2

“Your bonus just came through.”

Samuel caught me before I reached the penthouse, his tablet tucked against his side as he held out his phone for me to see. The bank alert was still open on the screen, and for a second I just stared at the amount because I had not expected the hotel to process it that quickly.

“My bonus?”

“For the work on this event.” He lowered the phone and smiled. “You earned it.”

A small breath left me, and my fingers tightened around the strap of my bag. It was not a fortune, but after the way Shane had been handling my money lately, seeing an amount that actually belonged to me still felt strange.

“Thank you.”

“Do not thank me. Thank payroll.” He started toward the penthouse. “And try not to spend it all before lunch.”

That got a smile out of me.

“I will try.”

The penthouse suite was empty when I got there. The advance team was due any minute, and the regular guests had checked out yesterday, so I had the floor to myself for now. Something about the quiet settled me before the chaos kicked in, and I started my rounds while checking the rooms, the minibars, the flowers, and the towels as I went.

My phone buzzed while I was restocking a minibar.

Shane.

My stomach tightened, but I opened the message anyway.

‘Need you to pick up groceries on the way home. I wrote a list. It is on the fridge.’ – Shane

I stared at it for a moment before locking the screen. The grocery list was probably waiting for me already, because he had a way of turning ordinary errands into instructions that never sounded like requests.

I put the phone away and went back to work, but the bonus alert was still sitting somewhere in the back of my mind. At least that money was mine before he found a way to make it disappear.

Samuel found me in the hall a while later, moving quickly with his tablet tucked under his arm.

“They are here. Conference room.”

I grabbed my tablet and followed him. The woman leading the advance team was already outside the penthouse, directing two men with equipment cases while speaking into a headset. She spotted me and broke off mid-sentence.

“You are the floor lead?”

“Adeline Bennett.”

She nodded once. “Walk me through it. Everything.”

We moved fast. She pointed, I answered, and we covered the layout, security points, minibar specifications, backup linens, emergency exits, and the sightlines from the windows. She did not waste words, and neither did I. When we finished, she checked something off on her tablet.

“Good.”

That was it.

For people like her, that was probably as close to praise as you got.

I spent the next hour running backup checks while the advance team worked around me. The florist had sent white lilies instead of the ivory roses listed on the specification sheet, and I caught the mistake before anyone else noticed. The client was allergic, so I called the florist’s assistant, who owed me a favor from the last VIP suite that had needed a last-minute fix, and the replacement arrived quickly enough that nobody important had to know there had been a problem.

Samuel passed me in the hall while I directed the new arrangement into place.

“You are moving like someone lit a fire under you.”

“The spec sheet had lilies.”

“And?”

“It specifically said no lilies. The client is allergic.”

His eyebrow went up. “You memorized the allergy notes?”

“I memorized everything. That is the job.”

He shook his head, smiling. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

I laughed under my breath and turned back to the flowers.

Later, while restocking the minibar in the suite next to the penthouse, I heard two men talking in the hall. Their voices carried enough for me to glance toward the door, and when I stepped out, I caught sight of them heading toward the elevators.

One was tall and sharp-looking, dressed in an expensive suit that probably cost more than my monthly salary. He walked with the kind of confidence that made people move without being asked, while the other man followed with a tablet in his hand.

I stepped back into the suite to let them pass. They were probably part of the advance team or someone connected to the same client, and I had seen enough important people in the hotel not to stare.

Still, my eyes followed the tall man for another second before I closed the door and returned to the minibar.

The rest of the day blurred into checks and calls. A guest on the fifteenth floor cornered me about a flickering light, and maintenance needed two reminders before someone finally came up. The new housekeeping girl got lost looking for the linen closet and looked so close to tears that I walked her back myself.

By the afternoon, my feet hurt and my clipboard was covered in checkmarks, but the penthouse was ready.

In the breakroom, Marcus sat at the table with a container in front of him. He spotted me and waved me over.

“Adeline, come try this.”

I walked over and looked inside. “What is it?”

“Chocolate chip cookie. The baker downstairs gave me a sample.” He pushed the container toward me. “Tell me if it is good.”

I broke off a piece and ate it. The cookie was still warm, with soft chocolate melting across my tongue.

“It is good.”

“Just good?” His eyebrows lifted. “Not great?”

“It is great.”

His grin widened. “That is what I like to hear.”

He pushed the container closer. “Finish it. I already had three.”

Another piece disappeared between my fingers before I could argue. Marcus never asked too many questions, and that was probably why I liked being around him. Cookies, granola bars, cold drinks, whatever he happened to have, he always seemed to find a reason to hand something over without making it feel like charity.

By the time I clocked out, he was at his usual post.

“Look who survived another day.”

“Barely.”

“Here.” He handed me a paper bag. “Leftover cookies. Do not tell anyone.”

I took it, feeling the warmth through the paper. “You are going to spoil me.”

“That is the plan.” His smile faded slightly as his eyes stayed on my face. “You okay?”

My fingers tightened around the bag.

“I am fine.”

He did not answer immediately, but he did not push either.

“Get home safe.”

“I will.”

The walk home left my feet aching, but the bag of cookies stayed warm against my palm. When I reached the apartment and unlocked the door, the place was empty. Shane was not home yet.

I set the bag down and went straight to the fridge.

The grocery list was exactly where he had said it would be, written in his neat handwriting. Milk. Eggs. Bread. Beer.

My eyes stayed on the last item for a second before I folded the paper and slipped it into my pocket. The bonus alert was still fresh in my mind, but there was no point thinking about it now. I grabbed my bag and headed back out.

The grocery store was crowded, and I moved through the aisles with the list in my hand, picking up everything Shane had written down. By the time I got home, he was already on the couch with his boots on the coffee table and his phone in his hand.

“Took you long enough,” he said without looking up.

“The store was crowded.”

He grunted.

I carried the bags into the kitchen and started putting everything away, keeping my attention on the shelves until his voice came from behind me.

“Did you get the beer?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

The bottle went into the fridge, and I closed the door before leaving my palms against the cool surface for a moment. The bonus money was still in my account. For now.

I looked at the groceries, the list still folded inside my pocket, and then toward the living room where Shane sat without another word.

The penthouse was ready. The advance team had left satisfied, the wrong flowers had been caught before they became a problem, and the new housekeeping girl knew where the linen closet was. Marcus had given me cookies and asked if I was okay without demanding an answer.