Cami spent the rest of the day at the hotel.
Though she had gone over the supply list Blake provided for her based on what they needed for the previous hotel opening, she sat in on all of the discussions between Blake, Lana, and the other women about their areas of expertise. It was necessary to understand everyone’s skills and strengths, their needs and what they had available to them so she could make guidelines and plans for her own department. Delphi left before lunch to prepare for her client’s wedding, but the rest of the women kept going strong into the afternoon and the next day.
For two days she watched the way Lana carefully avoided looking at Blake, her preoccupation with work, and how quiet she had grown. Even when she and Cami were alone, Lana remained withdrawn. Finally Cami decided to give her sister a nudge.
“So, crazy of Alex to make Blake tell you he’s going to be peeking over your shoulder all year,” she said as she sat beside Lana in the great room. “You should have at least gotten a heads up.”
Lana was hunched over her laptop making notes. “He was always going to be checking my work. We’ll have the advantage of his experience nearly full time now.” Her lips compressed into a thin line as she stared at the screen, but she stopped typing.
“What’s the deal with the two of you, anyway? You became an ice princess the minute you saw him.” Cami studied her sister, noticed when Lana straightened her back, loosened her shoulders and smiled.
“I’ve got a lot on my mind. The order for the uniforms should have gone out a month ago and there’s all the supplies for the restaurant and spa. Thankfully the decorator ordered linens for each room already so that’s one less thing to worry about.” She flashed a smile as Jonquil stepped down into the room. “How’s your list coming?”
“Great. I’ll have it for you before I take off in the morning.” Jonquil dropped into an overstuffed chair, tucked one foot beneath her, and flipped back her long blonde braids. “I don’t know how you’re dealing with the pressure; there’s so much going on, so much to plan and prepare and it’s not like you’ve done this before.”
“Close enough,” Cami said. “Dad wasn’t kidding when he said she’s been getting ready for this since she was six. She’s worked in every department, studied in school, and was bent on managing a hotel on her own before she turned thirty. She met the deadline by more than a year.”
“Does it bother you that people are going to think you got preferential treatment because you’re the daughter?” Jonquil asked. When Lana turned hot eyes on her, Jonquil held up a hand to stave off the argument. “I’m not saying you didn’t earn it. I’m just saying I’ve been working my tail off in my own field trying to make a name for myself. Dad wanted me to move to San Francisco and take over the department there a couple of years back. I didn’t because I didn’t want people to wonder how I got hired. I was only twenty-six and no one knew he was my dad—what would they think? All of us are working here because of nepotism.”
She gestured to Lana. “Even though you’ve been working your tail off, people are bound to question whether you’re ready for it, or only got the position because you’re his daughter.”
Lana took in a deep breath—a sign she was attempting to rein in her temper, then nodded. “I knew there would be speculation, but I figured if I made it work, if I put everything I had into it, and proved I could do it, the speculation would die down after a year or so. Or mostly. Having Blake here, though, doesn’t exactly indicate Dad thought I was capable of doing it on my own. People are going to think he’s here as my safety net.” Her lips twisted in a frown.
“Ah, I hadn’t thought of that.” Cami drank from her water bottle, kicking herself for being so oblivious to why her sister was mad about him being there. “I guess it makes sense. It’s wrong, of course, but people will think it.”
“And everyone’s going to wonder how the younger sister got to be manager when you’re not,” Lana said to Cami. “So expect questions and speculation there, too.”
“I wondered,” Jonquil said. “Shouldn’t you have been first in line for hotel manager?”
“I didn’t want it. I never have,” Cami said with a shrug. “I’ve been happy doing what I do and I’m the best. I’m better with people than slogging through paperwork. Now not only do I have to be the boss, I have to put everything together from scratch. I won’t have concierges who are familiar with the local area.” Cami screwed and unscrewed the lid to her water bottle. “I’ll have to move here sooner than most of you so I can figure all of that out, study the area and do my research, in addition to interviews and set ups. Now I’ve gotten used to the idea, I find I’m actually kind of excited about it.” Not the being boss part, or the being forced to live here with four strangers, but the work would be an interesting challenge.
“I’m set to move in by August first myself,” Jonquil admitted. “I’m not sure how much staff I’ll have to bring in, but this is a bit outside the realm of my expertise— dealing with flowers in rooms, which ones, how many, what to order, juggling employees to keep up with everything, and adding in events, restaurant bouquets, lobby, etc. I’ve already set an appointment to pick the brain of the florist at the Philly hotel.”
“Good. You’ll do fine. Dad wouldn’t have put you in charge if he didn’t think you were more than capable of handling yourself,” Lana told her. She straightened her shoulders. “We’re all capable of doing this. It’s going to take some time to adjust and prepare, and once the hotel opens we’ll all have to hit the ground running.” She chewed on the end of her pen. “And pretend Dad didn’t build in a back-up in case we fail.”
Cami didn’t think for a second that their father had assigned Blake to their location expecting failure. Lana wouldn’t believe it unless she wanted to, so it was better to leave her to figure it out on her own. The way Blake had let her run the meetings should have made it clear he intended for her to take the lead.
Her mind shifted to the hunk who carried her bags in when she arrived. Vince? She’d seen him, shovel in hand, working with the landscaping crew when they’d come out of the hotel. He’d raised a hand in greeting, and she’d managed not to drool as she returned the gesture. He was so different from the other men she’d dated. His sheer physical presence, mixed with the sweetness of the way he’d spoken to Mrs. Grady was an intriguing contrast. Maybe she was so messed up right now any non-creepy guy who smiled at her would get a second look.
She hoped it was him and not because she was messed up. Standing, she excused herself to go to bed. Apparently she needed some serious sleep.