Once Upon a Summertime (5 page)

Anna nodded with a somber expression. “You can count on that.”

Grandma hugged Anna now. “I won't be worried about you, Anna. I know you will be okay—even in a big city like New York. You have a good head on your shoulders.”

Anna felt tears in her eyes. “If I do have a good head on my shoulders, it's because of you, Grandma. I owe you my gratitude.”

Grandma patted her on the back. “And the Good Lord too. Let's give credit where credit is due.”

As
Anna walked to work the following morning,
her feelings were mixed. One part of her wanted to skip and sing—in the hopes that she might be getting a job offer from New York before too long. The other part of her was dreading the follow-up meeting she had scheduled with some of her less than motivated staff members. What had she been thinking? Wouldn't it have been easier to just let them continue sliding? Then she could simply make a quiet exit and move on to new and better things—a life beyond the Value Lodge.

“I hear there's going to be a showdown,” Jacob said as she came through the lobby.

She grimaced. “Uh, yes, I guess so.”

He frowned. “You don't sound very enthusiastic.”

She took in a deep breath. “I know there are things that need to be said. I'm just not sure I still want to say them.”

He pointed at the box of doughnuts in her hands. “Looks like you came prepared.”

She smiled. “I thought I might be able to sweeten them up a little.”

“Before you really give it to 'em?” he teased.

She set the pink box on the counter, then went around to put away her purse. “I plan on ending the meeting in time to be back for my shift,” she told him as she pinned on her name tag. “But if it runs longer, do you mind?”

“Not at all. I wish I could be a fly on the wall while you're giving 'em what for.”

She frowned. “So you think it's a good thing I'm doing this?”

“If I was head manager, I'd do it in a heartbeat.”

“But you don't want to be head manager?” She studied him closely, wondering if he regretted not taking this position back when he'd had the chance—and whether he'd jump on it after she left. “You still like being Mr. Mom while Kendra goes to work during the day?”

“It's a good setup. I get time with Maizie during the day, plus I actually get some studying done during the night shift here. No complaints from me.”

“Right.” Anna picked up her box of doughnuts, bracing herself as she headed for the staff room.

“Good luck,” he called.

She suspected she would need good luck as she headed down the hallway. This would not be easy. And yet, she reminded herself, she would probably emerge a bigger, better person—not to mention manager—for it.

“Hello,” she said cheerily as she entered the room where her disgruntled staff members were loitering. Mickey, seated on the table, appeared to be holding court with several of the housekeeping girls. Meanwhile, Shawna was glaring at him from across the room.

“I brought doughnuts.” Anna set the box down, opening
it up as if it contained the crown jewels. To her relief, this got their attention, and as they were helping themselves, she positioned herself at the head of the table.

“Well, you know why I called this meeting,” she began in an official-sounding tone. “It's because as manager, I care about the quality of service and accommodations we offer our valued guests here at the Value Lodge.” Okay, she could hear how silly this sounded as it rolled off her tongue. Really, the Value Lodge cared about quality? Since when? “And because I care about quality, I care about you.” She made a forced smile. “You see, I was thinking about the name of our motel—the Value Lodge—and I got to thinking that the key word is
value
.” She pointed at Shawna. “Do you
value
yourself?”

Shawna shrugged.

“How about you?” Anna pointed to a maid. “And you?” She pointed to another. “Do you all value yourselves? Because I think that if you do value yourself, you will care about how you perform your jobs here at the Value Lodge.” She smiled. “I know, I know, you might be thinking that you deserve a better job—something more than just housekeeping. But do you realize that this is the place where lots of people start out? Did you know I once worked in housekeeping too? I used my time cleaning rooms to prepare me for the next step on my career ladder. I took my work seriously and I did the best I could.” She waved toward them. “That's all I'm asking of you. Just to do your best.”

“And if we don't?” Mickey narrowed his eyes slightly. “You're going to give us the boot?”

She took on a somber expression. “That's my job. As manager, I must do what needs to be done to ensure that
our guests receive the quality of service and accommodations they deserve.”

“What they
deserve
?” Mickey stood up. “This is the Value Lodge, Anna. You can act like it's all about being valued, but we all know that the Value Lodge means just one thing. It's cheap.” He winked at a maid. “We all know that you get what you pay for.” He chuckled. “If our guests want to be treated like they're at the Ritz, they should go to the Ritz. Right?” He looked at the others as if he expected their support.

“Right,” one of the newer maids echoed. “Like Mickey said, the guests get what they pay for. This place is cheap. Why should they expect more?”

“They don't even leave tips,” another maid complained. “I hear that in some places—nicer places than this—the guests leave tips.”

“Yeah,” Mickey agreed. “If our guests want us to treat them better, they should leave tips.”

Anna tried not to be distracted by the ridiculousness of this statement. “The bottom line is that each one of you here was hired to do a specific job. You all know what that job is—right?” She waited, watching as they reluctantly nodded. “It's all spelled out for you. I shouldn't have to play policeman and follow you around and remind you of what you're expected to do, should I?”

A couple of them shook their heads no, but the others just stared blankly at her, and Mickey reached for another doughnut. She looked at the motley crew and wondered if perhaps she really was expecting too much from them. She considered pointing out how the Gonzales sisters were an exemplary illustration of what a good employee should look
like. However, she knew this would only make life more miserable for Rita and Consuelo, so she didn't.

“Does anyone have any questions?” she asked in a slightly sharp tone. She knew this meeting had been a complete waste of time, not to mention doughnuts. “Okay, then”—she took in a deep breath—“as of now, you are all on disciplinary probation. If you fail to perform your job as expected, you will be let go.” She looked around the table, trying to lock eyes with each of them, which wasn't possible since most of them were either staring blankly or looking at their phones. “Perhaps you know of other job opportunities in Springville,” she said in exasperation. “Places where employees get paid
not
to do their jobs. If so, you may want to send them your résumés.”

“Yeah, right.” Mickey made a sarcastic laugh. “Maybe that's what you should be doing, Anna. If you're so unhappy with your staff, I mean. Did you ever stop to think that the problem might not be with us?” He pointed at her. “But maybe it's with you?” Naturally this elicited a few giggles.

She looked him in the eyes. “That's a possibility, Mickey. The truth is, I am not cut out to run a motel that is substandard. The reason I've called you all on the carpet today is so that we can make this place better.” She looked hopefully at them. “Really, wouldn't it feel nice to work in a motel that had a reputation for quality? A place that people came to not because it was cheap but because it offered great hospitality?”

Again she got the blank stares, or else the heads bent downward with eyes on their phones. Clearly, these people couldn't care less. “Well, thanks for coming,” she said glumly. “Keep in mind what I said. I'm not kidding—your jobs could
be at serious risk.” Without saying another word, she turned and left. She had no doubt that her words had fallen on deaf ears.

“How did it go?” Jacob asked quietly as she returned to the reception area.

“How do you think it went?”

He gave her a sympathetic look. “That bad?”

She shrugged. “I think it's hopeless.”

He glanced at the clock, and although it wasn't even time for his shift to end, he looked hopeful. “Mind if I leave a few minutes early?”

“Why not,” she said dismally.

He looked slightly offended. “I'll stay if you want.”

“No, it's fine.” She waved him away. “I'm just discouraged.”

He leaned over to peer directly into her eyes. “Anna, this is
the Value Lodge
. I understand your longing to make it better, and I'm sorry to break the news to you, but this might be as good as it gets.”

She made a tolerant smile. “Yeah, I know.”

“Hang in there.” He waved as he headed for the door. “Remember, it's just a job—not your personal identity.”

As she watched him leave, she realized she'd forgotten to ask for his updates. But maybe it didn't matter. As she went through the morning mail and her usual routine, she reminded herself that her days at the Value Lodge were numbered. Really, why should she feel down or discouraged? She had bigger, better things to look forward to. Still, she knew she had to follow through with the probationary warnings she'd just delivered. She couldn't just forget about it. Although, she reassured herself, she didn't have to deal with it
today. In all fairness, she should give them at least twenty-four hours before she lowered the boom.

Anna always kept her phone handy while at work, but today she kept an even closer eye on it, hoping to hear something back from Marley. When her lunch hour came, Anna was tempted to run down to Lou's Café in the hopes of having an informal conversation, where Marley would just happen to mention her brother Max. Then Anna would casually inquire about the hotel job. Yet when 1:00 came around, Anna couldn't bring herself to do it. She didn't want to appear anxious or desperate. If this was meant to be, it would be . . . right? Marley would call if she had news.

By the end of her shift, Anna had not heard a word from Marley. She considered stopping by the café on her way home, but knowing it was the dinner hour and that Marley probably had her hands full, Anna decided to be patient. However, if Marley just happened to pop out as Anna walked by, well, perhaps she would broach the subject with her. But Anna passed the café with no sign of Marley. As she continued on home to Grandma's apartment, she began to wonder if she'd made a mistake to put so much hope in what seemed like a true long shot. Really, why would some fancy SoHo boutique hotel want an inexperienced young woman who couldn't even manage the Value Lodge very well?

As she went into the apartment, she remembered that it was her grandmother's bunco night. Fortunately, it was at someone else's house this week. Anna kicked off her shoes and, since the drapes were still shut, proceeded to strip off her work clothes. Although she wasn't really some weird exhibitionist who liked to walk around her in her underwear, moments like this, when she had the apartment to herself,
were rare. Since she was hot from walking home in the high temps, she just wanted to cool off.

She placed her phone in the charger and went to the fridge, still in her underwear, to see what looked good for dinner. Then she stood in front of the kitchen sink, eating last night's leftover salad right from the serving bowl. As she rinsed the bowl in the sink, she realized how pathetic her little life had truly become. Really, was this what she had come to?

She went back to peer at her phone, wishing that Marley or someone in New York would call her with good news. After several minutes of just staring at her phone, she knew she was being silly. This simply wasn't going to happen. She pulled on a T-shirt and shorts, picked up the paperback novel that Grandma had recommended to her last night, and settled herself on the sofa to read until she fell asleep.

The next morning, Anna felt more than a little discouraged as she walked to work. She was seriously troubled by three things this morning: One, Marley had not called and was probably not going to call. Two, Anna's life was probably not going to change, ever. Three, she would have to follow through on her probationary warnings or risk looking like a wimp. When she reached the motel parking lot, though, she got mad. It still had not been cleaned up! Honestly, that was the same cigarette package in the same place it had been two days ago. Mickey was clearly not taking her seriously.

As she marched into the foyer, Jacob watched her with interest. “Hey, Anna. You look like you're on a mission.”

“I am.” She slammed her purse down on the counter. “I'm fed up.”

“With what?”

“With the way our staff are not doing their jobs.” She told him about the parking lot. “I've asked him again and again to clean it up, and it's got the exact same trash in it as two days ago.”

“Oh.” He nodded. “So what're you going to do?”

“I'm going to fire Mickey.”

Jacob's brows arched. “Really?”

She looked at the clock. “You don't leave for ten minutes—that gives me just enough time.”

“You sure about this?”

“Absolutely.” She pointed to her purse. “Lock that up for me, please. I'm going to speak to Mickey right now.”

“Anna, do you know what you're do—”

“I refuse to sweep this under the rug again,” she declared. “Even though that's how Mickey likes to clean up a mess. I'm finished with him, Jacob.” Without another word, she turned away and marched off to hunt down Mickey.

Swinging by the pool, partly because she was curious if he'd sprayed down the decks and arranged the chairs like she'd asked him to do the other day, she was almost relieved to find it undone. One more reason to give the lazy bum his walking papers. She was about to leave when she spotted a small cloud of smoke at the opposite end. Shading her eyes from the morning sunshine, she realized it was Mickey and Shawna, sitting on a table and smoking.

Anna took a deep breath, striding purposefully toward them. She'd never actually fired anyone before and wasn't even sure she knew how to do it properly. Perhaps it would be better to do it in writing. Except that if she worded something wrong, it wouldn't surprise her to have Mickey use something she put in a letter against her.