Adriana
With the wedding schedule now packed significantly tighter, I felt as if the pressure I was under had increased exponentially. But, after talking to Reggie two days earlier, I didn’t doubt that I could pull it off. All I had to do was to throw absolutely everything I had at it, and I was going to be just fine.
“Adriana!” Someone yelled my name in a sheer panic as I was rushing down the halls to tend to a problem with the silverware for the wedding.
I swung on my heels. The VIP schedules had been fully booked for the next two weeks, and I was only just keeping on top of everything. I couldn’t stop for even five minutes, or everything would fall apart. Anything that went wrong would need to be fixed fast.
A porter was standing around the next corner, breathing heavily as if he’d just completed a marathon. “The Greenwoods, they’ve— the wife’s shoe snapped, and they’re supposed to be going into town in half an hour.”
“Oh,” I laughed, thinking that there would have been a far bigger issue. “I’ll get her a new set. Louboutin, right?”
“Yeah,” the porter breathed. “She’s screaming, crying a little. Very upset.”
“She’ll have them in twenty minutes,” I answered, already rapidly tapping out texts to sort it out. “Please let her know.”
He nodded, and disappeared, running back the way he had come. I checked my watch after shooting out all of the necessary messages. One minute, thirty seconds to figure out a solution. I frowned. I wanted to up my speed even more. Focusing on improving that had already pushed the men to the far back of my mind. I was convinced that I could do this now.
There were several more problems that popped up throughout the morning, but I dealt with each one with near-surgical precision. As soon as I realized I could, I simply did it all. In between, I rushed between wedding vendors, getting everything ready for Dahlia’s big day.
“There’s a problem!” Louisa ran at me about forty minutes before lunch as I stood in the ballroom organizing tables. This time, it caught me slightly off guard; she never panicked about anything.
This must have been a real emergency.
“What’s going on?”
“Tomlinson was in an accident,” Louisa answered tearily. “He’s injured and everything. Out of commission.”
I searched my mind for the name. There were two things I knew about him; first, Louisa had been crushing on him for as long as she’d worked at the hotel. Second, he was the best guide that we had for the redwood grove hikes.
“The group is already in the lobby, waiting for transport,” Louisa continued as I handed over table duty to the nearest assistant and followed her. “They’re not going to budge on this trip.”
“That’s fine,” I answered, making calculations in my head. “I can get it done. You should take a break. Have the trainee take over. She’s been doing fine.”
“I suppose I should,” Louisa said, still keeping up with my march. “Will you be able to handle the group?”
“Don’t worry,” I insisted, smiling over my shoulder at her. “It’s my job.”
She fell behind, and I headed straight for the lobby, where a group of six people dressed like the cover of the New York Times stood tapping their feet on the floor.
“Good afternoon, everyone,” I said as I approached them. “I do apologize for the delay. Unfortunately, our usual guide will not be able to join you.”
“We’re still going, right?” One woman asked, completely brushing over my announcement. “I paid a lot for this.”
“Of course,” I answered without skipping a beat. “I will be joining you myself, and will have another guide ready upon our arrival. Transport for the trip has already been arranged.”
“Hey, is that Bryant Thatcher? Buddy!” Another guest called out. I caught Bryant in my periphery. At the same time, Landon appeared from the elevator with a purposeful march. He’d clearly heard about the accident. My heart started hammering as both of them approached the tour group.
“Jonathan!” Bryant said as he shook the guest’s hand who had called him over. “Haven’t seen you since Wall Street.”
“Two months,” Jonathan answered. “You’ve been slacking. Come with us, man. Good exercise.”
“Fitness is still your passion, then?” Bryant laughed, before glancing at me, then Landon, who had just arrived and was analyzing the situation, though it seemed more like he wasglaring at Bryant. “I guess it couldn’t hurt to get out for a day. I’m in.”
“I believe our concierge has informed you of our guide’s inability to join us,” Landon said before I could try to continue my little professional speech. “Luckily, I am quite well versed in the redwood grove myself. As such, allow me to offer to personally escort you there, alongside the lovely Adriana.”
Bryant peered at him, but couldn’t exactly say no in front of the other guests. Neither could I.
I was going to be stuck with the two of them out in the wilderness all day. That was dangerous, but I had no choice. I’d made up my mind to throw everything into my work, and I couldn’t avoid them forever. I’d have to do this.
