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“That… is genius.”
“That’s called good business.” I couldn’t fight my smile. “Is this your first hotel?”
“Third, technically,” Matthew replied slowly. “But I was mostly just investment in the other two. This one is the first that’s… mine.”
“And you open today?”
“First check-ins are from five o’clock tonight.”
“Right.” I looked around. “I presume you have a working phone and Internet here?”
He tried not to smile. “That we do.”
“Okay. Come with me.” I walked into the lobby, then stopped. “Where’s the office?”
Laughing, he gripped my shoulders and manuevered me behind the reception desk and through a door that was almost hidden by a small section of fully panelled wall.
“Ah. Smart,” I said, sitting down at the desk. I booted up the computer while Matthew pulled another chair over and sat next to me, and after it had connected to the Internet, I opened the browser. “Notebook?”
He opened a drawer and handed me a notebook.
“Thank you.” I plucked a pen from the pot in front of me, opened the notebook, and scribbled down about the restaurants. I also thought the hotel needed flowers in all the downstairs rooms and in the rooms that had been booked. Mum did it at The Fox and Hound, and although she grew most of them herself in the spring and summer, it was always a nice, personal touch that the guests loved.
Ah, but that would cost money.
“Hm,” I said, hovering my fingers over the keyboard.
“What’s wrong?”
I explained about my flower idea. Matthew stood up and pulled his wallet from his pocket, then held out a card.
I looked at it. “What’s that?”
“The business card,” he replied, amusement tinging his tone. “I like the flowers idea. Try Môn Flowers. They’re just down the road, and they’re Mum’s favourite florist.”
“Okay.” I took the card. “Um… How am I supposed to introduce myself?”
His lips slowly pulled up into a smile. “Just say you’re Eva at The Heron Hotel. If I know Valerie, she’ll put two and two together and realise exactly who you are.”
“Okay.”
“The cleaners should be showing up about now, so I’m going to wait for them. Can I bring you anything?”
“Maybe just some water?”
Matthew squeezed my shoulder. “Sure. There’s some in the bar. I’ll be back in a moment.”
“Thanks. I’ll get started here.” I set the card down next to the keyboard. “Hey, how many rooms are booked tonight?”
“Six,” he said right before he disappeared through the door.
“Thank you!”
Right.
So I needed to get a lot of flowers.
I couldn’t believe this was my first foray into my new life here in North Wales.
Buying flowers for my new husband’s hotel.
With my recent aversion to flowers thanks to the wedding.
You couldn’t make this shit up.
My stomach knotted with nerves. I had no idea how well I’d be received by people, or even what they were expecting me to be. I’d never much cared about what anyone thought about me—between me and Adelaide, I’d always been the wild twin, the one who walked too close to the cliff edge or kept running with their shoelaces untied.
But now…
Now, I was a little out of my depth.
I pulled up the number for the florist he’d suggested and dialled it before I chickened out.
“Môn Flowers, Valerie—” the rest of the sentence was in Welsh, and panic flashed through me.
I had no idea what she’d said.
“Um, hello?”
There was a chuckle. “Hello, dear. This is Valerie. What can I do for you?”
“Oh, um, I’m sorry. I just moved here and don’t know any Welsh,” I rambled. “I’m Eva and I’m with The Heron Hotel.”
“Eva? Are you Matthew’s wife?”
I swallowed. “Yes. That’s me.”
“Oh, I told that boy to take you on a honeymoon, not put you to work!” She clicked her tongue, and I couldn’t help but smile. There was a distinct warmth to her voice that helped calm my nerves. “What will we do with him?”
“Save him,” I joked. “That’s why I’m calling you.”
Valerie laughed. “What can I do for you, dear?”
I explained the situation I was in and how many bouquets of flowers I needed. “They don’t have to be the same at all, and I don’t mind what flowers they are, either. Do you think you can do it?”
“To be delivered by four-thirty?” The line crackled with what sounded like a heavy exhale. “I can definitely get you at least four for downstairs, but for the rooms might be pushing it a bit, Eva.”
“I’ll take that,” I replied. “That’s better than what he’s got here now.”
She chuckled. “I’ll bet. I’ll write down four, but if I’ve got time to get you a couple more, I’ll do it. My son will deliver them at four-thirty, is that all right for you?”
“That’s perfect, Valerie, thank you so much. You don’t happen to know where I could get maps printed of walking trails do you?”
“Best to call David Hughes at Hughes Printing,” she replied. “He’s the other side of town, but I bet he can help you in a pinch. Big on maps, he is.”
