Listen to Your Heart (2 page)

“Front office.” Morgan smiled.

“Okay,” said Tess. “You all can
introduce yourselves. I have work to do.” A broodingly handsome specimen lounged
with a foot up on an adjoining chair and she slapped it down. Morgan got the
impression that there was an ongoing struggle between Tess and the man.

A puddle of snow had melted on the
chair. He man wiped it off with a napkin and indicated that she should sit.
“Welcome,” he said nonchalantly. “I’m Rob.” Dark blue eyes rimmed with slate
grey studied her from beneath dark brows. He picked up a glass of beer and held
it for a moment, then drained it. His Adam’s apple bobbed and her attention was
drawn to a gold chain around his neck. She found herself wondering what his
chest looked like and forced herself to drag her eyes away.

“Hi, Morgan.” A man with a welcoming
smile leaned across the table and offered his hand. “I’m Chance Larson.” He
jerked a thumb over his shoulder, toward the street. “I work in the ski shop
next door.”

“And I’m Karen.” A young woman with a
bright smile and long dark hair stuck out her hand. “I’m in the front office at
Zimmerli as well.”

The rest of the people around the table
worked on the lifts and one worked for the Village, keeping the walkways clear
of snow. She didn’t try to remember their names; there’d be plenty of time for
that later.

“So, Morgan. Where are you from?” Chance
smiled again, revealing a dimple in his right cheek. He placed a hand flat on
his chest. “I’ve spent time in a lot of places, but I’m originally from Lake
Louise.”

“Oh really? My roommate is there right
now. She’ll be here in a couple of days. I grew up in Calgary and I’ve been
working in Banff.”

“Great.” Chance hiked his chin toward
Rob. “Rob grew up in Squamish, just down the road, but we don’t hold that
against him. He’s a ski instructor.”

So that accounted for the amazing tan.
She glanced sideways at Rob but he didn’t seem to be following the
conversation. His attention was focused on a group of women at a nearby table.

“And Karen is from Vancouver.” Chance
gave her that amazing grin. “Hotel Vancouver, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. I’m hoping to travel and I thought
working for Zimco would be a good way to do it.”

“I can’t argue with that.” Morgan looked
up at the server. “Sorry, I haven’t even looked at the menu. Just bring me a
hamburger and fries, please. Oh yes, and a pot of tea.”

Karen pushed her cup away and sat
forward with her elbows on the table. “So you met Adrian? What did you think?”

Morgan shrugged. “He seems nice enough
but I must have said something to offend him. He was friendly and smiling at
first and then he kind of backed off.”

Rob turned away from the women who were
now eyeing him with interest. “He’s a loser.”

“Oh Rob, shut up. Just because he
doesn’t like to ski.” Karen gave him an annoyed look. “There are other things
in the world besides skiing.”

“Well, we agree on that.” He gave Morgan
a smouldering look.

Karen waved him off. “Ignore him,” she
said brusquely.

Not an easy feat when he was looking at
her like that. His gaze lingered on her for a long, suggestive minute and then
he rose and sauntered across the restaurant to the table of women. He moved like
a predator and it occurred to Morgan that he was precisely that. He grabbed an
unoccupied chair from a nearby table and straddled it backwards to the delight
of the women.

“The man’s an alley cat.” Chance’s tone
was non-judgmental. “But you’ve gotta give him props for going after what he
wants.” He smiled as Rob proceeded to charm the women, then returned his
attention to Morgan. She got the impression that nothing ever bothered him.
“Don’t pay any attention to what he says about Adrian. The guy’s all right.” He
paused. “Although it does seem odd that someone who grew up in Switzerland and
worked at ski resorts all his life doesn’t ski.”

“I grew up in Calgary and worked in
Banff for the past four years and I’m not much of a skier. Now my friend Dale,
she loves to ski.” She looked at Karen. “She got delayed at the Lake; she’ll be
working in housekeeping.”

“She’s the assistant housekeeper? I
heard somebody was on the way.”

Morgan nodded. “Yup. We’ll be rooming
together at the Lodge.”

“The Lodge.” Chance picked up his cup
and drained the last of the coffee. “That was a brilliant move on the part of
Zimco to buy property and build a no-frills apartment building for staff.
Finding a place to rent has historically been the hardest thing about working
here in the winter. Rents are astronomical.”

Morgan turned to Karen. “You live
there?”

She nodded. “Yes, and so does Chance.
They rent their surplus units to people who work in the Village.”

“What’s it like? I mean I know what they
told me, but reading about it on paper and reality are generally two very
different things.”

Karen and Chance exchanged looks and
Karen answered. “It’s pretty much as advertised. The units are small and
compact. Small fridge, microwave, two-burner stove but no oven, small bedrooms
and a small sitting area. The common area downstairs was a good idea. Big
screen television, one of those electric fireplaces, comfortable chairs and a
few tables for when people order in pizza or Chinese food.” She glanced at
Chance. “It’s nice, isn’t it?”

“I like it. And there’s a laundry right
on the ground floor so you can read or watch television while you wait for your
laundry.”

“Sounds like they thought of
everything.”

“They did, but a lot of us have got in
the habit of meeting here after work.” Chance looked up. “Hey, Tyler. How’s it
going?” A tall man in chef’s gear stood at the table.

Karen looked up and blushed prettily.
“Hi, Tyler.” She glanced back into the formal section of the dining room. “They
let you out.”

He winked at Karen. “Yeah. Can’t keep a
good man down.” He spoke with a broad Australian accent. “And who have we
here?” He extended a hand toward Morgan. “Tyler Brockman, Sous-Chef
extraordinaire. Welcome to the Heartbreak Hotel.”

“Jeez, Tyler. Give her a break. She just
arrived.” Chance shot her an apologetic look. “Somebody came up with the name
last winter and it kind of stuck.”

Morgan couldn’t help glancing over at
Rob. “Is it true?”

“Nah.” Tyler set down the coffee mug
he’d brought with him. “And even if it was, I don’t think you’d have to worry.”
His eyes sparkled with good humour and Morgan was charmed.

“In that case, I guess I’ll stay.” She
laughed and stuck out her hand. “Morgan Dempsey,” she said. “Just arrived from
Banff.”

Tyler bobbed his head. “Nice enough
place, but Whistler’s got better pow.” He sat down in the chair that Rob had
occupied.

“Tyler’s a rider,” explained Chance.
“One of the best amateurs around.”

Morgan realized that she was probably
one of the few employees not here primarily for the skiing or snowboarding.
“So, Tyler,” she said. “Is it true that once a person starts snowboarding they
rarely go back to skiing?”

He considered her question for a moment.
“I can’t think of anyone who’s ever gone back.” He grinned. “But it’s always
there when we get older.” It was clear he thought that day would never come.
His gaze landed on Karen and softened. “I’m going to give Karen a few tips next
weekend when I have a day off. See if I can convert her.”

Karen flushed again. “I’m looking
forward to it.”

Chance watched the interaction, smiled,
and then turned to Morgan. “If you’re not here for the skiing, why are you
here?”

Morgan set down her hamburger and wiped
her mouth. “I’m here for the concierge training programme. It’s something I’ve
always wanted, and I finally have the chance.”

Karen gave her a surprised look. “That
should be interesting. You’ll like Klaus.”

“That’s Klaus Drescher, the concierge, right?”

Karen nodded.

Morgan decided to jump in. “While we’re
talking about personnel, what about Colin Wynn-Jones, the manager?”

Karen exchanged a quick glance with
Tyler. “You’ll find out for yourself soon enough, but let’s just say he’s not
very popular with most of the employees.”

“Oh?” This wasn’t what Morgan had hoped
to hear. “Any specific reason?”

“I don’t know. It’s hard to put your finger
on it. He’s one of those people who expect you to take responsibility, but when
you do he’s quick to jump all over you if he doesn’t like your decision. I
suppose that wouldn’t be so bad ‘cause it’s all part of the learning process,
but he loves to do it in front of the guests, or the other staff.”

Morgan winced. “I can see where that
would be annoying. Thanks for the warning.” She looked up as Rob left the
restaurant, one arm around a thin, elegant blonde in the latest après-ski gear.
He whispered something in her ear and she gave a low, sexy laugh. He pulled
open the door and ushered her out then turned back to look at Morgan. For an
irrational moment she wished that she was the one heading out into the snowy
darkness with him. Then sanity returned and she broke eye contact, but not
before his mouth curved in a knowing smile.

“Well,” she said, somewhat breathlessly.
“It’s been a long day for me. I think I’ll head up to my room.”

“I’ll finish your fries.” Chance pulled over
her plate. “Probably see you around tomorrow. Let me know if you need help
getting down to the Lodge.”

Morgan was deep in thought when she
entered the lobby. Table lamps illuminated the room with golden pools of light
and a fire crackled softly in an open fireplace. When compared with most hotels
the lobby was small, but it was elegantly appointed.

“Goodnight Morgan.” Adrian’s greeting
broke into her thoughts and she turned to see him standing behind the desk. He
didn’t have the dark, sensual looks of Rob or the casual friendliness of Chance
and Tyler, but his quiet, old-fashioned manners seemed just right in this
setting.

“Goodnight, Adrian.” She continued
toward the elevators, then paused and went back to the desk. “I’m sorry if I
sounded like I was prying into your private life earlier. My friend Dale is
always telling me I ask too many questions.”

“No.” He took off his glasses and rubbed
his eyes. “I enjoyed our talk.” He replaced the glasses. “Please let me know if
you need any help getting to the Lodge tomorrow.”

“Thank you. You’re the second person
who’s offered to help.” She thought for a moment. “I do get to stay here
tomorrow night, though?”

“Yes, but most people move in on the
second day. It’s your choice.” He glanced toward the concierge desk. “I hope
you enjoy working here. See you tomorrow.”

Bright sunshine flooded the restaurant
with light the next morning. Designed with a wall of large windows, patrons
could watch as skiers and riders ascended the massive mountain. Line-ups had
already formed at the base of the lifts.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” Chance appeared
behind her and guided her to the same table they’d occupied the night before.
He raised a hand for two coffees and they appeared moments later.

“Shouldn’t you be working?” Morgan
glanced toward the ski shop, but couldn’t tell if it was open.

“We usually don’t open until eleven on
Sundays.” He shrugged. “Most of the retail outlets do the same.” He blew on his
coffee. “Calgary, huh? Why would you want to work in hotels when there are so
many other opportunities in Calgary?”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“All those big oil companies. There must
be lots of good jobs.”

She nodded. “You’re right, but I’m not
the office type.” She thought for a moment. “I’ve always wanted to work in
hotels. Ever since I was a small kid.”

“Really?” He seemed genuinely
interested. “Tell me about it.”

“My Dad owns a car dealership, and Mom
and Dad travelled a lot when I was growing up.”

Chance grinned. “Don’t tell me your
father is Boomer Dempsey. I’ve seen his commercials. They’re great.”

She nodded again. “Yes, that’s him. His
name is actually Andrew, but everyone except Mom calls him Boomer. Anyway, when
they travelled, Mom would bring home matches from the hotels they visited as
souvenirs for me. She kept them tucked away in one of her drawers, but I was
allowed to look at them.” Her eyes grew misty. “She kept them in a black tin
box. I can still see it. It was from Black Magic chocolates and to me those
faraway hotels represented something different; something that wasn’t about
cars and trucks.”

She pulled back. “Don’t get me wrong.
Dad provided us with a great living, and one of my brothers runs a second dealership
in Calgary. Even the twins will have their own places soon, but every
discussion around our dinner table had to do with the automotive industry. I’ve
always wanted to do something different.”

He raised his eyebrows. “You have three
brothers? That’s a lot of testosterone.”

“No kidding. They’re great, though.”