Page 11 of Made For You
“You’re doing a fine job. I promise most people aren’t like that.”
A few beats of silence passed as he continued to type away on his computer. “Mrs. Easterly.”
“Ms.,” I clarified and let him continue.
“Yes. Sorry. Ms. Easterly, the payment for the room was declined. Do you have another form of payment you’d like to use?”
Of course, it was. Leave it to the school to book the room for me after the fiasco last year and the card being maxed out.
“Oh, sure. The school booked this for me,” I explained as I reached inside my purse for my wallet and hesitantly handed my card over to the desk attendant. “You can use mine, and I’ll get reimbursed.”
It would be a cold day in hell before I ever saw the money. The school system was tight on their budget for a reason.
“I’m sorry about that. It’s not the first time it’s happened this afternoon.”
It did not surprise me to learn that.
“Okay, Ms. Easterly. I have you set up in our Junior Deluxe Suite. Your room overlooks the gardens and has a view of the ocean as well. With this room, you also have access to our rooftop bar and complimentary happy hour.”
“Um, they didn’t book that sort of room—” I glanced at his nametag. “—Davey. They booked a standard room without a view specification.” As much as I wanted a room with a view of the ocean, I knew my boss wasn’t going to approve it.
“This is on the house, ma’am.”
I wanted to be angry that he called mema’am, because I probably wasn’t much older than him, but I held back my retort, because it was most likely part of his training and considered good manners. I also had a sneaking suspicion he was upgrading my room for coming to his defense.
Leaning closer to him, I whispered, “You don’t need to do that because I said something to that woman. I’m happy with a standard room.”
The man’s cheeks reminded me of ripe tomatoes. “I wish I could say this was my doing… ma’am.” His cheeks flushed deeper. “But there is a note here saying this is courtesy of the hotel after the… um… issues last year. They want to make sure you enjoy your stay.”
“Oh.” I never expected the hotel to remember the double booking or the fact that they couldn’t switch me over to one of their sister hotels. The entire strip had been booked solid.
“Well, I appreciate it, though it wasn’t necessary.”
“There is also a voucher for dinner and ten dollars toward drinks at our lobby bar.”
The offer was tempting, since two of the sessions I wanted to attend were hosted that evening. I would not get a chance to explore the city and find a place to eat until much later.
He handed me a room key, even though I already had a notification that the digital key was available on my hotel app.
“Thank you.”
As I gathered the key and pamphlets, I used my free hand to grab my suitcase.
“Have a nice stay, Ms. Easterly, and please let me know if there is anything I can do for you.”
With a quick nod, I made my way back to the center of the lobby, ignoring some looks from people who witnessed the earlier conflict. I sought the sign for the conference registration, and despite wanting to get to my room and relax before the first session, I trekked over to the room and grabbed my information.
The same woman who manned the table last year was there again, and she quickly apologized for everything. Apparently, she led the conference and was embarrassed the hotel double-booked me and several other teachers, causing us all to miss the convention. It was hard to be angry at the woman who resembled Mrs. Claus, and I knew none of it was her fault.
While I checked in, I asked her about the grant sessions being hosted that evening and told her I was very interested in learning more about some specifically for rural areas. This was one way I could help my students and the community. She explained new grants were being offered every year, and the money was just sitting on the table. The session was going to focus on some of the lesser-known funds and how to get them.
I had no plans to miss it.
But as I arrived at my room, all thoughts about the seminar fell to the wayside as a glimmer of the bay peeked through my window. I was on one of the upper floors, and the room was huge, but all I could focus on was the view. Living in Tennessee, I didn’t get a lot of chances to see the ocean. Sure, we vacationed a few times at Coral Bell Cove, a small country town in the bay of Virginia, but there was something different in seeing the span of blue sea outside my window.
I don’t know how anyone expected me to leave this room, especially when I explored the space. The bathroom was bigger than my bedroom and bathroom at my house combined. And there was a full kitchen attached to the living area.
I wasn’t sure what I anticipated when I was assigned the room, but that wasn’t it. It felt like a luxury apartment, not a hotel room.
