Connections Read online

  Andrew nodded. “That’s his favorite.” Then he pounded the side of his fist on the desk. “We’re already pushing things, aren’t we? And we have an orange floor in the dining room . . .”

  “I think the tables and chairs will hide that,” Rob said.

  “I do too, but it’s not what Marissa wanted. She’s been keeping her chin up the best she can, but she’s not happy about it. I told her that we’d redo it as soon as we can, but that didn’t comfort her much.” He sighed. “Okay, what’s our plan?”

  “We’re going to dig out the curbs and pour new ones tonight,” Rob said. “We’ll need to set up some lights so we can see to work, but we should have them redone and setting up by around three in the morning. Then I’m going to camp out and keep an eye on things, make sure we don’t have any intruders before work starts up again.”

  Andrew nodded. “Thank you for that. Do you think I should hire a security guard to keep watch on the place at night?”

  Rob opened his mouth to answer, then paused. “My reason for staying here will be to protect the concrete,” he said at last. “I’m not sure a guard is needed for that, but you might want one once the hotel opens.”

  “I don’t expect you to sleep here every night until that concrete is totally set. Takes a couple of days, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes. But it’s okay . . .”

  Andrew held up a hand. “No, it’s not. Go ahead and stay here tonight, but only because I don’t think I can get a guard here that fast. I’ll have someone in place for tomorrow, and we’ll just make it work.”

  “I think it’s best from an insurance perspective too,” Tony added. “Having an extra line of defense is always a good idea.”

  Rob nodded. That made a lot of sense. “Sounds good. I’ll get those lights set up.”

  He had just turned to head out to his truck when Mack came in, fury etched all over his face. “Look at this.” He held up a tube of orange oil paint.

  Rob took it and held it up to the light. “Where did you find this?”

  “In the flower bed there by the kitchen door while we were pulling out the curb. It was just there under a few layers of dirt.”

  “Is that what I think it is?” Andrew asked, coming up behind Rob and peering at what he held.

  Rob closed his eyes, trying to stay calm. “This looks like the same shade of orange that is now all over the dining room floor.”

  “Are you saying that someone put orange paint in the varnish?” Andrew’s hands went into fists again. “Is someone trying to sabotage my hotel?”

  “It really looks that way.” Rob handed the paint back to Mack. “Put that in a plastic sack and hang on to it, and yes, let’s get that guard on duty. Oh, man. I can’t believe this. Did they do anything else? Any more surprises for us to find?”

  Tony held up a hand. “Let’s break this down—come on. Have a seat.”

  Mack headed back outside to keep working on the concrete, and Rob followed Tony and Andrew into the office.

  “So, Andrew told me about the mistake with the varnish. You thought it was the supplier’s fault?” Tony asked.

  “Yeah. Marissa was going to call them and see if they’d issue a refund,” Rob said.

  “But with that tube of paint . . .”

  “I think it was sabotage.”

  Andrew exhaled. “Someone’s been on my property twice now, at least, trying to slow down or stop our grand opening.”

  “Sure looks that way,” Tony said. “When did the varnish arrive on site?”

  “Last Thursday, and it was locked in Danny’s van overnight. Then we brought it out and used it Friday.”

  “Was it ever left alone once it was out of Danny’s van?”

  Rob thought about it. “We left it on the back porch while we finished prepping the floor. Then we put the cans in the mixer and got to work.”

  “So, theoretically, someone could have put the orange paint in the cans while you were finishing the prep work?” Tony asked.

  “Yes, but they would have had to come right up on the back porch. That would take a lot of guts,” Rob replied.

  “And so would putting footprints in the concrete,” Andrew said.

  Tony nodded. “All right. This is what we need to do. Andrew, first thing tomorrow, you should go file a police report. I know someone who runs a great security service—I’ll have Beverly give them a call.”

  “You know people who do everything,” Andrew said with a smile.

  “It’s handy to have friends in so many different fields. Rob, can you make a list of every worker who has been on site in the last week? Did you hire them all, or did Griffin bring any in?” Tony asked.

  Rob felt his heart plummet. “You think it’s one of my guys?”

  “I think that someone has gotten close enough to the building to do some damage, and the likeliest answer is that they’re on staff here. Otherwise, they’d be noticed.”

  Rob knew Tony was making sense, but it still wasn’t easy to hear. “Yeah, I can do that. Most of them are regulars and I’ve known them a long time, but I did get a few extras from a temp agency because we were running behind.”

  “I’d look at those first. If you could get that list made up before Andrew goes into the police station in the morning, that would be helpful.”

  “Will do.”

  Andrew and Tony went on to talk about the implications, including the need for someone to conduct a search of the hotel and look for any other evidence of sabotage. Rob excused himself after a moment and went outside to talk to Mack and Danny, who were still digging up the concrete they had only laid a short time before. “I’m going to head over to the warehouse and get the lights,” he said, and they nodded. “I’ll grab some burgers, too.”

  “Thanks, man,” Danny said, and Rob waved as he walked off to his truck.

  When he climbed in, he took his phone out of his pocket and placed it on the seat. He stared at it for a moment before pulling out of the parking lot. He needed to talk to Maggie, but he couldn’t do it just yet—he needed time to do it properly, and they had to get the concrete fixed and the place inspected. He couldn’t, however, let this drag out forever. When he parked at the loading dock in back of his warehouse, he picked up the phone and sent a quick text. Been thinking about you. Something’s come up at the hotel, but I’ll call as soon as I can. He hoped that would be enough until he could talk to her properly.

  Chapter Eight

  Maggie hadn’t slept at all. After she went through her clothes, she’d put on her pajamas and climbed into bed, thinking she’d watch Netflix until she fell asleep. Instead, she lay there in the dark, so many thoughts cycling through her head that she thought she’d go crazy.

  Rob. The look on his face—the confusion, the hurt, and something that looked like disgust. She’d decided it was his problem and not hers, but in reality, it did bother her. She wanted to get it worked out, to explain. He’d sent a text and that had helped somewhat, but until they could really talk, she wouldn’t have any peace about it.

  Zoe. Her best friend was in jail, and there was nothing Maggie could do about it. Why had Zoe let Dean have so much influence over her? Zoe knew what had happened to Maggie’s parents. She knew drugs were bad news. Why hadn’t she listened? Maggie had talked herself blue trying to get Zoe to understand, but in the end, Zoe had chosen Dean, and now they were both sitting in prison. She didn’t know exactly what Zoe had been charged with—how much of an accessory had she been?—and she didn’t have any idea how to guess what kind of punishment that would carry if she was found guilty.

  And why had Zoe called Ashli to get her stuff? Why hadn’t she called Maggie? It would have been so easy for Maggie to pick it up, but she called Ashli instead, like Maggie didn’t matter to her anymore. Of course, Maggie had the chance to pack up Zoe’s things and hadn’t taken it . . .

  Maggie rolled over and folded her pillow under her head. So many things she wished she’d done differently, but so many things she knew she wo
uldn’t change. She had to find confidence in her decisions moving forward—if she spent all her time second-guessing things that were in the past and that she couldn’t change, she’d cripple herself, and she’d ruin the fresh start she was looking for. All she could do now was push on and continue to do the best she could with each situation.

  When morning came, she got up and showered, planning to carry the clothes she was discarding out to her car. She’d drop them by the Salvation Army on her way to work. Then she remembered that her car was still at the hotel. Rats—she’d have to make the donation later. She didn’t want to pay a taxi for the additional time it would take to make two stops.

  Cady, Wren, and Laura arrived at the hotel just moments after she did, and she looked around for Alice. The older woman was nowhere to be seen, so she took the other three on a tour of the hotel and showed them the bed linen closet, the cleaning supply closet, the kitchen linen closet, and then the rooms they would be cleaning and making up that day. She used the rooms that had been done earlier in the week as the model for what they would be creating, then set them to their tasks. The handicap access rooms on the first floor needed the most work, as there were particles of sawdust everywhere, but she trusted that these girls could get the job done.

  After making sure they each had what they needed, she headed to the office and pulled out Alice’s employment file to locate her phone number.

  “Oh. Um, hi,” Alice said when she answered. “I got to thinking about it and realized that I’m likely not the best match for this job. I’m more of a manager, you see, and I think my skills would be best used in that sort of capacity. I’m sure you understand.”

  “I understand that you chose not to take the job after all, but I don’t understand why you didn’t call in. That doesn’t seem like something a manager would do,” Maggie replied. She’d known this was coming—she wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

  “I suppose I should have done that. I’m sorry.” Except she didn’t sound sorry. “I wish you all the best of luck.”

  “Thank you. Same here.” Maggie hung up and sighed. If Alice had just said she didn’t want the job during her interview, or even better, called to cancel the interview, it would have saved some time and effort, but at least she’d found out now and didn’t have to drag the dead weight of someone who really didn’t want to be there.

  Movement through the window caught her eye, and she looked outside. Rob and Andrew were standing on the front lawn, speaking to a man in uniform. He didn’t look like a police officer—more like a security guard. Huh. She was curious, but she had other things that had to be done first.

  She circled around to check on each of the three girls. Laura was the quickest, while Wren was the most meticulous. Cady was working at a medium pace, but seemed to be catching the details as she went. Maggie chatted with each of them about their strengths and weaknesses, then worked alongside them for a while, getting to know them a bit better. They were fun girls who liked to tease, although Wren was a little quieter than the other two. They were all good workers, and the best part was, Maggie felt like they would be friends before long. That was important in a hotel environment where rooms had to be changed out in short order, and teams had to pull together to get the work done.

  When the last room was finished, Maggie stood in the center of the hall and smiled at the girls. “You did really well,” she said. “The rooms are ready to go, and they’re up to the Brody standard. Take a break for lunch, be back at two, and we’ll get started on the dining room.”

  The girls nodded and left, and Maggie sat down on the bottom step of the staircase. There was nicer furniture in the parlor, but she was a little dusty, and she didn’t want to create more work for herself or the others if she could help it.

  She wondered if Rob and Andrew were still talking to the man in uniform. She could tell from where she sat that Andrew’s office door was open, but she couldn’t make out any movement in there. Finally, her curiosity got the better of her, and she stood up and went outside.

  Rob, Andrew, and Marissa were standing near one of the flower beds, and the security guard was nowhere to be seen.

  “I’m going to strangle someone,” Marissa was saying as Maggie walked up. “I’m going to find that someone, I’m going to wrap my hands around their neck, and I’m going to strangle them. Then I’ll revive them and strangle them again.”

  Rob looked over and saw Maggie approaching. “Hey,” he said. “Heard about our excitement?”

  “No, I’ve been training the new housekeepers this morning.” She tried to ignore the way his gaze made her stomach flutter. That would have to wait until later. “What’s going on?”

  Her mouth dropped open as Andrew explained what they’d discovered the night before. “So I’ve hired a security company to make their presence felt during the day, and to be on patrol at night,” he went on. “Jerry’s the name of the man they sent over for today’s shift, and he’s walking around the property right now to see if he can spot anything else suspicious. I also spoke to the police this morning, and Rob made a list of everyone who’s been working here. We’ll get it figured out—it’s just extremely frustrating.”

  “Orange floors are more than frustrating,” Marissa said. “The only reason I haven’t thrown a stick of dynamite in there is because our deadline is coming up so soon. I hate orange.”

  “I feel bad for Jimmy.” Maggie had only spoken to him for a few minutes the other day, but she thought he was sweet. “He’s been so excited about these flower beds.”

  “I think we’re all pretty upset on Jimmy’s behalf,” Andrew said. “Mack, Danny, and Rob did a great job of redoing the curbs overnight, though, and I think we can still pull it off. Ready for a nap, Rob?”

  “Yeah, I’m about there,” Rob said, and Maggie noticed how worn out he looked. Neither of them had slept, but she hadn’t been up all night working with concrete. She supposed he won the bragging rights for being the most tired.

  “Why don’t you head home and get some rest? Mack and Danny left, right?”

  “Yes. They’ll be back in about an hour, though.”

  “Okay. We’ve got our guard on duty, and it’s lunchtime anyway. Go grab some sleep, and thanks for everything you’ve done here.”

  “You’re welcome.” Rob gave Andrew a nod, then turned to Maggie. “Walk with me?”

  She nodded and followed him out to his truck. He leaned against the side of it, exhaustion written all over him. “Hey,” he said softly.

  “Hey yourself.”

  He reached out and touched her cheek. She wanted to pull away and lean into it both at the same time, and her mixed feelings didn’t make her thought processes any simpler. “We really need to talk, but I’m falling asleep on my feet and I think I’ve forgotten how to use words. Can I take you out to dinner tonight after I’ve had a nap? Pick you up at six?”

  He didn’t look angry anymore, or disgusted. Instead, he looked sincere, and so, so tired. She couldn’t hold a grudge against him after everything he’d been through the night before. “Okay,” she said. “Six is fine.”

  “Great. I’ll see you then.”

  She watched him drive away, a little worried that he was too tired to remember where he lived, then climbed into her own car to go find some lunch. The dining room would be hot, heavy work with lots of mopping, and she’d want to make sure she was fueled before she tackled it.

  ***

  Maggie felt a lot better with some food in her. It was super tempting to climb into one of the beds they’d just made and take a nap too, but napping would have to wait. Talking to Rob would have to wait. So many things that would have to wait … but would likely be worth it.

  She gathered her three housekeepers together in the dining room. “All right, this room’s going to be a little bit of a challenge. We’ve had construction dust blowing in from the kitchen—which we’ll be cleaning tomorrow—and as you can see, this floor is pretty expansive. We’ll be sweeping and moppi
ng in here, but this is new varnish, so we’re using this special product.” She held up a bottle. “The tables and chairs will be arriving in about three hours, so we need to move quickly.”

  It was so gratifying to see the room come together. When the deliverymen showed up with the furniture, everything was a little dusty, so they wiped each piece down before it was carried in, and by the time they were finished, it looked fantastic.

  “And I think that’ll do it for today,” Maggie said, turning to the three exhausted housekeepers. “See you tomorrow.”

  They waved and headed out, chattering about how great the room looked, and Maggie leaned against the back of one of the chairs to catch her breath. She had dressed in simpler clothes that day because she knew the work would be gritty, and she had just enough time to run home and change before Rob was due to pick her up.

  As she drove home, she wondered what he was going to say. He’d sounded apologetic, but did that mean he was sorry for the way he’d acted, or did it mean that he was sorry, but he had to stop seeing her? Old insecurities from her past popped into her head, reminding her of relationships that had gone sour because of her parents’ choices. It felt like she’d never be able to get out from under their shadow, and she hadn’t even seen them for years.

  That thought sent her brain whirling in another direction. Was it time for her to find them? If for no other reason than to set her mind at ease?

  That was just it, though. Finding them likely wouldn’t ease her mind at all.

  She changed her clothes and washed her face, wishing she had time for a full shower. A little sawdust here and there wouldn’t hurt anything, though—Rob was used to it.

  She finished putting on her lip gloss just before the doorbell rang. When she opened it, the first thing she saw was a giant vase of roses.

  “Hi,” Rob said when she moved back to let him in. “How are things going at the hotel?”

  “Bedrooms are done, the dining room is done, and tomorrow we’ll do the kitchen. Thank you for these—they’re gorgeous.” She set the vase on the kitchen counter, her hands suddenly a little shaky. “How was your nap?”