Charles exhaled. “Yeah. I know what you mean. It goes against everything I believe in too. But I think you have what it takes to run the place, and I happen to like you too.”
“But what if you stop liking me? What if our personal relationship goes nowhere? What if it doesn’t lead to where we think it might? I wouldn’t be comfortable still working for you.”
“I wouldn’t be comfortable either. Which means I’ll get rid of you. Which means that’ll be the end of your job at Jericho Inn.”
Jenay was stunned by his bluntness. “Then why should I take the job in the first place, if it’s that risky?”
“Because working at a prestigious B & B will look better on your resume than working at a Motel 6, or an Econolodge or any such place,” he responded. “And---”
“And what?”
“And at least we would have tried, Jenay. At least I won’t be an old man, and you won’t be an old woman looking back with regret about what could have been, if only we would have tried. At least we will have tried.”
Jenay smiled. Because she knew he was absolutely right. Although she was terrified by the prospect of another failed relationship in her life, and a job that could potentially go nowhere, Charles was right. Nothing was going to beat a failure, but a try.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Two Days Later
“We need to give her a chance,” Megan Townsend, the bookkeeper, said as she put another batch of files in the cabinet. She was a slight woman in her twenties, a little over five-feet-two, with stringy blond highlights and big brown eyes.
“That’s easy for you to say,” Beatrice replied as she typed in the last sentences of her status report. “You’re the bookkeeper. Your job isn’t on the line.”
“Who says your job in on the line?”
Beatrice looked at the younger woman as if she had to be kidding. “He’s bringing in an executive general manager, Meg. A GM. I’ve been the manager here since before he even took over ownership of this place! Why would he need an executive manager when he already has me, if it’s not to replace me?”
“I thought you were the supervisor.”
“Supervisor. Manager. What’s the difference?”
Megan knew the difference, and she suspected Beatrice did too, but to keep the peace she kept on filing.
The door to the office opened. “Knock-knock,” a voice said as the door opened. Both ladies looked up. It was Paige Springer.
“Miss Paige,” Megan said, “what are you doing here?”
Paige and Beatrice exchanged a glance. “Give us a few minutes, Meg,” Beatrice said.
Megan didn’t like it. She had files to review. But she knew she didn’t have a choice. She left the room.
Paige sat down in front of the desk. “Has she arrived yet?”
“I told you eleven. She’ll be here shortly.”
Paige crossed her long legs. “Tell me all you know. Who is she again?”
“Jenay Franklin,” Beatrice said. “That’s all I know. All he said about her was her name. Oh, and he wanted me to prepare the VIP suite for her.”
“He did not,” Paige replied, astonished.
“He did too,” replied Beatrice. “She may not mean squat to us, but she’s apparently a big deal to him.”
Paige didn’t like to hear that. “Did you look her up?” she asked.
“Of course I looked her up!”
“And?”
“And there’s absolutely nothing on her. I Googled her and everything. I don’t know a thing about her.”
“And he makes her manager,” Paige said, as if she still couldn’t believe it.
“Excuse you,” Beatrice said. “He made her Executive General Manager. As if he wanted to make sure I understood perfectly she was going to be the boss. My boss. It’s just awful.”
“It’s Charles,” Paige said. “He does it his way and he doesn’t care who he hurts. That’s Big Daddy. Asshole extraordinaire.”
“So you and he are still off again then?”
“We’re on and off from minute to minute. You know how it goes. I try to be friendly with him, but he just makes me so angry! I heard he may be fooling around with Abigail Ridge again, but I think that’s just a rumor.”
“It’s no rumor,” Beatrice said. “He never stopped fooling around with her. She doesn’t tell, that’s why he’s kept her around longer than anybody else. At least that’s what I heard. She doesn’t brag about the fact she can get Big Daddy Sinatra in her bed, and he likes that.”
“I wasn’t bragging either,” Paige insisted. “I don’t know what you’re insinuating. But I’m no slut like Abby. I refuse to let a man keep me a secret, I don’t care how open our relationship may be.”