Page 11 of Spring Showers

“That’s our Carol,” Leo said. “Other than her, I don’t think anyone knows the full extent of the situation.”

“So, who is this person coming to check out the place?” Thandie asked.

“We don’t know. It’s one of the guests this week, but for obvious reasons, we don’t know anything about him or her. You can see why,” Leo said.

Thandie coughed on a dry crumb.

“Do you need a drink?” Leo asked.

She nodded.

Leo walked to a sideboard and poured a glass of water from a pitcher. “If we knew who it was, the experience might be altered to suit the investor, and not be an authentic experience. As it is, the fact that we know he or she will even be here this week has already changed our focus more than it should.”

“By hiring me?”

Leo nodded and handed her the water glass. “You need to treat everyone the same. Don’t be an investigator and try and figure it out. Just do your job. Keep all the guests happy and active, and I think everything is going to work out. I didn’t get into this blindly. I know this concept for hosting rolling retreats all year round is sound. There’s a market wide open for a place where people can connect to their interests with other like-minded people. It’s going to work.”

“It’s going to work,” Thandie agreed. “I suppose I have some prepping to do. This week isn’t going to plan itself.”

CHAPTER6

Thandie woke early. The sun hadn’t yet come up, but the pale-yellow sky glowed just beyond the white sheer drapes that hung at her bedroom window. As she lay, stretching her muscles and waking up her joints, she replayed and picked apart her first day there. Yesterday had been far from what she had expected, but it made the top of the list for the most exciting first day of work she’d ever had.

There was no smooth onboarding. No shoes, big or small, to fill. No real plan to speak of. And only a narrow chance that she’d still have a job come next week. Her future was quite literally in her own hands. She was in a make-or-break moment and was aware that the added pressure could work in her favor. The stakes were high, with Leo and his retreat hanging in the balance between her performance and an investor’s whim.

This week wasn’t going to be easy, but she could do everything in her power to create the best wellness retreat that Christmas Cove had ever seen.

After her talk with Leo and America, Thandie had gotten right to work and used the computer in the office to pull a ton of ideas together from the web. There were more options available to her than she had time or manpower to implement, but she would try what she could.

Thandie decided to start her day off the right way by making her bed. It was a shame the way she had flopped onto the supple mattress last night and kicked all the extra pillows right onto the floor. Seeing it made so neatly to start with, she made a note to find the expert who had done such a nice job with the linens and ask for some pointers. If she could replicate the tight sheets, the smooth corners, and the right amount of cushiness, she could have as restful a night’s sleep every night, no matter where she was staying. She hadn’t slept so well in longer than she could remember. At least not since the evening of the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad rehearsal dinner.

She was glad the kitchen was stocked with some essentials. A bright yellow banana paired perfectly with an almond biscotti for a quick breakfast. As it was a workday, she threw on her favorite light brown cargo pants, a white tank top, dark brown New Balance sneakers, and a white baseball hat that she had owned for years, though she had no clue when or where she had gotten it. She tucked her curls up under the hat and pulled her signature ponytail through the hole.

Grabbing her notes from the previous night’s brief research session, she headed to the barn to gather supplies. It was a nice short bike ride to the barn, which she still thought deserved a better name. Naming the dining area thecucinawas so cute, butthe barndidn’t sound cool enough for a place like this. She thought of different options on her way.The main house, the big house, orthe clubhouse all sound a little too generic, she thought and parked her bike under the covered bay.

Looking out over the dried-up lake, she sniggered. “The boathouse,” she said out loud.

“What’s that?” Leo’s voice sounded from behind her and caused her to jump.

“Nothing,” she said and tucked a piece of errant hair behind her ear. “I was just thinking of different names we could call the barn. It’s stupid.”

“The barn is stupid?” he laughed.

Embarrassment heated her cheeks. “No, not the barn. Me trying to come up with a new name for it. The barn is fine. It’s good even. Right on the nose.”

“I’m only teasing.” Leo opened the large door. “I think it’s a good idea to give this place a proper name. We’ve called it the barn for so long it just kinda stuck. But you’re on to something. It should have more purpose. What did you say out there? The boathouse?” He laughed.

“Yeah. I just saw the old lake and the name just flashed in my mind. It’s kinda silly though, since there’s no water anymore.”

“I’ll put it on the short list,” Leo said without sarcasm, which she appreciated. “Did you come in for breakfast?”

“No, I ate a little bit back in my cabin. Thank you for stocking the supplies. If I stay on, I’m happy to purchase my own groceries though,” she said as they moved further into the space. Thandie wasn’t sure which one of them was leading the way, they both sort of hummed along beside each other, and she supposed they were each intending on visiting the office loft.

“Can I...I mean, is there something you needed inThe Boathouse?” he waved his hands in front of his chest. “That doesn’t sound right, does it? We’ll keep thinking on it.”

“I’ll let you know what else I come up with. In the meantime, I was hoping to print some things off and add a map of the local area. I want to mark the landmarks and trails for the guests.”

Up in the loft, Leo dug around in a bin stacked next to the desk. “I think I have a map that shows some walking trails. Would that get you started in the right direction?”

---