Tempting a King (King Family Romance Book 1) by Isla Drake (small books to read .txt) 📗

wedding party later this afternoon. Check-in isn’t until 2pm, but there’s plenty to do until then. Meanwhile, she’s also helping to coordinate the details of the rehearsal dinner, wedding ceremony and reception. It’s a lot of work and I want to do whatever I can to help ease her workload.

It’s mid-morning by the time I finish, and check-out time is here. Most guests like to wait until the last minute to check out of their rooms. It’s understandable, but it can create a bit of chaos at the desk when multiple guests need to check out at once. I make my way to the reception area and see Hannah smiling at a young couple as she works at the computer.

“I hope you enjoyed your stay at the Jester,” Hannah says.

They smile and the man answers. “It was great,” he says. “We’re already planning to come back for our anniversary.”

Hannah’s smile widens and she stops her work at the computer.

“That’s wonderful,” she says. “We love to see familiar faces. Give us a call when you’re ready to book your stay and I’ll make sure you get a discount on our couple’s massage package.”

The couple looks delighted. I smile as I watch. Hannah has a way of making each guest feel as though they’re the only guest at the Jester, no matter how busy we may be. It’s a gift. I didn’t know how lucky I was when I offered her a housekeeping job all those years ago. I keep waiting for her to realize she can do better than this place and move on. The thought hits me like a punch to the gut and I push it from my mind. More guests enter the lobby ready to complete the check-out process. I join Hannah behind the desk returning the grateful smile she shoots my way.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she says.

“Whatever I can do to help.”

Hannah and I have always made a great team. For the next 45 minutes, we work side-by-side taking care of the guests and fielding phone calls. Around 11, Claire shows up to relieve Hannah. Things have calmed down and it’s mostly just answering phones and booking reservations at this point.

“Thank you!” Hannah pulls Claire to her in a quick hug. “You’re a lifesaver.”

Claire smiles. “Happy to help,” she says.

“Thanks, Claire,” I say. “I owe you.”

She winks. “I’ll be sure and cash in on that one day, big brother.”

I narrow my eyes at her immediately suspicious. “Within reason,” I say.

“Yeah, yeah,” Claire says, dismissively. “Get out of here. I got this.”

Hannah and I leave the front desk in Claire’s capable hands. Hannah rushes off to check on something for the wedding. I call out to her to let me know if she needs any help. I get a distracted wave of agreement. I head back to my office and get lost in purchase orders and spreadsheets. When my cell phone rings nearly two hours later, I’m grateful for the distraction. I rub my eyes and glance at the screen. It’s a number I don’t recognize which isn’t all that unheard of for me. I swipe to answer the call.

"Hello?”

A woman's voice responds. "Hello. I'm looking for Miss Travis."

"I'm sorry, Miss Travis is unavailable right now," I say. I’m not sure why someone is calling my cell looking for Hannah, but it’s likely work-related. Mix-ups happen all the time. "This is Finnegan King. Is there something I can help with?”

"This is the school nurse at Oak Hill Elementary," the woman says. "I—”

"Is Liam okay?" I immediately ask, cutting off her words. I’m on my feet and striding toward Hannah’s office.

"He's fine," the nurse says quickly. "I just need to speak with his mother."

Hannah isn’t in her office. There’s a note on her desk that says she’s gone into town and will be back by 2.

"She's out of the office right now," I say. "Are you sure I can't do anything?"

The nurse sighs. "I really need a parent, guardian or emergency contact. I'll have to check the computer. I'm sorry, Mister—I’m sorry, what was your last name?"

"King," I say. "Finnegan King."

"Oh, Mr. King," the nurse says, her voice brightening a bit. "You're listed as Liam's emergency contact."

"Me?"

I'm surprised. It's on the tip of my tongue to argue with the woman, but I don't. I can’t remember Hannah ever mentioning to me that she'd listed me as an emergency contact, but I guess it makes sense. I've probably known her longer than anyone else in Oak Hill. We're friends and we see one another every day. She probably assumed that if she’s ever unreachable, it would be because she’s working for me at the Jester. Which, in this case, is true.

"Right," I say. "Is Liam okay?"

"Yes, Mr. King," she says. "As I mentioned before, Liam's fine. He's just complaining of a stomachache. He doesn't have a fever and he hasn't thrown up. But he says he's not feeling well. I figured I'd call his mom and see what she wanted to do. There are only 2 hours left of the school day."

I think quickly. What would Hannah do? Odds are that Liam will get over his stomachache sooner rather than later. But I'd hate to think of him stuck at school and miserable. I think back to when Claire had still been in school and called home sick. Usually she was faking it to get out of class. Then again, she was a teenager. Liam is 8. He's probably not that devious yet. I picture his sandy brown hair and the recently toothless grin, his eyes that are the exact shade of Hannah's. He's a good kid. He wouldn't worry his mom if he wasn't really feeling bad, would he?

"Liam's mom is stuck at work," I say, making a decision. "Am I able to pick him up?"

A moment passes before she replies. "You're on the list, Mr. King. So, yes."

"Okay.” I stand, grabbing my keys. “I'll be there soon.

"Great. I'll see you then."

I end the call and scrawl a quick