The Albright Hotel (A Frosty Season #4)

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

R obby felt stupid for coming. In the Albright Hotel ballroom, he stood in his suit jacket and a pair of black slacks, carrying around a glass of champagne as though he enjoyed it. He was a beer guy; he’d always been a beer guy. He was a handyman. It came with the territory. But the champagne wasn’t the worst of it, obviously. The worst of it was that he’d just watched Olivia dance with that handsome pastry chef—the same one Robby had run into that afternoon, thus ruining the cake—and then follow him into the kitchen. They’d looked like two high schoolers sneaking off to make mischief. Robby couldn’t feel his feet. He wondered, Is Olivia trying to rub it in my face? Is it because I destroyed the cake? What?

But he couldn’t come up with an answer that sufficed, so he tossed back the entire glass of champagne and reached for another from a passing server. He’d never been able to understand classical music, either, and that was what roared in his ears because he stood too close to the orchestra. He wondered if Joanna was here. Maybe he could ask her to dance. Perhaps she’d laugh at his jokes and make him feel less alone. Of course, Adam and Stan were here with their wives, but they were dancing their way across the ballroom, marveling at what Imogen and Bee had called “Robby’s remarkable work.” They’d hired a babysitter for the occasion. They wanted to revel in the beauty of the night.

Robby wanted to go home more than he’d ever wanted anything.

Robby turned to get away from the orchestra. But just a few strides away, he stumbled upon Phoebe, who was blushing and beautiful. She had her hand on a handsome guy’s chest. There seemed no end to the number of handsome men at this party. Like the pastry chef, her guy looked like someone from a magazine: an actor or a model. Phoebe smiled at Robby. She looked like she might float off the ground with happiness.

“Robby! Hi!” Phoebe was always happy to see him. They’d spent a bit of time together over the summer, and Robby had thought it might have been nice to have a daughter . Of course, that was when she was still gray-faced and somber in the wake of her divorce. Robby hadn’t been able to give her any advice, of course. But he’d thought, You’re now in the thick of life. Good luck. And he’d pledged to be there with a kind word whenever he could.

Apparently, she didn’t need those kind words anymore.

“Merry Christmas!” Phoebe said, breaking his reverie.

Robby laughed and raised his glass. “Feels like we just got through Thanksgiving.”

Phoebe turned to look up at her guy. “I want you to meet someone. This is my fiancé, Braxton.”

Braxton? What kind of name was Braxton? Robby fixed his smile and shook Braxton’s hand. “Fiancé, huh? Wow! Congratulations!”

Already? She met someone already!

“It just happened last night,” Phoebe explained.

“I don’t recall you mentioning Braxton over the summer,” Robby said.

Phoebe threw her head back. “We met at the beginning of autumn. The minute we met each other, we just knew.”

Robby’s heart throbbed. They just knew. How does anyone just know? Especially at their age? Especially after Phoebe’s first husband had left her? Robby remembered thinking he’d “known” with Addison. But he hadn’t known anything when Addison had left the turkey to burn in the oven and walked out the door.

“I’m so happy for you,” Robby said. “Where are you from, Braxton?”

Braxton arched his eyebrow in a way that suggested he had no desire to talk to Robby any longer than necessary.

“He’s from everywhere,” Phoebe said with a wave of her hand. “His family has houses all over the place.”

“Impressive,” Robby said, although he wasn’t impressed by wealth in the slightest. “How do you like Hollygrove?”

“It’s like something out of a postcard, isn’t it?” Braxton said. But he said it as though something sour was on his tongue.

“I’m sure you’ll take Phoebe off to incredible places,” Robby said. “But I’m glad we get her for Christmas.”

Phoebe beamed.

Robby thought, Is anyone going to stop her? Does Maya know what a sleazeball this guy is?

Was her first husband a sleazeball, too?

But suddenly, Maya was there. She was dressed beautifully, and her lipstick was slightly smudged, as though she’d been off kissing Brad somewhere. Maya squeezed Robby’s hand.

“Thank you again for your hard work!” she said. “This party wouldn’t have happened without you. None of it would have!”

Robby eyed the exit and considered running as fast as he could to his truck. “It was my pleasure. Congratulations are in order. I just heard the news about Phoebe.” Robby studied Maya’s eyes for some sense that she disapproved.

But Maya was a brilliant actress.

“We’re over the moon,” Maya said. “And Braxton and Phoebe are going to stay with us over the next few weeks to help out at the hotel. Isn’t that great?”

“It really is,” Robby said. “You’re taking time off from work?” he asked Phoebe.

“I’m working remotely again. Like I did earlier this year,” Phoebe said. “Between Braxton’s travel plans and the Albright Hotel, I can’t imagine I’ll want to go back to the office any time soon.”

Robby laughed. “It’s a different world from the one I grew up in.”

“It sure is,” Maya said. Maya turned her attention to Phoebe, asking, “Can I steal you away for a second? I can’t find Olivia, and I need some help.”

Robby thought he was going to throw up. Was Olivia still off with the pastry chef?

Braxton excused himself with the raise of his glass, not bothering to say anything else. Robby was left alone for a split second before Calvin and Stacy surrounded him, peppering him with questions about the ballroom redesign and whether he would make it to their wedding. Robby was grateful for their distraction. They kept him busy for the next half hour until Imogen came by and said she was headed back. The babysitter needed to be relieved. Robby made an excuse to head out at the same time.

Robby walked through the foyer with his hands in his pockets. He felt as though he’d failed tonight although he wasn’t sure what he’d done wrong.

There was a creak from the staircase.

Robby turned to find Braxton standing halfway up, headed to the second floor. His hand gripped the glossy mahogany railing. He gave Robby a strange smile.

“Hey there,” Robby said. “The party’s back there.”

He felt stupid as soon as he’d said it.

Braxton sniffed. “I’m staying here for the holidays.”

“That’s right. But I figured you were staying on the family side,” Robby offered. “I’m pretty sure everything up that staircase is hotel only.”

Braxton fixed his eyes on Robby. Robby felt like a bug Braxton wanted to squash.

“Of course. This place is a little confusing. Would you mind telling me how to get to the family entrance?” Braxton asked.

Robby gave him instructions and waited as he walked back down the stairs and through the side entrance that led to the family home. Robby’s heart thudded with intrigue.

What was Braxton up to?

The following morning, Robby helped Stan and Adam load their cars and kissed his grandchildren goodbye. The roads were cleared, but snow lined the sidewalk, and Robby warned that the backroads leading to the highway might be slippery.

“We grew up here, Dad,” Adam reminded him. “We remember.”

Robby watched from the porch until Adam’s and Stan’s cars were out of sight. His chest felt hollow with sorrow. It was just past nine thirty, and the day yawned before him, empty and gray.

Maybe he was needed at the Albright? That would be perfect. Perhaps Maya would call him and ask him to fix something. A wardrobe. A railing. A sink.

It wasn’t that he hoped for disasters up there. It was just that he needed to be needed.

But morning rolled along without a single text from Maya. Robby made a pot of coffee, then another pot, then watched a bit of basketball on television. He still smelled like the party—like rich women’s perfume—so he showered and took a nap. Hours passed, and he felt like he was no longer a part of the world.

Finally, he decided to text Maya himself. He wanted to offer his assistance.

But Maya wrote back right away.

MAYA: Hey, Robby! I’m thrilled you came to the party last night to celebrate. You will always be a member of the Albright Hotel family.

MAYA: I will let you know if we need anything from you in the coming weeks.

MAYA: But I doubt we’ll be seeing much of each other soon, unfortunately.

MAYA: I have to respect my sister’s wishes. And she’s just a little overwhelmed right now.

MAYA: When things calm down, you will be the handyman I call immediately.

MAYA: Thank you for being such a wonderful friend.

Robby gaped at the text messages, trying to read between the lines. It was clear that Maya wouldn’t be contacting him for handyman work any time soon. He burned with the drama of it. Had Olivia gone out of her way to ask Maya not to hire him?

What had he done wrong?

Now, Robby turned off the television and closed his eyes. Was he useful to anyone anymore? He wasn’t sure. He hoped he could sleep the day away.

He hoped one day he would learn to forget about Olivia.

But he hadn’t even learned to forget about Addison—and she’d left when the boys were small.

Maybe it was proof that nobody ever got over any heartbreak. Not really.