Page 14 of Tasty Cherry

She passes me to enter the hallway, her rolling suitcase bumping over my polished shoes.

She’s flustered. I glance down at the scrape across the top of my shiny toe.

She gasps. “Oh, no. Did I do that?” She drops to her knees, licking her thumb to wipe the mark.

“It’s fine, Mila. Don’t worry about it. It’s just a shoe.”

She looks up at me, her hair a wild tangle on her shoulders. Those big brown eyes about kill me. And those lips. I want to kiss them right now.

“If you’re checking in, the front is where guests enter. Did you decide to transfer here from the other hotel?”

Mila stands abruptly. “Oh, God. Yes. I mean no. Oh, God.”

She’s really out of sorts.

“Hey,” I say. “It’s okay that you took off this morning. I get it. Things happened kind of fast. But for what it’s worth, I have no regrets.”

She opens her mouth like she might say something, then doesn’t. She stares at my ID card like it’s bearing secrets.

I hold it out. “Sebastian Young. I don’t think we got to last names or workplaces.” I take the rolling handle of her bag. “I can help you to the front and get you checked in. Maybe we could even have dinner tonight? The restaurant here is good, or I would love to show you some of my favorites around Boulder.”

She watches me, her mouth opening and closing again.

Okay, something’s wrong.

“I apologize. You clearly had second thoughts this morning, and here I am pressuring you.” I turn away, pulling her bag. “Let me get you to the front desk.”

I head down the hall, turning to see if she follows.

She seems dumbstruck for a moment, looking to the left and right. Then she shoulders her other bag and moves forward.

“I can take that one too, if you like.”

She shakes her head.

We’re deep in the bowels of the hotel, and it takes a few minutes to traverse the halls to make it to the back door to the lobby.

The desk is empty of guests at the moment. I roll her suitcase to the long mahogany counter. “Aisha, this is Mila. She’s checking in. Take good care of her.”

“Yes, sir,” Aisha says.

I turn to Mila. “I’m easy to ask for here. Any employee can page me. Just ask. I would like to see you again, but I understand if that’s impossible.” I want to plead my case, but now we’re in front of employees, and clearly she’s not that into me.

She watches me. She’s said nothing since her initial expression of shock.

Time for goodbye, then. I shouldn’t say too much in front of Aisha, anyway. Aisha is a talker. “It was very nice to have met you…and everything. I won’t soon forget it.” I give her a nod and turn away.

You win some, you lose some. Damn. This one smarts.

I hurry back to the employee corridor to resume my duties. Funny how Mila got confused about where to go. The path for the guests versus the employees is clearly marked.

And what an odd coincidence. First that hotel, then this one. Meeting me, then finding me here.

Or was it? She couldn’t have known I’d be here. I didn’t tell her where I worked. It hadn’t come up.

She seemed thoroughly shocked. I shake off the weird feeling about our second encounter as I approach the offices again. My assistant manager, Raya, is speaking to Maverick, and it doesn’t look to be going well.

But not too many things make Raya happy. Subordination does. And getting her way. She’s not an easy coworker, but she gets the job done. She was livid when Havannah hired me over promoting her. But it was the right call. Senior management isn’t only about being tough, but also a keen listener.