Once Upon a Summertime Read Online Free PDF Page B

only after she’d checked the mattress for bedbugs.
    Did she feel like a failure because the motel she managed couldn’t maintain even the most basic standards of cleanliness? Of course! But she also knew that there was little use trying to change things as long as the owners didn’t back her. One could only beat one’s head against the wall for so long before one looked up and saw the writing on the wall. Maybe it was time to go.
    As Anna walked back to the reception area, she made a managerial decision. Maybe it was partially prompted by the visions of the New York boutique hotel that were dancing in her head, or maybe she had simply had enough of theValue Lodge. But back at her desk, she knew it was time to do something drastic. Even if her efforts aggravated the owners and led to her dismissal, she was going to do it. At least she’d know she went down for a good reason.
    She typed out various warning letters—several that sounded familiar—letting the recipients know this would be their final warning. She made it clear that failure to comply with her corrections would result in joblessness (possibly her own too, although she didn’t mention that). She also informed the staff involved that these letters would be followed up by a meeting tomorrow morning. She would come to work an hour early, so that Jacob would be here. She might even bring doughnuts just to reassure everyone that she wasn’t trying to be mean.
    Hopefully they would go home and read their letters carefully and perhaps truly grasp the gravity of their situation. She wanted their full attention. Tomorrow morning, she would spell out to them, in no uncertain terms, that her only goal was to make this Value Lodge a better place for everyone—but particularly for the guests, since that was her job. She would be positive at the meeting, and she would tell them that she hoped they were fully on board with her, but if they were not, she would tell them to start looking for new jobs.
    Thinking of new jobs made her check her iPhone to see if Marley had gotten back to her yet. Other than confirming that she’d received the résumé, she had no other news. Really, was it realistic to think that a busy New York real estate mogul, property developer, and hotel owner would drop everything in order to respond to the manager of the Value Lodge in a town the size of Springville? Probably not.Chances were he hadn’t even gotten her résumé yet. As Anna set the employees’ letters in their message boxes, she wondered just how close Marley’s brother Max really was with the Newmans. Just because Max and Elsie rented shop space did not mean they were chummy. It was possible that Marley had overblown this whole thing.
    In fact, as Anna walked home, she began to think that was probably what had happened. Marley had always been a somewhat dramatic person. Certainly she had enjoyed telling Anna all about the building restoration and the boutique hotel. What if she’d simply been telling this story for its pure entertainment value? As Anna approached Lou’s Café, she considered popping in to ask Marley about this, but remembering it was the dinner hour and seeing that all their tables were filled and customers were waiting at the counter, Anna decided to wait.
    Her grandmother’s apartment building came into view. It was really a rather inviting complex with its butter-colored stucco walls, ornate iron railings up the staircases and around the balconies, and nicely landscaped grounds that were maintained by the management.
    Anna had been alarmed when she’d first learned that her grandma had sold her home—largely to help cover Anna’s college expenses. By now, though, she knew that her grandma had gotten quite comfortable in her new lifestyle. If only she could be comfortable with the idea of letting Anna go.
    As Anna walked toward the entrance of the first-floor apartment, she was already