Total pages in book: 176
Estimated words: 164533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
I mentioned this as an icebreaker, and she smiled in delight. “Ah, yes, that’s one of my most popular dishes. The Balfes sometimes put an order in for a big batch that they can keep at home.”
“My relatives are clearly very smart people,” I said, and she chuckled.
“Come on, I’ll pair you up with one of the other porters, and they can show you the ropes for the day.”
She led me to the back of the kitchen, where a tall, broad shouldered, husky guy stood washing dishes. His back looked familiar, and then he turned around, and I saw who it was.
“Rhys! I didn’t know you worked here,” I said, pleasantly surprised to see him as a grin tugged at my lips.
His eyebrows jumped, a hint of embarrassment in his expression. “Charli? Uh, yeah, I’m working here for the summer.”
“Me, too.”
“Well, it appears you both know each other,” Moira said. “That’s good. Rhys, can you let Charli shadow you for the day to learn the ropes?”
He scratched the back of his head, seeming somewhat reluctant. “Are you sure? I’m cleaning out the freezer today.”
Moira glanced at me. “You don’t mind getting thrown in the deep end, do you, Charli?”
“I don’t think so,” I replied, suddenly hesitant. Just how bad was it to clean out a freezer? Well, it was going to be cold, but I could handle that. I’d survived through countless Boston winters.
“Great, I’ll leave you both to it. Come find me if there are any issues.”
With that, she left, and I stood next to a somewhat awkward looking Rhys.
“So,” I began. “Is it really going to be terrible, this freezer-cleaning business?”
He finished rinsing out some dishes then turned off the faucet. “It’s not as bad as changing oil or cleaning the ovens, but it’s not easy either.” He paused, giving me a once over with those handsome blue eyes. “You didn’t happen to bring a spare jumper, did you?”
I shook my head. Rhys frowned, studying me for a moment as he pressed his lips together. “I have a hoodie in my locker you can borrow. Come on.”
I followed him from the kitchen, down a long hallway, and into a staff room lined with lockers. He approached one and cast me a quick glance as he fiddled with the lock.
“They didn’t assign you one of these yet?” I shook my head. “Someone will probably come find you later and give you a code. In the meantime, you can store your things in mine if you want,” he said all this while not looking at me, and I got the sense Rhys was a little shy.
“Thanks. That’s kind of you,” I said, shrugging off my jacket and bag. I handed both to Rhys, and he took them quietly before giving me a thick, dark blue hoodie. The cotton was soft and cosy, well worn. It was way too big for me, but I didn’t mind so long as it kept me warm in the freezer. It smelled clean, too, like laundry detergent and a hint of male cologne. Was that his scent? Had he worn it already? A tiny shiver went through me.
I’d never worn a boy’s clothes before.
“Right,” Rhys said after he closed his locker. “Better get to it.”
He glanced at me, some indecipherable look in his eyes as they ran over his hoodie, probably noting it was too large on me. Then he rubbed his chin and exhaled a short breath before turning and leaving the room.
Again, I followed him, this time back to the kitchen. There were other members of staff prepping and cooking food. Rhys nodded hello to a few of them and introduced me as the new part-time porter. He didn’t mention I was the hotel owner’s niece, which I appreciated. I just wanted them to treat me like any other member of staff.
The freezer was basically an entire room that we entered through steel doors. It was lined with shelves of produce.
Rhys placed his hands on his hips then scratched the back of his neck as he eyed the shelves. I stood quietly, waiting for his instructions.
“First, we need to take inventory of what’s close to its ‘use by’ date and clear out some of the expired items,” he said. “There shouldn’t be too many of those because Moira keeps a system where most everything gets used on time. We’ll start here,” he continued, motioning to the farthest set of shelves, “and work our way back. After that we’ll need to move everything off the shelves and unplug the unit.” He grimaced. “That’s when the actual hard work begins. I hope you ate a good breakfast.”
“I had scrambled eggs on wholegrain toast,” I replied earnestly as a chill crept across the back of my neck. It really was lucky Rhys had this hoodie in his locker; otherwise, I would’ve been absolutely freezing.