Page 42 of Storm Warning
I can make that happen.Zach’s growl startled Nick, the menace in it palpable. Of course he had the skills, but he was always so rational. It showed Lena's story had affected him too. Another point in Lena’s favor.
“Emma offered me the position here, and you know the rest.” She took another sip of her coffee, visibly pulling herself together, shoulders squaring as she threw off the past like a discarded coat.
Nick couldn’t shake the impression her account left—the clarity, the composure, the strength it took to recount it without bitterness. His genuine respect for her professionalism and resilience grew. It was unusual for him to have such a powerful reaction to an employee’s story, but he reasoned it was because David was so clearly besotted with her.
All agreed?Nick looked at his brothers.
Yup.
Yes. Everything she said about her firing corroborated with what I discovered. She didn’t hide or twist anything.
Nick exhaled, the tightness in his neck easing like releasing a held breath. She’d been forthright—and that mattered more than anything.
“All right, that issue is closed. David tells us you thought of a way to simplify fixing the reservation mess. Tell us.”
“Oh, yes. After reflecting on it, I realized that every reservation up to Saturday was obviously fine when booked,” came the response, steady and assured, her voice gaining strength. “It follows that anyone checked in before that date and time should also be fine.” She frowned slightly. “Although we should verify that they were given their reserved room type, especially any guests checked in by Victoria.”
Hope flickered at those words, like the first break of dawn after a long night.
“So, that leaves only two blocks of reservations that could be trouble: those booked after the break and those arriving in the next few days, if anyone was checked into the wrong room type between Saturday night and Tuesday night when we discovered the issue.
“We should therefore be able to reinstate all the guarantees for the reservations made prior to Saturday, working forward, until we hit a problem,” Lena explained, confidence building with every word, her eyes brightening.
Nick nodded, his respect for Lena growing. Simple logic, yet none of them had thought of it. The solution had been hiding in plain sight.
“I’m working on that while David compares everyone that checked in between Saturday night to now against their original block.”
David leaned forward, his expression intent, fingers steepled. “So far, I’ve found three reservations that were checked into an incorrect, limited room type.”
Nick let out a slow breath as some of his stress drained away. Three. That was nothing.
“I’m about halfway through,” David went on, “so even if that number doubles, it’s still manageable. Although, if Kate hadn’t been a victim right as we arrived, this could’ve snowballed into a real disaster in another week.”
“Right,” Lena said, picking up the thread seamlessly. “Once he’s through with that, the next step is to check all new reservations created since Saturday night. We need to be sure no one was guaranteed a room type that isn’t available.”
She glanced at the tablet in her hands, her finger scrolling with practiced efficiency. “There are a few hundred to sort through, but we’ll start with the cottages and the terrace suites. Those will cause the biggest fallout if something’s wrong.”
Nick shifted in his seat, a tightness easing between his shoulders like untying a knot. It was not as bad as they had feared—an annoyance, really—not catastrophic. And thanks to Lena, they’d found a path through the trees.
That was smart thinking.
When Zach’s voice echoed in his head, warm with approval, Nick leaned back and stared at the ceiling for a moment, automatically looping David in.
I think we should move forward with offering her the interim job. Gail will be here soon, and she can always monitor her if we still have any doubts.
Nick glanced back at Lena, noting the furrow in her brow and the tension in her shoulders—the way she held herself like someone waiting for the other shoe to drop. “Okay, so it sounds like it won’t be as bad as we first thought.”
Lena and David both nodded, their expressions shifting from uncertain to relieved, the atmosphere lightening perceptibly.
“Right. So that brings us to our next topic of conversation.” His gaze lingered on Lena, and he caught the slight tremor in her fingers, the way her breathing became controlled.
They had discussed her job only a few days ago, making her project manager, but she had impressed David, and she had made a significant impact on him and Zach as well with her keen analysis of the problem.
And for some reason, his gut reacted to her like family. It trusted her, even as his mind stayed reserved—a curious warmth in his chest, protective and certain.
He took a gulp of his coffee, letting the heat warm him from the inside as Lena relaxed, her death grip on her tablet easing. Good. He didn’t want her anxious.
“As you know, we’re short a desk clerk, a front office manager, and a resident manager. We do have a candidate for the resident manager, but that won’t happen for another three to four weeks. Based on everything we’ve seen and heard, and our gut feelings, we believe you’re our best candidate for an interim front office manager.”