Page 13 of Time To Live Again

Opening to the first blank page of the notebook, I scrawl,New Year Resolutions.

It’s time to make some changes.

6

LEO

“Thanks for helping me out, Leo,” Donna says, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. “This website business is getting ridiculous. As far as I know, all our guests have arrived today. Why do things always go wrong around the holidays when we’re short on staff? And then the bathroom faucet issue in room twenty-five. Sully saved the day on that one.” She picks up a stray pen from the floor and drops it into the penholder on the counter.

“You know the Forrest boys. We get things done!” I flex my biceps like Superman.

“Your mom was looking for you,” Donna says, unfazed by my antics. “She said you should go see her in her office when you’re done flexing or whatever it is you’re doing.” Her mouth twitches with mirth.

I drop my arms and pat down my shirt. For some reason, I don’t want to know what she wants. “Yeah… She’s sent me a couple of messages.” I look at my watch, then toward Mom’s office in the back.

Donna moves away, then quickly turns back. “Oh! Ms. Hansen’s room is ready. Is she still in the café? I can go get her.” She glances at the clock on the opposite wall. “Oh dear, she’s been waiting a long time.”

“Nope, I’ll take care of it. The conversation with Mom will be quick.” I know I’m being a selfish asshole and unprofessional. I should give Olive her key immediately instead of making her wait any longer. At this rate, we’ll be lucky if she doesn’t leave a scathing one-star review about the delay in getting her room. However, I have another idea in mind.Hmm. I decide to take my chances and make her wait.

“Hey, Donna, can you please do me a quick favor?” I search the area to make sure no one’s around. “It’s a secret.”

Her face lights up. She loves secrets, and she’s good at keeping them. “Sure. What do you need?” She lowers her voice like we’re undercover.

I whisper in her ear what I’d like her to do. “I’ll pay for it. And wait…one more thing.” I grab a sheet of stationery and write a quick note. Donna clears her throat and taps her fingers on the counter. I fold the paper and slip it into a red envelope, then give it to her. “Can you please have someone put the bottle in her room with this envelope?”

Donna takes it from me and taps her hand with it. “Don’t worry. I’m on the case. She’s going to love it. Unless she doesn’t drink.”Shit, I didn’t think about that.Donna squeezes my left cheek. “You’re the sweetest. There’s hope for you yet.”

“Thanks… I guess.” I’m not sure what she means by that. “Anyway, you know where I am if you need anything.” I wouldn’t mind if she interrupted my conversation with Mom.

She rolls her eyes. “I know how to do my job, young man. To quote you from before, ‘get goin’.”

I salute, then spin on my heel and head for Mom’s office. I catch her staring at the laptop on her desk, her red glasses perched on the tip of her nose. She looks up and flashes me a perfect, welcoming smile—the same one everyone says I inherited. She removes her glasses and places them on the desk.

“Hiya, Ma.”

“Hi, honey. Come in and shut the door, please.”

Oh, man. Interrogation time. What did I do now that the door needs to be closed? When Mom’s mad, she’s super calm. All the anger is in her voice. Her body language and facial features stay cool as a cucumber. It’s scary as fuck. But I’m not seeing any of that right now. So far, it doesn’t seem like I’m in trouble.

“Sure, but I don’t have a lot of time.”Olive’s waiting!The woman who’s probably glad I left after the constant chaos that followed in my wake, not to mention my almost breaking her nose.

I close the door, then take the chair opposite my mother’s desk, propping my ankle on my knee. “So, what’s up?”

Mom rests her forearms on the desk and clasps her hands. “I saw you charged a guest the double-room price for a suite. Did the system screw up again, was it a mistake, or was she cute?” She cocks an eyebrow, and the corner of her mouth ticks up with amusement.

Olive’s beautiful, not cute.

“It’s the system.” I explain what happened with Olive’s reservation. “Who knows how many more times it’s going to screw up?”

She leans back in her seat, crosses her arms, and rocks gently. “Let me see what I can do. I swear I hate technology. It was much easier when I was younger.”

“We’ll figure it out. Anything else?”

“There is.” She gives me a firm look, and I shift in my seat. “I know it’s been a busy day, and it’s not the best time to bring this up. But—”Here it comes.“Your aunt Betty called me this afternoon.” Yep, just what I thought. “Betty’s been trying to get hold of you. Why haven’t you returned her calls?”

“Been busy. I’ll call her back when it’s slower.”Liar.I smooth my mustache. Hey, this caterpillar is a good stress reliever. Maybe I’ll wait to shave it off.

Mom eyes me, knowing I’m full of shit. “You know what’s coming up. It’s been five years. Betty and Mason want to have a little family gathering in memory of Corey in March. Possibly go to the cemetery first, then have lunch here. Tonya’s going to plan it. She and Tonya want to discuss your travel plans to narrow down a date.”

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