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Birgit groaned as Heidi excused herself, claiming to hear her name being called from the front desk.
“Free, I got you help, so you won’t get overwhelmed! Why would you send them home?”
“Because I get more overwhelmed by having people under my feet than I do when I have to do things by myself, B,” Frieda shot back.
“It’s not just about you, Free.” Birgit sighed, trying to wrestle her growing frustration. “Those kids need these jobs. And whether you like it or not, we need the help!”
“And they can help when I’m done with all of this,” Frieda replied quickly. “I swear, the moment I’m done with them, I’ll give them a call and get them back on the clock so they can start packaging. I just needed the space to myself to finish, okay?”
Birgit wanted to argue her point more, but she knew it was no use. Though all three of them were stubborn, she knew that it was Frieda who was the most bull-headed. Instead, she ran a hand through her long, copper curls, and willed herself to back away.
“Okay,” Birgit agreed, walking backward to the door. “But next time, you have to clear it with me before you send someone home, alright?”
Not lifting her eyes, Frieda put one hand in the air and gave a thumbs up. “You got it, boss lady,” she quipped back.
Rolling her green eyes, Birgit stepped back into the hall, and let the conversation drop. She loved Frieda dearly, but sometimes she made things extremely difficult not just for herself, but others. However, Birgit was happy to see that Frieda’s determination had the cookies almost ready, and there would certainly be no fear of them running out of treats tomorrow.
Needing a moment to gather herself, Birgit stepped into the manager’s office and locked the door. She took a deep breath before going to her computer and began to check her emails. Her heart leaped as she saw a new message from her lawyer. With a quick click, she opened it, her eyes roaming greedily over the words.
Dear Ms. Strauss,
We are happy to inform you that your bill regarding your recent divorce filings with Mr. James Gall has been officially paid in full. We thank you for your trust and faith in us as we did our best to help guide your proceedings on the correct path during a most turbulent time. As stated previously in the final agreement papers, Mr. Gall has settled for the exclusion of any ownership rights toIced Vines Estatepresently and in the future. In turn, you will seek no financial gain in any of Mr. Gall’s owned businesses or properties.
Good luck with your future, Ms. Strauss. You deserve it.
Respectfully,
David Fields, Esq.
Partner of Fields, Stevens & Raymond.
So that was it. It was over. She and Jimmy were officially divorced. Mr. Mayor. Or at least the former. His reign had ended right around the time their marriage did, but he had used his talons to hang on and try to take some of her family’s profits with him. After years of legal debate, tens of thousands of dollars in lawyer’s fees, and too many sleepless nights, they were finally done with it.
Birgit tried to sort through the mess of emotions she felt as she read through the email a second time. There was a relief.Somuch relief. But there was also sadness. Their relationship had had some incredibly sweet moments, too, before Jim ran for mayor and became power-hungry. Before he got caught running around with other women. Other emotions were running around inside of her, too. Betrayal, anger−perhaps even self-pity. And regret. Regret for waiting as long as she did to file for divorce.
A soft chime from her phone pulled Birgit out of her thoughts, and she shook her head as she checked the message. It was a message from Chris, letting her know that her latest order of booze was ready for pick-up. Closing out her email, Birgit opened up the camera app on the computer and checked her face. She was forty-seven, but after decades of working in clean air and refusing to wear chemical-based makeup, many people guessed she and Heidi were the same age.
Checking her face, Birgit added some of her natural plant and mineral powder to her T-zone, touched up her clear mascara, and combed her fingers through her long mess of copper curls so she could separate the strands into three locks and braid them. Very much like her German field-maid ancestors, Birgit was built to withstand much anything. She was tall, with curves in all of the right places. Her legs and arms were strong, as was her jaw, but she had a graceful slope to her nose that accentuated her cat-like eyes.
Just as Birgit closed the camera app and picked up her dark brown, leather messenger bag, she heard a commotion from the front desk, and quickly made her way out front. She was pleased to see that most of the guests had been checked in, but there were still two or three who were standing in the lobby, looking on at the spectacle of Anita and Heidi arguing. Moving into action, she went to the guests right away and with a smile, offered them each a free pass to the hot springs portion of the hotel. To her relief, they took them gleefully and made a quick exit. After taking care of the bystanders, Birgit turned toward Anita and Heidi and put her arm on the counter that separated them.
“Hi, Anita,” she said pleasantly, butting into the conversation, “what brings you by today? I assure you that we filled out all of the necessary forms to participate in the cocoa crawl, and all of our decorations meet the standards the Chamber of Commerce sent out.”
Anita’s perfectly painted lips drew back in a smile that was more like a snarl, revealing her perfectly white teeth, and she focused her stinging gaze on Birgit. Anita had not taken their rejection well and had been like a thorn in their side through every step of the reconstruction and redesigning process of the hotel. For the past eighteen months, she’d appeared at every town council meeting to challengeThe Mystic Refuge’spermits and plans. And every time, she walked away, angry and unsatisfied. Because if there was something Birgit could do and do well, it was going by the book.
“Birgit, honey, thank goodness you’re here,” Anita said in an overly sweet voice. “I think your poor little sister might need some anxiety medication. She seems overly stressed.”
“You are stress itself, Anita Holstead,” Heidi shot back, crossing her arms. “If you’d stay out of our business, I wouldn’t have any stress.”
“If its and buts were candies and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas now, wouldn’t we?” Anita quipped back with a sarcastic smile.
“Okay, that’s enough.” Birgit sighed, taking a step closer to Anita. “Heidi, give us a moment, please? I’ll handle any check-ins that come in.”
Without a word, Heidi disappeared behind the double doors, leaving Anita and Birgit to themselves.
“What’s the issue, Anita?” Birgit asked, looking the woman directly in her eyes.
“As I was explaining to your sister, we have an overflow situation atThe Majestic, Mountainside,andBavarian Palace,” Anita explained, clicking her manicured nails against the check-in counter.
