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“Rinnie, are you listening?” Adelaide’s high-pitched, stressed tone brought me back to the present.

“Sorry. What was that?”

“Lisa has called in sick, and I’ve got ten rooms to clean before the wedding ceremony lets out.”

“Oh, have you tried getting Aminah to come in for a shift?”

“I did, but she has the kids today, and she couldn’t find a sitter on such short notice.”

I let out a heavy sigh. “All right. I’ll tap in if there’s no one else.”

“Great,” Adelaide said, happy that I was willing to help. There wasn’t another choice though. With the wedding happening, every member of staff was occupied, and those rooms needed to be turned over before 2 p.m. I called down to Samara on reception, letting her know our catch up would have to wait until later.

Adelaide and I got through the rooms in record time, my previous housekeeping experience coming in handy. I’d been grateful just to have a job back then, but when Uncle Fred had suggested a night course in hospitality management, I’d jumped on the offer. I’d never had the opportunity to go to college and was eager for any chance to further my education. When Fred’s previous manager, Tabatha, retired, he offered me her job, and I’d been manager ever since.

I was tidying up the last room, which wasn’t too messy, so I only needed to switch out the towels, make the bed, empty the bins and replace some of the toiletries. I was in the middle of making the bed when I heard footsteps.

“Ah, sorry,” said Tristan, holding up a hand as he realised housekeeping was there. Of course, this was his room. That was just the sort of luck I had. When he saw it was me, his gaze wandered over me in that same warm, appreciative way it had earlier.

“We really have to stop meeting like this.”

2.

Tristan

The pretty hotel manager’s eyelashes fluttered as she opened her mouth, about to say something, then closed it again. I forced my gaze to remain on her face and not on her perfect backside that was presented fully for my appreciation as she reached across the bed to tuck in the edge of the sheet. My brother had just gotten married to the love of his life, but all I could think about was the gorgeous woman who’d turned me down when I’d asked if she’d join me for a drink.

Also, why was she doing housekeeping? Derek had said she was the manager, yet here she was cleaning my room. Maybe the Astor Cove was in worse shape than I thought.

“I’m just finished, so you can come in,” she replied in her low, velvety voice that had my gut tightening with want. She was honestly the sexiest woman I’d seen in a long time, and not merely because she was beautiful. There was something about her that I couldn’t put my finger on. I felt like I knew her, as strange as that was, even though we’d never met. Was that a sign? Was this feeling of familiarity a clue from the universe that she could be a good match for me?

At thirty-seven years old, I’d had a few long-term relationships. In my twenties I’d dated a lot, always searching for “the one.” My brother had gotten married to his first wife, Paloma, when he was in his early twenties and had proceeded to have two kids, so I’d always felt like I was behind. I’d never met anyone that I wanted to get down on one knee and propose to, and I was beginning to wonder if it was my fate to be alone.

The problem was that almost every woman I’d ever been with didn’t actually love me; they loved the life I could give them. They loved the successful family business they’d be marrying into and the wealth it would bring. It was always a depressing day when I made the realisation, saw some sign that my other half merely regarded me as a ticket to a comfortable life. When I was younger, I didn’t mind so much. I always told myself that the next person would be better, but now I was heading towards forty with no sign of my soulmate in sight. It was getting a little bit depressing. I had zero aspirations to be a lifelong bachelor and would love to find someone to commit to.

As soon as I saw Rinnie, I’d been hit with a whack of intense familiarity, like I’d known her in a past life. Look, I wasn’t normally so woo-woo, but she was adamant that she didn’t know me, so now I was turning to magical reasoning. Was some higher power presenting her to me, nudging me towards her because she was the one I’d been searching for? Then again, perhaps there was nothing magical about it. After all, she was a complete stunner, with curves that begged to be touched, incredibly thick, curly hair and smooth olive skin. Her amber coloured eyes held a kindness and something else, something that seemed a little like loneliness. I recognised it because it was the same loneliness that lived inside me.

“We’re short-staffed today,” she explained, breaking me from my thoughts. Had I asked a question? I was so distracted by her that I couldn’t recall. “One of our housekeepers is sick, so I had to pitch in.”

I arched an eyebrow. Having run my family’s hotels with my father and brother for the better part of the last fifteen years, I knew a thing or two about being short-staffed. I’d never had to have a manager step in and clean rooms though.

It was terrible to think it, but this boded well for me. If the business were struggling, then the owner might be more inclined to sell. The Astor Cove was an old but beloved boutique hotel and an incredible building with unique period features, but it was in dire need of modernisation. Derek and I had just successfully opened up a third Balfe location in Cork. Now I was on the lookout for a new venture, and the Astor Cove presented the perfect challenge. I could already see it in my mind’s eye. This place could be incredible with the right combination of vision and investment.

“I see,” I said and stood there as Rinnie gathered a few items to return to the cleaning cart outside. “Let me help you with those,” I said, and her eyes widened in surprise as she quietly handed over the cleaning products. I placed them out in the cart, then returned to the room.

“How long have you worked here?” I asked as she went to the bin to remove the plastic liner. I got there ahead of her, pulling out the bag and tying the handles in a knot.

A faint flush stained her cheeks as she took the bag from me, and I held out my hand for a replacement. She pulled a bin liner from the roll and handed it to me. “Uh, thanks,” she said, seeming a little shy now before she continued. “And to answer your question, I’ve worked here for nineteen years.”

My eyebrows shot up. Nineteen years was a long time. She must’ve started working here when she was only a teenager.

“Then you must know the owner pretty well? I’ve been hoping to meet with him, but he’s been a hard man to find.”

“Fred’s office is on the ground floor just down the corridor from reception. You’ll likely find him there,” Rinnie responded.

“I’m actually in the hospitality business myself,” I went on. “My family owns the Balfe Hotels, ever heard of them?”

She shook her head, shifting on her feet like she was in a hurry to get going, but I knew this was likely the last room on her schedule because it was at the end of the hallway on the top floor of the building.