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‘I agree that is unacceptable.’ She blew out an exasperated breath. ‘But if he had stuff on his mind about his family, perhaps that’s why he was drinking heavily. We still need to give him the opportunity to explain himself and when he returns, we can have a serious conversation with him, and take it from there.’

‘If it were up to me, I would tell him not to come back. He does not seem interested in Samantha.’

‘I understand your concerns, but we have to do our due diligence. It’s not unusual for a guest to believe their match is not their type, but as we’ve seen, when they spend more time together their perceptions can completely change. We have to persevere and show Samantha that the hotel has done everything possible to help.’

As much as I hated to admit it, Victoria was right.

‘I believe that Samantha understands that it is not the hotel’s fault. How we deal with the situation now though is important,’ I said. ‘We will have to work even harder to make sure she is happy.’

‘Absolutely. Obviously, I’ll need you to make an extra special effort with her during every trip so that she doesn’t feel left out.’

‘Of course.’

‘Do you have any other suggestions?’ Victoria asked.

‘I know that she likes our prosecco, so perhaps we can send a special bottle to her room with some chocolates?’

‘Good idea.’

‘Actually, we can do better. I will call the spa to check their availability for a full-body massage and facial. A full pampering session will make her feel good, then when she returns, we will have the prosecco and chocolates waiting in her room. With a bouquet of flowers,’ I added. ‘And a handwritten card apologising for the inconvenience. It cannot compare to having her match here, but perhaps it will help.’

‘Those are all excellent ideas!’ Victoria beamed.

‘I will make the arrangements straightaway.’

‘Thank you, Romeo. You’re a credit to the team.’

My chest filled with pride. One of the many things I liked about working at the Love Hotel was that initiative was appreciated by the management. I hoped that Victoria would remember this when I applied for the opportunity in California.

‘Prego.’

‘Please do everything you can to make Samantha happy. No expense spared. Do whatever it takes. I have no idea how things will go with Edward, particularly given everything you’ve told me about him. We can’t control that, but wecanensure that Samantha is well looked after. We need to make sure she leaves here with a smile on her face and with nothing but praise for the hotel and our team. Understood?’

‘Sì.’

As I left Victoria’s office, I swallowed hard, pushing away the illicit thoughts creeping into my mind about ways that I could make Samanthahappy.

But like I had said to her earlier today, relationships with guests were forbidden.

I was Samantha’s Love Alchemist and I could never be anything more.

Victoria, the hotel and the entire team were depending on me.

And I would not let them down.

17

SAMMIE

As I walked back to my room, I tried to fight back the tears.

I couldn’t believe this was happening.

When Romeo initially said Edward had left, the first thing I thought was that it was because of me, so as awful as it sounded, it was a relief that it wasn’t personal. But when I found out someone was ill, my heart went out to him and his loved ones.

It wasn’t Edward’s fault that he’d been called away. Although part of me thought he could’ve at least sent me a message, I supposed when something like that happened, his priority was obviously to get back home and be with his family.

But just because it wasn’t my fault, it didn’t stop me from feeling like shit.