7 - Adriana
Adriana
“Right, that’s done… Have to check on the sculpture…” I muttered to myself as I scanned my checklist on my tablet. I was confident that I was going to pull that day’s fashion shoot off without a hitch.
My first week had gone by mostly smoothly, and I barely made any mistakes after that first day from hell. I hadn’t spilled anything in the kitchen, had only been yelled at by Nolan once, and had gotten several compliments from guests. By now, I felt almost invincible.
I knew most of the regular guests and their schedules by heart. I even spent some time in the shower reciting the more difficult ones to myself instead of my usual singing. I was definitely getting better by the day, and I was sure I’d be an absolute pro in no time.
Even my relationship with Nolan was improving. He’d gone from the odd grunt in my direction to mumbling a greeting whenever he saw me, which basically made me feel like we were as close as besties.
Still, today was the most challenging one so far.
The Pacific was hosting an exclusive fashion shoot in the ballroom, and of course, I had to coordinate absolutely everything for it.
Most things were planned and in place by now, but I couldn’t lose focus for a single second.
Everything had to be absolutely perfect.
“Excuse me.” Someone flagged me down as I was hurrying through the lobby to get to the sculpture delivery. I recognized Mr. Greenwood’s butler, who pushed his glasses up on his nose and cleared his throat as I approached. “Mr. Greenwood would like to know if his transport for the hike has arrived.”
I checked my tablet; one high-end vehicle to take them to the redwood grove. Due in six minutes. But, since Mr. Greenwood had checked in two days earlier, he had consistently asked about arrangements minutes ahead of schedule. I was prepared.
“Yes, it’s outside,” I said to the butler with a smile. “Please tell Mr. Greenwood that we hope that he enjoys his hike.”
I received a nod before the butler stiffly walked away.
Right, sculpture, I reminded myself, hurrying on through the lobby and the staff hallway beyond, toward the area where all deliveries arrived. Luckily, I had no more interruptions until I reached it.
I walked through the door, fully expecting our porters to already be talking to a delivery truck driver.
However, while three porters were standing in the receiving bay, there was no truck to be seen. I walked right up to them, my heart starting to beat faster. I hoped that the truck was a few minutes late and that there was no deeper issue.
“What’s going on?” I asked, and one of the porters turned to me.
He shrugged. “Don’t know. Haven’t seen anything arriving yet. Asked the gate security, they haven’t seen anything either.”
“Great,” I muttered, my phone already in my hand. The sculpture was a crucial part of the shoot; frankly, it was the central focus. On top of that, it was priceless. We could not afford it getting lost in transit, or worse, broken.
I dialed the delivery company’s number, and they didn’t answer the first call. I swore several times under my breath, before trying again. The second time, it was picked up, and a gruff voice came through from the other side.
“Yes?”
“This is the concierge of The Pacific,” I announced, with frustration in my tone. “We have a delivery scheduled for a sculpture, marked as fragile and urgent. Why has it not arrived yet?”
“Lemme check,” the man on the other end grumbled. I heard movement, computer clicks, and a few rufflings of paper. While I waited, I had to take a few deep breaths. It seemed like he didn’t quite care about how quickly this all had to happen.
Eventually, he came back to me with a grunt. “It’s due tonight at seven.”
I froze for a second, before pinching my phone to my shoulder and grabbing my tablet from my deepest pocket. I unlocked and checked my documents, thinking that I might have made a terrible mistake.
I hadn’t.
“Absolutely not,” I insisted, readying myself for an argument. “I double-checked invoices, bookings, the schedule. It’s due today, over ten minutes ago. This is unacceptable. Let me speak to your manager.”
“Look, lady, I’m telling you what I have on my papers,” he replied, clearly annoyed with me. “It says 7 PM. You think I’m lying?”
“I’ll repeat myself only once,” I answered firmly. “Connect me to a higher-up.”
“Fine.”
There were several beeps and then hold music, and I started tapping my foot on the concrete outside the delivery door impatiently. I didn’t have time to waste on this kind of issue, and I certainly wasn’t about to lose my job when I was just getting so good at it.
“Peters,” I said, addressing the porters. “You stay here. Rodriguez, Garrison, help in the lobby. I’ll update you when you have to come back.”
They nodded, and got moving. I followed Rodriguez and Garrison back inside, deciding that I couldn’t be standing around doing nothing while I waited to be put in touch with someone who could actually do something.
According to the schedules, the models and photographer would be arriving within the next hour.
The delivery could take longer than that, especially if there was a mess on their end to be fixed.
I could delay the shoot by a few minutes, but no longer than that.
If I managed to work fast, and the delivery company actually was willing to help, I would just about get it done.
“Hello?” Finally, someone was speaking on the other end of the line again. I explained the situation, and the urgency.
“Oh, my,” the woman eventually said, clearly more bothered than the man had been earlier.
“Oh, I’m terribly sorry. I will get that delivery out to you right away.
It should take some time, but I will ensure that the driver understands this must happen fast. I am truly, truly sorry about this error.
Please inform Mr. Klein that we will be addressing the root cause immediately. ”
“I do hope so,” I answered, only slightly relieved. “This is an important project. Timing is everything. I am sure you know that.”
“Of course, I’ll get it handled.” Her tone was still incredibly apologetic.
“Good, thank you.” I ended the call, and didn’t have any time to even take a single breath. I was now in the lobby, and already being approached by another set of guests.
“I was told you could assist us,” the man said, with the far younger woman hanging onto his arm. “We want to have our lunch on the rooftop terrace.”
I went through my mental files to find their names. “Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Languin, of course. Do you have a menu in mind?”
“I’m not Mrs. Languin,” the woman said, almost offended. She had been with him when they were checking in, I was certain of that, and those were the names he’d checked them in with.
Mr. Languin turned red and waved her off. “Oh, don’t mind her. We were thinking top-tier seafood. Whatever is the most expensive on the list, bring us that.”
“No problem,” I answered professionally, barely managing to stop myself from raising my eyebrows at the obvious drama that was going to unfold in this man’s life. “I’ll call the kitchen and have them get right on that for you.”
“And, please, reroute all calls directly to my cell phone,” Mr. Languin continued, now seemingly a bit more nervous than he had been earlier.
Wouldn’t want his wife to accidentally talk to the mistress, would we? I thought, and this time, my smile was a bit more genuine before I answered. “Certainly, Sir. Anything else I could help you with?”
“Is the pool open?” Not-Mrs.-Languin asked, and after I nodded, she dragged Mr. Languin after her, insisting that they had to go for a swim.
As soon as they left, I headed for the ballroom to arrange some last-minute decorations and to explain the situation with the statue. That particular problem had everyone far more stressed, but I insisted that it’d be here on time, and that they needed to continue with their preparations.
Then, it was time to deal with Reggie again. I’d been managing to wrangle him quite well thus far, and even got a few of his more odd requests fulfilled without causing issues for anyone else.
Today, he was scheduled for lunch in a small town about an hour away, and the shuttle was already waiting for him outside. I hoped that he wasn’t going to change his mind at the last minute again; I already had a million other things to deal with.
“There you are,” Reggie said as he appeared from the elevator and sauntered in my direction. “I am starving.”
“Well, I’m sure the menu they have prepared for you will fix that,” I answered as I approached him, my cheeks already tight from smiling. “Only the best for you, Reggie.”
From the corner of my eye, I noticed another group of guests following one of the porters, and my heart sank. I already knew what was coming.
“It’s the big yacht, right, Daddy?” the girl in the group asked. “Last time we went on the short one, and I hated it.”
As they passed, talking about the excursion they were heading on, I noticed Reggie’s eyes lock on to them. I froze in place for just a second too long, and didn’t get the chance to distract him.
“A private yacht lunch sounds great,” he said when he finally turned back to me. “Why don’t you get that organized for me?”
“Uh,” I started, trying to think of a way to change his mind. It was probably possible to get a yacht arranged, but my time was already extremely limited, and I didn’t really want to spend it figuring out Reggie’s newest ridiculous request.
Before I could find an answer, I noticed Landon walking quickly toward us, looking particularly unimpressed.
“Apologies, Reggie, I just need a moment with Adriana,” he said, nodding toward the corner of the lobby. I followed him, knowing that he’d probably already found out about the statue.
“The statue isn’t in the ballroom,” he pointed out once we were away from other people. “What’s going on?”
“There was a problem with the delivery,” I started explaining. “But it’s on the way now, I assure you, I—”
Over his shoulder, I noticed the front doors open, and I saw the photographer and models enter. This was just great. It felt as if everything was falling apart, like my head was absolutely spinning.
But I wasn’t going to let it overwhelm me. I had my schedules, my lists, my organization. I knew what to do. All I had to do was take it step by step, as fast as I could.
“Excuse me,” I said to Landon, hoping that he’d understand this greeting was more important in that moment. When I passed Reggie, I nodded to him to indicate that I hadn’t forgotten about him.
“Hello, and welcome to The Pacific,” I said brightly and confidently when I reached the models and photographer.
Someone stepped forward to speak for them; a manager, perhaps, or an assistant.
It didn’t really matter. I offered her a small bow.
“We’re finishing with the last few arrangements.
Alice will show you to the ballroom. If you need anything, please ask her to call for me, and I will get it arranged as soon as possible. ”
I motioned to the closest porter, who seemed surprised that I remembered her name, and watched as she led the group away to the guest elevator.
That was one step done. I turned on my heels and walked back to where Reggie stood while I checked my phone for the yacht schedule. To my surprise, there actually was one free for the next two hours. I smiled as I reached Reggie.
“It’s your lucky day,” I said with a wink. “If you don’t mind, I just need a moment to get things in place.”
I was painfully aware of the fact that Landon was still watching me, and likely waiting for an answer about the statue. But I was focused on getting things done. One by one, until I got to the end of the list.
Within a few minutes, Reggie’s plans had been successfully changed, and I handed him off to a porter to get his transport. Then my phone vibrated. A notification from the delivery bay. I nodded in Landon’s direction, and he followed me.
As the two of us walked out the door, the delivery truck pulled up, and started unloading.
“Mm,” Landon said beside me, sounding impressed. “I suppose between you and me, we can get this up to the ballroom?”
“I believe so,” I agreed, stepping forward to take the dolly from Rodriguez, but Landon immediately took over from me. I followed him back through the lobby and to the service elevator, my heart soaring.
So much had happened all at once, and I survived it. Not only that, but I’d fixed everything, and Landon was impressed with me. It was a good day.
Until the elevator shook for a second, and came to a dead stop. There was a beep and a light, and Landon sighed deeply.
“Shit. We’re stuck.”