Page 110 of The Playboy

“It should be ingrained in each trainee that it takes three pumps to clean the shower walls, a two-second spray on the rag for nightstands and dressers. There’s a process for cleaning and a process for the supplies. How can there be one without the other?”

“Yesss. I agree.”

“And staffing, that’s a never-ending issue.” I rolled my eyes. “Our manager is constantly trying to accommodate so many different people that it’s an inefficient process. There should be three shifts—no more, no less, and no half shifts.” I held out my fingers and used them to count as I said, “By the time the housekeeper changes into their uniform, loads their cart, wheels it to their floor, they’ve wasted almost thirty minutes. That means the hotel is only getting three and a half hours of cleaning time from them. When you times that by a year, it’s a scary number.”

“Brooklyn …” Jo was shaking her head. “I’m extremely impressed.”

“Thank you, but it’s not just housekeeping. I see changes that need to be made in many other departments. The bar in the lobby, the front desk. The maintenance department and the grounds staff. I don’t know what it is or why this happens, but the problems just stand out to me, probably more so than the positives do.”

I lifted the bottle of water off the table. “I haven’t even opened this yet, and I probably won’t. If HR had just given me a washable cup filled with purified water that was installed in your tap with a few ice cubes, that would have been more than fine. Not to mention an astronomical cost savings over the long run.”

I turned the water bottle. The Spade logo was printed on the label that was wrapped around the middle of the plastic. “Brand recognition, personalization—all things that have value and add lots of class. But at the same time, a washable cup with your logo on it wouldn’t make me or any visitor to your corporate office feel any differently.”

She let out a small laugh. “Wait until Walter hears some of this. You’re going to make my dad’s entire world, and he’s going to eat this up.” She paused. “He couldn’t join us—he’s out of the office today—but I know he’ll go wild when you analyze our processes and individual hotels and provide this kind of feedback.”

The way she was speaking, I already had the job. But I wasn’t going to point that out.

“I can’t wait to meet him,” I said instead.

“Your brain is going to do wonders for this company, Brooklyn.”

I stared at her in amazement. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“Because you’re humble, and I love that about you.” She checked her watch. “Do you have any questions for me?”

I thought about it.

I really dug.

“Not yet, but I might in the future.”

She stood from her chair. “Then, come on. I’ll walk you out.”

I joined her at the door, and she pulled a card out of her pocket and gave it to me.

“This has my cell number on it. Feel free to reach out anytime.”

I took a deep breath. “I appreciate you, Jo. Know that, please.”

Her hand briefly went to my arm before she opened the door, and I walked with her down the hallway and into the elevator, taking it to the lobby. There was never a moment of silence between us; she filled the seconds with questions about Hawaii and how excited she was to come to the grand opening of their Kauai hotel. And when we reached the sidewalk outside the building, she turned toward me.

“HR will be in touch tomorrow. I’m assuming there will be something in your inbox before you land.”

“I can’t even begin to process what you’re saying.”

Her laugh was so carefree. “It’ll sink in when you see it in writing.” She nodded toward the curb, where an SUV was parked. “That’s your ride back to the hotel. Have a safe flight, Brooklyn. I’ll be seeing you in Hawaii very soon.”

I found myself hugging her. I wasn’t sure if that was appropriate or professional, but it was something I had to do for myself. And as she squeezed back, I was hit with the realization that this could very well be the start of a friendship.

One that would mean so much to me.

“Bye, Jo,” I whispered as our arms dropped.

We gave final smiles, and I opened the door of the SUV, jumping when I saw who was in the backseat.

“Macon …”

“Did you really think I was going to let you tour LA all by yourself?” His grin dripped with charisma and sex. “Get in.”

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