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His phone rang only twice before he answered. “Hello, Rinnie. What can I do for you?”

I was momentarily struck by the fact that he’d already put my number into his phone, but then I reminded myself that he was merely being efficient. If I were managing his hotel, then, of course, he needed to have my number.

“Um, are you about? I’ve just arrived at the hotel, and there’s a bit of a situation going on out front.”

“A situation?”

“Our neighbour, Molly, is blocking the entrance because of potholes outside her house made during the renovations. She said you’ve been dodging her calls.”

“What? No, I’ve haven’t been dodging …” He let out a heavy sigh. “I’ve been meaning to ring her back and explain what’s happening. I actually asked Becky to schedule a call this morning, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

“That’s fine. I’m sure she’ll understand if you come out and speak with her in person.”

“I’ll be right there,” he said before hanging up.

“The owner will be here in a minute,” I said to Molly, and she nodded, though her expression hadn’t softened any.

We all waited tensely until we spotted Tristan walking out of the hotel. He wore dark slacks paired with a pale blue shirt and a grey tie. A leather belt highlighted his trim waist and flat stomach, while the morning sun brought out the natural golden highlights in his hair. Why did he always have to look so good? It was a distraction I didn’t need. When he reached us, he gave me a nod of acknowledgement before saying something to the waiting workers that he’d handle things, and then he approached Molly.

“Mrs Weir, a pleasure to meet you in person. I’m Tristan Balfe,” he said, politely holding out his hand, but she just looked at it, refusing to shake with him.

Tristan cleared his throat. “So, I’m aware that you’ve had some complaints about the potholes. I’m very sorry that your calls weren’t returned. I had actually planned on calling you this morning but hadn’t gotten around to it yet.”

“Okay,” Molly said, folding her arms. I felt Tristan was telling the truth about the calls, though she didn’t look like she believed him.

“Well, the problem is that we’ve wanted to fill in those holes, but it’s a public road, and therefore, we would need permission from the County Council to do any work, which they’re refusing to give. I would be all too happy to have some workers come and complete the repairs, but unfortunately, it’s illegal for me to do that, and if I did, I could face legal action. I promise you I haven’t been ignoring the situation. In fact, I’ve had my assistant pestering the council every day to have something done.”

“And what am I supposed to do in the meantime?” Molly retorted. “Mine and my husband’s vehicles are being damaged every time we have to drive over the holes.”

“And I apologise for that, but like I said, right now all we can do is wait for the council to come and remedy the issue.”

I saw it the moment a blood vessel in her forehead began to pump. “Quite frankly, Mr Balfe, that’s not good enough. I can’t just keep driving on a destroyed road, and it could be months or longer before the council gets up off their arse and does something about it.”

I could tell that Tristan speaking with her had done nothing except for incense her further. I noticed his shoulders tense as he tugged a little at his shirt collar. I wasn’t sure why, but I found myself stepping forward, compelled to come to his rescue when I saw how he was floundering. Not to mention the tradespeople were growing more and more agitated as they waited.

“There might be a solution,” I said, and Tristan looked at me with such gratitude and relief that I felt a swirl of pleasure in my belly.

“Oh, yeah, and what would that be?” Molly asked, all attitude.

I short her an arch look, and she settled down some, recognising that I didn’t deserve her ire and was only trying to help. “Perhaps until the road is repaired, you and your husband could come park here at the hotel for a while. We have plenty of spaces. Sure, it’s a little bit of a walk back to your house, and I don’t know about you, but I always relish the opportunity to get a few more of my daily steps in,” I said with a little friendly chuckle, and some of her anger visibly subsided.

“You’d be okay with that, Mr Balfe?” she asked, looking to Tristan.

“Yes, of course. As Rinnie said, we have the space.”

Then she started to frown. “But what about when I’m doing my big weekly shop? I’m not schlepping my groceries all the way to my house.”

“We’ll have one of our porters assist you in carrying them,” Tristan offered, and Molly’s eyebrows raised. “I’d also like to arrange for you and your husband to come have dinner at our restaurant once we reopen by way of apology for the inconvenience. How does that sound?” I could see that she liked the idea of having a personal grocery carrier, not to mention a free dinner. I was impressed that Tristan had thought on his feet with the offer.

“It sounds reasonable,” she said with a little sniff before turning her key in the ignition and starting her engine. “But if you go back on your word, I’ll be right back here, blocking your entrance again,” she yelled out the window as she made a small U-turn then pulled away from the gates. The tradespeople gave a loud cheer, and I found myself grinning while Tristan shot me a wide smile.

“I feel like you need a pay rise. It’s barely been two days, and that’s the second time you’ve come to my rescue.”

“Just remember it when you’re deciding on the end of year bonuses,” I replied. “And besides, you’re the one who thought to offer her a free dinner. I think that helped seal the deal.”

Tristan chuckled softly. “Come on, let’s get inside,” he said as the vans began making their way into the hotel at long last. “I think I owe you a coffee.”

“I’ll take a flat white, no sugar,” I told him with a grin as we walked back to the hotel building. We parted ways in the lobby, and I had a little skip in my step as I headed towards my office. It appeared that some part of me enjoyed being able to help Tristan out of sticky situations. Or maybe I just liked it because it showed him I was a valuable employee. Clearly, Sloane’s comment about Katy coming for my job had gotten into my head.