One of the Good Ones (Strawberry Inn Book #1)

Chapter 25

ANGELA

Today is the day. The day that all the time, money, and hard work has been leading up to. Today is the grand opening of the new and improved Strawberry Inn. We are fully booked for the weekend and to get the opening weekend started off with a bang we are having an open house and reception to invite the public to see the remodeled inn.

According to Blair, most of the guests for this weekend are locals. With so much excitement over the inn reopening, they wanted to be some of the first to experience the restoration of an old landmark. We chose to only have Friday through Sunday reservations for the first two weeks so our staff could get used to their new jobs and systems. In two weeks we will be open seven days a week and we’re already fully booked for our first month.

With the Strawberry Festival coming up next month, we already have a list of callbacks from out-of-towners who would like to stay here. Blair and the front desk workers will begin to call them after this weekend to officially book them. The next two months are going to be crazy as hell, but completely worth it.

Everybody else is wearing their uniforms that include khaki pants and skirts, plus red Strawberry Inn polos, but being the boss I dressed up for the occasion. I’m wearing a cream-colored pantsuit that was tailored to perfection from one of the ladies at the dry cleaners and a bright red silk blouse underneath it. I give myself one more glance in the office mirror and then walk out to the front desk, ready to start the day.

“There she is!” Blair hugs me tightly and behind her, I see all of the employees standing waiting for some sort of speech from the person in charge. That person is me. I’m not one for public speaking, but I’ve run my fair share of employee meetings. I’ve also had the chance to meet with all of these people through interviews and training so I feel comfortable addressing the group.

“Good morning everybody! Today is the day we’ve been training for. I don’t know about all of you, but I’m really excited!” I look around and see nothing but smiles and nods of heads. “Awesome! We’re going to be expecting a lot of people here today so we must stay on the schedule that Blair put together.”

“Are we going to have a chance to enjoy some of the festivities?” Joy, one of the housekeepers asks. 

“Yes! Blair is going to hand out assignments and you will see that you all have blocks of time set aside to enjoy the food and refreshments that are being offered today. Once we start the process of checking in our guests for the weekend, we will be ending the tours and things will feel more normal.”

“Just as a reminder,” follows up, “All weekend we will have meals in the employee room as a thank you for being part of the team.”

“Are there any other questions before we get the vent started?” I wait for a moment, but I don’t see any other hands raised or employees with questions. “Great! Blair and I will be available on walkies all day, don’t hesitate to call us if you need anything. We’re going to keep Channel 2 open for communication with us.”

I dismiss everybody and they all scatter to go about their daily tasks. Most of them will be helping run tours today. I thought it would be a great opportunity to make sure they were comfortable making their way around the inn. At noon we would be having a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the mayor and then at two our guests can start checking in. I’m on cloud nine right now.

I didn’t think I could get any happier, but when I stepped outside the very first thing that caught my eye was the fire truck parked at the far end of the parking lot. I knew he was busy and didn’t expect to see him today, but there he was. “Wow, Angela…” He stepped out of the truck when I approached and I could see his eyes roaming up and down my body.

“It is my power suit, what do you think?”

Harrison takes my hand and spins me around before pulling me in for a kiss, “You look stunning and in charge.”

“That is the point! I still can’t believe you are here. Did you see the line of people in front of the hotel?”

“They’re here for you, Blondie. We are too. Speaking from a professional standpoint, please know that the entire Strawberry Fire Department supports local businesses, including Strawberry Inn.”

“Being diplomatic, are we?”

“I can’t have people thinking it is only because we’re seeing each other. The rumors that might be spread about us would be scandalizing.”

“Now you’re just being ridiculous,” I say with an eye roll.

“Blondie,” Harrison says as he pulls me close to his body once again, “That thing you did in my office yesterday was nothing is not scandalous.”

“Harrison!” I smack his chest, “You can’t be talking about that in public. You never know who is listening.”

He glances around, “I only see the two of us, sweetheart. Grant is working shift with me and he has already gone around to the front entrance to find his family. And don’t forget, I still owe you one.”

“I didn’t do that so you could owe me. In fact, if we’re keeping score of orgasms, I’m pretty sure I’m way in the lead.”

“Look who is talking dirty now.”

“What can I say?” I shrug. “You’ve corrupted me.”

“I haven’t even gotten started corrupting you.”

“And as much as I would love to see what you have in store, I need to head up front and welcome everybody to the event. Are you planning on sticking around for a bit?”

“I think so, yeah. As long as we don’t get any calls, there is no reason why we can’t be here.”

“I’m really happy to see you here. I just feel bad that I’m going to be running around doing all sorts of stuff.”

Harrison takes my hand and we begin walking through the courtyard and out front to the line of guests anticipating the opening of the inn. “Don’t worry about me, Angela. I’m not here because I need you to hang out with me. I wanted to show my support because today is a big day for you. Plus, Dalton said he was going to bring Katie by, so I can hang out with the two of them.”

Before opening the front doors, I stop and face Harrison. He is so handsome in his navy blue shirt and pants. He is not the type of guy that I ever saw myself with, but I think that had a lot to do with my own insecurities. Today wasn’t the day to think about that though. He took time out of his day to be here for me. The selfish act is just another reason I’m falling so hard for him. I want to tell him that I love him because I know that I do. Right here isn’t the time though, so I pocket that for a later conversation.

After stealing a few more kisses with Harrison, it is time to open the doors and officially open Strawberry Inn to the public. The speech I gave earlier was easy compared to the one I needed to give now. Blair suggested that I write something out, but the idea of doing that was every more stressful than winging it. When I opened the front doors I was met by a large and eager crowd. Blair arranged a small stage to be set up for the ribbon-cutting ceremony later. I took a few deep breaths and walked over to the stage.

“You’ve got this, Angela. We all believe in you!” Blair handed me the microphone after her last-second pep talk.

The crowd was large, but as I started to look around I saw so many familiar faces. Six months ago I moved here on a whim to start my life over. I never would have imagined that Strawberry would so quickly feel like home to me. It wasn’t just the best friend I had in Blair or my budding relationship with Harrison that made me feel that way. It was seeing this group of people that welcomed me with open arms and supported my dreams of reviving this old inn. People like Stan who went out of his way to make countless orders for supplies. Or Nadine from the cafe who started to keep Havarti cheese in stock when I mentioned it was my favorite. Even Glen and Danny who ran the pizza shop, pumping our large orders at last-minute requests so I could feed the construction crews who were working overtime. 

Strawberry’s welcoming committee was strong and because of them, I’m able to stand here, ready to open up this hotel and feel that success run through my veins again. I cleared my throat and turned on the microphone, time to get this show on the road.