Chapter Three
Tristan
“Senator Everett asked me to personally thank you for the suite and your acquiescence to the late booking,” Ben said as we walked around the grand suite Everett and his wife had just vacated.
“He can thank me by lauding our hospitality all over New York,” I replied. “Did you tell him that?”
“Uh…no I didn’t,” Ben replied. “I thought it would be in poor taste.”
I laughed and rolled my eyes at him. “I was kidding, Ben,” I said. “Can’t you recognize a joke?”
“I don’t joke on the job,” he replied seriously.
I laughed, used to Ben’s rigid manner and unflinching professionalism. It was hard to believe that there was a time when I didn’t like him, but slowly and surely, he had started to grow on me.
I walked out to the large balcony to admire the view for a moment, and Ben was forced to follow me, with his clipboard in hand.
“This is heaven,” I said, admiring the breathtaking view.
“If it was, you certainly wouldn’t be allowed in,” he replied dryly.
“See? I knew you could crack a joke.”
“What makes you think I was joking?” he asked with a serious face.
I frowned. “Why do I let you get away with so much cheek?”
“Because you could never find anyone good enough to replace me,” he replied in a self-satisfied way.
“Fair enough,” I admitted. I saw the corner of Ben’s mouth turn up. “So, how are we doing so far? Any complaints?”
“None worth mentioning,” he replied. “A few construction issues on the west wing of the resort, but I managed to sort them out.”
“Don’t I have a meeting with the head of construction today?”
“Tomorrow,” Ben replied, referring his clipboard. “At five.”
“Five seems a bit late—”
“Five a.m.,” he clarified.
“Fuck,” I groaned. “That seems a bit early.”
“The team’s working around the clock to make sure we’re ready for our opening day on Christmas.”
“How many rooms are still under construction?”
“Seven rooms, two suites,” he replied promptly.
“What about the amenities shipment?” I asked. “Has it arrived yet?”
“It’ll arrive tomorrow,” he replied. “Or so I’ve been told.”
“It was supposed to have arrived three days ago,” I said in annoyance.
“There was a little trouble at customs.”
“Call Hans and get him to pull some strings,” I said. “He knows a few people in customs.”
Ben nodded and made a small note. “There’s also the entertainment act to confirm,” he reminded me.
“Ah right,” I nodded distractedly. “Didn’t we already do that?”
“We have a classical pianist for the formal lounge, a jazz band for the outdoor lounge, and three singers for three of the restaurants. Our fourth restaurant doesn’t have an entertainment act yet. I’ve narrowed it down to two contenders; you just have to make the final decision.”
I nodded. “Pencil in an hour sometime tomorrow,” I said. “I’ll audition both of them and get it out of the way.”
“Your schedule is booked solid tomorrow,” Ben said, looking down at my schedule. “Unless you want to audition them at eleven p.m.?”
“Eleven is fine,” I nodded. “Pencil it in and send me a reminder half an hour before.”
“Got it,” he nodded.
“Anything else?”
“Our seafood restaurant is doing well, but it seems to be understaffed,” Ben informed me. “Which is fine now, but after Christmas, we’ll be at capacity, and we’ll need more wait staff in all four restaurants.”
“Put the word out that we’re hiring,” I said. “Give preference to the locals.”
Ben nodded. “One last thing… Should I have someone move your stuff back up here?”
I left the balcony and walked back into the grand suite. It was an impressive layout, sprawling and incredibly luxurious, but I had other plans in mind.
“No.”
“No?”
“I have another guest coming down in a few days,” I informed him. “She’ll be staying in this suite.”
Ben raised his eyebrows. “I’ll leave instructions at the reception,” he said. “What’s her name?”
“Molly,” I said. “Molly Sinclair.”
Ben looked incredulously amused.
“What?” I demanded, noticing his expression.
“Nothing.”
“Spit it out,” I insisted.
“I just never pegged you as the type of guy who’d give up his digs for an old flame,” he said. “She must have been something special.”
“Whoa, it’s not like that at all,” I corrected him immediately. “She’s not an ex-girlfriend.”
“Oh.”
“She’s my best friend’s little sister,” I said. “I’m just doing him a solid, that’s all. It’s strictly innocent.”
Ben frowned. “Okay.”
“What?” I demanded.
“Nothing,” he said, shrugging.
“I’m serious; we’re just friends.”
He smiled. “You don’t have to protest so hard,” he told me calmly. “I believe you.”
I could tell from his tone and his expression that he didn’t, but I knew if I kept trying to convince him, it would only work against me. So I shut my mouth and turned my attention to the suite.
“Have some fresh fruit and chocolates sent up,” I informed Ben.
“Champagne?”
“Uh…no,” I said. “Fruit and chocolates are fine.”
“And, when I inform the front desk of her arrival, should I tell them to expect two people or just Ms. Sinclair?”
I paused for a moment. Jason hadn’t mentioned anything about Molly coming with someone. I wondered how I would feel if she did. “Uh… I don’t know, to be honest,” I replied. “Tell them to be prepared just in case. As far as I know, however, it might be just Molly.”
“Understood,” Ben nodded.
“Who’s manning the reception this week?”
“Alani,” he replied after checking the roster. “She’s popular with the guests.”
“I’ve noticed,” I nodded. “She’s native, isn’t she?”
“She was born on Kauai,” Ben replied.
“Kauai,” I repeated. “Interesting.”
“You don’t know which island that is, do you?” Ben asked, with a raised eyebrow.
“Give me a break, okay,” I said defensively. “I’ve been working.”
“When are we expecting Ms. Sinclair?”
“In two days’ time,” I replied. “On the first. Have a car sent to the airport to pick her up and have the helicopter on standby.”
He nodded. “Anything else you’d like me to see to in preparation for her arrival?”
“I think we’ve got all our bases covered,” I said. “Just make sure she’s well taken care of.”
“Of course.”
“What’s my schedule look like this afternoon?”
“Lunch with Jordan Helms,” Ben read. “Three back-to-back meetings after lunch with the heads of your managerial staff, and the eleven o’clock appointment to make the final decision on the act for the last restaurant.”
“Right,” I nodded. “Okay, got it.”
“I’ll send you reminders anyway.”
“Good man,” I nodded. “I better head over to lunch. Jordan hates waiting.”
I was passing through the fountain garden when I heard a voice shout my name. I turned to find Gregory Winchester walking towards me.
“Tristan!” he said enthusiastically. “I’ve been here now three days, and I haven’t seen you anywhere.”
Gregory was wearing swimming shorts and a Hawaiian shirt that made him look like some creepy lothario out of your average rom-com. Considering he was one of my biggest investors, I kept that opinion to myself.
“Gregory,” I said, shaking his hand. “My staff informed me that you’d arrived; I should have made the time to meet with you earlier. Sorry about that.”
“Hey, I understand. Running a hotel takes work. And, I wouldn’t want you to drop the ball, considering I would suffer for it.”
I smiled. “How are you liking your stay so far?”
“I must say, Tristan, you’ve done a fantastic job,” he replied without any reservations. “The resort is stunning, the food is amazing, and your staff has been well trained.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” I replied, satisfied and proud all at the same time. “Am I to assume you have no complaints?”
“I do hear a little construction during the day,” Gregory mentioned.
“The west wing is still being renovated,” I said. “Just minor finishing touches, but it should be finished soon.”
“This place is massive,” he said, looking around at large towers of the resort. “I didn’t expect it to be so big. How many rooms do you have again?”
“A hundred rooms,” I replied. “And three different suite types. Five grand suites, seven superior suites, and ten deluxe suites.”
“Hmm…should I be offended that I only received a superior suite and not a grand?”
I laughed. “I wouldn’t,” I said. “I gave you the best view.”
“This is Hawaii, you con artist,” he accused. “Every view here is the best view.”
“Caught that, did you?”
Gregory laughed good-naturedly and patted me on the back. “You’ve done well,” he said. “If I weren’t making a killing on this investment, I’d be jealous.”
“Jealous?” I laughed. “What have you got to be jealous about? You’re the CEO of a successful company, you own real estate in ten different states, and you, according to some newspapers, are dating Minka Kelly.”
“First of all, that was just a rumor,” Gregory insisted. “Second of all, I own property in nine states, not ten. And third of all, my success is appropriate to my age. Unlike some overachieving pretty boys who make CEO at twenty-seven?”
“I was twenty-four, actually,” I replied with a smug smile.
“Asshole,” he said, with skipping a beat. “But you see, being a CEO at thirty-nine like myself is much less impressive than being a CEO at twenty…”
“Eight,” I offered.
“Twenty-eight,” he nodded.
“Well, a little healthy competition is good for the soul,” I said.
“That’s a good way of spinning it,” he joked.
“Let’s talk soon,” I said. “Unfortunately, I have to get to a lunch meeting.”
“Busy man,” he nodded. “I understand. We’ll meet soon.”
I said goodbye to Gregory and headed for my meeting with Jordan. I tried to make a mental list of all the things I needed to bring up at the meeting, but I only managed to get to point number three before my mind wandered to thoughts of Molly and her impending arrival.