Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Noah
My fingers rapped on the Formica countertop as I waited for the coffee to finish percolating in the coffeemaker. I’d put on a fresh pot, anticipating Nellie’s arrival. I’d already had several cups, but that wouldn’t stop me from having another.
I’d barely slept the night before. After returning home from Christmas dinner at my parents’ house, I’d been unable to think about anything else but seeing Nellie today, and about how badly I wanted her to take the job.
I’d already decided I’d be offering it to her, regardless of her experience. My gut told me it was the right thing to do, and not because it would put her at a closer proximity to me.
Damien and Charlotte had overseen hiring Jeannine, and clearly, that hadn’t been the right move. I was sure that had I been there during the hiring process, I would have known she wasn’t a good fit for the resort.
My gut feelings about people were pretty accurate, and my gut feeling upon meeting Jeannine hadn’t been a good one.
Ignoring the fact that she was always hitting on one of us—and it really didn’t matter which one of us—she made frequent mistakes, and I didn’t like her tone with the more difficult guests.
She was also notoriously bad at the laundry portion of the job.
We had a lot of cottages, which meant we had a lot of laundry to switch over, even on a day-to-day basis. Housekeeping did what they could to stay on top of things, but a lot of the laundry fell on whomever was in the office.
I took a deep breath, reminding myself that my days of worrying about what Jeannine was or wasn’t doing were over. The next person we hired would be competent, I was sure of it.
The bell above the office door chimed, alerting me to the arrival of who I hoped was Nellie, and not Easton poking his nosey head in.
I left the staff room kitchen to see Nellie standing in the doorway and holding a folder in her hands.
My breath caught as I observed her taking in her surroundings.
She’d styled her hair in loose curls. She’d kept her makeup minimal and seemed to be dressed to impress in office-appropriate dress pants and a blouse.
“Morning, Nellie. Hope you had a good Christmas?” I said once I’d found my voice.
“Hey, yeah. It was good. Hope you did, too,” Nellie replied.
“I did,” I scratched the back of my neck, needing to do something with my hands to control the sudden urge to touch her. “Well, let’s get to it, shall we?”
I led the way into the dining room. It was where staff ate their lunch, and where we hosted our staff holiday parties and appreciation days.
We also rented it out to guests if they needed a bigger spot for family functions while in town.
It was decorated for Christmas, with a large tree in the corner near the stone fireplace.
Stockings hung from the mantle, which was decorated with a heavy garland.
“Make yourself comfortable, I’ll be right back,” I gestured to the table that I’d set up for our interview.
The employee binder was there, along with the pamphlets I’d printed off about our resort.
I went into the staff kitchen to grab the pot of coffee and the tray with creamer, sugar, and two mugs.
“Oh, you didn’t have to do that,” Nellie said with surprise when I carried it in and set it down.
“Trust me, after yesterday’s festivities, I need it,” I laughed it off, pulling my chair out and sitting down. I poured myself a coffee, keeping it black but adding a couple scoops of sugar. I went to pour her some, but she shook her head.
“Er, no thank you. I don’t drink coffee,” she said, and I nodded in understanding.
“So, let’s get to it, shall we?” I said, lifting my mug and taking a sip.
“Shouldn’t someone else do the interview process? Given, things?” Nellie frowned, a little crease between her eyebrows appearing.
I knew she was insinuating that the night we spent together would somehow influence my decision in hiring her. Maybe she was right, but she was also wrong. If my gut told me it wasn’t the right fit, I’d listen to it.
The problem was my gut was already screaming at me that this was the best fit.
“I can remain professional,” I assured her, lifting a brow as if to ask her if she could. Her frown vanished, a determined look sparking in her eyes as she lifted her chin.
“Right then,” Nellie nodded, then drew in a breath and opening the folder in front of her.
She pulled out a stapled printout of her cover letter, resume, and references, holding it out to me.
“Although I don’t have any official experience in office administration, I have extensive experience with making schedules and all but running the café I used to work at.
I also graduated top of the Recreation Therapy program I took in college. ”
Both my brows lifted this time, impressed. I looked down at her resume, eyes scanning as I quickly read her cover letter and flipped it over to her work history. She’d spent over eight years at her last job, so she was a loyal employee. That was a huge bonus.
“The office administration part of this job is the main focus, but it’s fairly easy to get a grasp on.
We use a user-friendly booking system for reservations, and the computers do most of the work there.
Other than answering and returning calls and emails and dealing with guests when they come into the main office, you’d be responsible for staying on top of laundry, washing the linens and towels, and folding them, putting them away for the housekeepers.
You’ll also be asked to do light cleaning around the main building.
The bathrooms, staff room, dining room, etc.
You’ll also be expected to help decorate for the holidays and put away decorations after. ”
“Seems easy enough,” Nellie nodded.
I slid the pamphlets over to her. “Whimsical Woods Resorts is one of the best places to work locally. This resort has been in my family for generations, and we take care of our employees. When you work for us, you are part of our extended family.”
An undecipherable look passed in her eyes as Nellie looked down at the pamphlet, but it was gone before I could figure out what it meant.
“How much do you pay?”
“Nineteen twenty-three per hour to start, with a raise after the probation ends,” I answered. I knew it was above average.
“And, um, how long is your probation period?” Nellie asked.
“Three months. Partway through that time, we’ll have a meeting and discuss how things are going.”
Nellie nodded. “And what’s the policy about time off? If I need to go to a doctor’s appointment or something?”
Something about her question had my intuition prickling, but I kept my expression neutral.
“If you need a day off for a doctor’s appointment—or something—give me enough notice to make sure we have the front office covered.
You get six unpaid sick days, and we accommodate legitimate medical absences. ”
Nellie pursed her lips and nodded, looking back down at the pamphlet.
“Are you looking for full-time or part-time?” I asked.
“I’m looking for a full-time position,” Nellie answered, glancing back up at me.
“Good, we are looking for full-time help,” I sat back in my chair and lifted my coffee, taking a sip of it. “When can you start?”
“As soon as possible,” she replied.
“How about today?” my lips kicked up in a half smile.
Nellie frowned again, that little crease reappearing, making me want to lean forward and massage it away. I didn’t. “Don’t you need to contact my references?”
“We’re desperately in need of a new office administrator, the faster we can get you to start, the better. I’m a pretty good judge of character, and I know Nix is, too. I’m confident your references will check out.”
“Well, how do you know I want the job?” Nellie challenged, tilting her head.
“You’re here, aren’t you? Unless you just wanted an excuse to see me again…”
“Hardly,” Nellie scoffed. “I’m not sure this is a good idea,” she gestured between us.
“Ah, I see. Well, if you’d have too much trouble keeping your hands off me, I understand.”
“I didn’t say that,” Nellie’s frown deepened. “I don’t know if I can work in an environment with you with our past. It’s awkward, isn’t it?”
“Aside from teaching you the ropes, you won’t see much of me.
My usual job description involves me being outside, doing maintenance.
Or locked in my private office, doing payroll.
” I leaned back, considering her. “Besides, I don’t think our dynamic feels awkward at all. Do you feel awkward, or uncomfortable?”
“No, but…”
“Then it’s settled. We’ll keep things professional between us. I know you need the job, and you know I need the help. It’s a win/win.”
Nellie’s gaze held mine. “Alright, Noah Wood. If you’re offering, I’ll accept the job.”
“Oh, I’m offering alright,” I said. “Let’s do a tour, then you can come back here and fill out the employee paperwork.”
Nellie
Noah’s insinuation that I couldn’t keep my hands off him made me want to prove him wrong, and I found myself accepting the job offer before I could really think things through.
Not that there was much to think through: I needed this job, I needed to replace my income and start banking hours for maternity leave.
I was too much of a chicken shit to mention my predicament to Noah. I didn’t want him to know, and I didn’t want my situation to either be the reason he gave me the job, or the reason I didn’t get the job. I knew I couldn’t hide it from him forever, but that was a problem for another day.
After the tour finished, Noah led me back into the dining room and left me alone to fill out the paperwork he’d need to process my hiring.
Once I was done, it was almost time for lunch.
My stomach grumbled, and I was starting to feel nauseous.
I hadn’t expected to be there all day, and I was starving.
Apparently, if I didn’t snack regularly, my morning sickness revved up.
I was rooting through my purse for the dreaded ginger candies when the scent of cheese and pepperoni reached me. Looking up, I caught Noah walking into the room with a couple of pizza boxes.
“I had Easton go pick up some pizza,” Noah said, setting the pizza boxes down on the table. “I realize you probably weren’t expecting to spend the day here.”
“Oh, thank you. That’s…kind of you.” It was hard to be irritable about pizza, and since I hadn’t expected to be hired on the spot or start working immediately—I hadn’t exactly packed a lunch of my own.
“Like I said, we look out for our employees,” Noah winked, the action sending a strange sensation to my belly.
He was undeniably attractive, it was why I’d fallen so eagerly into his bed all those weeks ago.
But in addition to his handsome looks, he was charismatic and considerate.
A dangerous combination if I ever saw one.
It’s why I’d hesitated at first about accepting the job.
Noah was dangerous in a way I couldn’t even articulate to myself.
But despite that danger, he didn’t make me feel uncomfortable.
If anything, I felt relaxed around him, like I was where I was supposed to be.
That was also a dangerous feeling to have, especially given the secret I was keeping from him.
I drew in a breath and smiled. “Well, thank you again. I’ve finished the paperwork,” I told him, collecting it in a neat little pile and handing it to him.
“Perfect. Forgot to mention you get a half hour unpaid for lunch, starting at eleven thirty. Everyone eats around the same time usually, in here. So, the rest will be along shortly.”
“Okay,” I nodded, trying to stifle a yawn. Noah caught me, and gave me a small smile, opening the pizza boxes and pushing them closer to me. One pie was a meat lovers dream, while the other was a basic cheese and pepperoni.
“If you want to call it a day after eating, you’re welcome to. I fully understand that you weren’t planning on starting today.”
“I didn’t have anything else to do,” I shrugged, helping myself to a cheesy slice of pepperoni pizza. “Might as well get paid for my time. Wait, I am getting paid, right?”
“Yup. Your first official workday started the moment we shook on it. I’ll show you how to fill out the time sheets after lunch, then we’ll get started on teaching you how the booking system works and how to put together guest packets for check-ins.”
“That sounds good.” I didn’t have any plans for the afternoon, and the pizza would fuel me for a couple hours more.
I didn’t want to go home yet, I knew I’d end up thinking about what a stupid choice it was for me to accept this job. What was done was done, and I’d rather focus on learning what was expected of me, than sitting around beating myself up for saying yes.
“Great.” Noah sounded relieved. I got the sense that he was eager to pass off the office duties to me as soon as possible. He’d mentioned his usual jobs were maintenance and payroll.
Noah set my paperwork aside and pulled out a seat, sitting down across from me. Before I had time to worry about eating lunch alone with him, the bell to the main office chimed and two people walked into the dining room.
I recognized them as Noah’s brothers, both from their family resemblance to Noah, and from the other night at the park.
“Nellie, meet my brothers. That scowling, scary looking fellow is Damien, although don’t let his gruff exterior fool you, he’s a softie at heart. The one grinning like an idiot is my younger brother, Easton. And yes, he’s an idiot.”
“Hey, newbie,” the younger brother said, his grin widening as he helped himself to a slice of pizza. “Welcome to the ranks. I’m not an idiot, and I’m also not at all surprised Noah hired you on the spot.”
“Easton, knock it off.” The older brother said, his scowl deepening. I got the not-so-subtle impression that Damien wasn’t thrilled with my presence, but I shook it off when he gave me a forced smile as he grabbed a slice.
“Noah’s been whining for days about having to cover the office,” Easton chuckled. “I’m impressed with how quickly he managed to find someone to fill the role.”
“It just worked out like that,” Noah interjected, giving me a soft smile. “We’re lucky that Nellie was available to start so soon.”
Damien grunted, going over to one of the other tables to sit while Easton took the chair beside Noah. Easton opened his mouth, about to say something, when the bell chimed again and two older women walked in.
“Nellie, this is Rhonda and Denise, our head housekeepers. Rhonda and Denise, this is Nellie, our new receptionist.”
The women both smiled in greeting. “Hello,” the one on the right said. I wasn’t sure which one, but never-the-less, I smiled in greeting.
“Nice to meet you all,” I told them.
“There’s plenty of pizza left, ladies. Help yourselves,” Noah said.