Page 122

I hated ending the call so abruptly, but I had to set Romeo free.

I wanted him to go to California without having the pressure of trying to maintain a relationship and with me holding him back.

Ending things would crush me, but in the long run, he’d be better off without me.

It was for the best.

I was sure of it.

47

ROMEO

I stared at my phone screen in a daze.

I could not believe what had happened.

Sammie had just ended things.

When Victoria had told me the news, it was bittersweet. I had worked so hard for so long to secure the opportunity to move to the new resort in California and now it had happened, I was sad because of the extra distance it would put between me and Sammie.

I understood her concerns. But I believed in that famous saying:Omnia vincit amor: love conquers all. Although right now we did not know how we could be together, I was sure that we would find a way.

I tried calling Sammie back but the phone rang out, so I sent a text to tell her I would call again in the morning.

The news was clearly a shock. She needed time for it to sink in. She had not told me that she loved me yet, but I felt it. And when you love someone, you will do whatever it takes to be together.

Tomorrow was a new day. And I hoped that somehow, it would be the day where I came up with a plan that would enable us to be together.

* * *

I knocked on Victoria’s office door.

‘Come in!’

‘Do you have a moment?’ I asked as I stepped inside.

‘Yes. Coincidentally, I’ve just got off the phone with the Californian Love Empress. She’d emailed to ask for couples bonding activities ideas so I told her what we did here and I shared the suggestions your girlfriend made about the beach games nights and the other ideas you passed on. Management liked her recommendations for having open days and video interviews too.’

‘Great!’ I said, my chest filling with pride. ‘I have many more suggestions that she made typed up on my phone which I have been meaning to send to you.’

‘Perfect! They have a lot to do before they open. They’re still firming up the activities and hiring new staff.’

‘I thought they planned to bring in experienced Romance Rockstars from the Spanish, Jamaican and Italian resorts?’

‘That’s the main focus of the recruitment drive. The hotel always likes to promote from within the Love Hotel family, but the Californian resort will be the largest so far, so they need a lot of them. And they can’t just hire anyone. They need people that have first-class customer service skills, but who are also resourceful, well organised, enjoy arranging events and of course believe in the power of romance. Finding people with those qualities who are also going to be well-liked by our guests is a lot harder than you think.’

‘Sì.’

As I processed Victoria’s words, a hundred light bulbs went off in my head.

Victoria just said that the Californian management were looking for Romance Rockstars with great customer service skills who believed in romance and were likeable. And who enjoyed organising events.

Those were all qualities that Sammie had.

She was no longer enjoying her job, an event organisation role was her dream, plus she would not have a problem working in the US.

But most importantly, if Sammie worked at the Californian resort, we could be together.