Santa Maybe (The Duchess Hotel #1)

Chapter 14

Fourteen

22 Days Until Christmas

There were Mondays, and then there were Mondays. And this morning was a large caramel latte with two shots of espresso Monday, especially since Rosie had set her alarm two hours early so she could get to the hotel by seven. Thanks to all the time she’d invested in making the Duchess “holiday forward,” she was behind on her paperwork. Unread emails sat in her inbox, demanding replies. Job applications for a new breakfast room attendant needed to be reviewed. She also had to work with Charlie to figure out staffing for the front desk because they’d lost two of their clerks.

It didn’t help that she was woefully sleep-deprived. Not just because she feared losing her job but also because she was afraid she’d messed things up with Drew.

On Saturday, when he’d teased her about having sexy Santa fantasies, she could have responded by bantering with him. Kept things light and flirty, without crossing any lines. Instead, she’d asked for a kiss. An impulsive move that had resulted in a passionate make-out session she couldn’t forget. Though they’d both agreed it was a bad idea, she’d almost asked him to kiss her again when they’d been out walking afterward.

In retrospect, it was a good thing those teens had interrupted the moment by catcalling them.

Cradling her coffee and a box of pastries—for a meeting with the Damsels at eleven—she unlocked her office door. She set everything down on her desk and turned on her computer, hoping to tackle a few of her emails. But she couldn’t focus.

Instead, she remembered how she’d felt on Saturday evening, after she’d gone home to her apartment. She’d tried watching TV, but her mind kept drifting back to those kisses. What would have happened if Charlie hadn’t interrupted them? Would Drew have kept going? Would he have taken things further?

Yes, please.

To compound the awkwardness, the two of them had been expected for dinner at her parents’ house the very next day. Unlike the past two dinners, he’d met her there rather than driving with her. Though he’d been as outgoing as ever—regaling her family with tales of playing Santa—he hadn’t spent any time alone with her. After dinner, they’d parted ways quickly.

Which meant he was probably regretting those kisses.

Her best option was to ease back into their regular friendship. A damn shame, considering how badly she wanted to kiss him again. Or do more than kiss, if she was being honest.

She turned her attention back to her emails, flagging the ones she needed to deal with first. When her phone rang and the caller ID displayed the name Alejandro, she recoiled instinctively. As the assistant general manager of the Grand Duke, he was at the same level she was, but he always treated her like she was beneath him.

Even so, she had to play nice with a fellow hotelier. Or should she say, hospitalitarian , which was how he referred to himself.

Gritting her teeth, she answered the phone politely. “The Duchess Hotel, Rosie Gonzalez speaking. How may I help you?”

“Rosalina. How’s my favorite AGM doing?” Despite his overbearing smugness, there was no denying his smooth Castilian accent was enticing as hell. Word had it that he was a consummate womanizer. “I saw your little hotel made the paper on Friday. It must have been so exciting for you.”

Could you be any more condescending? “Thanks. It was a nice article.”

“A little birdie—I mean, a peon from our marketing department—told me Sofia Sanchez showed up at your event. I’m not sure if that makes you look hip or desperate.”

Rosie took another sip of coffee. It was too early for this shit. “Is there a reason you called? As much as I’m enjoying our chat, I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“Yes, well, I need a teeny favor from you, querida.”

She perked up immediately. A favor? In what world did anyone from the Duke ever ask for a favor? “What can I do for you?”

“Long story short, last night, we had a dreadful kitchen fire in the restaurant. It was a total disaster.”

Even if Rosie could barely stand Alejandro, or pretty much any of the senior staff at the Duke, she could sympathize. “That’s awful. Was anyone hurt?”

“A few of the kitchen staff suffered minor burns. Then we fired the line cook who started it because he was drunk. Now we have to close the restaurant, which isn’t ideal during the holiday season. To make things worse, the rooms above the kitchen suffered serious smoke and electrical damage. We were able to move the guests around temporarily, but we have a sizeable group coming this afternoon that needs their rooms. And—as you probably guessed—we’re fully booked this week.”

Of course you are. “Why not prioritize the existing guests and move the incoming group somewhere else?”

“No can do. They’re here for a convention. Something to do with green energy? Or conservation? We can’t boot them out, not if we want their group to return next year.”

As the realization struck Rosie, she couldn’t help but grin. “So you’re asking us to host the displaced guests?”

Over the past year, there had been a few times when other hotels in the area had “walked” their guests to the Duchess—a hotel term that meant sending them elsewhere versus literally walking them over. But the Grand Duke had never sent guests their way.

“We didn’t have much choice,” Alejandro said. “Usually we’d ask the Hotel Grand Pacific or the Magnolia to accommodate them, but they’re full. And we all know your hotel hasn’t exactly been overflowing with guests.”

Ignoring his dig, she responded cheerfully. “We’d be happy to help. If you want to send them over, I’ll alert the staff, and we’ll make sure we have rooms ready for them.”

“Knew I could count on you, princesa. I’m sending you an email with all the details. Keep in mind that these guests might be a tad grumpy since the Duchess is a considerable downgrade. But I’m sure you’ll do your best.”

The downgrade comment was uncalled for, but she let it pass. After chatting with him for a few more minutes, she ended the call and refreshed her email. Sure enough, the list was there. Enough guests to bump their occupancy rate to a whopping eighty-five percent. Not wanting to waste any time, she radioed housekeeping and the front desk.

Minutes later, a knock came at her door. “Come in,” she called out.

Charlie popped her head in. “I can’t believe Alejandro is sending guests here!”

Rosie motioned her inside. “I know, right? But we have rooms available, and we’re only a block away from the Duke. I’ll take it as a win.”

“It’s a major win.” Charlie clasped her hands together. “We have to make these poor souls feel like VIPs. Free drink coupons for our weeknight happy hour. Christmas cookies. Maybe a few other goodies. They’re going to love it here.”

“They might not be that appreciative. If anything, they’ll be pissed they got booted from the Duke.”

“Then we’ll make this a positive experience for them. But right now, we’re understaffed because Bri’s home with the flu. Any chance you could jump in and help me out?”

“Absolutely. I forwarded you Alejandro’s list, but let me print out a copy for myself.” Rosie took another sip of coffee and winced, realizing it had gone cold. She’d have to reheat it in the microwave later.

“I’m so glad we’re getting more guests,” Charlie said. “I forgot to mention—we got a couple of stellar reviews on Expedia. Both were from families that were part of the Restall reunion. They loved our holiday activities.”

“That was quick. Most of the Restalls just checked out yesterday.”

“Laurel also told me one of Sofia’s videos got tons of views! Guess which one it was.”

Rosie grabbed a peppermint candy from a bowl on her desk and popped it into her mouth. “The video with the photo booth?”

“No. The one where she talked about our ‘hot Santa’ and showed her viewers what a delight he was.”

“What?” Rosie’s heart began beating frantically. This was too much excitement for a Monday morning. “What hot Santa video?”

“You didn’t see it? Oh my God, it was awesome!” Charlie took out her phone and pulled up the video. “Check it out.”

Rosie watched in stunned silence. At some point, Sofia had conducted a mock interview with Santa, where she teased him about his workout regimen. Drew had played along, telling her how he could lift a reindeer over his head and did weight training using sacks of toys.

How had Rosie missed it? Maybe it had happened while she was taking a breather in the washroom. Either way, there was no denying Drew was a complete charmer, his eyes twinkling as he bantered with Sofia.

She handed the phone back to Charlie. “Why does he keep getting more irresistible? How am I supposed to keep things platonic?”

“From what I saw on Saturday, you’re way past that point. If I hadn’t interrupted, you two might have had sex in the breakfast room.”

Rosie frowned. “I’d never do anything so unhygienic. Not to mention, there are two security cameras in that room.”

“I guess it’s not that romantic. But you could have brought him back to your apartment afterward.” Charlie placed her hand over her mouth. “Ooh, is that what you did?”

Rosie grabbed the guest list from the printer. “No. Kissing him was a mistake, and it’s not going to happen again.” She ushered Charlie from her office and locked the door behind her.

As they strode toward the front desk, Charlie lowered her voice. “Why can’t it happen again? You two are so good together.”

“That’s not what Drew wants, and I’m not about to pressure him. One of the reasons we’re pretending to date is to avoid all the stress and heartache of a real relationship.”

“You sure? Because you seem stressed right now.” Charlie’s brow furrowed. “We’re gonna put a pin in this, but we’ll talk later. All of us. If I can’t convince you, then maybe Selena and Laurel can.”

Before Rosie could respond, they’d reached the front desk. After greeting the clerk on duty, she settled in and pulled up the day’s bookings. When her phone pinged, she was pleased to see a message from Drew.

Drew: Just talked to Bones! I’m in! We’re going to take care of the paperwork tomorrow.

Rosie: I’m so excited for you! I have some fun news about the hotel, too.

Drew: Are you coming to work out tonight? We could grab smoothies after and catch up.

Was this a good idea? Or should they stick to their specific “date” activities, like Sunday dinners and events at the hotel?

Screw it. Today had turned from bad to good, and she wanted to share her victory—however minor—with Drew.

Rosie: I’ll be there after seven. Can’t wait!

As she noticed Charlie smirking at her, she stashed her phone in the pocket of her blazer. But she couldn’t stop herself from grinning like a fool. Not just about today’s news but about how excited she was to share it with someone who cared.