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Add in the fact that celebrities and a lot of other wealthy people appreciate the exclusivity we provide our guests, and Lovers Lodge has been popular for years. It wasn’t until last year, after three decades of our family ownership, that any of the attention became negative.
Talk about a shock. People ate it up and again had something to say. Even people who have never been here.
I have to fix this.
“I know you are,” I tell him, the same way I do each time he reminds me of this. “But I promise you, I’m fine.”
I can hear his sigh through the phone.
“All right, well, I called to tell you that I had to head out early. Layla’s teacher just posted that school is ending early because of the snow.”
My mood perks up. Layla is almost fourteen, and let me tell you, she is the best mini bestie this aunt could ask for.
“Of course. Are you bringing her back here to finish your day or working from home?”
“Home.”
His answer is short and clipped, which tells me one thing. He has bad news.
“What is it?” I ask before he can chicken out and not tell me. Not that Gavin is scared of me, but he’s aware of the stress this place has put on me, and he hates adding to it.
“Umm.”
“Just say it, Gav.”
“The Gregory wedding canceled this morning.”
Shit. That’s four cancellations in one week.
I take a deep breath.
I will not panic.
I will not panic.
“Okay. Is that all?”
Silence.
“Fuck, Gav. Say it.”
“We are at a record vacancy for the first week of a calendar year.”
I close my eyes.
I will not panic.
I will not panic.
“Okay.”
“Okay. Call me if you need me,” he says, and I can hear the defeat in his voice.
We hang up, and I open up the platform we use for bookings. Sure enough, Gavin's right. While we still have guests, I’ve never seen this many open rooms before during the month of January.
I scroll through the names just to be sure there isn't anyone on here who's going to need extra security. Not that we actually hire extra security. I just like to make it known when we have someone of that caliber, so that our employees can be more aware and take care of what they need. Not that they would even need it with this place feeling like a ghost town.
My scrolling pauses. One name immediately brings out an emotion in me that I hate.
