local, Meredith and I come here often, so it’s good to meet you.”
“Thank you. I’ll do my best to make your stay special.”
Then, because Mr. Toliver had been waiting too long, Alex practically flew across the room.
“I’m sorry I took so long, Mr. Toliver. Thank you, Randy. I was just getting some expert advice on hairstylists from Seth.”
“Alex,” Randy said in a low voice, “Seth is a waiter.”
“Yes, and he has gorgeous hair, doesn’t he? Both of those ladies love it, too. I think you’ll be in good hands at—” she glanced at the piece of paper “—Gregory’s, Mr. Toliver. If women as stylish as Joanne and Meredith admire Seth’s hair, that’s a stellar recommendation.”
Mr. Toliver glanced toward the middle-aged attractive women. One of them smiled at him. “Well, Gregory’s it is, then,” he said. “Thank you, young lady.”
“It was a pleasure. Come back if you need anything else.”
When the man had gone, Randy shook his head. “You’re supposed to look in the files. We have lists of places you can recommend.”
“But I don’t know anything about those places.”
“Alex, you were lucky this time. Frank Toliver is a frequent and valued customer here, but he could have been anybody. McKendrick’s is having its fifth anniversary, so it’s in the crosshairs of every reviewer, most of whom work incognito. Not only that, but this is the first time that the hotel is a finalist for a National Travel Award. We’re up against some fierce competition, including Champagne just down the road, so we have to be careful and make sure that every customer goes away satisfied. Most of our clients won’t want to pattern themselves after people like Seth.”
Alex felt a twinge. Was Randy right? Had she hit a wrong note in her first few minutes on the job?
“Seth the waiter?”
The deep voice came from behind Alex. She didn’t have to turn around to know who it was, but she did. Time to face the music. Maybe it really had been a mistake not to fly back to San Diego with her friends.
To his credit, Randy merely looked sheepish and didn’t try to discredit her. Alex opened her mouth, wondering if she should apologize, and yet…
“I like Seth’s hair,” she said. “But I really didn’t even think about the fact that Mr. Toliver might not want to frequent the same establishments that our employees do. Actually, I don’t even know what kind of neighborhood I sent him to.”
And she didn’t have the address on her any longer, either.
“I’m sure Seth wouldn’t have led a customer into a dark alley,” Wyatt assured her. “So…you like Seth’s hair, do you?”
She pushed her chin up. “I do.”
He frowned. “I’m not criticizing, Alex. I’m just waiting.”
“For what?”
“To see what Frank Toliver looks like when he gets back, and to see how he feels about how he looks. If it goes well, we’ll add Gregory’s to our list of recommended shops.”
Alex couldn’t help wondering what Mr. Toliver would do or say if he didn’t like how he looked. Would it affect his opinion of McKendrick’s service?
She could tell Randy was thinking the same thing. He was practically leaning over, listening to see if Wyatt was going to say more.
Wyatt frowned at him. “The desk,” he said. That was all. Randy left for his post and the customers headed that way.
“I suppose I should stick to what Belinda has on her list,” Alex said. “Winging it might not be the best idea until I know more about the city and the best places to go.”
“You saw a need. You took care of it. That’s why I hired you, Alex,” Wyatt said. “Every customer is important, but our reputation won’t rise or fall on one customer’s opinion. If, by some chance, Frank Toliver is less than happy with your recommendation, then I’ll take care of the situation. He’ll be given a few extras courtesy of the hotel. By the time he leaves, he’ll be pampered and smiling.”
“And you’ll have had extra work because of me.”
“That’s my call to make.”
“But you didn’t hire me so that you could clean up my messes. If I’m to be useful, I have to get things right.”
That was, Alex thought, a version of what she had told herself as a child, and later as an adult. If she just did things right, her father would come home, her stepfather would visit her, Robert or Leo or Michael would be blown away by what a difference she’d made in their lives. She hated the fact that she’d even remembered that right now, but at least this time her concern wasn’t about winning love. It was about the job she’d been hired to do and about the National Travel Awards. As a finalist in the competition, the hotel was under the microscope, and she intended to help it shine.
“I hired you to help the customers, Alex. I’m the only one who gets to decide how you’re progressing.”
The only one. He really was a lone wolf—the nickname she’d heard him called. Alex couldn’t help thinking that she had spent her life wanting companionship while Wyatt appeared to wrap himself in his solitary status.
“You heard Randy criticize me. I hope you won’t hold it against him. He was just trying to give me good advice.”
“Randy sometimes gets carried away, but as I said earlier he’s good at what he does.”
“I see that,” Alex said, watching Randy smile at a woman who appeared to be complaining loudly about something. The woman’s voice rose, but Randy kept his expression calm, the low tones of his response soothing, until finally the woman nodded and walked away. “I fully intend to get along with Randy. Maybe I’ll ask him for some suggestions.”
“I’m sure he’d like that. But remember what I said. I hired you because of your ability to take control of a situation and connect with the patrons. A minor mistake or two won’t topple McKendrick’s.”
Maybe not, but Alex had tangled others up in her mistakes more than once. While she’d been fooling herself into thinking shy Leo would fall in love with her, the heart of the equally shy girl who’d loved him from afar for years had been breaking. Far worse than that, though, was what she’d inadvertently done to little Mia. Assuming that she and her most recent ex, Michael, had a future, she’d allowed herself to get close to Michael’s daughter, and the child had been heartbroken when things had fallen apart. The fact that she’d harmed a child in much the same way she had been harmed, scalded her. It was something she couldn’t forgive herself for. It was a reminder that there was a high price for some mistakes.
“Randy says you’re competing against another Las Vegas hotel for the award.”
He maintained an expression that told her nothing. “Champagne will be tough to beat. They’ll keep upping the ante right until the end.”
So the competition was a big deal. “What are the odds that you’ll win?”
“Winning isn’t guaranteed,” Wyatt said, his tone cool. But she could tell by the way his jaw tightened that the award meant something to him.
And why not? He’d designed the hotel himself. That made the award important, whether he wanted to admit it or not. It seemed he didn’t want to admit it to her. And why should he? She was an employee. A stranger.
“You’re the boss,” she said. “I’ll do my best to be as mistake-free as possible while I get acclimated.”
“I’m not anticipating lots of mistakes.”
She shrugged. “Neither am I, but everyone makes them. I’ve