Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
The next two weeks were filled with the soft opening of the resort and figuring out all the things that needed immediate attention.
And there were a lot.
Granted, they only had a hundred guests, and most were families who had been coming to the resort for years, but they were all a bit vocal on what was missing or what didn’t quite meet their standards.
That last one made Connor laugh because everything was so much better than when Walker’s grandparents ran the place, but not everyone agreed. They had complaints about the TVs in the cabins, that the food was different, and how there were too many activities to choose from.
At the end of each day—since they could no longer have their family-style dinners with just their core group at their makeshift table in the lobby or even gather around the firepit for s’mores—they opted to go up to the owner’s suite.
The space was like an apartment on the top floor of the lodge with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large living space, a kitchen, and a dining room.
Axel and Maisie were planning on moving into it since Axel was now officially the overall resort manager, but they hadn’t made the move yet.
So for now, it worked as a space for them to meet that had enough space for everyone.
And naturally, Connor cooked for them.
“Are we really going to take TVs out of the rooms?” Slater asked around a mouthful of barbecued pulled pork. “That just seems crazy. Why can’t they just…you know…not watch it?”
“I guess we could ask when they make their reservation if they want a TV in the room,” Axel said, but then immediately shook his head.
“No. Then you have wires hanging and renovations to the room. We can call and ask Milo if there’s a way to shut that stuff off so it can’t be used if the guest doesn’t want it, but that seems excessive. ”
“Exactly,” Walker agreed. “This feedback is great, but it doesn’t mean we have to change everything.
At least not yet. We knew the place was going to be different and the long-standing guests might not like the changes, but we’re not trying to cater only to them. We’re trying to bring in new guests.”
Connor took his seat next to Lexi. “And what did they mean about the food being different? Was that in a good or bad way?”
“Neither,” Walker told him. “Just different. The menu had been the same for something like…forty years. We all agreed that the menu was spot on, so I’m not worried about it.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not the chef,” he murmured.
“No, but this whole thing was my idea, so I’ve got a lot invested too, Connor. And in case anyone forgot, I wanted to go in a completely different direction with the place, so all this feedback is confusing the hell out of me.”
“Why?” Harlow asked. “No one’s commented that they wish it were more deluxe and snootier.”
Rolling his eyes, Walker sighed loudly. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. I just meant that we all thought keeping things the same would be the way to go, but it seems like people want to complain no matter what.”
“I wonder if your grandparents ever got complaints,” Slater commented. “You know, especially in those last few years they were open.”
“Oh, I’m sure they got plenty. So many things on the property were either closed or in terrible shape.”
“Personally, I think it’s awesome that they think we have too many things for them to do,” Slater added. “That means we’re doing our jobs and getting them to want to spend their time here and maybe even stay longer. So instead of a long weekend, they stay a week.”
“We all always stayed longer,” Axel said. “I mean, for me, we lived somewhat local so we’d come for two weeks, but then come back on weekends. But the rest of you were typically here for anywhere from two to four weeks.”
“To be fair, my family owned the place, so that’s why we stayed so long,” Walker explained.
“And since it was baseball season, this was a great place to come with my mom and grandparents instead of sitting at home while my dad traveled to play,” Slater said.
“That’s why we stayed for several weeks.
And as a kid, it was great to run around all day with you guys, but today’s kids don’t just entertain themselves.
They need more guided activities, and I think we’re providing that. ”
“I think we’re all looking at the feedback negatively,” Lexi chimed in.
“Everyone’s been happy and pleasant, and they’re just commenting on the differences.
Well, except for the TV thing, and that was only two older couples.
I think we’re on the right track and should just focus on keeping things running smoothly.
The big influx is going to hit Memorial Day weekend.
I was discussing reservations with Morgan, and she said we’re at seventy percent occupancy.
After that, we’re looking at close to one hundred percent through the summer.
So your advertising campaign is definitely working. ”
“Mom, can I go watch TV with Annabeth?” Jonah asked.
“Of course,” Lexi told him. “But wash your hands first, please!”
“Okay!” and the kids ran off happily.
Conversation turned to hiring more staff in all the departments and whether they were ready for it. But Connor had tuned out a bit from sheer exhaustion. They’d all been working seven days a week, and he was in dire need of a day off.
He and Lexi obviously saw each other every day, but they were both so tired by the time they were done with dinner that by the time they were heading back to their cabins, they realized they never had time alone.
Any.
Their sexy lunch breaks were a thing of the past because their schedules just weren’t as flexible anymore. And he missed her.
Like seriously missed her.
It was almost an ache at this point.
That’s when he realized it was something that needed to be put to the group—not the sex part, but how much they were all working.
“Um…I think there’s something important we’re not talking about,” he began carefully.
Everyone stopped talking and looked at him.
“We’ve all been working practically 24/7 for weeks now.
I get that we are in the opening stages, but if we don’t force ourselves to take a day or two off, we’re going to be useless come Memorial Day, which—FYI—is two weeks away. ”
“So what are you saying, Con? We need to take time off?” Axel asked almost incredulously. “What happens to the resort if we’re not here?”
“That’s the thing; we hired people to handle the day-to-day stuff.
You all reminded me of that at Jayce and Kelsey’s wedding that we hired a very competent staff to handle things.
If they can’t manage their jobs when we’re not fully booked, then they’re going to fail hard come summer.
And I’m not suggesting we all take the same day off, but…
I just think it’s something to consider. ”
No one said anything right away, but it didn’t take long for everyone to agree.
“I wouldn’t say no to a few days away,” Harlow said to Walker. “We’ve been saying we wanted to go back and spend time at the new property.”
“Yeah, but…we also said we were going to wait until after we opened here,” he reminded her.
“Okay, but we still could use a couple of nights away. Maybe go back to that glamping resort?”
“Ooh…I was going to suggest that for me and Axel,” Maisie said with a laugh. “But I know it would be great to get to the city so I can pack up more of my things so maybe we can start moving up here to the suite.” She glanced at Axel. “What do you think?”
He smiled lovingly at her. “Whatever you want to do, beautiful girl.”
“But…?”
He laughed softly. “It’s not the most relaxing way to spend a few days off.”
“Good point. There are plenty of options, and we can decide on them later when we’re alone.” She winked at him.
Connor looked at Lexi. “I know that you can’t be gone at the same time that Slater is.” Then he paused and looked at Slater and then Walker. “Obviously, if I’m going to take time off, Lexi is coming with me.”
“Connor,” she whispered. “We’ve talked about this. I haven’t been here long enough for vacation days.” Her head was ducked, and he could tell she was embarrassed by the attention on her.
“Lex, you don’t have to worry,” Walker assured her. “You’ve been working just as hard as anyone else, and you’ve done more than anyone asked, so I think I speak for everyone when I say that you’re entitled to a few days off. With or without Connor.” He grinned before winking.
Smartass.
Turning his attention back to Lexi, he said, “I’d love for us to take the kids somewhere for a few days. And I’m not opposed to taking Annabeth out of school if you and I can’t snag a weekend. What do you say? Please? The four of us deserve a little getaway. You know…testing more waters.”
She smiled sweetly. “I…I guess. I just don’t want anyone to think I expect special treatment because we’re dating.”
Obviously, everyone heard her, and they all promised that wasn’t the case. They agreed that she was part of their core team and deserved this break just like everyone else.
“Okay then,” Harlow said, clapping her hands together loudly. “Let’s break out the calendar and schedules and then we can either draw straws or put numbers in a hat to determine who gets to pick their dates first.”
“Basically, we’re working with only the next two weeks, right?” Axel asked.
“Exactly. And there are four of us—three couples—vying for time during those weeks. That means we each get approximately three to four days,” Walker said.
“Since I’m the lone guy without a girlfriend and no one to have to discuss this with, I’ll just take whatever dates are left,” Slater volunteered. “I’ve had the chance to get away more than any of you, so if we really do the math, that means you all get four days and I’ll take two.”
“That doesn’t seem fair, Slater,” Maisie said.