Epilogue
The Staff
Spring was officially in the air. It was Emerson Holland’s favorite time of year. It meant his kids wearing rubber boots so they could jump in puddles, and still somehow ending up with soaked socks—but the giggles as they tracked wet footprints all through the house made it more than worth it. Springtime meant making last-minute snowmen that would melt and sag by the afternoon. It meant muddy trips to the park.
Even thinking about it all brought a smile to his face.
Spring was a time of renewal. It was a chance for a fresh start, a clean slate.
Emerson himself had been given a fresh start. As the manager of The Scarlet Hotel—the hotel his grandfather had established way back in the 1920s—his life had always been filled with responsibility, and it had made him stern and regimented. But then along came the love of his life, and everything changed, in all the ways that mattered. Now Emerson was the owner of the hotel, along with his husband, and while he still prided himself on being organized, he was also much calmer now. He was happy . He was even known to crack the occasional smile or two around his staff.
Emerson truly believed that everyone should do whatever it took to find that person—their one —who brought them peace and balance. Life would never be complete without them.
Today, however, was one of those days. The ones that weighed Emerson down and made him second-guess not selling this damn hotel years ago. It was far more trouble than it was worth. First, there’d been a “minor” kitchen fire during the lunch rush, which the chef, Cherie, downplayed, of course, but it had left the lingering scent of smoky grease in the air.
Then, one of the kids had gotten away from Mercy, who ran a sort of day camp in the afternoons for guests who needed to get some work done or who just wanted a few minutes of quiet without their children. Emerson had spent a good 15 minutes searching the halls, until he’d had the brilliant idea to shout “Marco!” A tiny giggling voice had replied “Polo!” from somewhere around the corner. This was one of his twins’ favorite games, because Hide-and-Seek was only fun if there was a chance someone could find you. Emerson blew out a long breath of relief when he found the child hiding in the bottom of a room service cart. Losing someone’s child would not be good, and not just because of the bad press.
The day had continued with a whole string of bad luck, that if Emerson looked too closely at, he might wonder what he’d done to deserve this kind of karmic payback. Unreasonable customer complaints, lost luggage, a delivery shortage of laundry soap, a mystery smell on the tenth floor nobody could find the source of. Yep, it was just one of those days, and Emerson couldn’t wait for it to be over.
Luckily, the smoke had cleared by the time dinner rolled around, because they had a very special guest joining them this evening. FBI Agent Peter Brown was a bona fide hero, and not just because he’d nearly lost his life in protecting one of his charges in witness protection, Decker Sherbern. He had also, in a roundabout way, saved this very hotel, because without Decker’s help with some financial issues, Emerson’s future here would’ve looked very different. He wished he’d known of their entwined fates the first time he’d met Mr. Brown, the day that miserable elevator had chosen to break down. Emerson had received a phone call from their mutual friend this morning, though, informing him of the connection and requesting that their meal be a special one.
Which was why, when Peter and his husband Casey came in for their anniversary dinner, Emerson led them to a private space, with nothing but an intimate candlelit table for two.
Peter, who was no longer in a wheelchair but instead brandishing the most exquisitely glamorous cane, stopped in the doorway to the otherwise empty ballroom. “What’s all this?” he asked, with no shortage of doubt and suspicion. “This isn’t the restaurant.”
His husband, however, whose arm was hooked in his, looked appropriately delighted. “Don’t be rude, Peter. It’s romantic!”
Emerson stepped aside and gestured grandly toward their table, a pool of golden light in the otherwise dark room. “A gift from the Bradley family.” Bradley being Decker’s newly assumed last name.
Peter’s face changed, from wary to openly grateful in the blink of an eye. “You talked to them?”
“I did,” Emerson confirmed, smiling warmly. “They send their love and wish you both a happy anniversary.”
Since the restaurant staff were otherwise engaged in the dining room, Emerson had to get creative. He’d enlisted Timothy, the hotel’s bartender who worked the lounge later in the evenings, as their own personal sommelier, as well as Conner from the front desk to cart food and dirty dishes to and from the kitchen. Emerson himself served as their waiter.
They started their meals with bacon-wrapped scallops and lemon soup, followed by ravioli Bolognese. Emerson was typically too pragmatic to be considered romantic, but even he could admit it was a perfect evening. He’d even brought in a cellist to play softly in the background.
Emerson kept his distance from the couple, letting them enjoy their meal in peace. The peace and quiet was actually quite nice, considering how chaotic the day had been, and he allowed himself to relax, the stress melting away.
He watched as Conner cleared the dishes, being extra careful not to break or chip them as he stacked them on his cart. On his way back to the kitchen, he passed Timothy at the makeshift bar he’d set up, and Emerson saw the way Conner slowed his steps, eyes drinking him up.
“Hey, Tim… Do you, uh, need anything?” Conner whispered, pausing. He gazed up at him with puppy-dog eyes, his hair redder than usual in the dim candlelight. “Water or…?” He searched for something else to offer, stalling, though it was obvious he just wanted an excuse to talk to the older man.
“Hm? Oh, nah. I’m good. Thanks, bud.” Timothy barely spared him a glance, and Emerson bit his lips to keep in his chuckle.
Romance between the staff was common when people worked together this closely. Emerson himself had not been immune to the allure of a certain omega, now his husband. And now, it certainly seemed like young Conner had set his sights on Timothy, though it looked to be one-sided… for now. As always, Monsieur Holland made it a rule not to interfere. It was not his job to matchmake his employees, and to do so would be crossing a boundary. They would figure it out one way or the other, for better or for worse. He just hoped they wouldn’t waste years pining, like Emerson had.
Once the main course was done, Emerson served the couple rosewater-ricotta gelato with toasted pistachios for dessert.
Peter leaned back in his chair, patting his belly. “This is too much, Emerson. You didn’t have to go to so much trouble. I’m a simple guy. A cheeseburger would’ve been fine. And I’m sure as the hotel’s owner, you must’ve had better things to do than act as a waiter for us.”
“It is truly my pleasure and the least I could do,” Emerson replied, and he meant it from the bottom of his heart. “I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done. Your bravery has touched so many lives, including my own. I might not have married my husband if not for you saving Decker, I wouldn’t have my children. So, please, enjoy your meal, and if there’s ever anything else you need, just ask.”
Casey reached across the table and took his husband’s hand. “Sounds like fate to me,” he said, smiling tenderly. “As difficult as the journey was, it was worth it. We are all exactly where we’re meant to be.”
They gazed at each other with such love and devotion that it felt like he was intruding, so Emerson excused himself and left them to finish their meal.
Emerson had never met Casey before today, and even though this was the second time he’d met Peter Brown, he was almost unrecognizable from the man who’d first stayed in the hotel—and not just because he was no longer in the wheelchair. Gone was the angry, bitter man he’d been. Now, he hadn’t stopped smiling all night, and he exuded a light that was impossible to ignore.
Emerson knew firsthand how the love of a good man could change your whole perspective on life, and his mind immediately shifted to his family waiting for him at home, as it so often did.
He sighed, a strange warmth blossoming in his chest—it was gratitude, certainly, but so much more. Because even though not everything had gone according to plan today, he told himself that things could have been worse. They’d contained the kitchen fire before it had gotten out of hand. The missing child had been unharmed and unafraid. They’d found the lost luggage, got a replacement laundry soap, and had at last identified the strange odor as coming from a guest having opened a can of Surstromming, a pungent Swedish delicacy of fermented herring.
Yep, it was one of those days… and Emerson hoped he would have an eternity of days just like it.
Behind closed doors at The Scarlet Hotel, anything can happen... even love behind the scenes.
Week after week, millions tune in to watch the reality show, Lonely Alpha, where one eligible bachelor is selected to live in a house full of catty omegas competing to win his heart. Sounds dramatic? You have no idea. This season’s alpha is a handsome rich Hollywood actor—what more could a man ask for?
Except when Ziggy gets selected as a contestant, finding love is the last thing on his mind. He’s always been the goofy sidekick, the comedic relief, never the romantic lead. For some reason, though, he continues to survive each round of house evictions. Could he actually win this thing? With the finale looming, though, complete with marriage proposal, it’s not the movie star heartthrob working his way into his heart. Ziggy is beginning to realize the real prize might just be behind the camera, sitting in the director’s chair… and winning the show might mean losing the love of his life.
As the director of Lonely Alpha, Elijah Campbell knows he has a goldmine on his hands, even after last season’s catastrophic finale. When people tune in, they expect to watch the drama unfold, and he knows just which strings to pull to get a reaction. Out of all the contestants, Eli knows for sure that Ziggy is everything the fans love—good-looking, funny, outgoing, and up for anything—so he’s the obvious choice to keep pushing to win. But as Eli is forced to watch from the sidelines as Ziggy gets cozy with the alpha lead, he finds himself less than thrilled with the outcome. Is it too late to cancel the show? Because Ziggy isn’t just a fan favorite—he’s Eli’s favorite too.
The Scarlet Hotel continues with Room 710 , a standalone romance in the popular m/m mpreg romance series from bestselling author Trisha Linde. Each book features a new couple and begins and ends in a different room at The Scarlet Hotel. Room 710 is a mix of reality and drama from both sides of the camera, revolving around a sassy omega looking for Mr. Right in all the wrong places, an alpha literally setting himself up for failure, a pregnancy the fans never saw coming, and a happily ever after that was never in the script.