Page 7 of My One Week Husband
The front desk manager is on top of the situation too, which makes Colin officially my new favorite person. That’s not a surprise — his knowledge of the area was one of the reasons we were so impressed with this property before we bought it. Though he speaks French, his accent tells me he’s from England.
He’s already lined up a chandelier restoration expert who goes by the name “Mr. Crystal” to come by at one o’clock.
“He wears wire-rimmed glasses that sit on the end of his nose and a brown cardigan even in the summer. A monocle always dangles around his neck. He can’t be anything but a chandelier restoration expert,” Colin details with a cheery demeanor from his post behind the front desk. He’s chatty too, and though I have lots to do, it’s important to spend time with those who are the public face of our new property.
Plus, the image Colin paints amuses me, so it’s no chore to gab with him. “Chandelier repair…It’s one of those jobs you don’t think anyone might have until you need precisely that person.”
“And then you’re so glad someone has that post.”
“Exactly.”
He taps his chin, his brow knitting like he’s having fun with this discussion. “I’ve often wondered though…do you think he knew from a young age that he wanted to be a chandelier restoration expert? Or was he torn for a while –chandeliers or grandfather clocks?”
“And chandeliers won out since there are many reasons to repair them. After all, how many chandeliers must need repair due to swinging from them?”
Colin laughs, lowers his voice. “Mr. Crystal surely knows, but as the saying goes — a good restoration expert never tells.”
“Discretion is the better part of chandelier repair. That’s a saying too, I’m sure.”
“I’d imagine it’d have to be. And perhaps, let’s be honest, with many of the repair people we often have to hire at hotels, it’s a vital skill – discretion.” He glances behind him, then speaks clandestinely. “We once had to track down someone to handle a canopy bed repair. You don’t want to know what that room looked like.”
I laugh. “Actually, I might.”
His voice dips again. “My wife loves to hear the tales from the front desk, as I call them. So I’ll say this much – knots. So many knots.”
“And you knew how to find a canopy repair person stat, I trust?”
“But of course. I called Mrs. Canopy straightaway.”
I smile. “Ah, I bet she and Mr. Crystal have so many stories to tell each other.”
“Stories are the secret to a happy marriage.”
Perhaps they are, but I wouldn’t know what makes for a happy marriage.
I do know what makes for happy employees and happy bosses though.
Kindness, respect and a good paycheck.
I focus on those details instead as I type a few notes in my tablet. “In any case, Colin, you said you expect new ones to be installed by the end of next week, and repairs to the existing ones by then too?”
“That’s the plan. We used Mr. Crystal in a hotel I worked at in Aix-en-Provence a while ago, and he was ahead of schedule by a week.”
“Fantastic. Thank you again for your quick work. And for making my job easier. Mr. Stewart and I are both incredibly grateful for that.” I close my tablet and drop it into my purse.
Normally, as one of the owners, this isn’t the level of attention I need to give to a property, but since this inn is the first in our plans to expand into smaller boutique hotels, I want to make sure Hotel de Garnier has my full attention.
“And I’m grateful you kept everyone on board when you bought this inn. Now, if you’ve got the time this morning, you and Mr. Stewart should visit our sister restaurant for breakfast. I’ll send word to the staff, and make sure they know it’s on the house.” With a smile, he tips his forehead toward the restaurant. “My wife works there and the restaurant has the most decadent berries in all of the South of France.”
With a smile, I hoist my purse strap higher. “If you were trying to impress the new owners, it worked.”
“Brilliant. That’s always the goal.”
I take a step toward the restaurant, since I’m meeting Daniel there shortly anyway.
Daniel, who I barely thought of last night when I returned to bed.
Daniel, whose bare chest and chiseled abs hardly featured in my late-night imaginings.
Daniel, who fried my brain so much that—
Shit. I can’t believe I forgot something so obvious.
I wheel around, nerves whipping through me. “Are there other chandeliers on other floors? Near guest rooms?” My God, if one fell on a guest . . . I shudder at the thought.
“Only a few. All of the guests who were staying in rooms that were adjacent to chandeliers were moved to other rooms in the middle of the night. So you don’t have to worry about that. And they’re all secure. Maintenance did a check.”
