“I don’t know,” Bryant answered with a teasing shrug. “I like watching you do your thing.”
“There was a shipment coming for the spa,” I said to the delivery receiver. “They still have enough supply to wait for another delivery. Replace the 500s with that. Send the 500s to the spa. They’ll have a use for it there.”
“Oh, great,” the delivery guy shrugged. “I’ll get that done.”
“Thanks,” I said before turning away to march to my next destination. I checked my tablet. A text from Louisa on a guest complaining about the smell in their room. I got a hold of maintenance to fix it.
As I walked, I realized Bryant was following me. When I glanced over my shoulder, he was smiling. I paused in the middle of an empty hallway and turned to face him curiously.
“Is there something you need?” I asked playfully. “Or are you just trying to distract me from my work?”
“I’ve actually been meaning to tell you,” he said, closing the gap between us in a lazy saunter. “I’m really glad my hotel is finally in good hands. You’ve passed every single test that’s been thrown your way.”
I was somewhat curious about what he meant by that, but I was too busy to start interrogating him about it. “Oh. Thank you, then.”
“The last guy, I don’t even remember his name, he failed most of them,” Bryant said with a slow, disappointed shake of his head. “That’s why I had to fire him. I can’t have someone like that on my staff.”
I laughed, remembering all of my own mistakes and the times I thought I’d lose my job.
“Maybe you’ve gone soft on me,” I teased, reaching out to let my fingers trail over his shoulder. Luckily, this hallway was rarely used; mostly it was me running up and down it. I didn’t think anyone would walk by and see us. Even if the rumors were running rampant, I wanted to avoid other staff seeing me with any of the three men like this.
“I probably have,” Bryant sighed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “But I can’t help it. Adriana, I’ve fallen in love with you.”
That threw me off my game and I was almost immediately completely flustered. I didn’t know what to say in return. I hadn’t thought that Bryant would have been the first one to say it, and I didn’t know if he’d ever say it at all.
“Honestly,” Bryant continued, his face completely serious. “I haven’t been in love like this for a very long time.”
I looked at him for a few long seconds before I put my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. “I think I’m in love with you, too.”
He smiled, and leaned in to kiss me. This time, it was soft and purposeful, not the wild passion that I was used to with Bryant. It didn’t last very long, but it was a kiss that would linger in my memories for a long time.
Bryant stepped back first. “You should probably get going. Things won’t organize themselves.”
He gave me a quick smack on the ass as I walked away, and I had to take a moment to remember where I was and what I was doing. I checked my tablet. It wasn’t long before the next set of guests would be arriving on the red carpet. I hurried through to the lobby to welcome them, where Landon was already waiting with his practiced smile.
He nodded at me as I passed by, and I felt the butterflies in my stomach. Bryant wasn’t the only one that I was in love with. He’d known that when he told me. I wondered what the reaction would be from the others if I had the same conversation with them.
They’d all been alright with it before serious feelings were thrown into the mix. Would that be the same now?
While I was welcoming and dealing with the guests, I tried my best not to think about it. I needed to be better at my job that day than ever before. The whole wedding, from rehearsal to reception to sending everyone off afterward had to be completely and utterly perfect. Nothing could go wrong.
Right down to the last flower, I had to be absolutely on top of everything.
Even so, when I finally made my way back to the kitchen for the next checkup, I was burning to talk to Nolan. Landon would have to wait until the evening debriefing.
“Get that in the ovenright now!” Nolan was storming from one end of the kitchen toward the pantry as I walked in, and I almost laughed. This was an opportunity to trap him for a minute and talk. I followed him discreetly, but nobody was paying any attention to me anyway.
Most of the staff was running at full speed. I was impressed at the fact that they managed not to spill anything or crash into each other with how they were moving.
I slipped into the pantry behind Nolan, and he jumped when he turned around, nearly dropping the jar of dill pickles he’d grabbed.
“You’ll give me a heart attack,” he said, holding his hand over his chest. “Are there problems? Please tell me no one wants a last-minute flambé.”
“No, actually,” I answered, kicking the crate of persimmons so that the door closed. “I just wanted to talk to you. This is how we usually do it, right? At least until you get the door fixed.”
“You’re kidding.” He put the pickles back on the shelf and ran a hand through his hair. “In the middle of one of the craziest days I’ve had this month?”
“All of your days are crazy,” I pointed out with a quick shrug. “Please. We’ll only be stuck until someone comes to get us anyway. Though given what happened last time, they might be quick about it.”