Santa Maybe (The Duchess Hotel #1)

Chapter 28

January 11

Once again, Rosie sat in her boss’s office, awaiting his verdict.

Though he’d called her in to discuss her future, she wasn’t sure what his decision would be. After she’d stood up to him on Christmas Day, he’d cooled toward her a little. Less sociable chatter, fewer compliments about the efforts she’d made. But regardless of his attitude, she’d still shown up and done the work. At times, she’d felt anxious, not knowing whether she’d be let go in January, but Drew and her family had offered their full support.

No matter what he decided, she was confident she’d done a kick-ass job making the Duchess holiday-friendly. Not just her, but all the Damsels. Together, they’d increased the hotel’s occupancy rate, garnered attention on social media, and bumped up its rankings on Tripadvisor, Google, and Expedia. Though they hadn’t repeated their Christmas miracle of filling every room, they’d come close. Their Boxing Week special had drawn in a lot of guests, and they’d started getting bookings for spring break.

Preston turned his attention toward her. “Thanks for waiting. Before I discuss your future at the Duchess, I wanted to talk to you about the conversation we had on Christmas Day.”

Oh shit, here it comes. She braced herself, gripping the arms of her chair.

“To be honest, at first, I was insulted by your accusation. I almost retaliated in anger, but I let your words sit with me.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “And then I remembered that my AGM at the Devonshire accused me of the same thing. Of running him into the ground just to get the results I needed.”

Rosie blinked, shocked that he’d admit this much to her. “I had no idea.”

“Yes, well, whenever I’ve shared my Devonshire stories, I tend to take most of the credit. Which isn’t true. Not by a long shot. But that’s the reason the Lyons family hired me to run the Duchess. And as with the Devonshire, I promised them they’d get the results they wanted, even if it meant working my assistant manager to the bone.”

Given what Rosie knew of the hospitality industry, his behavior wasn’t that surprising, but his willingness to confess it took her aback.

He continued. “Because of your experience at the hotel, I leaned on you more than I should have, but I never meant to take advantage. You’ve done so much over the past two months, and what’s more, you got your entire team on board. Instead of showing my appreciation, all I did was increase my demands. That’s not the way to be a good manager. Going forward, I’ll try to do better.”

These were words she’d never envisioned hearing from her boss. “It’s all right. Thank you, sir.”

“No. Thank you , Rosie, for everything you’ve done to make the Duchess the most holiday-forward hotel in Victoria.”

“It wasn’t just me. My entire team pitched in, as did many of the other staff members.”

“I was impressed with the way you pulled everyone together, for the good of the hotel.” He shuffled a few papers together. “Back in October, when I began working here, I figured the easiest way to take over would be to start fresh with a new managerial team. Now I realize how wrong I was. Even the most experienced staff in the country wouldn’t share your devotion to this hotel. You really care about the Duchess.”

“We all do. I know we’ll never be at the level of the Grand Duke, but I think we’re more charming and down-to-earth.”

“I agree. With that in mind, I hope you’ll be willing to continue your role as the AGM of the Duchess.”

Her relief was so palpable that she almost burst into tears. “Thank you. I’d love to stay, but I’d also like to keep my team in place.”

“Yes, of course. I have no intention of letting anyone go. And I fully intend to dole out Christmas bonuses to all of you, even if they’re a little late.”

Thank God . She couldn’t wait to tell the Damsels. Now, they could finally relax, knowing they wouldn’t be facing the prospect of unemployment.

Preston cleared his throat. “However, I don’t want us to rest on our laurels, so to speak. Given our success in bringing holiday cheer to the Duchess, we’ll want to continue the tradition next year. I also think we could lean in to a few other holidays, like Valentine’s Day or Easter. And definitely Halloween.”

While his eagerness was admirable, she wanted to make sure he understood the costs. “Sounds like a great plan. We should create a master calendar to schedule all our events, and we’ll need a bigger budget. Our success this season partly came about because of the staff’s generosity. They baked cookies and contributed craft items, all without compensation. In the future, we want to make sure we’re not asking for any unpaid labor.”

Preston blanched. “Right. We can’t have that. Let’s set up a meeting with the head of accounting next week. Then we can make sure we have enough funds set aside.”

“Excellent. The Grand Duke might boast about their High Tea, but we could be known as Victoria’s premier destination for holiday travel.”

“Yes, and we’ll start by focusing on Valentine’s Day. We could make this the most romance-forward hotel in all of Victoria.”

“Brilliant idea, sir. If there’s one thing I love, it’s romance.”

Or rather, she did now. Ever since she and Drew had gotten back together on Christmas Eve, he’d become an integral part of her life. Most nights, he slept over at her apartment, and she cherished their mornings together, planning their days over coffee and smoothies.

Though their schedules were demanding and erratic, they always made time for cheesy action movies, delicious meals, and lots of sex. When they’d had an unexpected day off together and had been graced with unseasonably warm weather, he’d taken her hiking at Goldstream Park. She’d enjoyed it so much that she’d ordered a super-cute pair of hiking boots that she could wear for their next outdoor excursion.

On New Year’s Eve, they’d gone out drinking with the Damsels, and he’d joined her family for their Three Kings Day celebration on January sixth. Though she’d had to endure a little teasing about her “fake boyfriend,” everyone was glad that she and Drew had gotten back together.

“Splendid,” Preston said. “I understand you’re taking a romantic getaway this weekend?”

“Yes. Drew and I are spending two nights at a bed-and-breakfast up island.”

“Sounds nice, though it’s not the best time of year to be going on vacation. Mostly rain in the forecast.”

Rosie hid a tiny smile. To be honest, she and Drew didn’t care about the weather. All they wanted was a chance to get away, at a remote location where they’d be completely alone. “That’s all right. It’ll still be nice to take a break.”

“Good. It’s important to recharge your batteries. I’ll be taking a week off at the end of January, but I’m going to Las Vegas for some sunshine.”

“You’ll get plenty of it there. I hope you have good luck at the tables.” Through hotel gossip, she’d learned that Preston had a fondness for playing craps and blackjack.

She continued chatting with him for a little while longer until he dismissed her to take a call from the Lyons family.

After she left his office, she headed for the Gilded Lily. Even if it was the off-season, the cocktail lounge was nearly full, probably because they’d continued offering a happy hour between five and seven. Knox had now switched to a series of winter-themed cocktails that had proved very popular.

Clustered around the bar were Charlie, Selena, Laurel, and Drew.

Charlie leapt up to greet her. “Well? What’s the word?”

“Do we still have jobs?” Selena asked.

Rosie beamed at them. “Yes. Preston agreed to keep us on. All of us.”

“What a relief,” Laurel said. “I didn’t want to start this year with a job search.”

Drew’s eyes lit up with happiness. “I’m so glad. You all deserve to stay.”

“But…” Rosie drew out the word. “He wants us to embrace as many holidays as we can. We’re going to set up a meeting with accounting next week to review our budget.”

“Make sure to toss in some money for advertising,” Laurel said. “Print and online. We could draw in more people that way.”

“We’ll also need more money for food,” Selena added. “Then we can order cookies instead of asking the staff to bake them.”

Rosie nodded. “Before I tackle the budget, let’s meet to figure out what we need for each major holiday. I think we can ask for a decent amount of funding, considering we increased the hotel’s ranking and its occupancy rate.” And maybe, if they were lucky, the owners would finally funnel some of the hotel’s earnings into updating the rooms.

“What’s our next big holiday push gonna be?” Charlie asked.

Drew grinned. “Ten bucks says it’s Valentine’s Day.”

“Bingo,” Rosie said. “You must have romance on the brain.” No surprise, given that they’d shared a passionate romp in bed this morning.

Selena grimaced. “Don’t start, you two. Shouldn’t you be heading off for your weekend sex-capades?”

“Seriously?” Charlie said. “It’s a romantic getaway, not a boink-fest. Or maybe it’s both.” She gave Rosie a nudge. “Get going. Next week, we can brainstorm activities for Valentine’s Day.”

“Perfect.” Rosie regarded the Damsels with affection. She didn’t know how she could have survived the past two months without them. “Once I’m back on Monday morning, we can talk it over.” After giving each of them a quick hug, she took Drew’s hand. “Ready to go?”

“Yep.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “I’m dying to get you alone, ma chérie.”

She loved how this had become their thing—exchanging terms of endearment in French and Spanish. “Same here, mi corazón. Let’s escape while we can.”

As they left the hotel together, she looked back at the Damsels, who were still chatting at the bar. These were her people. This was her home away from home. And now she’d get to stay here and keep doing the job she loved.

But as much as she loved it, there was more to life than just the Duchess.

With Drew by her side, she couldn’t wait to enjoy all of it.

* * *

Thanks so much for reading Rosie & Drew’s story! If you enjoyed Santa Maybe , I’d love it if you’d leave me a review.

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The Duchess Hotel Series continues in 2025 with Book 2, a fall-themed, grumpy/sunshine romance featuring Charlie and Knox.