One Fine Day

“Callum, would you mind showing Stuart how to work the coffee machine, and where everything is in the bar. Show him how room service works and the general routines.” See, there, didn’t stumble over his name.

“Yes, boss.” Callum saluted and Ruby scowled.

“Callum, less of the cheek, please. You’ll be working with my brother a lot, so I need you to go through your job and what you do – sensibly.” She kept her expression stern, then she turned to Steve. “I’ll leave you here with Callum. I’ll come find you and we could have lunch together?”

“Yeah, Roo, that’ll be great.”

***

“Roo?”

“She’s my sister. You call her that and she’ll probably fry your balls,” Steve said firmly to Callum.

Callum held his hands up defensively. “But I’m okay to call you Stu, right?”

“If you must.” Steve wasn’t enthralled about the name Stu, but as it wasn’t actually his name, he’d let Callum off. Plus, he needed to make friends not enemies, and Callum was young and impressionable. Callum was trying to be ‘cool’, or so he thought.

In the time leading up to lunch, Callum had shown Steve the bar, what drinks they sold, how to work the till, where the cellar was for changing the barrels – they had a couple of beers available on tap. It was all stuff Steve knew through working in bars at Callum’s age. The guy had to be in his early twenties. His attitude sometimes was immature, but generally Callum was a good guy. Steve had probably been the same, though he’d had more confidence with his looks. He’d never been struck with acne like Callum, and being sporty meant he had filled out early on.

“All right, Stu, let me show you how this big boy works.” Callum patted the coffee machine and grinned.

Callum was scrawny, talked a lot about games on his PlayStation, and whenever a pretty girl entered the bar, whether hotel staff or a guest, he’d give Steve a nudge and wink. Again, Steve let Callum talk while he worked. The less Steve spoke the better, he thought, while he was getting used to his new role. This way he reduced the chance of giving something away.

“We get more room service orders in the evening, but sometimes during the day, guests want a posh coffee sent up.” Callum had to raise his voice over the noise as he frothed milk in a stainless steel jug. He wiped the nozzle, then gently tapped the jug on the counter to send the froth to the top. He poured the foamy thick milk into a cup of espresso, sprinkled it with chocolate and grinned. “A perfect cappuccino is one third coffee, one third milk and one third froth.”

“I know.” Steve drank enough coffee to know how he liked it.

“You do?”

“Yeah, I can’t live without coffee.”

“Oh, I can’t stand the stuff. Don’t like tea either.”

“So who’s this for?” Steve pointed the coffee. Callum found a tray under the counter and placed the cup on it.

“Room 106. Come on, I’ll show you.”

When they returned from delivering the coffee, Ruby was standing at the bar waiting.

“Hey,” she said, smiling at Steve. “Did you want to get lunch together?”

Steve’s stomach rumbled as if on cue. “Yeah, that would be good.”

“I’ll bring him back to you after lunch, Callum.”

Callum nodded as he went back behind the bar to serve an approaching customer.

Steve held the door open for Ruby to enter the small staff room. Unwrapping two food parcels, Ruby placed one in front of Steve. They had a mouth-watering club sandwich each, doorstop sizes with lashings of mayonnaise. Steve’s stomach gurgled with hunger.

“Where’d you get these?” Steve asked, bringing the thick granary bread to his lips.

“Brett makes me up a lunch,” Ruby replied nonchalantly.

“Hmmm…” He nodded and swallowed. It tasted good. “Does he now?” He raised his eyebrows.

“It’s not like that.” Ruby dabbed her lips with a napkin which had also been provided. “He offers, and I can’t say no. He only does it because I’m his boss.”

“If you say so.” He’d noticed how Brett had looked at Ruby earlier, even if she hadn’t.

“So how’s your morning been?” Ruby asked, deliberately changing the subject, Steve thought.

“Not as scary as I thought.”

“Good, I just hope your cover doesn’t get blown.”

“Relax, Ruby, I’m feeling confident about this.” For good measure, he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, which he’d almost forgotten he’d been wearing. “I even broke a glass to appear clumsy.”

“Don’t break too many!” Ruby stared, horrified. “Or I’ll have to fire you.”

***

“Ready, Bro?” Ruby arrived at the bar, coat over her arm.

Steve nodded, wiping a glass and placing it on the shelf behind him.

At times, she found it easier to stick to calling him Bro rather than Stuart. Butterflies fluttered inside her stomach every time she thought about this little lie, and whether she’d let his true name slip. So far, Steve had managed a whole day in the hotel and everyone he’d worked with or spoken to seem satisfied. To her relief, no rumour floated around saying ‘Steve Mason is in the building.’ She realised, with a pang, she didn’t want him to leave. Not yet, and if his identity was revealed he’d have to. This game had to work. For her sake, she thought selfishly, as much as Steve’s.

She was the least worried about Callum – he wouldn’t know a celebrity if they whacked him in the face with a script. Lydia was fairly quiet, kept herself to herself – that’s why she’d chosen her to train Steve on reception duties. Only someone like Alice could be the real problem. Even with Steve’s disguise, he was still a handsome man.

Disguise? Was she kidding herself by giving Steve a boyish haircut and a pair of glasses? It had worked for Superman, but that was fiction. Comic or film. It wasn’t real.

Callum and Brett, and the rest of the hotel staff did not call Alice ‘Man Eater’ behind her back for nothing.

Dear God, that woman practically had a new conquest every weekend – or at least it felt like it the way Alice would talk of who’d taken her out to dinner. She was always dating – compared to Ruby who was never out. Ruby didn’t know where Alice found the time, considering she worked as a beautician privately too. She had a lot of private clients she tended to on her days off and evenings.

She was the female version of Steve. She had assets and knew how to use them. Would Steve fall for Alice’s charm? Alice was nice enough – in small doses – but she didn’t seem as though she was ready to settle down – yet. Which was what Steve wanted, wasn’t it? He could pick up a party girl in LA. Alice would look good on his arm though. A handsome couple.

What if Steve fell for the wrong woman, and had his heart broken all over again? Was this a good idea?

He’s a grown man, Ruby. He’ll be fine.

“Yeah, now I’m ready,” Steve hung up the towel and walked round the bar to greet Ruby, giving her a big bear hug.

“Hey, not at work.” She blushed. “The staff will be walking all over me.”

They separated at the locker rooms; Steve heading into the men’s. When he came out, he was changed into his normal clothes, shrugging on his coat. Callum and Brett walked out with him.

“Hey, shouldn’t we go down the pub for a pint, to celebrate Stu’s first day?” Callum said.

“Yeah.” Brett nodded, glancing at Ruby.

“Oh, it’s up to Stuart, he hasn’t got a car.” Ruby flustered, then turned to Steve “I can pick you up later, though – if you want to go.”

“You can come, too,” Brett said, hesitantly, removing his glasses and smiling nervously. Ruby noticed Callum’s groan. They didn’t usually include ‘the boss’ in the pub invitation. “You’re part of the team, too.”

“Oh, I don’t know.”

“Ruby, come on, we could do with winding down. Let me get to know these guys a little better,” Steve said, trying that twinkle with his eyes lark again. “You’re coming, too. Lydia?”

Lydia and Alice had come out of the ladies’ changing room.

“Okay, yes, I can come for one drink.”

“Alice?”

Alice already had her lipstick reapplied. “You didn’t even need to ask, gorgeous.”

Ruby buried her anxiety. Don’t panic. Alice called everyone gorgeous – except for Callum.

***

Steve bought the first round in the busy pub, full with after-work drinkers. Ruby had muttered in his ear, “Don’t flash your money around.”

He had to remember not to try too hard to fit in.

And not to drink too much, too.

The British were alcoholics compared to the Americans, and Steve had steered clear of too much drinking behind the scenes of the film industry, where it was laid on after a long shooting session. He’d witnessed first-hand the mess it had got some younger actors into. And older ones. Steve had kept clean and sober, not wanting to be in rehab before he was thirty. Luckily, he was the sort of guy who enjoyed life, and didn’t need to get drunk or stoned to have a good time. Maybe that came from confidence. He could socialise with anyone, laugh at anecdotes, and had learned to bite his tongue to those he didn’t quite gel with, walking away at the first opportunity, and not looking back.

Steve hadn’t set foot in a proper English pub in years. While savouring his ale he observed his new friends.

His first day – without wanting to jinx things – had so far gone without a hitch. Callum and Brett were a duo, though Callum was more the clown than Brett. In fact, Brett had gone quiet, Steve noticed, and he looked at Ruby a lot.

Alice remained close to Steve, and he’d get wafts of her floral perfume occasionally, which wasn’t overpowering. He’d be quite happy to breathe it in all day.

He listened to them all chat, getting to know them a little better, telling him their tales of work. Their best and worst guests. Callum and Alice were the real talkers of the group.

Ruby sloped off to the bathroom, and Callum nudged Steve, almost spilling his pint.

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