Reflection

In the early morning hours of the first Sunday in November, I found myself sitting in the world’s most uncomfortable chair with a can of Pepsi in my hand, staring out the window at the snowflakes as they drifted lazily to the ground.

Three feet away from me, wrapped up in the warm blankets of the hotel bed, Jordan laid on his stomach with his arm thrown over the pillow that I abandoned a while ago when I woke up and couldn’t fall back to sleep.

I didn’t want to be up. If I would’ve had a choice I would be under his carelessly thrown out arm instead of the pillow but with all the tossing and turning I was doing I didn’t want to wake him up, so I reluctantly pulled my tired but not sleepy body out of the bed.

There was so much on my mind, I believe that’s why I wasn’t able to sleep all that well. What with Jordan telling me that he would like for us to start a life together and Scott offering me a job? There was so much I had to think about and to be honest, I didn’t know what to do with Scott’s offer. Jordan’s was a lot easier, I knew I wanted this step to happen, it felt so right the moment he mentioned it.

But the job? Closing my eyes, I sighed heavily.

We had just sat down at one of the few remaining tables in the busy hotel lounge, when a server came over to see how we were doing and if we wanted anything to drink. Scott, who was seated across the table from Jordan, who was next to me, leaned in over the table and told us that all drinks were on him. “I’m celebrating and you guys are my guests.”

After the server left, I asked Scott what it was we were celebrating.
“A new adventure,” he replied.

“Oh?” I raised a brow. “You are taking a trip? Where you going? How long are you going to be gone?”

Across from me, Kim laughed. “He’s not taking a trip Anna. He’s…” Kim’s smile faded, she lowered her head. “He’s moving.”

“Kim come on,” Scott slipped his arm around her shoulders. “It’s not for a couple months yet and you never know, maybe you’ll want to come with me?”

“I can’t,” she replied. “I still have a year of school left.”

“Aren’t you out in May?” Kim nodded. “Then come up then. Spend the summer with me.”

“Excuse me,” I cut in. “Come up where? Where are you moving Scott and why?”

“Think about it,” Scott said to Kim before turning to smile at me. “I’ve been trying to get my own hotel for a while,” he started. “I’m tired of working under my dad and I know I could do it but the rest of the family wasn’t convinced – until dad got sick a couple months ago and I had to step up to the plate.” He went on to tell us that he was amazing while his dad was recovering. “Even my grandparents thought so and they never think I do anything right.”

“So when they decided to build a couple new hotels out of the city, they told me that I was finally going to get my chance – they just didn’t know which one I would get – they were thinking the one closest to the city so if I screw up, they would be near enough to help out. But a week ago they called me into dad’s office and told me that they decided to give the hotel nearest the city to my cousin – she’s horrible but they think she’ll be ok.”
I frowned. “But you are getting your own hotel still, right? That’s what we are celebrating?”

“Yes,” he grinned. “They told me they believed in me.”

“So?” I smiled at him. “Where are you going?”

“Well…” Scott glanced at Kim and then turned back to Jordan and me. “Have you noticed something going on across the highway from your work?” He shrugged. “Maybe construction on –”

“Oh my God!” I exclaimed. “That’s you? That’s where your new hotel is going to be?”

“Yeah,” he nodded excitedly. “That’s my hotel!”

I jumped up from my seat and quickly made my way around the table to him. He stood up and I threw my arms around his neck. “This is awesome!”

“I know,” he hugged me. “It’s better than I could imagine. Your area is so unexplored hotel wise and there is such a huge demand with the oilfields and military in your backyard.”

Releasing him, I laughed. “Yeah, I know. That’s why my store is so busy all the time, even though it’s in a small area.”

We moved away from each other and returned to our seats. “So are you going to be moving up before the hotel is finished? Or -?”

“I’m waiting until the hotel is closer to opening before I look for a house,” he told us. “But I do have an agent keeping an eye out for something that would suit my needs.”

We talked about the hotel and him moving for a while and then he told me that was really what he wanted to talk to me about. “Now I may be wrong and please, correct me if I am but…” he glanced at Jordan. “Anna, from what I know from the couple days we spent together, you seem to have a nack for making people comfortable and reading them. You seem to know how to bring the best out of those around you and have fun while you do it.”

Jordan glanced at me before telling Scott that I’m also a nosey girl who butts into everyone’s business.

“Hey!” I gave him a dirty look and he just laughed.

“You know it’s true Babe. How many times have you gotten in trouble for butting in?”

“Oh shush,” I kissed him. “I cared – not butted in.”

“Even the butting in is a good thing,” Scott said with a laugh.

“Why?” Jordan asked him. “What point are you trying to make?”

“It’s simple,” Scott turned to me. “I want you to work for me Anna. I need a personnel manager who I can get along with and trust. And someone who knows the community and the people who I’m looking to pull employees from.”

Jordan mumbling in his sleep brought me back to the present. “I don’t have to decide today,” I yawned. Scott told me to think about it, Jordan told me to think about it and that’s what I was going to do. “But right now,” I pushed out of the chair.

Crawling into the empty spot behind Jordan, I curled my body around his. When he wiggled his butt back to rest firmly, I couldn’t help but chuckle. With my arm around his waist, I settled down and closed my eyes. Sleep came quickly and stayed with me until Jordan nudged me awake hours later.