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He stares. “And where is he?”
“Right in front of you,” I say, my tone entirely flat. “Maddox Barnes,” I repeat, and then I extend my hand, which he ignores exactly the way I expected him to.
He sighs and leans forward on the desk. “That’s great. Well, Mr. Barnes, are you aware that your staff failed to complete the room upgrades that I paid for?”
“Can you show me his reservation, please?” I ask Phoenix. My temples are starting to throb, and if I’m not careful, I’m going to be knocked down by a migraine, and that’s the last thing I need with this impending storm.
Phoenix opens up the reservation sheet, and my eyes threaten to cross. He knows how I struggle though, so he points to the line where the man’s name is, and it takes me a second to both read and process the letters. “Mr. Montgomery Shephard,” I say aloud. Yeah, I’d read his name earlier, and he’s exactly what I pictured. “Can you please explain what the issue is?”
“Cheap sheets,” he snaps instantly. “There was an option on your website for a sheet upgrade when I booked last week.”
“I can assure you that’s not true. That has never been an option at the lodge. We’re not a spa, Mr. Shephard.”
He glares and slaps his hand on the counter. It makes Phoenix flinch and pisses me the hell off. “Well,Ican assure you it was there, and I want what I paid for.”
“Do you have the itemized receipt to show what you paid for?” I ask him, knowing full well he hasn’t got it. “The lodge emails one with every booking showing the details of your charge.”
I can see it in his face that I’ve got him. He flushes. “I don’t have that on me. I don’t carry that shit around, and for an expensive resort, your internet is garbage.”
I roll my eyes because the last thing in the world we are is a resort. He’s not exactly wrong about the internet though. “Well, I apologize for the inconvenience, and I’m happy to offer you some credit in the dining lounge for your trouble.”
“Or you can upgrade my goddamn sheets,” he snaps.
“Unfortunately, that’s not a service we have ever offered, so we don’t have the ability to fulfill that request,” I tell him blandly.
He mutters something about his date, and I try not to cringe. I pity whoever it is tied to this man. After a beat, he turns and stalks off, and Phoenix sags onto the desk.
“Why are they like this?”
I clap him on the shoulder. “Come on, kiddo, he wasn’t that bad.”
He gives me an irritated look. “Seriously?”
I concede a little. We’ve had worse, but Phoenix is young and sensitive, and I’m not going to make him feel like shit about that. “Why don’t you go tell René to give you a brownie. Those always make me feel better when someone’s being a massive dick to me.”
And that’s not a lie. They come with a thick rum sauce that’s so potent, it gave me a little buzz last time.
Phoenix perks up and hurries off, and I ignore Zara’s pointed stare as she walks up. “You spoil him.”
I do, but I can’t help it. These are my people—my family. I’m not going to let them suffer. If I have to feed them brownies after assholes like Montgomery Shephard, I’ll do it.
No questions asked.
