Chapter 5
The rest of the day passed in a blur of chaos, as Erin worked closely with the reception desk while getting acquainted with the day-to-day running of the resort.
As always in the hotel business, one thing after another seemed to crop up.
When it wasn’t a poor dead frog found in one of the garden’s submerged Jacuzzis (right as a guest was about to go for a dip, of course), it was a pipe breaking in one of the outdoor showers by the pool, then a water main near the beach bar.
Accustomed to the rapid response of service providers in Vegas, she was a little taken aback at the length of time it took to get things done.
Everyone seemed to work on ‘island time’, which, depending on the person, varied from as little as five minutes to sometimes hours after they assured they’d fix the problem.
Once she’d got to grips with guest-arrival protocol and the variances in offering between the resort’s two very different accommodation wings, plus finally had a couple of smaller teething problems under control, the day was further derailed by a temporary glitch in the IT system, whereby the entire network went offline during their heaviest check-in period.
Here, Erin shot into action, and was quick to direct waiting guests to the beach bar to sample The Palms’ signature welcome cocktail, while the tech department worked feverishly to get them back online.
Never one to be caught off-guard, she had printed out today’s arrivals list when she’d come in that morning and thus was able to ensure guests’ luggage was directed to the correct rooms without a fuss.
They could update the system once it was functional, but luckily guests were none the wiser that there had even been a problem.
She also personally delivered every room key to the requisite visitor waiting in the bar and took the opportunity to inform them about that evening’s entertainment and dining offerings, so that they felt immediately in vacation mode.
But any earlier minor crises were overshadowed by an emergency meeting request by the head of housekeeping.
This was something Erin hadn’t anticipated; her first day on the job and thanks to her earlier ‘in this together’ speech, she was already dealing with employee issues.
A cleaner for the Sanctuary wing – aptly named due to its proximity to the lagoon and bird preserve – was having some difficulty conforming to the requirements of her contract, specifically times of work and the procedures for lateness.
The younger woman, called Nellie, had also missed that morning’s meeting, which Erin didn’t take as a good sign.
Until discovering that the younger woman lived on the east side of the island, over an hour’s drive away.
She had no transportation of her own and two small children to get to school each day.
Whenever the bus failed to arrive, if something happened with her kids, or when she missed the transportation, she was late.
It was unavoidable, she insisted tearfully.
But Erin got it; Nellie was a mother doing what she had to in order to provide for her children.
It was admirable and she had the utmost respect for those who braved parenthood alone and took it with the level of seriousness and importance that it deserved.
She’d only wished her own mother had shared the same thinking when she was a girl.
While her dad raised her as best he could, that pain of abandonment was something Erin never got over.
Nor truly understood. And she was determined that no one would ever hurt her like that again.
A quick call to Human Resources to identify another staff member in the same area produced a porter who lived a few minutes away from Nellie, and who, after a short conversation, agreed to offer a lift.
He’d be given a small payment for the inconvenience, Nellie could relax a little, and everyone would be happy.
Erin was thankful for the swift resolution.
It didn’t bode well to have to issue warnings the first day out; it sent a negative sign to the staff, and she was hoping to have a smooth transition into her new post.
Now, she was standing behind the front desk alone since Makellah, the receptionist on the afternoon shift, had fallen ill and needed to go home, leaving Erin and the concierge to handle new arrivals.
Thankfully the day was winding down and the evening shift change soon to begin.
She might finally get a taste of paradise for herself, Erin mused, glancing out at the palm trees swaying hypnotically in the breeze as the sunlight turned golden.
The entire day had been a never-ending parade of people and problems, and she wasn’t sure if she could take much more.
Vegas had nothing on this: it truly had to have been the most exhausting first day in her career, but at least it would soon be over and she could maybe catch the sunset on the beach and let the cooler evening breeze work on some of this humidity.
She pushed back some damp tendrils of hair from her face, the chignon of earlier no longer so neat or controlled.
And her stomach grumbled then, helpfully reminding her that she’d also missed lunch.
‘Stop that,’ she ordered sternly, grunting at her disgruntled abdomen as she organised the various sheaves of guest check-in information ready for input once the IT system was back up. But her stomach wasn’t playing ball. ‘I’m warning you.’
‘Sorry to bother you,’ a voice piped up from behind, causing her to jump a little.
‘Oh, I’m so sorry, pardon me,’ Erin said, recovering quickly, annoyed at herself for having her back turned at the desk. It was the worst first impression. She smiled broadly. ‘Welcome to The Palms. Checking in?’
The guy was dressed in an expensive-looking cream linen suit and a blue and white pinstripe shirt. There was something familiar about him, but she couldn’t figure out what.
His eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses, and his black hair gelled back.
He was over six feet by her estimation, and nicely toned judging by the way the jacket sleeves hugged his biceps, but it was his face that kept her fixated, the strong jawline in particular.
Had she seen this guy before? One of the high-rollers from back home, perhaps …
Erin may well have continued trying to decipher the mystery, if not for his enquiring glance as he handed over his ID, causing her to realise that she was staring.
‘Excuse me, I’m so sorry,’ she mumbled, looking down at her makeshift arrivals sheet to locate the reservation. ‘I was miles away.’
‘That’s OK, Erin. I’m in no hurry.’
It was the use of her name that made her quickly look back up, and as the sunglasses were removed and his electric blue eyes revealed, it came to her.
‘Oh my gosh, Mack?’ she gasped, as the penny well and truly dropped. The guy she’d met up on Petit Piton the other day – the one who had bested her to the peak – was none other than Daniel MacKenzie.
Newly arrived CEO of Discover Earth, and the very man Erin’s bosses needed her to win over on this stay.