Page 6 of The Billionaire's Housekeeper

“You never know if an opportunity will come your way,” he said.

“I can only hope. I’ve been trying for quite some time to get a full-time permanent position.”

“At a hotel?”

“Yes. And to tell you the truth, I’ve done my bachelors in hospitality but I’m hoping to further my education. My dream one day is to open up my own bed and breakfast.” Stars lit up in Abbi’s eyes.

Chase felt the infectious spark of her enthusiasm. A girl with a dream and a plan to work hard for it. God, he liked that. She wasn’t looking for handouts or an easy way, just to work her way up in the hotel chain and gain adequate skills and knowledge to reach the top. Good on her. That was just how his great-grandfather had succeeded in building up the Belmont hotel empire. He’d gone from washing windows of hotels and motels to one day taking them over. Starting at the bottom and soaring his way skyward.

“The economy is so tight right now,” she said. “I’ve got to think about surviving and taking care of my family.”

“Your family?” His heart skipped a beat. What was wrong with him? He’d better straighten out his thoughts and his emotions. He wondered, when she mentioned her family, if she had any children from a past relationship. Not that he’d mind at all. But was her situation…complicated?

“Yes, my sister. My parents have passed on.”

“Sorry to hear that.”

“Thank you,” she said softly. “It’s been a while. But anyway, I’m so happy to have gotten this assignment. It’s such a relaxing environment compared to hotels in the city. I just wish they were hiring full- time.”

“I hear you,” Chase said. And he really did in more ways than one. He was going to make a mental note to his team in Belmont at the head office to increase funding in new hires for permanent positions with benefits. None of this part-time contractual work to save the bottom line. People should come first. How the heck could anyone survive in this economy without a stable job?

“What about you? Are you permanent here?” Abbi asked, interrupting his thoughts.

“Me?” The question caught him off guard, if only momentarily. Most women he’d met already knew who he was and what he was about. They knew how much money he made, his net worth, the cars and mansions he possessed and his hot connections. In fact, they’d always approached Chase with a want or a need, expecting him to work wonders and shower them with expensive gifts and whisk them off to exotic places.

“Yes, you,” she said with a soft chuckle. Oddly, the sound of her smooth velvet voice was so pleasant to his ears. Chase actually enjoyed hearing her speak. She had a distinctive sweet-as-honey voice.

Abbi grinned. A cute dimple appeared on her cheek and she looked absolutely adorable. Her skin was flawless, he noticed. She had on no visible makeup, yet her skin was smooth and fresh looking. All Chase could think was, wow! She truly was a breath of fresh air. And it was nice for a change to engage in normal conversation. Maybe he could get used to this. Chase just had to try hard as hell not to slip up and get himself exposed for who he really was. That would be the last thing he’d want.

“Nah, I’m just here on a contract.”

“Oh, you seemed so surprised earlier when I mentioned I’m a temp staff, I thought-”

“Oh, right. What I meant earlier was that it’s usual to have contractors come in for specific projects.” He pointed over to the cottages in the distant. “They’re renovating that lot over there and turning up the spa resort and the ranch to another level. Once that’s done, I’m out of here. I just assumed that housekeeping staff would all be permanent employees.”

“Of course.” Abbi bit her lower lip and glanced around. The cool air blew her tendrils of auburn tresses into her face and she brushed them away gently with her fingers. Chase noticed she had on no jewelry. No wedding band or engagement ring. He surprised himself by how relieved he’d felt after seeing that. He thought about his old man’s message to him back in Belmont. Even though he had sworn off permanent relationships, he was really taking a liking to Abbi and wouldn’t mind getting to know her better over the course of the next couple of months while he worked as Chad, the contractor.

“You’ll like it here. There’s a lot going on down here. We have different events for guests and staff. There’s even a boat race over near the island. We have a ranch, of course, where visitors can go horseback riding. Then we have the log cabins for some guests who prefer to have a private retreat on the land instead of staying at the main lodge.”

She looked around eagerly as he gestured to the surrounding cottages. The area was filled with so much greenery and a wooded area. Abbi could see the mountains in the distance. No tall high-rise buildings. Just country life. “Nice.”

“I know. And there are spas in some of the special log cabins where guests can go for massages and practice yoga and all that spiritual stuff,” Chase said, as he gestured again to the surroundings.

They walked up to the main lodge as he continued to give her a brief rundown of the facility.

“Sounds like heaven. What a relaxing place to work and to stay.” Abbi glanced around at the scenic waterfront. “Are you going to participate in any of the events?”

“When I have time. Maybe we can…” Before Chase could retract his words, feeling that he really should keep his distance from this lovely lady, he was interrupted.

“You’re late,” a voice called out behind them, causing them both to turn around.

It was Shirley, the head of housekeeping. Chase had met her briefly the other day. She was quite a character. An older woman with red hair swept up into a bun and old-fashioned spectacles. He gathered she was one to crack the whip from time to time according to some of the staffers he’d overhead in the break room.

“Excuse me?” Abbi said, politely.

“You’re late. You’re Abbi, aren’t you?”

“Y-yes, ma’am. I’m sorry. I’ve been here for ten minutes, I was just speaking to Chad about…”

Shirley looked unimpressed. “Never mind that. Jen will orient you to your rooms.”

“Hey, it’s my fault, Shirley,” Chase said, resisting the urge to exercise his true authority. “I just thought I’d show her around a bit-”

“Well, you need not bother. We have a business to run. This is not a museum tour. We have a full booking coming in for the east cottages. A wedding party. Thirty rooms have to be cleaned…”

Chase could see Abbi swallow hard. He remembered what she said about wanting this job and wanting to make a good impression. He should have just directed her straight to the HR, but he couldn’t resist the urge to talk to her. Besides, she would’ve pulled a Jack-and-Jill and gone tumbling down the hill with his pail of water, if he hadn’t caught her in time. It was the shock of the whole situation that got them talking and almost forgetting that Abbi probably had an appointment with Shirley for a brief orientation.

“I’m so sorry, Shirley. I’ll get changed right away.”

“The lockers are in the east corridor. Come, I’ll show you. Once you change, I’ll introduce you to Jen. She’ll orient you and then you can begin. You have done this work before, haven’t you?” Shirley eyed Abbi up and down over the rim of her black-framed glasses.

“Yes, ma’am,” Abbi answered. “I’ve worked at the Hilton, Sheraton and several other hotels.”

“Have you worked on one of these ranch resorts?”

“Well, um…no, but…”

“I thought so. Well, I hope you’re a fast learner.”

“Yes, ma’am. I am.”

“It was nice meeting you, Chad,” Abbi said, before leaving.

“You, too.” Chase wanted to say more but he didn’t want to blow his cover.

He’d have a talk with this Shirley character later. No wonder employee morale at the ranch resort was low before the Belmonts took it over, according to a recent internal survey. The place needed managers and supervisors with better people-skills.

A funny thought struck him.

Suddenly, his father’s words about finding a nice girl out west came to him like a whisper in the wind. Chase really wanted to honor his father’s dying wish but he’d been reluctant after having to deal with his crazy ex and that secret sex-tape scandal. Not to mention the scores of pretty opportunists he’d met along the way—divas in sheepskin clothing, flocking to him because of his status and fame, yet Abbi walked into his life like a breath of fresh air. She seemed so different. An ordinary, hardworking girl-next-door. She didn’t even have a shred of recognition as to who he really was. Then again, he had on a disguise, dyed his hair and didn’t shave his stubble. He was usually always clean-shaven in public.

Still, he had to think twice about even wanting to be with Abbi—he knew it would be too risky.

The first thing he’d been oriented about when he came out to the Belmont Ranch Resort & Spa, as a “contract worker” and not as the boss undercover, was management had discussed sexual harassment claims in the past at the resort under the previous owners before the Belmonts bought it and took it over.

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