“You have a problem,” Jenay said, and proceeded to show Edna the various problem points.
Charles watched as the two ladies made the rounds. He was proud of Jenay. She was all business and had that air of professionalism he saw in her when they first met. But she had weak spots too. He saw it in her eyes when he terminated Beatrice. She was going to be taken advantage of by these cunning Jericho folk if she wasn’t careful.
But he also realized she was going to be careful because she had him. And nobody was going to do a damn thing to hurt her or take advantage of her as long as he was around. But he was out of town often, and there was no way it was going to change any time soon. She was going to have to develop a thicker skin and a tougher coat to survive these salt-of-the-earth-hypocritical Jerichodians.
When the two ladies came out of the bathroom, Edna was filled with something Charles despised: excuses.
“I declare if I didn’t tell that maid to take care of that mildew in the shower stall. It’s small, and the guests could barely see it, but I did tell her to take care of it.”
“Whether the guests can see it or not is irrelevant,” Jenay said. “The fact that the mildew is there is what matters. The mildew cannot be there.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Edna said, although Charles knew her type. She not only didn’t agree with Jenay, she couldn’t stand the sight of Jenay.
“When you give an order to take care of a situation, especially a health hazard like mold and mildew,” Jenay pointed out, “you make careful note of it.”
“I do,” Edna said. Charles knew she was lying.
“And then,” Jenay continued, “you go back and check yourself. To make sure it’s been done.”
“But she told me she had taken care of it.”
“She lied,” Jenay said. “It’s obviously not taken care of.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Edna said. “I can see that. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to be able to see that.”
Charles looked at Jenay. Was she going to take that kind of lip?
But Jenay moved on. “How regularly do you check your staff’s work?”
“Apparently not regular enough,” Edna responded.
“How often?” Jenay asked again.
“Once every few days or so, I don’t know. There’s no set time.”
“There needs to be a set time. Not every few days or so, but every single day.”
Edna glanced at Charles. Charles remained non-committal.
Edna looked back at Jenay. “I don’t think you understand my duties. I have to do their timesheets. I have to find coverage when somebody’s out. I have to answer complaints by guests all the time. I have to---”
“Every day, Edna,” Jenay said. “You check the rooms every day. That’s your number one job from here on out. If you need additional help to---”
“I don’t need help. No thank-you.”
Jenay could cut the tension between her and her subordinate with a knife. But she wasn’t going down that road with this woman. “And just as you check their work daily, I will be checking your work daily. I will do constant spot checks myself, to ensure that there are no hiding places for spots and burns, and there are no corners cut. If a burn occurs, for whatever reason, the carpet must be mended in that spot. If it can’t be mended, it will have to be replaced. But we will not have rugs covering anything. We will not be that kind of establishment.”
“We?” Edna asked.
Jenay and Charles both looked at her. “Yes, we,” Charles responded. “You have a problem with that?”
“Oh, no, sir,” Edna quickly responded. She even smiled. “No problem here at all.”
“If the situation regarding the cleanliness of these rooms persists,” Jenay went on, “I will not only fire the maid responsible for cleaning the room, but I will have to fire you as well.”
Edna was surprised. “Me?”
“That’s correct. Do you now understand the importance of your first responsibility?”
Edna nodded, although it was obvious she didn’t like it. “Yes, ma’am,” she said.
Jenay almost told the older woman that she didn’t have to call her ma’am like that, but she caught herself. Because she did have to call her ma’am. Because Edna and all of these long-timers like her had to understand that this Bed and Breakfast didn’t belong to her, or anybody else on staff. This establishment belonged to Charles. And Charles made the decision to put her in charge.
“I’ll be checking every vacant room today, and I’ll be noting all of the problems. Tomorrow when I check, and I will check, I’d better not see any of those problems unresolved. Understand?”