Lying in the Sand Read Free Page A

Two
    “Are you nervous?” Derek asked.
    Cheyenne finished styling her hair in the mirror. Her appearance was important and she had to look perfect. Working at the most prestigious hotel on Maui wasn’t a joke. Even if her fingernails weren’t perfectly trimmed it was grounds for dismissal. “Yeah.”
    Derek leaned against the doorframe. “Don’t be. You’re going to do great. Besides, the Four Seasons in Wailea Bay is a great place to work with advancement. The hotels around here make serious dough.”
    “I’m just glad to have a job.” She smoothed out her dress even though it was free of wrinkles. Then she made sure the yellow hibiscus flower was positioned behind her ear. She turned to her brother. “How do I look?”
    He winked. “Like a million bucks.”
    She walked down the hall then grabbed her purse. “I should get going.”
    Derek walked out with her, heading to her small car in the parking lot. “Just don’t be yourself and you’re good.”
    “What?” she asked.
    “Don’t be a brat. That’s all you have to do.”
    “I’m only a brat to you. I guess you didn’t pick up on that.”
    He chuckled. “Nope. I assumed you were a pain in the ass in general.”
    She rolled her eyes. “Bye.”
    He grabbed her arm and pulled her in for a hug. “You’ll do great, sis. I know you will.”
    She relaxed then pulled away. “Thanks, bro.”
    He opened the door for her. “Now get going.”
    She got into the car then headed to the beach. When she arrived, she parked in the rear of the parking lot, the designated area for employees. She checked her make up one more time before she got out and walked to the hotel, trying to make sure she walked gracefully on her heels.
    The hotel doors slid open and she entered the lobby. The hardwood floors contrasted against the pale walls. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, and various chairs were scattered in front of TV’s. Hawaiian flowers were in vases, and the room had the distinct smell of the beach.
    She walked behind the counter then headed to the employee room. She put her purse down and clocked in. Her first day was working the night shift on a weekday. She was grateful it wouldn’t be so busy.
    When she came back to the counter, she looked at the other concierges. “Hi, I’m Cheyenne.”
    “Vanessa. Nice to meet you.” She shook her hand and gave her a slight smile.
    “This is my first day.” She felt stupid saying that the moment it happened. Obviously, it was her first day.
    “Well, let me know if you need any help. It’s usually pretty slow at this time of day.”
    That was a relief. “Okay.” She turned to the computer then played around with the program. She had been taught once before, but the instructor was going so quickly she had a hard time keeping up.
    The doors to the beach opened, and a family walked inside wearing swimsuits and towels. Two little boys carried their buckets and shovels, tracking sand on the floor. They were ignorant to the mess they were making.
    Once they were gone, Vanessa turned to me. “When things like that happen, we need to clean it up.”
    “We do? Don’t they have janitors for that?”
    “Yes. But we can’t afford to wait. This is a five star hotel. We can’t afford a bad review.” She handed Cheyenne a broomstick and a dustpan. “Get to it.”
    Cheyenne bit her lip and didn’t complain. She bent over and swept the dust into the pan, making sure she removed every grain of sand. Then she carried her equipment back behind the counter. When she turned around, a woman was standing at the counter.
    “Oh, hi.” Cheyenne came to her. “Do you need something?”
    Vanessa glared at her.
    “I mean, I hope you’re enjoying your stay at the Four Seasons. Can I do something to make your stay even better?” She said it in a professional voice.
    “What time is the luau?”
    Luau? What luau? “Which one, ma’am? I’ll look it up.”
    “The one at the hotel. It’s in the evenings, right?”
    Uh…