April’s Christmas: A Sweet Romance by Hazel Ann Williams & Janeen O’Kerry
Excerpt:
The swish of the automatic doors and the sound of footsteps hurrying across the lobby alerted April. With practiced moves she capped the silver pen and whisked away the stationery. By the time the snow-covered man arrived at the front desk she was on her feet and wearing her best helpful, friendly expression.
“Good evening, sir. Welcome to the Hyatt Regency Columbus. How may I help you?”
“I’m Harlan Kennedy. I have a reservation,” the man said with a frown, brushing the snow from his tan raincoat. His fair skin was reddened from the cold, and his light brown hair, ruffled by the wind, still had a few delicate snowflakes caught in it. “It was made by Adelante Communications in Los Angeles last week. My secretary confirmed it yesterday.”
April keyed his name into her terminal and quickly scanned the information. “We were expecting you by six, Mr. Kennedy.”
The man shook his head in exasperation. He looked young, almost boyish; April felt certain he could not be more than thirty. “Lady, this trip has been pure chaos! All my connections were delayed or re-routed. Your little old airport almost didn’t let us land and then it shut down completely right after we got in. The rental car company was already closed. Getting a taxi in this weather is impossible! I’m still freezing!”
As the snowflakes melted into tiny damp spots in his soft hair, his hazel eyes suddenly narrowed with suspicion and irritation. “Hey– you’re not going to tell me that you’ve canceled my reservation, are you? I called from Dallas and told somebody here that I was running late–”
“Mr. Kennedy, your reservation is in good order,” April said, smoothly breaking into his tirade to reassure him.
It was not the first time she had been the target of a tired traveler and she was long used to handling such things. Yet for some reason, she began to feel this man’s annoyance personally. It was as if she was embarrassed at her city for having a snowstorm at this particular moment and inconveniencing Mr. Kennedy, leaving him cold and tired and annoyed.
She did not understand why she should feel that way. He was just another guest to be taken care of… just another businessman passing through town.
Only a single snowflake was left in his ruffled light brown hair.