Page 84 of Dr. CEO (The Doctors)

“You think he’ll come back?”

I don’t, but I don’t want Meghan to think Vincent’s lost interest in Crompton as a business. He knows how to make money without needing to oversee things personally. “I imagine he will.”

“Are you nervous about your new job?” she asks.

“I’m excited.” It’s true. I can’t wait to tell guests all about Crompton and get them as enthusiastic about the place as I am.

“I know I don’t have a job sorted out yet, but I’m excited too. It feels like this could be something really great.”

“I agree.” I wave at Sandra, who is coming from the other direction. “And the best of it is, I get to work with fantastic people I know, love, and cherish.”

Meghan links her arm through mine and we meet Sandra by the tent.

“We’re all early,” Sandra says. “I want a seat at the front so I get to tell this general manager I want a job giving out the tea.”

“You’re going to be the hotel tea teller, are you?”

She rolls her eyes. “Earl Grey, not gossip.”

We all shuffle through the door of the tent.

“In my day, if a tent had a zip, you were posh. Now look at this place. It’s got lights and everything,” Sandra says.

I laugh. “This isn’t the kind of tent you spend a week in the summer on a beach with. Although, it’s got air conditioning, so it’s the only kind of tent I’d want for that kind of trip.” I think about Vincent and wonder if he’s ever been camping. Maybe before his dad abandoned him. His life would have been completely different before he left—almost the exact opposite of mine before my mum died. I wish we’d had a chance to talk more, share more, heal more—together.

Just as we take our seats in the front row, Michael arrives with Molly and a woman I recognize from her profile picture on LinkedIn. Without thinking, I jump to my feet. “Olga, how lovely to meet you. My name’s Kate. I’m looking forward to being your head of guest relations.”

Olga gives me a warm smile and shakes my hand. “I’ve heard so much about you. You’re going to be able to teach me so much about this wonderful place.”

“I’m looking forward to it. We’re all very excited you’re here.” I introduce her to Sandra and Meghan. As they chat animatedly to Olga, I watch as people who’ve known me our entire lives file into the tent. There’s a palpable sense of excitement in the air and I’m contributing to it.

I’m no longer furious the earl sold the place. He probably should have done it ten years ago. I’m not nervous my world is going to be turned upside down, because that already happened when Vincent came into my life. Though I have a badly bruised heart, there are finger marks around my soul—being with him has changed me at my core.

I’d just been existing before Vincent. He brought me to life.

“Testing, testing,” Michael says into the microphone at the front of the tent.

“A bloody microphone as well,” Sandra says. “Can you believe it?” Anyone would think an alien spacecraft just landed in front of us.

“Sandra, you’re not three hundred years old,” I say. “You’ve seen a microphone before.”

“Not in a tent I haven’t,” she replies.

“Well here’s your new experience of the day,” I say. “I think there are going to be a lot more coming down the road, so strap in.”

Once everyone arrives, Michael talks a little about timings of the hotel opening. He has no doubt they’ll open as scheduled, nine months from now. He shows us images of what the interior and exterior of the hotel will look like, which I’ve seen already, and talks a lot about how the luxury aspect of the hotel starts with appearances but comes to fruition with service. He then introduces Olga, who talks about the jobs that are going to become available. The guest relations team will have six members, including me. Then she talks about training schedules.

“Michael is right that the service the guests receive in our hotel will set it apart from other competing hotels, and will also guarantee the holy grail of hoteliers—repeat customers. If we impress people, they’ll come back. If they come back, the hotel will be successful, and success feeds success.”

She talks about how the hotel will be a boon to local businesses and surrounding towns. I can feel excitement crackle in the air as people realize we have the chance to do something spectacular at the hotel. Like a stone tossed to the center of a lake, our success could have a ripple effect that reaches far beyond the estate.

“What’s key is consistency,” Olga continues. “That means the service our guests get from the guest relations team is just as experienced and high-end as they get from our housekeeping staff, from the butlers, the restaurant teams, the gardeners, the maintenance teams. There can be no weak links. We need to provide exceptional service, whatever role we have in the hotel.”

She pauses, and part of me thinks she’s about to introduce Vincent. He’ll talk about all the amazing hotels he’s stayed at, maybe share anecdotes about interactions that have stuck in his memory. But just as my heart begins to pick up pace, Olga continues.

“I’ve talked to you about how the heads of department—some of whom are here today—will shadow people doing their jobs in other luxury hotels. They’ll bring that knowledge back to you, back to us, and we can all benefit. But the first thing we need to do is understand luxury. We need to see exceptional service and know what it feels like before we can provide it. For that reason, the heads of department will go to London next week for an overnight stay at the Four Seasons on Park Lane.”

I stop breathing.

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