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Millie shrugged. "Alright. Well, I'll go set up for the guest checking in today."
"And I'll clean the Millers room when they're done, so you don't have to worry about that reset with the new guests."
April couldn't help but smile. It felt so nice to have someone else helping her for a change. For the first time in a long time, she felt a glimmer of hope that maybe she would get time to start on other renovations soon.
They worked together so well, April just knew Millie was going to fit in at the house. It was like they were two gears in the same clock, both working towards one goal, but each with their own part.
April wondered if it would always be like this. When would her new worker show her flaws? Because so far, she was nothing short of excellent.
The two went their separate ways, Millie checking on the rooms for new guests and April checking on the Millers.
Just before April reached the door, it opened, almost hitting her in the head. "Woah!" she yelled out.
"Oh my gosh. So sorry," the wife cried out from the other side of the door. "We were just leaving. I had no idea anyone was out here!"
"It's alright," April replied, rubbing her forehead and letting out the held breath from the fear. "Do you need help with your bags?"
She peered around the door to find the couple shuffling their luggage out. "No, I think we've got it from here," the man replied. He looked at his wife, who raised her brows at him. "Well, I've got it from here."
His wife smiled, which almost made April chuckle. They were such a cute couple, it was hard not to be happy around them. April pushed down the memories of Nigel, pretending like her own love life wasn't a mess.
"We appreciate you staying with us. I hope you enjoyed it!"
The wife stepped to the side and let her husband fumble with the bags down the stairs. "This was the best trip we've had. Though... we haven't gone on many. Still! It was so wonderful. We wouldn't have changed a single thing about it."
April's heart melted at the couple's sweet story. She wanted to hear more, so she followed them outside, taking a few moments to talk with the couple about their trip and their experience at the hotel.
"It was just wonderful," the man said, his eyes twinkling with excitement.
"The views were breathtaking! It was like nothing I've ever seen before." He stopped on the stairs and hugged his wife close, turning back towards April. "We will definitely be telling everyone about this place."
April couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at the compliment. It was guests like these that would make it all worth it. "Thank you, that means a lot to me," she replied, her eyes glowing with happiness.
She watched as their car pulled away, the happy couple kissing in the back seat. As she went back up to their room, she hoped she would see them again soon.
An antique four-poster bed stood in the center of the room. A floral comforter covered it, with a matching throw at the end of the bed. The lavender room spray made the space feel like a garden. A thick down comforter and extra pillows gave the bed a decadent feel.
It was one of April's favorite rooms in the house so far. The dresser held several local collectibles from the shops downtown. It was made of dark, almost black wood, worn smooth over time by a thousand hands touching its surface.
April let her fingers glide across its top, taking in each of the beautiful pieces she'd hand-picked to sit there. The rustic clock, the hand painted vase and the...
Something was missing from the top of the dresser. It only would have been more obvious if there was a dust etching of the object on top of the wood. Though she wanted her guests to feel free to move things, there wasn't really a reason to move around an antique jewelry box.
No one would confuse that for a freebie at a hotel like soaps and robes.
April carefully searched the room as she cleaned. She stripped the bed, collected everything from the bathroom, and went through every drawer in the dresser and the two nightstands. No corner or drawer was left unturned.
They were so kind to her. There's no chance that they could have stolen her items from the room, right? Her perfectly curated room felt a little more empty, like something was missing. It was a hole that her knick-knack had left behind.
April's mind raced as she tried to piece together what could have happened to the jewelry box. It was hard to jump to the conclusion that the Millers stole it. She couldn't help but feel a sense of violation that someone would steal from her, especially after they had such a wonderful stay.
She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she had to handle this professionally. She couldn't let this ruin her guests' experience or her reputation.
April quickly headed to the front desk, where Millie was already on the phone with a guest. She waved at April to let her know she'd be with her in a moment.
When she hung up the phone a moment later, she said, "Are you okay with the new guest coming in an hour before check-in? The room is already ready. I told them that I would call them back."
"Sure, sure," April said, waving it away. She had more serious matters to attend to. "I just cleaned the Millers room and something is missing. Can you believe that?"
