Just for Fun (33 page)

Which ticked her off.

She loved this stuff. This was her life. She wanted to create places like this, places that guest after guest would walk into and have an emotional reaction to.

Sadness and loneliness were not the emotions she was going for.

What else could she feel though?

She was far from home, alone, and all she wanted to do was curl up on the couch and watch TV. When she’d traveled before this she hadn’t left anything behind, at least nothing that was more appealing than the trip. Now that wasn’t true.

“Ms. James?” The concierge approached her as the limo driver brought her bags in from the car.

“Yes?”

“This is for you.” He handed her an envelope with her name on the front.

“Thank you.” Heart pounding, she ripped into the envelope. Could it be from Doug? Was he apologizing? Meeting her here?

It was from Jonathan.

Dinner’s at seven in the dining room.

Dinner.

She trudged to the elevator, amazed by an overwhelming craving for tuna casserole.

Two hours later, across a table of delicious seafood, wine and chocolate soufflé, Morgan looked at her boss. Todd wasn’t expected until tomorrow morning. She should have known then this conversation was more than just dinner.

“We haven’t even met with the architects,” she said.

“I know. I’m interested in your input with them, of course, but I’ve made my decision, Morgan. I want you to run my new resort.”

She sat back in her chair and wondered where the rush of accomplishment and happiness was. Dammit. Instead of feeling thrilled, she felt tears prickle the backs of her eyelids. “Thank you, Jonathan.”

“I’ll need you out here almost immediately. Will that be a problem?”

She shook her head. Not a
problem
. She rented her townhouse so didn’t have to worry about selling a house. She had some great people who could move up to manager at the Britton Omaha. Her family would be thrilled for her.

She didn’t have anything keeping her in Omaha.

Unless she chose to stay.

She didn’t have a ton of friends. She spent girl time with her sister, had great relationships with her staff and worked regularly with several people from the city who brought events in to the city, but she worked long hours and spent a lot of time with strangers—guests of the hotel. Some of them became regulars of course, but none were friends. Her time with them was about making them happy, ensuring things went well, doing her best to convince them to come back. It was hardly a two-way street.

Jonathan was talking about what Britton would do to help her relocate, but all Morgan could focus on was that she would have no one here. Two months ago, she would have considered that a plus. She would have plenty of time to dedicate to her work, she could stay at the resort long hours. Now, it made her sad. She liked
Castle
—she’d bought the first three seasons on DVD so she could catch up with the characters and story lines—but she wanted to watch it with Kevin and Senior.

She and Sara had talked about going shopping, she had already come up with great birthday gift ideas for Molly and Kaitlyn, and she’d been considering asking Danika to teach her how to do some fix-it-up projects around her townhouse.

All of that was separate from Doug, separate from what she would like to have with him. That might be over. In fact, she needed to assume it was. If he could so easily believe the worst of her, she was better off without him.

That didn’t, however, mean she had to be without the other people she’d met and come to care for through him.

“So everything’s fine?” Jonathan asked.

Morgan focused. “Fine? Yes.” That was one of those words that could mean a lot of things.

“I’m surprised Doug isn’t here with you.” Jonathan took a sip of his scotch, watching her over the rim.

Morgan blinked at him. “Oh?”

“You seemed happy together. He seemed very supportive.”

Yes, he had. When he’d essentially been paid to be there and be supportive. “Things are complicated in Doug’s life. Traveling is difficult for him.”

“He’ll move out here with you then?” Jonathan asked.

She swallowed hard. “No. He’s not able to leave Omaha.”

Jonathan set his glass down besides his plate and leaned in. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

“You were?” She gripped her hands tightly in her lap.

“Yes. It’s obvious you’re in love with him. If he’s staying in Omaha, I wonder how long you’ll want to be in California. In fact, I’m surprised you’re entertaining my job offer at all.”

“Doug isn’t a consideration,” she said, her throat thick.

“I don’t believe that.” Jonathan’s words were direct, but gentle.

Morgan met his gaze levelly. “Jonathan, I promise you if I take this job, I will stay and do my best for you for as long as you’ll have me.”

He sat back, his expression thoughtful. “
If
you take this job?”

She nodded. It was only fair, to both of them, that she think about this. “Can I give you my decision in the morning?”

Jonathan shook his head.

“No?” she asked, surprised.

“I was expecting you to decline the position.”

“But I—”

He raised a hand, stopping her. “Which is why I have a different offer to make. I think this one is a better fit anyway, but thought it only fair to offer you the one you’ve technically been working for all this time first.”

“A different offer?” She wasn’t suspicious. Just curious. And maybe a little…okay, suspicious. “Like what?”

“I want you to move into a more consultative position. It will be more travel but you will be based out of Omaha. I want to send you to potential building sites for future resorts and hotels and have you do the first analysis and recommendation about each site.”

That sounded interesting. Though it was unsettling how insightful Jonathan seemed. “I didn’t realize there was a position like that open.”

“I usually handle the initial travel. But I’m getting older and frankly, I think this would be a better fit for you. You’re a visionary person, an idea person. The details and implementation are more Todd’s forte. I think together you could be the perfect team for me.”

She frowned. Travel the country with Todd? Even if it was just for business she didn’t want to do that. “I don’t know—”

“You’ll be at the new site for a few days to a week at a time,” Jonathan continued over her protest. “Your job will be overall site pros and cons, market analysis, competitor analysis, those things. Todd’s part won’t be until building is well underway. He’s more of an operations specialist so won’t need to be on site until well after your part of the project is finished.”

Ah. Okay, that helped. “Is staying on at the Britton in Omaha an option?” she asked.

“I’d be an idiot if I didn’t want you to be a part of my company in some capacity.”

That warmed her. Jonathan Britton knew what he was doing and if he wanted her to be a part of it, that meant something. He reminded her of Doug Senior. She’d done some additional research on Doug’s dad after learning about his business past. He’d been a big shot in his day yet all accounts said he was fair, reasonable, even friendly.

“But,” Jonathan said, snagging her attention, “I’m not sure the Britton is meeting all your needs.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve sensed a…restlessness from you. Your ideas for the guest experiences for instance. They’re a departure from what we do now. Is that because you don’t like what we’re doing?”

“Of course not,” she said quickly. Britton was one of the finest, if not
the
finest, hotel chains in the world for a reason. “I was thinking outside the box. As a business traveler myself, I was just trying to think of ways of making the guest experience more…memorable. Comfortable. Welcoming.” None of those words were quite right and she felt the more she fumbled the worse it looked to Jonathan. She finally just shrugged. “Different, I guess. Unique.
More,
” she finished weakly.

Jonathan smiled. “I’m not against any of your ideas. They’re just too homey.”

“Too homey?”

“But I like the idea that you had ideas. That you’re thinking outside the box. That you’re using your experiences to make the hotel better. Those are all reasons I’m glad you’re on this team.”

“What do you mean by homey?” she said, not letting herself get distracted by the compliments.

“People don’t stay at a Britton to get home-cooked meals and their favorite re-runs on TV,” Jonathan said. “They stay for the elegance and luxury. It’s
not
home. It’s a hotel. A hotel that caters to their expensive tastes. Not to their taste for chocolate chip cookies. It’s better than home.”

He might be right. He’d been doing this, successfully, for a long time.

But she still liked her ideas.

She still thought a home away from home would appeal to some travelers. She wasn’t thinking so much of couples or families on vacation. It was more the business traveler who kept coming to mind. The people who were on the road away from home so much that one hotel room started to blend into another. The ones who spent days to weeks on the road. The people who missed school recitals and anniversaries because of their jobs. The people who, like her, hadn’t had a good casserole since childhood.

Why couldn’t there be a place where they could end their day that, while there was no place like home, was more than a glitzy building full of cookie cutter rooms? Yes, the Britton rooms were gorgeous, but one looked just like another. There were no personal touches. Yes, the Britton staff members were friendly and gracious and wonderful at their jobs. But one traveler was much like another to them.

There had to be people who would find a porch light on more appealing than a lobby chandelier. People who had eaten so much lobster that tuna was a welcome relief.

She sighed. Senior had been right. A bed and breakfast would the perfect place for her. She could implement all of her ideas, plan spaghetti night for Thursdays, make every room unique, and customize the welcome baskets and the room décor. Heck, what had Jonathan said? Something about their favorite TV re-runs? She could do that too.

If someone wanted to relax with chicken enchiladas and re-runs of
I Love Lucy
, she could make that happen. Then they’d come back the next time they were in town for business. They could stay on a regular basis. They could spend two weeks if needed. She could have regulars and they’d tell their co-workers and friends who traveled. They would—

“Morgan?”

She focused on Jonathan Britton, satisfaction coursing through her veins. “Do you know what I’m especially good at?” she asked. “What I like best about my job?”

“Yes,” he said without blinking. “You’re especially good at and completely enjoy getting to know the guests and staff. You always take the extra step to make sure everything is just right and you love finding a way to surprise someone with the little touches.”

She stared at him. How did he know all of that?

“I’ve read every evaluation ever done on each of my managers. Your guests and staff always gush about you, Morgan.”

That was one of the best things she’d ever heard.

If she took the job traveling to scout new sites she would never get to know any guests, never have a personal hand in their stays. Yes, she’d indirectly be a part of thousands of guests’ stays. But that wasn’t the same. And it wasn’t enough.

It was time to take a chance.

She leaned her elbows on the table and looked at Jonathan Britton, arguably the most powerful man in the hotel industry, and asked, “Jonathan, what do you know about bed and breakfasts?”

Their dinner and conversation lasted for another hour. In the end, Morgan asked for twenty-four hours to think about his offer. Jonathan agreed but she could tell he didn’t believe it would change anything.

Morgan wasn’t sure it would either. But before she did something she couldn’t undo, she needed to talk to the one person in her life who believed in smart, rational choices over following her heart.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Morgan! Hi, sweetie. What’s going on?”

They talked so often there was no need for how-are-yous or other small talk. “I’m in San Francisco for work. I was offered the promotion.” She appreciated being able to cut to the chase with her mom.

“That’s wonderful!” her mom exclaimed.

“But I’m not sure it’s what I want to do.”

Her mom was quiet for a moment, then she said, “You’d be great at it.” There was something in her tone though.

Morgan sat up straighter on the edge of the bed. “It’s more money, travel on the company jet, great cities.”

“Yep, sounds great.”

She needed her mom to tell her that taking the job was the right thing to do. “Lots of perks,” she said. “More money…” She trailed off when she couldn’t come up with anything else.

“You said that,” her mom commented.

“I know.”

They were both quiet. Finally Mindy said, “When you first took the job with Britton you called and said ‘here’s what I’m doing, isn’t it great?’”

Morgan nodded, even though her mom couldn’t see her. “I know.”

“Now you’re telling me about a job you
might
take,” Mindy said. “What’s up?”

Morgan sighed. “I need someone to tell me to take it.”

“Do you want to take it?” Mindy asked, instead of telling her the answer she wanted.

“I… It’s more money, it’s in the industry I love, I can travel.”

“You’ve mentioned the money. More than once,” Mindy said.

“There’s the travel,” she said weakly.

Her mom laughed. “Yes, the travel. So, the money’s a big deal.”

“It is, right?” Morgan said with some relief.

“I’m
asking
you. Is the money a big deal?”

Morgan blinked a few times. “Isn’t it?”

“What do you want it for?”

Morgan could hear noise on the other end and could tell her mom was in the kitchen. A lump formed in her throat as water ran in the sink and a cupboard door banged shut and she had to swallow hard. Since when did kitchens and homemaking activities make her so nostalgic?