Chapter 17: Anthony Leone
1461 Words
By the end of June, Reina had finally stopped feeling like the new girl.
Not completely.
But enough.
She knew which elevators moved fastest during busy hours.
Which housekeepers preferred morning shifts.
Which managers actually knew what they were doing.
More importantly, she knew how to do her job.
Every paycheck brought her a little closer to the things she needed.
A car.
A place of her own.
Clothes that didn't come from clearance racks.
School in the fall.
For now, that was all that mattered.
At least until Violet appeared beside her cart looking entirely too excited about something.
"So... has Anthony managed to corner you yet?"
Reina glanced up.
"Anthony Leone?"
"That's the one."
"What about him?"
Reina knew exactly who Violet meant. After seeing him around the hotel the previous week, it would've been hard not to. Anthony Leone was one of the Leone brothers and served as Vice President of Guest Experience and Brand Development. But she'd never actually spoken to him.
Violet laughed.
"Then you've only had the Anthony experience from a distance."
She pointed down the hallway.
"You've seen him."
"You haven't actually met him."
Less than an hour later, Reina discovered exactly what she meant.
She was carrying a stack of fresh linens through one of the service corridors when someone stepped around the corner.
Too fast.
The linens shifted.
Her foot caught.
For one horrible second she thought everything was about to hit the floor.
A pair of hands caught the stack before it could.
Another hand landed lightly against her waist, steadying her.
"Whoa."
The voice was warm.
Easy.
The kind that sounded like it smiled before the person did.
Reina looked up.
Dark brown hair.
Warm hazel eyes.
Expensive suit.
Annoyingly attractive.
For a brief moment, neither moved.
Then he stepped back immediately.
"You okay?"
"Yes, Mr. Leone."
The grin that appeared was immediate.
"Mr. Leone?"
Reina blinked.
"You are Mr. Leone."
Anthony pressed a hand to his chest in mock offense.
"That's cold."
"It is?"
"A little."
She stared at him.
He stared back.
Then he sighed dramatically.
"My name is Anthony."
"You're a vice president."
"And?"
"And I work here."
"So do I."
Reina narrowed her eyes.
Something told her this conversation wasn't worth having.
Anthony seemed amused by her expression.
"Anthony," he repeated.
She sighed.
"Fine. Anthony."
His smile widened.
"Much better."
For a second he studied her.
Then recognition flashed across his face.
"You're Reina... Carlos's niece."
So that was how she'd become known around the hotel.
"Reina," she corrected.
Anthony smiled.
"Right."
"Reina," he said with a nod. "Nice to officially meet you."
Reina tilted her head.
"So I've heard."
Anthony laughed softly.
"Should I be worried?"
"Depends who you ask."
"That bad?"
"Let's just say people have opinions."
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Immediately, she regretted it.
Great.
She'd known the man for all of thirty seconds and had already been rude.
To her surprise, he laughed.
Not offended.
Not defensive.
Just entertained.
"I've heard worse."
Reina blinked.
He really wasn't what she'd expected.
She still wasn't sure whether his easygoing nature was genuine or simply part of his charm.
She rolled her eyes and continued down the hallway.
Behind her she heard him laughing.
That should have been the end of it.
Instead, she kept seeing him.
Not because he sought her out.
At least not obviously.
Anthony simply seemed to be everywhere.
The lobby.
The restaurant.
The front desk.
The banquet level.
Maybe Violet hadn't been exaggerating.
The entire hotel felt different when Anthony was around.
Louder.
Friendlier.
Less formal somehow.
Employees waved whenever he passed.
Even managers looked more relaxed.
It was strange.
It wasn't that Anthony was important.
It was that everyone genuinely seemed happy he was back.
What fascinated Reina wasn't how much people liked him.
It was how effortlessly he seemed to fit everywhere he went.
Anthony never seemed able to cross the hotel without someone stopping him.
Guests smiled.
Conversations sprang up wherever he went.
Somehow he remembered names, family members, and little details most people forgot.
As Vice President of Guest Experience and Brand Development, Anthony seemed to interpret his job as permission to talk to everyone in the building.
A lot.
One afternoon she watched him charm an irritated guest into laughing after a reservation mix-up.
The next day she saw him carrying banquet supplies alongside two employees despite the fact he was wearing a suit that probably cost more than her monthly rent would someday be.
Another time she caught him talking his way out of helping move tables after volunteering himself for the job in the first place.
The employees involved seemed more amused than annoyed.
Anthony somehow managed that often.
Watching him reminded her of David.
And yet not at all.
David commanded a room without trying.
Anthony worked a room like he'd been born for it.
David inspired respect.
Anthony inspired goodwill.
Different strengths.
Different people.
Anthony was easy to talk to.
The kind of person who could start a conversation with anyone.
The kind of person who probably never met a stranger.
Yet when Reina thought of La Paloma...
It wasn't Anthony who came to mind.
A few days later, Reina was finishing paperwork when a shadow fell across her desk.
She looked up automatically.
Whatever else Anthony was, he was still her boss's boss's boss.
"Do you ever work?"
Anthony laughed.
"Good afternoon to you too."
Reina signed the last line on the report.
"I thought your job was walking around talking to people."
"It is."
"That's not a real job."
"It pays surprisingly well."
That earned the smallest smile.
Anthony immediately noticed.
Which was unfortunate.
"So you do smile."
Reina regretted it instantly.
"I never said I didn't."
Anthony nodded thoughtfully.
"Fair."
For some reason, that made her like him a little more.
Most people would have argued.
Anthony seemed perfectly comfortable letting the conversation end once he realized he wasn't getting the reaction he wanted.
Later that afternoon, Reina found herself laughing at something Violet had said.
A genuine laugh.
The kind that escaped before she could stop it.
"See?" Violet pointed triumphantly.
"You do have a personality."
"Don't get used to it."
Trina rolled her eyes.
"Too late."
The three women continued walking through the service corridor, still arguing about something ridiculous.
Reina barely noticed the figure emerging from one of the administrative offices nearby.
David did.
At first, he only recognized Violet and Trina.
Then his attention shifted to the woman between them.
Reina.
For a brief moment, he found himself watching.
Longer than necessary.
She looked different when she smiled.
Less guarded.
Less serious.
The reserved young woman he usually passed in the hallways seemed to disappear entirely.
People gravitated toward her.
Not because she demanded attention.
Because she made them comfortable.
David frowned slightly.
Strange.
He hadn't noticed that before.
Or perhaps he simply hadn't been paying attention.
His gaze lingered.
Long enough to notice the freckles scattered across her nose.
Long enough to realize she was considerably prettier than he'd initially given her credit for.
Irritation immediately followed.
He had work to do.
Employees were employees.
And Carlos Hernandez's niece was the last person who should be occupying his thoughts.
David looked away.
Continued walking.
Yet several steps later, he found himself glancing back once more.
By then, Reina was laughing again.
Completely unaware she'd been watched at all.
A week later, Reina was crossing the lobby with a stack of folders tucked beneath her arm when she spotted Anthony speaking with a family near the concierge desk.
The youngest child couldn't have been older than six.
By the time Reina passed them, Anthony was crouched beside the little boy, showing him something on a brochure.
The kid looked completely captivated.
His parents looked entertained.
Reina shook her head and kept walking.
A moment later she heard footsteps behind her.
"Still working?"
She glanced over her shoulder.
Anthony.
"Still talking?"
A grin tugged at his mouth.
"Fair."
To her surprise, he kept walking.
No conversation.
No questions.
No attempt to slow her down.
Just a casual salute before disappearing toward the front entrance.
Strange.
Not Anthony.
The fact that she'd expected him to keep talking.
Across the lobby, David looked up from a conversation with one of the department managers.
He caught the brief exchange.
Nothing unusual.
Nothing important.
Yet lately Anthony seemed to notice Carlos Hernandez's niece wherever she happened to be.
The observation lingered for a moment before David dismissed it.
Anthony talked to everyone.
That was simply who he was.
Still.
As David returned his attention to the conversation, a small part of him found himself wondering why Anthony seemed particularly interested in talking to her.
- Writer
