In her eyes, pies were exactly what this hotel needed. Claire saw The Grand Madrona as a family-friendly refuge, not a luxury resort. The fact that the hotel was elegant didn’t mean that it could only cater to aristocrats.

She’d have to put her foot down with Ken, but there wasn’t anything more to do on that subject now. Claire was spending the day with Gigi, learning how to take calls and book rooms.

The day flew by, surprisingly, because Gigi was happy to let Claire do most of the work. It was a great learning experience, and though Claire was sad to leave the hotel for the weekend, she was excited to have an excuse to spend time with her newly discovered nephew.

Taking a few days away from the hotel proved to be a wise choice. Claire loved having the time to get to know Marty as they spent hours talking, laughing, and cooking. They watched movies – Marty chose Interstellar, while Claire’s choice was Star Wars – and Claire got to hear more about Marty’s life growing up.

Though she didn’t find any solutions to Marty’s legal problem, Claire suggested that they hire an attorney who specialized in espionage. Marty was hesitant to agree; it seemed like he wished the problem would sort itself out.

Her argument was that while it’d be nice if the FBI figured out they were wrong on their own, it seemed unlikely. By Sunday evening, Marty acknowledged she was right, and he agreed they needed to find an attorney.

First thing Monday morning, Claire left a message for an old coworker, asking for a call back. Then, refreshed and full of hope, she returned to the hotel for her week of housekeeping duty.

She started her day in the employee locker room. Rhonda had left her a housekeeping uniform, and Claire beamed when she saw it. She fully planned on getting her hands dirty and learning first-hand how she could help make the housekeeping team’s lives easier.

Luckily for Claire, the housekeepers were not shy about telling her what they needed. As Claire scrubbed toilets, flipped mattresses, and hauled trash, they told her about all of the improvements they’d like to see.

“Go ahead, try to push this vacuum,” Layla, one of the youngest housekeepers, said to her on Tuesday.

Claire obliged, barely able to move the heavy thing along the carpet, its wheels squeaking.

“Oh yeah, that’s awful,” Claire said. “What’s with the bag on here? It’s so hard to get on.”

“I know!” Layla said. “I think this vacuum is older than I am.”

Claire laughed. All in all, the housekeepers’ requests were entirely reasonable. They wanted new vacuums for each team, and a spare in case of breakdowns. They asked for new carts, and to have shampoo and conditioner dispensers installed in the showers.