Chapter 28
Adriana
“Welcome to The Pacific,” I said as Dahlia’s latest group of celebrity guests reached the end of the red carpet at the entrance.
I received a few smiles, but for the most part, it was their assistants that actually spoke to me while the guests themselves entered the lobby and started talking about completely unrelated stuff.
“Luggage will be taken to the rooms shortly,” I announced to the assistants. “Please proceed to the ballroom on the third floor for welcoming drinks and a debrief on the schedule.”
There were several nods, a few glances down at phones and tablets, and then they moved on to corral the guests themselves.
It was the day of the rehearsal dinner, and I’d barely had a moment to breathe in between everything that was going on. My feet were already killing me, but I had no choice but to ignore it.
I spotted Landon mingling with the guests, his face painted with perfect charm.
Someone appeared with a serving tray filled with flutes of champagne.
That must have been Landon’s touch, since I hadn’t even thought of it.
I was so focused on getting everyone everywhere on time that the little experiential things completely slipped my mind.
The next set of guests were due in only forty-five minutes. That gave me a splash of time to check on what was happening in the kitchen.
I had a desperate need to talk to Nolan about our personal situation, but there hadn’t been any time at all since the hike to the redwood grove. I was consistently trying to find just a few minutes alone with him, but until now, I had failed every time.
On my way to the kitchen, I noticed Bryant standing around, watching me with the eye of a hawk. Knowing that he owned the hotel was somewhat nerve-wracking, but I had the feeling he wasn’t only watching me as an employee. I gave him a wink and a smile as I passed, a gesture that he returned.
“Where the hell is my clotted cream?” This was the first sentence I heard Nolan yelling as I stepped through the kitchen door. He slammed a whisk down on the counter as he swung to face me, before his expression softened slightly.
“Looks like things are going well here,” I joked, glancing at the kitchen staff running to and fro with sheer panic in their movements. “You on track for the official lunch?”
“If I had some damn clotted cream I would be,” Nolan answered, glaring at the sous chef, who was now running up to him with a bowl of it. “Honestly, it’s like I’m working with a bunch of incompetent toddlers.”
“Maybe a little harsh,” I commented, going through the checklist on my tablet. “I’ll check in again later. Looks like there’s an issue with the water delivery.”
“Of course there is,” Nolan said under his breath, but I was already walking away.
The delivery bay, like the rest of the hotel, was in complete chaos. People were carrying boxes and crates everywhere and yelling. I made my way through to find the guy who was supposed to receive the water.
“They sent 500ml bottles,” he snapped when I reached him. “When we clearly asked for liters.”
I wasn’t completely familiar with international measurements, but I did know that that was a problem. The water Dahlia had wanted for her guests was high-end and hard to find. I couldn’t exactly send someone down to the corner store to grab a few boxes more.
“That sounds tough.” I heard Bryant’s voice behind me. “I was wondering where you were running to now.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I told him, already going through my options in my head. “It will be sorted out before a disaster happens. Why don’t you go have a drink by the pool? I’ve got things handled.”
“I don’t know,” Bryant answered with a teasing shrug. “I like watching you do your thing.”
“There was a shipment coming for the spa,” I said to the delivery receiver. “They still have enough supply to wait for another delivery. Replace the 500s with that. Send the 500s to the spa. They’ll have a use for it there.”
“Oh, great,” the delivery guy shrugged. “I’ll get that done.”
“Thanks,” I said before turning away to march to my next destination. I checked my tablet. A text from Louisa on a guest complaining about the smell in their room. I got a hold of maintenance to fix it.
As I walked, I realized Bryant was following me. When I glanced over my shoulder, he was smiling. I paused in the middle of an empty hallway and turned to face him curiously.
“Is there something you need?” I asked playfully. “Or are you just trying to distract me from my work?”
“I’ve actually been meaning to tell you,” he said, closing the gap between us in a lazy saunter. “I’m really glad my hotel is finally in good hands. You’ve passed every single test that’s been thrown your way.”
I was somewhat curious about what he meant by that, but I was too busy to start interrogating him about it. “Oh. Thank you, then.”
“The last guy, I don’t even remember his name, he failed most of them,” Bryant said with a slow, disappointed shake of his head. “That’s why I had to fire him. I can’t have someone like that on my staff.”
I laughed, remembering all of my own mistakes and the times I thought I’d lose my job.
“Maybe you’ve gone soft on me,” I teased, reaching out to let my fingers trail over his shoulder.
Luckily, this hallway was rarely used; mostly it was me running up and down it.
I didn’t think anyone would walk by and see us.
Even if the rumors were running rampant, I wanted to avoid other staff seeing me with any of the three men like this.
“I probably have,” Bryant sighed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “But I can’t help it. Adriana, I’ve fallen in love with you.”
That threw me off my game and I was almost immediately completely flustered. I didn’t know what to say in return. I hadn’t thought that Bryant would have been the first one to say it, and I didn’t know if he’d ever say it at all.
“Honestly,” Bryant continued, his face completely serious. “I haven’t been in love like this for a very long time.”
I looked at him for a few long seconds before I put my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. “I think I’m in love with you, too.”
He smiled, and leaned in to kiss me. This time, it was soft and purposeful, not the wild passion that I was used to with Bryant. It didn’t last very long, but it was a kiss that would linger in my memories for a long time.
Bryant stepped back first. “You should probably get going. Things won’t organize themselves.”
He gave me a quick smack on the ass as I walked away, and I had to take a moment to remember where I was and what I was doing.
I checked my tablet. It wasn’t long before the next set of guests would be arriving on the red carpet.
I hurried through to the lobby to welcome them, where Landon was already waiting with his practiced smile.
He nodded at me as I passed by, and I felt the butterflies in my stomach. Bryant wasn’t the only one that I was in love with. He’d known that when he told me. I wondered what the reaction would be from the others if I had the same conversation with them.
They’d all been alright with it before serious feelings were thrown into the mix. Would that be the same now?
While I was welcoming and dealing with the guests, I tried my best not to think about it. I needed to be better at my job that day than ever before. The whole wedding, from rehearsal to reception to sending everyone off afterward had to be completely and utterly perfect. Nothing could go wrong.
Right down to the last flower, I had to be absolutely on top of everything.
Even so, when I finally made my way back to the kitchen for the next checkup, I was burning to talk to Nolan. Landon would have to wait until the evening debriefing.
“Get that in the oven right now!” Nolan was storming from one end of the kitchen toward the pantry as I walked in, and I almost laughed. This was an opportunity to trap him for a minute and talk. I followed him discreetly, but nobody was paying any attention to me anyway.
Most of the staff was running at full speed. I was impressed at the fact that they managed not to spill anything or crash into each other with how they were moving.
I slipped into the pantry behind Nolan, and he jumped when he turned around, nearly dropping the jar of dill pickles he’d grabbed.
“You’ll give me a heart attack,” he said, holding his hand over his chest. “Are there problems? Please tell me no one wants a last-minute flambé.”
“No, actually,” I answered, kicking the crate of persimmons so that the door closed. “I just wanted to talk to you. This is how we usually do it, right? At least until you get the door fixed.”
“You’re kidding.” He put the pickles back on the shelf and ran a hand through his hair. “In the middle of one of the craziest days I’ve had this month?”
“All of your days are crazy,” I pointed out with a quick shrug. “Please. We’ll only be stuck until someone comes to get us anyway. Though given what happened last time, they might be quick about it.”
He sighed and relaxed his shoulders, before shaking his head. “Okay, hit me with it. What’s going on?”
“Bryant told me he’s in love with me,” I answered, knowing that there was no beating around the bush with this one. We simply didn’t have the time.
Nolan pulled a nonchalant face. “That’s not a surprise. I’m in love with you, too. You make it easy. You make me feel in control of my inner chaos. And if I have to share that with Landon and Bryant, I will. I don’t want to lose you.”
I stared at him, struggling to believe that he’d said it all so matter-of-factly, like it was something I should have known from the beginning. I had expected him to be upset, or to react more intensely. I did not expect him to simply accept the whole situation for what it was.
I wondered if Landon would have the same kind of reaction. Would he be calm and honest? I did think that he would be, even if it wasn’t quite as direct as Nolan was being.
Maybe Nolan was trying to save time by getting everything out into the open at once. That made sense, given that lunch was about to happen and he still needed to get started on the menu for the rehearsal dinner itself. Nevermind the rest of the food for other guests at the hotel.
I nodded slowly, processing all of it, and realizing that he was waiting for me to answer.
“Well, I’m in love with Bryant,” I said. “And I’m in love with Landon.”
Nolan peered at me, waiting for that next confession.
“And I’m in love with you, too.”
“You had me worried there for a second,” he laughed, before putting his hands on either side of my face and pulling me in for a kiss.