. “There's coffee and treats back there.”

She greeted him too, then distracted herself by fixing a cup of coffee and looking over the box of sweets from Elsie Dolce. Finally, after settling on a truffle because she knew it would be less messy, she took a seat next to a woman she hadn't met, pausing to introduce herself.

“Yes,” the blonde woman nodded. “I've been eager to meet you, Miss Gordon. I'm Ellen Frost. Mrs. Newman hired me on Monday. I'll be second in command in housekeeping.” She smiled. “I start work on Monday, and Mrs. Newman says I'm to report to you.”

“I'm glad to meet you.” Anna shook her hand. “Welcome to the team.”

“I hear we'll be sharing an office,” Ellen told her.

Anna tried not to register surprise. Mrs. Newman hadn't mentioned sharing her office, and already Anna had been making herself at home. “Of course,” Anna said. “You'll be in charge of housekeeping when I'm not around.”

“That's right.” Ellen smiled. “During the slower part of the week. But our paths will cross on some days.”

As Mr. and Mrs. Newman entered the room, everyone became quiet, taking their seats and waiting as the owners took the seats at the head of the table. “Welcome,” Mr. Newman said. “It's good to see all of you in one room. I've had the pleasure to meet some of you, but not everyone. I think for starters, we will go around the table and introduce ourselves. Tell us the position you've been hired for and perhaps your
last place of employment.” He smiled at Sean. “Since you're head manager, I'd like you to start.”

Sean stood up, introducing himself and telling everyone about the hotel he'd worked at in Ireland. “It wasn't nearly as grand as this one, but it was a great experience working there.”

“Mr. O'Neil is too humble,” Mr. Newman said. “He managed to turn the hotel around, increasing revenues by a very admirable percentage.”

Sean just smiled, turning to the man sitting next to him. “This is our new assistant manager, Thomas Reed.”

Thomas stood and introduced himself, telling about how he'd left a Hilton management job to come here. “I always dreamed of working in a smaller boutique hotel,” he explained. “Such a different level of service.” He smiled at Sean. “I look forward to learning all I can from Mr. O'Neil.”

As they proceeded around the table, Anna couldn't help but notice that everyone's reference for their last place of employment was impressive. She cringed to think of how they would react when it was her turn. She tried to formulate the words to avoid as much embarrassment as possible.

“I'm Anna Gordon, head of housekeeping,” she began in a clear voice. First she told them of her master's degree in business and hotel management. Then she quickly explained that she had been forced to take a job in her hometown to help her grandmother. “It wasn't a very impressive establishment,” she confessed. “But I was head manager, and I did my best to keep it running smoothly.” She smiled. “I can't begin to say how thrilled I am to work here.” To her huge relief, no one seemed to think less of her. They simply nodded as she sat back down.

After they finished going around the table, Mr. Newman stood. “I plan to turn this meeting over to Mr. O'Neil, but not until I've had a few words with all of you.” He looked around the table with a friendly intensity. “You are all here because my wife and I felt you were the best candidates for your jobs. You all have excellent references, personal integrity and intelligence, and perhaps most importantly, a solid work ethic. As you know, opening a new hotel comes with all kinds of challenges, and we need employees who are capable of facing new challenges with a positive can-do spirit, combined with gracious hospitality.”

Mr. Newman looked around the table, making eye contact with each of them. “I believe everyone here is up to the task, though it's no small task. I'm looking forward to working with all of you. I know you're all going to impress me as we forge ahead on this journey together. As you know, we will open just one week from tomorrow. We've made great progress in the past several days. Almost all the furnishings have been put into place. We still have plenty of work to do, specifically cleaning and setting up, but the end, or should I say the beginning, is in sight. I want to thank each one of you—some for the level of service you've already given and some for what's yet to come. You are all part of a very important and much appreciated team. Thank you!” As he sat down, everyone applauded.

Next Mrs. Newman stood. “I would reiterate everything my husband just said. I couldn't say it better. You're probably not aware that Mr. Newman and I have sunk everything we own into this business venture. And as you can see, we haven't exactly skimped either. But it's because we want the Rothsberg to be known as a place of excellence, quality, service, even splendor. If the Rothsberg goes under, we go under.
I'm not telling you this to put on additional pressure, but simply to stress how important this is to us. This hotel is not a hobby business. It's not a tax write-off. It is our livelihood. Mr. Newman and I believe that our employees are the kind of quality staff that a hotel like the Rothsberg deserves. Yes, we have high expectations, but so, I believe, do you. We all will succeed together.” She smiled warmly. “I thank you for choosing to go on this adventure with us.” As she sat back down, they all clapped again.

Mr. Newman stood again. “I'd like to turn this meeting over to your fearless leader, Mr. O'Neil.” He took his wife's hand, then nodded at Sean. “We'll leave you to it.”

After the Newmans left, Sean made a short welcoming speech too. “But now I want to move on to practicalities. As Mrs. Newman mentioned, we will open in just one week, and there's lots to be done before then. That will be a soft opening. Our occupancy rate will be less than fifty percent those first few days, so you could get the impression that your workload is light. Just remember, that's only going to last a few days. It's everyone's opportunity to make sure that everything's done right. The real grand opening will be for the first weekend of July. Right now we're booked at eighty percent for that weekend, but I expect it to go higher. Everyone will have to be on their toes.”

Sean went to his laptop now, and using PowerPoint on the big screen, he began to discuss work schedules for the upcoming weeks. “As you can see, head managers for every department are scheduled on Wednesday through Sunday, from 10:00 to 6:00. Night shift managers will work the swing and the night shift, but for the first month of opening, I want all my head managers on call 24-7.”

Sean looked around the table. “If that's a problem for anyone, please speak up now.” After no one said anything, he continued. “I realize that's a lot to ask, but at the startup of a hotel, it's necessary that one person knows everything that needs to be known about his or her department. Think of it as the buck stops here. Naturally, you head managers will be delegating appropriately, and eventually—as the machinery is oiled and running smoothly—you will no longer be on call like that.” He smiled. “It's simply the price we all must pay for this opportunity to work at what we hope will one day become one of New York's premier boutique hotels.”

Sean pointed back at the schedule. “As you can see, assistant managers will work Friday through Tuesday—plus swing and night shifts. As you all know, the overlap is due to the peak busy days. No harm in having extra hands on deck, at least in the beginning. We will make adjustments to the schedule as needed later on down the line.” He continued talking and Anna tried to pay close attention, but at the same time she felt distracted by the sound of his voice, his profile, the way he paused now and then to make a joke or personalize what he was saying. Hopefully, she wasn't missing anything too important.

Finally, he was winding down and, like the Newmans, he finished on an optimistic note, telling them again how important they were and encouraging them with a “go-team-go” sort of pep talk. “I'll let you all get back to work now,” he said as he gathered his laptop and things. “I know that you department heads have meetings with your own staff later in the day. I realize we're all going full bore until we open and that many of you are putting in extra hours. I sincerely appreciate that. Eventually, your efforts now will pay off
with a smoother running machine on down the line.” He grinned. “Carry on!”

Once again, they all clapped, and for a brief moment, Anna and Sean locked eyes. Anna felt her heart pounding, but Sean, without batting an eyelash, turned to Thomas, quietly engaging him in conversation. Feeling slightly breathless and unsettled, Anna got her purse and hurried on out.

“Wait,” Ellen was calling out. “Miss Gordon, can I walk with you?”

“Yes, of course.” Anna stopped and smiled. “Feel free to call me Anna when there are no maids or guests around.”

“Thank you.” Ellen fell into step with Anna. “Are you feeling unwell?”

“What?” Anna turned to peer at Ellen. With her short blonde hair, serious brown eyes, and relatively plain features, she seemed like a dependable sort of person.

“You just looked like something was wrong at the end of the meeting. Are you feeling okay?”

“Yes, yes, I'm fine.” Anna considered this. Were her feelings toward Sean that transparent? “I think I was just preoccupied toward the end. Probably thinking about the staff meeting with housekeeping this afternoon.”

“Oh.” Ellen nodded. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

As a distraction technique, Anna asked Ellen if she'd been given a tour of the hotel yet. When Ellen said no, Anna offered to give her a quick one. “It's important that you know where everything is and how long it takes to get from one place to another.” Anna started by pointing out the public places that housekeeping was responsible for maintaining, describing the easily overlooked chores that Ellen should be
cognizant of. Anna led Ellen into the lobby restroom. “I actually observed a couple of the maids making a mess in here,” she said quietly. “They splashed all over the countertops and never bothered to clean it up.”

“These maids are employed here?” Ellen frowned.

“For the time being.” Anna sighed. “I'm still trying to figure out what to do about them.”

“Why don't you let them go?”

“Mrs. Newman hired them.”

“Ah . . .” Ellen's mouth twisted to one side. “That's tricky.”

Anna told Ellen their names. “They gave me a hard time at first, but since then they've both been laying low. I suspect that despite their cheeky attitudes, they really do need their jobs.”

“Then hopefully they'll work like they do.”

Anna explained about Krista now. “She's a temporary assistant,” Anna said quietly as they approached the housekeeping area. “I've given her a desk in the storage room.” Anna grimaced. “I feel a bit bad, but the girl is such a chatterbox, I couldn't really think when she was around.”