Once Upon a Summertime Read Online Free PDF Page A

out of this place.
    With that done, she decided to make sure that Mickey had cleaned up around the swimming pool like she had asked him. Since it was a hot day, it wouldn’t be long before some of the guests meandered on down there. The last time she’d passed by the pool, earlier this morning, it had looked like a wreck. Probably the remnants from last night’s teenagers. She wished she could rely on the fact that she’d asked Mickey to handle it—but she knew that was no guarantee.
    â€œLoretta,” she called back to the office where the bookkeeper was working. “Mind keeping an eye on the reception desk for a few minutes? I need to check on something.”
    Loretta looked over the top of her glasses and waved. “No problem.”
    â€œI’ve got my phone if you need me,” Anna called as she headed toward the west wing. While she walked down the hallway, she called Mickey’s number, asking him to meet her in the pool area. But when she arrived, not only was Mickey noticeably absent, but the back end of the pool deck was still trashed with bottles, cans, dirty towels, and fast-food packaging. Feeling exasperated at the reckless teens and her MIA janitor, Anna pulled out a pair of vinyl gloves—she always kept some handy because you never knew what you might find in a motel like this—and started to clean up.
    As she picked up disgusting pieces of trash, she felt seriously irked at Mickey. This certainly wasn’t the first time he’d neglected janitorial duties that were his responsibility.Nor was it the first time she’d stepped in and covered for him. Grabbing a nearby trash can, she proceeded to collect the debris, tossing it in. Thankfully, no guests had come to the pool yet. She tried not to imagine how disappointed the young couple with their two little ones would’ve been to find this garbage dump.
    Before long she had removed all the rubbish, and since the pool was currently unoccupied, she decided to give the cement decks a quick hose-down. While she did this, she decided to arrange the white plastic lounge chairs all facing toward the pool in a nice line, as if this were a four-star resort. Spraying the decks and arranging the chairs, she imagined the ways this pool area could be spruced up. Just a few simple elements could make such an improvement, starting with some neutral-colored paint on the privacy fence over there, a few potted shrubs by the main entrance here, maybe some flowerpots with hardy petunias to add color.
    â€œHey, Anna.” Mickey sauntered across the wet deck toward her with his usual cocky expression—like he thought he was still the football jock he’d been in high school a few years ago. “What’s up? What’re you doing?”
    â€œYour job,” she said tersely.
    â€œThanks.” He made a sassy grin. “Wanna do a job swap? Then I can have your job.”
    â€œI told you to clean this pool area this morning, Mickey.”
    â€œI did.”
    She narrowed her eyes slightly. “No, you did not. I just did it myself.”
    â€œHey, I cleaned it this morning.” Averting his gaze, he squinted into the sunshine. “Can I help it if someone else trashed it since then? People can be such slobs.”
    Controlling the urge to spray him down, she simply handed him the hose nozzle. “Go wash down the other side of the pool.” She pointed at the lounge chairs. “And I want the chairs arranged just like this, three times a day. Once in the morning. Then again just before check-in time at 3:00. And again at the end of your shift.”
    His brows arched. “Getting all high and mighty, are we?”
    She gave him a warning look. “By the way, did you clean the parking lot like I asked you to do?” She actually knew the answer to this already. She’d seen it on her way back from lunch.
    â€œYeah, sure. I did that this morning