Total pages in book: 156
Estimated words: 158829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 529(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 158829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 529(@300wpm)
“I hope you’re not making a huge mistake,” she says quietly. “But that does sound okay-ish.”
I smile.
“I’m just doing what I have to. That’s life. Sometimes you just suck it up and make do.” She’s seventeen and hasn’t figured that out yet. I’ve done a good job of protecting her from what a two-timing prick reality can be. “Honestly, it could help me make new connections in the travel industry, so it isn’t a total loss. I could do a lot worse.”
“I hope you’re right,” Maisy says glumly.
Even with the rough smile I plaster on, I still don’t believe my own pep talk.
“Thanks a million for the awesome recommendation again! I don’t think I’d have landed this job without it. I was sure they’d pass me over when I was honest about the review. But I didn’t want to hide it and have someone find out about it later either,” I say.
“Buy me lunch and we’re good. You were right to be honest, Pippa. You’ll be great,” Jenn says cheerfully.
I follow her through the enormous building, walking like a nervous puppy. Every footstep echoes off the marble floor and high ceilings.
“This place is like a museum. I’d be lost without you.”
“Welcome to Corporate America. Intimidated yet?” She laughs. “Don’t worry, though. Most people only feel lost for a few weeks. After their first month, they know the layout.”
Great.
So I’m going to be stumbling around, lost in this place for a whole month?
But I can’t complain.
I need the money and settling into this palatial office feels like the least of my problems.
“I feel like an earthworm,” I say.
“Don’t! A lot of the junior copywriters and video editors are fairly new. You’ll fit right in.”
“Huh, yeah, I noticed. I mean, most of the team has been here less than six months, right? Why is that?”
“Don’t know. There’s been more pressure on marketing lately. They keep bringing in big ad agencies and consultants to bridge the gaps.” She glances up thoughtfully.
“That’s odd. A company as big and established as Winthrope shouldn’t be fighting so hard for good talent, should it? I thought marketing would just be a brand recognition thing—reminding people we’re here and glamorous.”
“You’d think, but social media keeps changing like crazy. I hear rumblings the TikTok people hate us, and they get a lot of views with everywhere else bleeding users.”
“Really? Why?”
“I wish I knew. It’s just weird. Several resorts took a real dive in their online ratings lately, but nothing much has changed in the internal customer satisfaction surveys. And our numbers are roughly the same as last year, so we haven’t seen a big drop-off in guests. For now.” She shrugs. “I worry the crappy reviews piling up will eventually scare off new guests.”
My mind jumps back to Lanai.
Grumpmuffin’s pathological obsession with my review makes more sense now. He must’ve had orders from the higher-ups to prevent a total massacre at all costs.
I blush, remembering where that led us.
“What’s up?” Jenn asks with a sly look.
I realize I’ve been quiet for a minute.
“Oh. Nothing.”
“What? I don’t believe it. You’re not all red for nothing!”
Damn her.
She knows the whole story, so there’s no point in rehashing it. “I’m just starting to see why the naked manager was having a conniption fit over my review.”
“Naked In Hawaii?” Jenn snorts. “I’m still surprised he lost his spaghetti. With the reviews, I mean, not you.”
She snickers.
“You are?” I ask.
“Resort managers don’t usually care that much. They usually push it off on corporate to deal with bad PR online,” she says.
“Oh, wow.” I laugh. “I’m sure he didn’t want anyone here to know.”
“Yeah, well, most of the time no one gets blamed for bad reviews unless they’re directly mentioned. We just have to hustle harder to maintain basic quality control. But I think if the execs found out about him showering in a guest’s room, that might’ve been a different story. He would’ve gotten a call from HR over that—and probably for dating you after you tried to split his head open.” She giggles.
“Jenn! It wasn’t a date,” I hiss.
“Uh-huh. And I’m not having a salmon sushi-burrito bigger than my head for lunch.” She flashes me a too-wide grin. “Come here, lady. There’s one more place you have to see before we try to do something useful. It’s kind of a perk of working on this floor. You’ll love it. But please keep your voice low and act nonchalant. It’s close to the bigwigs and they’re hanging out there all the time.”
I follow Jenn around a corner and—
Holy panorama.
The view is beyond breathtaking and we’re not even close enough yet to fully appreciate it.
Elliott Bay gleams under a sweeping wall of glass. The clear summer day makes the city look like an animated painting, alive and bristling with ocean and mountains and lazy ships. Mount Rainier is even out today, towering like a giant over a toy city.