Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
Aurora
I fiddle with the scarf I have tied around my neck today.
It goes with my uniform—which is purposely designed so it doesn’t look like a uniform—but it’s not officially part of the required outfit.
I don’t think Avril and Poppy will mind, but I’m not certain.
I just know they’ll prefer a scarf to me revealing the gigantic love bite on my neck.
I should think of it as a hickey, as I’m in New York.
Last night was intense. Sex with Deacon is always intense, but last night it felt more so. I don’t know if it was because we were in his home or if it was because I’d met Willow, but it felt like things had deepened between us.
Today, instead of feeling like I’m floating, and still soaked in the memories from last night, I feel nervous. Like something is coming to ruin everything.
And I suppose it is. I’m only in New York for another few weeks.
And then I’m back to the UK. It’s not like we’re going to survive long distance.
I’m going to have to find another job when I’m back in Chilternshire, although I’m pretty sure The Rookery will take me back.
I’ve already had a couple of texts from staff complaining that things aren’t good without me.
I know they’ve had one person turn down the job and someone from housekeeping is currently filling in.
But the thought of going back there after being at Hotel on Ninth Street doesn’t feel as comforting as I thought it would. It feels flat. Like going back there would be a chore. Something to dread.
Maybe I’ll feel differently in a few weeks. Maybe the novelty of being in New York will have worn off.
I’m just not sure it will.
I love working for Poppy and Avril. I love the atmosphere of the hotel, the welcoming culture of the staff and the fast-paced feel of this city.
Maybe moving to London would be an option for me.
But then, all the reasons to be in the UK—my parents, Darcy, Logan and their children, would be a hundred miles away. I’d be on my own in London.
I head down the main staircase into the lobby and see Avril over by the reception desk. As I step onto the marble floor, she looks up and smiles when she sees me.
“Have you got a moment?” she asks as I approach.
“Of course,” I say, following her into the office she shares with Poppy. I fiddle with my gray silk scarf again. I hope she’s not mad. Taking it off would be humiliating.
“How are things?” she asks, taking a seat at the table by the window.
“Good,” I say. “Is everything okay?”
Poppy comes in. “Hi,” she says. “I’m glad Avril found you. Has she told you?”
My gaze bounces between the two sisters.
“We think we’ve found a site for a Boston hotel,” she says, as she takes a seat around the table.
“Yes, it was such a big deal, because Worth doesn’t want to get involved with another hotel unless he owns the building, so it narrows our choices.”
“Oh,” I say. “That sounds expensive.”
“Right?” Poppy says. “It’s a lot of capital to tie up, but I think it makes long-term business sense. The problem is, the owners of the building aren’t usually the people who run the hotel.”
I nod. “It’s the same in the UK. The Rookery is an exception because it was a family hotel for a long time.”
Poppy grins at me. “Exactly. That’s what we’re trying to build. Family hotels. We don’t want to be too corporate. That’s why I think you’ve fit in so well to Hotel on Ninth Street. You get our vibe.”
“Vibe. Listen to our finance person,” Avril says, lifting her chin toward her sister.
I can’t hold back my laugh, and Poppy joins in.
“But I’m serious,” Poppy says. “Most people just come in and want to do their job, but I think because of our chemistry and your background, it’s different. It’s better than we could have hoped.”
“Definitely,” Avril says.
“Thank you so much. And I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would.”
“Is that because of us, or Mr. Room 325?”
It’s like my cheeks have been set on fire. “It’s definitely the job,” I say, even though the job is only part of why I’m enjoying my time here. Deacon has a role to play for sure.
“Liar, liar, pants on fire,” Avril says and then she bursts into laughter. “You see? I would have an HR problem if I said that to anyone else. I feel like we’re family. Not because we’ve known each other a long time, but because of…”
“The vibe,” Poppy says. We all laugh. She’s not wrong.
“But now we have a Boston hotel in our sights, that’s going to take our focus a lot. And it means that Hotel on Ninth Street is going to need more from…you.”
My heart thuds in my chest.
“More?” I ask.
“Aurora, you’re so capable,” Poppy says. “You could be director of rooms in your sleep. And you handle deputy manager really well. How about you step up into the general manager role?”
It’s such a compliment that they think I’m doing such a good job and feel I could do more. It’s incredibly flattering. It would be easy to say yes. But there are lots of reasons to say no. “But what about you?” I say, turning to Avril.
“I would be CEO of Boston and here. So, it’s not that big a change. We did talk about this being a possible opportunity.”
“I know,” I say. “I just didn’t expect this to happen so quickly.”
“You’re wasted in your current role. You’re amazing with guests, but the staff love you. And they respect you. You’d be such a great fit.”
I think about Deacon. What would he say?
“You’re asking for me to step up into that new role until I leave?” I ask “From now?”
Poppy and Avril share a glance. “We’d like it to be a permanent position,” Avril says.
Panic slides through my veins. Permanent?
“As much as anything is permanent,” Poppy says.
“What does that mean?” I ask. I haven’t missed home as much as I thought I would. More I’m a little sad I didn’t take a chance to do something different sooner. But I’m not sure I want to make anything permanent. I need time.
“Yeah,” Avril says. “What does that mean?”
“I’m just saying that everything changes all the time. Nothing’s really permanent.”
I study Poppy’s face. I’m not quite sure what point she’s making.
“We want you to take the position permanently, but that might mean you’re with us for a year. Or thirty years. We want you to take the position without an end date.”
“Ahh,” Avril says. “So don’t think about it as a decision that means you have to spend the rest of your life doing it, but the next chapter of your life.”
“Exactly,” Poppy says. “None of us know what’s around the corner. Maybe you’ll get married to Mr. Room 325 and you’ll pop out babies and be too busy to work.”
Something inside me shrivels at the mention of me having babies.
I know that’s not my path. If I was to take the job, I won’t be leaving because I’m pregnant.
“Think about it,” Avril says.
“Just consider extending your stay a little.”
If I accepted the job, The Rookery would find a permanent solution to me not being there. I’d probably find it more difficult to go back home to Chilternshire and pick up where I left off if things didn’t work out here in New York.
I’m not sure if that’s a bad thing or not.
If I was to stay in New York…
Maybe part of Deacon’s attraction to me is because I’m not going to be here for long. He knows we have an end date, so he doesn’t have to worry about me getting too close.
Or maybe he’d be happy.
“I’ll think about it,” I say.
“And you should know, we don’t want to stop at Boston,” Poppy says. “We’re ambitious. We want to keep building this empire. So there will be other opportunities down the line too.”
Being hotel manager is a promotion. A big promotion. And I know I could do it. I’ve been in the industry a long time, so even though I haven’t been at Hotel on Ninth Street for long, I know I wouldn’t feel out of my depth.
“I’ll definitely think about it. And I want to say that I really enjoy working for you both. I love the hotel. The staff is brilliant. It’s a great opportunity.”
Avril’s eyes light up as I speak.
“But there’s a lot to think about. I work in the village where I grew up, and although New York is a wonderful place, I’ve never seen myself anywhere but Woolton.”
Avril nods. “I get it. Just think about it,” she says.
Poppy stands and grabs some papers off her desk. “These are the details of the package. Obviously, there’s a substantial pay raise.”
“Thank you,” I say, standing. “Whatever the outcome, I just want to say thank you for believing in me. It means a lot.”
Hotel work is something I just fell into.
It never felt like a passion or a calling at The Rookery.
Maybe that’s because I was a teenager when I first started.
Many of the staff that were working there then, are still employees, and I think they still see me as the kid who worked at the weekends.
I’ve never felt like that at Hotel on Ninth Street.
Here, I feel like an adult with a career. I feel like I have my own life.
I head out, clutching the papers, and cross the lobby, trying to tamp down my smile.
It’s so flattering that Poppy and Avril want to promote me so quickly.
I know some of it is because they want to relieve the pressure on themselves with a site for the Boston hotel being identified.
But even so, it’s a huge responsibility to give me, and I know they wouldn’t do it unless they were sure.
On my way to put the papers with my personal belongings, I pass the lifts. As the doors open, Deacon and I lock eyes.
“Hi,” he says as he steps out.
I glance in each direction to see if anyone can see us talking, but things are quiet.
“Hi,” I reply, slowing to a stop.
“You snuck out,” he says.
For a second, I don’t know what he’s talking about—but he means that I left him asleep in his basement while I snuck home. “I had to get home and…”
I needed to go home for my things, and I didn’t want to be there in the morning when Willow got up in case that freaked her out. Or maybe it would freak me out. Willow’s the kind of kid who would be easy to fall in love with.
“I missed you when I woke up.” He shakes his head. “I miss you all the time I’m not with you.”
My stomach flips over and I press my lips together to resist a smile.
“I just can’t get enough of you. When is your next day off?” he asks.
I try to remember which days I’m on. “Oh, actually it’s Saturday, but I have something…”
“Saturday?” he asks. “I have something that night as well.” He frowns. “Are you on a date on Saturday?”
The question hits me like a fist in the chest. Why would I be on a date when Deacon and I are sleeping together?
“Are you on a date?” I ask.
“You know I don’t date,” he says.
“Okay, so are you on one of your non-dates?” I ask. He might not date, but he certainly has a lot of women he takes to bed.
“No one since you,” he says on a breathy whisper.
My nipples bead and wetness gathers between my thighs. “I have a family thing on Saturday night.”
“You do?” he asks.
“Yes, well…kind of. Friends of the family, who are based in New York. They’re back from being in Canada.
So I’m seeing them.” I can’t believe Ryder’s going to be forty.
It feels like yesterday that we were playing hide-and-seek in the stables and climbing trees and paddling in the river.
Now his kids are almost big enough to do all those things.
“I have a party,” he says. “I hate parties, but I have to go after I’ve put Willow to bed. It’s a networking thing. I promised my COO.”
“Another time,” I say.
He growls. “I want to see you.”
The clatter of heels across the lobby floor brings me back to my surroundings. “I’ll text you,” I say. “Have a good day, Mr. Black.” The sound of Deacon’s growl echoes in my head as I head off down to the staff quarters.
Being able to make a man like Deacon Black growl never gets old.