บท 6: Chapter 6: Lead the Way
Brenna POV
When the door closed behind me, I could hear muffled voices speaking. Even though I couldn’t hear what they were saying, I was sure it was about me.
Everything felt like a whirlwind. I couldn’t even remember half of what I had said to Kieran to get him to accept me as an employee, but it didn’t matter. He finally agreed I could stay, and I was still riding that high.
The only thing that bothered me, was when he had pulled my sleeve down. Had he seen the bruise? I didn’t want to see how it looked; the pain was starting to set in after the rush of last night. It felt awful, but I could deal with it when I got to my room.
Had Kieran only taken me on as an employee out of pity? I never wanted someone’s charity, so I knew I would need to step up and show him I deserved to have a job here.
There was something about Kieran that gave me pause. Yes, he was my new boss, but there was something about the way he tried to comfort me that made my breath hitch in my throat.
When the door opened, I saw Viv and Kieran exit the room with Kieran locking the door behind him.
“I’ll see you later, Brenna,” Viv said with a wave, “my brother is going to finish showing you around.”
“Bye.” I wanted to stop Viv from leaving. I had grown so relaxed around her, but she was probably busy with stuff for the hotel.
I felt my body stiffen as I glanced over to see Kieran staring at me. I wished I could read his mind. His expression looked the same as it had before I left his office.
“Follow me,” Kieran said as he made his way back toward the direction of the stairs.
I assumed we were heading to the other hallway past the stairs on the second floor, but he started making his way down the steps in a hurry.
“Excuse me,” I called out as I stayed on the landing.
Kieran stopped and turned to look at me. Even though he was several steps lower he barely had to tilt his head to look at me.
“Is there a problem?” Kieran asked in a steely tone.
Had he changed his mind? Was he showing me to the exit?
“It’s just, Viv said employees reside on the second floor. Aren’t we going to my room?”
I did my best to look at his face, to see if I could pick up any subtle changes. I didn’t want to stare at him, but he kept such a stoney expression, it was hard to figure out what he was thinking.
“Have you seen a doctor?” Kieran asked as he looked at the sleeve of my shirt.
Even though the bruise was covered, he had already seen it. I couldn’t even think of a good excuse as to why it was bruised. When I noticed it in his office, the color pattern had become more obvious since the morning.
“I haven’t.” I looked past him, to the chandelier with the strange shaded orb that sat atop it. I didn’t want to meet his gaze.
To me, the bruise was a reminder of why I left my old life behind. Even though it was fresh, it served a purpose, and that was for me to not miss the life I had run away from.
“Then follow me,” Kieran spoke lowly as he turned and continued down the stairs.
He took me past the lobby desk and down a hallway to a door with a burgundy shield that bore the word ‘Infirmary’ across it in white lettering.
I was about to follow Kieran in when he suddenly stopped and spun around. The quick movement surprised me and I took a step back and closed my eyes.
After living with Scott, I expected to be berated until I cried for nearly running into Kieran. When no yelling voice came, though, I opened my eyes to see Kieran patiently waiting for me to relax.
“I didn’t mean to frighten you, but could you wait here a moment?”
My mouth felt like cotton, so I just nodded in reply as he gave a quick nod before ducking into the health office they had.
It made sense for a hotel to have a first aid station, especially with having residents on the property.
Only a few moments later, Kieran ushered me into a waiting area, and then into a door that led to a small exam room.
“Wow, this is like an actual hospital,” I said, astonished.
The more I saw of the hotel, the more it left me in awe of what it had achieved as a viable resort. No wonder people chose to live here.
“It will just be a moment. I’ll leave you to your privacy.”
Kieran headed out the door, but I didn’t want to be alone. At least, not have him leave entirely.
“Could you wait by the door? Just outside it, I mean.” I felt ridiculous asking him. Why would my boss agree to this? I was already asking too much, and I just showed up at the Manor.
He stopped as I said the words.
“Of course,” Kieran spoke without turning around as he stepped outside of the door but waited around the corner just enough that I could see his left side from where I sat in the exam room.
Before long, a doctor came in and gave my wrist a once-over. After a quick x-ray, she determined the damage was strictly to the muscle and not to bone.
Although the doctor was polite and did a quick job of bandaging my arm, I felt like she treated me as if I had cold symptoms. She kept her distance and hurried with my treatment, even though the waiting room had been empty.
Maybe she just knew how to deal with injuries that come with such an expansive resort, or maybe she had seen people in my situation before. She hadn’t pried too much into how the injury occurred and seemed suited with the answers I gave.
I just couldn’t help but feel my presence unnerved her. I wasn’t even sure if that was accurate, but the suspicion crept its way in and nestled into my anxiety like an old friend.
As soon as the doctor had finished, she darted out of the room before I could thank her.
“Ready to see the rest of the first floor?” Kieran said from the doorframe.
As I followed Kieran around the dining hall and banquet area, I began to get the differences between the two twins. Viv was much more boisterous and easier to talk to, whereas Kieran was more introverted and spoke very little.
I didn’t mind the quiet as we walked around though. While I could talk and mingle in a crowd when at Scott’s work functions, it had all been for show. It was a mask I could manage to wear in public once in a while but socializing in big groups was something I did my best to minimize.
We headed back up to the second floor as Kieran led me down several hallways. I had to try and remember the direction of the four turns it took to get to the proper area, so that was something I would need to work on.
At the end of the hall, Kieran handed me a small card. I took it but felt a little let down his finger hadn’t brushed against mine again. I wanted to know if that sensation would happen again, just like in his office earlier.
After shaking off the mild disappointment, I flipped the card over and realized it was a key for the rooms. Kieran and Viv must have updated the locking feature of the rooms in the last few years.
“If you don’t find the room suitable, we do have a few others that are available, but this one is more spacious than the others.”
“Thank you, Mr. Varick. I’m sure it will be perfect.” I wasn’t sure how to address him. I should have asked Viv before but seeing how professional he behaved I figured that was the safest option.
“Are you still willing to start training tonight? If you need more time, you could start in a few days after you’re feeling better. There’s no rush.”
This was the first time I noticed a change in his facial expressions. It was slight, but it was as if he had relaxed a bit more around me. His stance was the same, but his face seemed softer than before.
“I’ll be at the bell desk tonight. I’m excited to start.”
“I’ll have some paperwork for you to fill out tonight.”
Before I could respond, Kieran had already walked back toward the direction we had come from. I was grateful he had shown me around. I’d have to be sure to give this job my all.
I swiped the key card on the chip reader and heard several beeps before the lock clicked open.
Kieran was right when he said the room was large. The room had a corner view of the hotel, so I could see the expanse of the forest that included the garden and the pool area.
A mahogany dresser and bed frame matched with a burgundy and black carpet. There was a connected bathroom that had a tub and shower along with a marble vanity.
The room was beautiful. It was very spacious and had a lot of opportunities for me to find decorations that would match the rest of the décor. At the foot of my bed were the belongings I had brought with me. I didn’t have much, but I had a warm bed to sleep in today.
I could barely believe the events from the last twenty-four hours. So much had changed, and I had a sense of joy that had been absent in my life for quite some time.
As soon as I lay on the bed, I could feel my eyes grow heavy. I shut my eyes and let my body give in to the exhaustion I had felt for the last few years.
*****
I did my best to sleep, but even as exhausted as I was from the last twenty-four hours, I never fell into a sound sleep. I kept waking up thinking I was home, and Scott would be coming in the door any minute, only to remind myself I was far away from that life now.
The beautiful window view let me watch as the colors in the sky began to change. I decided it was time to start getting myself ready for work. Tonight would be the first shift I had worked in years.
Even though it was training, I was still looking forward to what I would be learning.
As I went to shut the curtains, I saw something moving near the edge of the woods. I peered closer, at first believing the movement was a dog, but as the animal darted across the lawn at breakneck speed, I could have sworn it was a wolf.
ของขวัญ
-- ได้รับของขวัญแล้ว สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง