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“That’s just the thing. No one can seem to find him, and the guests are… not pleased.” Diane raised her eyebrows slightly.
Jade sighed and nodded. “I’ll handle it myself.” She turned back around to head to the family pool.
At this time of the morning, the place was packed. Normally, there would have been dozens of kids and parents in the water. Now, however, the parents were sitting or standing around, looking disgustedly at the water while their kids all complained that they couldn’t jump in.
She grabbed the net and started scooping out the offensive floater. Hey, it wasn’t always a glamorous job. It took her a few tries, but upon success, she turned and almost bumped directly into a man.
She wouldn’t have thought anything about it, but this man wasn’t dressed in your normal pool or beach attire. He wore black jeans and a button-up shirt with the resort’s logo in it. On him, it fit differently than on any other employee. Somehow the work shirt showcased his arms, which were very tan and extremely muscular. His sandy-blond hair was slightly longer on top so that it fell into his sky-blue eyes.
Even though he was trying hard to appear slick and hip, her first thought was that he would look better in worn jeans, a faded white T-shirt, and a cowboy hat and boots. That’s what he belonged in. Not this posh outfit, trying hard to fit in behind a swanky resort’s bar.
She’d almost knocked the guy over with the long pole on the net. Trying to hold the offensive fecal material away from them both, she asked, “Can I help you?”
He sighed and then glanced around.
“I hope so. I was told the new boss was somewhere out here.” He actually glanced over her shoulder as if trying to find someone. “I’m supposed to meet with her.” Then his eyes moved back to her, and his eyebrows rose slightly as his lips curved up just the slightest amount with humor. “I doubt she’d have time to be scooping a Mars bar from the kiddie pool.” His head tilted as he waited.
She felt like laughing, but he was right. She didn’t have time to be dealing with… well, shit like this. She did have a meeting she’d been heading to when Diane had caught up with her. She was supposed to meet Wyatt Stokes, head bartender for the entire resort. Her father had just hired the guy last month.
Of all the things her father had stressed to her when she took over, one thing he’d made perfectly clear was that Wyatt was untouchable.
“Wyatt Stokes is an old friend of the family and is under no circumstances to be fired or reprimanded. The man is not to be touched. Got it?” Her father’s voice replayed in her head.
Well, okay, those weren’t her father’s exact words, except that last part, but the sentiment was there. What did this guy have that had impressed her father so much that he’d hired him on with that stipulation? Over the years her dad had given friends or their family members jobs, but not once had he added the no-touch rule.
Besides, before coming back down here, Jade had pretty much promised the head bartending job to her bestie, Josie. Jade had yet to tell Josie about this new roadblock, and her friend would be there in under a week.
Josie McDonald had filled the void Amber had left in Jade’s life. Jade had met Josie the year after Amber’s disappearance in ballet class. They both attended the same elite school, and they’d hit it off. When Jade had moved to the Bahamas, Josie’s family had visited often enough for the girls to stay close. Then Jade had moved up to Miami for college, and she and Josie had been roommates the entire time.
Only, instead of attending business classes at UM like Jade did, Josie had started her premed classes. But then four years into her degree, she’d switched everything up and had gotten her mixology license instead. Josie had discovered she loved everything about mixing drinks. She loved the night life, the sights and sounds of working behind a bar, and most importantly, loved the attention she got when she tossed a shot of tequila into the air and caught it between her impressive double Ds.
Suddenly, Jade realized she was still staring at the man and holding a net of poop in the air. God, his eyes were actually the same color as the sky behind him.
Blinking a few times, she held out the pole to him. “I am the boss,” she said firmly, “and you are correct. I don’t have time for this. Once you’re done disposing of… said Mars bar”—she smiled and when he didn’t take the pole, she took a step closer and pushed it into his chest—“meet me up in my office.”
She started walking away and smiled when she heard him chuckling. Thankfully, as she was heading across the pool deck, she spotted Marco rushing towards the pool with his cart of chemicals in tow.
“Sorry, boss,” he said as he passed her. “This is the third time today.” He rolled his eyes.
She figured she had less than five minutes before Wyatt would be knocking on her office door, so she rushed up the three flights of stairs and quickly freshened up in the bathroom attached to her father’s massive office space, which she was calling her own for the time being.
She was just coming out of the bathroom when there was a knock on the office door.
She took the time to settle herself behind the desk and flip on her computer before calling out for Wyatt to enter.
When he stepped in, he was smiling and just as sexy as he’d been outside. Her heart and her loins both fluttered. Damn. She needed to remain under control of… well, everything.
“Have a seat.” She motioned to the chairs opposite her.
Her father had imported a large cherry wood desk from England. The massive thing was so out of place in the space that almost everyone commented on it upon seeing it. Wyatt didn’t, however. He just took a seat in one of the high-back black leather chairs, making her think that he’d probably been in the room before. Which meant, more than likely, that her father had met with him before.
Not that her dad hadn’t met with the occasional employee. But as a rule, he was normally more of a hands-off type of boss.
The heads of staff normally did the hiring and firing of their lackies, and those heads were hired by either HR or Christopher Lincoln, who had been with the resort long before her parents had purchased the place.
About the only lower employees her father met with were ones he’d hired or knew personally. Which put Wyatt in a class pretty much by himself.
CHAPTERTWO
