Chapter Fourteen
“And this is going to be your home away from home for the next two weeks, Miss Strohman. After you.”
Wide-eyed, Scarlett stepped inside the free-standing cottage - correction, casita - that the resort’s front desk manager had personally escorted her to. She had fully expected to be staying in one of the rooms connected to the main resort building, a room that likely would have been far more luxurious than anyplace she’d ever seen before, even her room at the Biltmore. What she had definitely not expected was to be shown to what amounted to her own private residence, surrounded by a terracotta wall that would afford her complete privacy from any of the other guests.
“Wow,” was all she could think of to say as she looked around the main room of the casita. The living/dining/kitchen space was decorated in soothing Southwestern shades of burnt sienna, gold, cactus green, and turquoise, the furnishings comfortable looking but also undeniably luxurious. Wood blinds ensured that the casita stayed cool, even though the air conditioning had already taken care of that task. A flat paneled television took up most of one wall, with a plush sectional sofa positioned directly across the room for optimal viewing. A low, glass-topped coffee table in front of the sectional held a tall crystal vase that contained a breathtakingly beautiful bouquet of yellow and apricot roses. Scarlett touched their velvety petals in awe, thinking how much better she liked these particular roses than the more typical red ones. Vaguely, she wondered if every guest here at the resort received such lavish floral arrangements or only those staying in the casitas.
There was a wooden table and four chairs located in the kitchenette area, which included a full size refrigerator, microwave, cooktop, electric kettle, and sophisticated coffee maker.
“Of course you won’t need to do any cooking at all,” the manager assured her. “But since we do offer gourmet cooking classes here at the resort, some of our guests like to practice what they’ve learned in their own kitchens here. If that’s what you decide to do, we have a grocery shopping service at your disposal. Just fill out a list on our website and submit it, and we’ll have your groceries to you within two or three hours.”
Scarlett shook her head. “That’s okay. I’m not much of a cook, so aside from making a cup of coffee I probably won’t use the facilities here much. I doubt I could ever make anything as yummy as what I just ate for lunch.”
After pulling up to the front entrance of the resort, a bellman had been there to greet them before loading up Scarlett’s bags onto a wheeled cart. She’d watched as Jackson had tipped him, probably very generously judging by the wide smile on the young man’s face, and he had assured Scarlett he would deliver her things directly to her room.
Jackson had turned to her then, a grin on his face. “Try not to get kicked out of this place the first day, okay?” he’d teased. “Just go with the flow, relax, unwind, recuperate, you get the picture. I’ll be back two weeks from today to pick you up and take you to the airport. I’ve already taken care of changing your flight arrangements, by the way.”
“You think of everything, don’t you?” she’d commented drily. ‘Frankly, you seem a little on the OCD side, Gilmore, with this obsession you have of making sure all bases are covered. But, well, thanks. You really didn’t need to go to this much trouble. Especially with the clothes.” She had taken a quick glance around her before admitting sheepishly, “I can see now I wouldn’t have fit in wearing my grubby old stuff. The staff looks better dressed than I would have.”
Jackson had given her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “You look great, Scarlett,” he’d told her gently. “And you’ll look even better after two weeks of eating well, getting tons of rest, maybe even a little color in your cheeks. Look, I’d better head out now, but if you need anything at all while you’re here just text me, okay? Or ask the front desk for anything you need. I’m told that if they don’t have something on site they’ll make sure to get it for you within a few hours.”
She’d shrugged unconcernedly. “I doubt I’ll need anything special. You know me, Ms. Low Maintenance.”
“Text me anyway,” he’d urged. “Once a day at least. Just to check in, keep in touch, tell me what you ate for dinner. Attaching a selfie or two would be good, too. And before you ask, I’ll make damned sure no one can peek at my phone. I’m going to start changing the passwords three times a day from now on.”
That had elicited a rare laugh from her, but the laugh had stuck in her throat when Jackson had pulled her close against him for a brief hug.
“Take care of yourself,” he’d murmured against her hair before quickly sliding inside his car and heading out.
Scarlett had stared after him for long seconds, trying hard not to read anything into that brief but oh so welcome embrace, telling herself that he’d simply been trying to reassure her and maybe make up for his previous neglect.
And then the front desk manager had appeared and enthusiastically proceeded to give her the grand tour of the facilities. She’d managed to show polite interest when shown the fitness studio, spa, meeting room where guest lectures on subjects like nutrition and naturopathic medicine were given, the three pools scattered throughout the resort, and where to access the walking paths and hiking trails. The tour had also included the various dining options offered at the resort - the more formal, sit-down dining room, the more casual serve yourself buffet, the elegant lobby bar, and a coffee kiosk.
Scarlett had opted for the buffet for lunch, her eyes widening at the lavish displays of food, everything and more that one could wish for. Recalling Doctor Parks’ instructions to include more than just grease and sugar in her diet, she’d rather grudgingly piled her plate with a variety of tasty salads, but had made sure to save room for one of the scrumptious desserts. As she’d eaten her lunch, a discreet glance around at the other guests made her doubly glad that Jackson had thought to upgrade her wardrobe, as everyone else present was well dressed and perfectly groomed.
The front desk manager - a thirty-something woman named Valerie - had found her again after lunch and escorted her to this casita. Scarlett wondered if all guests received this sort of personalized treatment, or just the ones staying in the casitas. Or perhaps, she mused as she continued to observe her surroundings, it was yet another perk that came from being part of the Gilmore family - that everyone bent over backwards to go above and beyond what was normally expected. She certainly wouldn’t have put it past Jackson to request that Scarlett be given a one-on-one tour of the facilities, or any other special treatments she liked.
“The bedroom and bath are located just down this hallway,” Valerie indicated with a sweep of her arm. “Your suitcases have been left in your room, and I’m certain you’ll find everything else you might need there - towels, toiletries, and the like. But of course if there’s anything at all that you need, please call us immediately. And as I mentioned earlier, any of the dining options are always available to you, no need to make a reservation. Plus, if you decide you’d rather remain in your room, you can order room service using the resort’s app. The tablet here is for your complimentary use during your stay. You’ll have full use of our internet service, as well as access to an online reading library of thousands of books.”