AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER23
NATALIE
Iwanted to relax, but my first guests were checking in today, and I needed to finish cleaning up after the party. I could have hired someone for that, but my budget was blown on the caterer.
As soon as we finished breakfast, I asked Delaney to help me throw out the trash, tidy up, vacuum, and scrub the place again. I barely finished before the first guests arrived.
I greeted them with a smile, despite how grimy I felt. Hoping they didn’t notice, I gave them the key, told them where the information was inside the room, and invited them to contact me should they have any questions or issues.
I was already regretting telling guests I’d be available twenty-four seven for any issues that came up. Juliana warned me about spreading myself too thin when I talked to her, but I hadn’t listened, thinking I knew better.
When the happy couple went up to their room, I finished cleaning, made some cookies, and set them on the kitchen counter with a cake cover and a note to take as many as they’d like. I also set out fruit and drinks.
I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to hang out in the kitchen in the event a guest wandered down. Instead, I returned to my apartment to find Delaney watching TV. I couldn’t fault her because what was she supposed to do while I managed the B&B? I was already feeling resentful of the guests. This was the time I should have been spending with my daughter.
I plopped down next to her on the couch. “Everything okay?”
“Why do you have to work on the weekend?” she whined.
“Remember? This is why we moved here. So I could open the B&B. I need to tend to the guests.” But this was whatIsigned up for, not Delaney. She didn’t want or ask for any of this.
Her expression fell. “I miss Mac.”
“He had an emergency this morning, remember?”
Delaney’s face screwed up. “I want to see him.”
“Maybe he could pick you up. But I can’t leave the B&B. Not on opening weekend.”
“I don’t want to be stuck here all the time.”
My stomach sank. “It’s just the first weekend. It’s important we make a good impression.”
“We?”
“I mean, it’s important thatImake a good impression.” I was the sole owner, and everything rested on me. The weight on my chest increased, making it difficult to draw in a deep breath.
“I don’t want to own a hotel.”
“It’s a B&B,” I said tiredly, “and I’m doing my best.” I felt like everyone was pulling me in different directions. Delaney and the guests wanted my attention, and I’d felt something coming off Mac last night. Disapproval or disappointment. He wanted something I wasn’t giving him, and it wasn’t surprising. I’d put everything into the B&B the last few weeks. I barely had the energy to return his texts.
I kept putting him off, telling him it would get better, but I wasn’t so sure. With people staying at the B&B, it would only get worse. The business number was forwarded to my cell, but I still felt uneasy at home. Shouldn’t I be at the front counter?
My phone buzzed. I’d installed a camera at the front door so I could see when guests were arriving. “The next guests are checking in. Let me greet them.”
Delaney growled.
“Watch TV, and I’ll be back soon to make dinner.”
I didn’t like walking away from Delaney, but I didn’t have a choice. There was no way I could be at Mac’s and be a good hospitality worker.
Everything I’d read online suggested that someone needed to be on-site, and, for now, that person was me.
I pasted on a smile and greeted the older couple in the lobby. I checked them in and invited them to enjoy the snacks and beverages in the kitchen.
I snuck away as soon as I could. When I opened the door, something smelled burnt, and Delaney was in the kitchen. Looking around for signs of smoke, I asked, “What are you doing?”
“I was hungry. I tried to cook mac and cheese,” she said defensively.
