Maybe that was why he looked so grouchy? His clothes were too tight. He was a big guy, at least a head taller than Claire, and far too broad to be struggling against a flimsy shirt all day.

That must be it – tight clothes. That could set anyone on edge.

They shook hands, his large hand squeezing hers firmly, and he took a seat. “I’m sorry for being late – ”

Claire rushed to respond. “That’s no problem, I had a bit of a late start myself today. I hope nothing is wrong?”

“No.” His scowl deepened. “Just a guest threatening to leave a one-star review.”

“Oh no! What happened?”

He shook his head, and Dan stopped by to take his order. “Just coffee, thanks.” Chip sat back. “Nothing to worry about. He was caught smoking in his room – lit part of the duvet on fire. We had to charge him the two-hundred-dollar cleaning fee, and I had half a mind to drag the duvet into the lobby for him to add to his review.”

Claire winced.

“What?” Chip said. “Would you have preferred if I handled it a different way?”

“No, I wouldn’t say that, I just – ”

“What?” He crossed his arms.

Claire bit her lip. “It’s nothing. I don’t have any experience in hospitality, as you know.”

“Yes, I know.”

She forced a smile. “I’m not sure if Steve told you, but I ended up hiring a consultant – Ken Gallon? Have you worked with him before, or maybe read his book?”

Chip shook his head. “Never heard of him.”

“Oh, well, he recommended that I read a few books about hospitality. They talk about different ways to handle challenging situations.”

“Do they?” he said, accepting his coffee with a nod.

Claire paused. This wasn’t how she’d hoped this meeting would go. “Maybe we can set up a time to talk about that later? I’m sure that you’ve had a lot of experience in dealing with difficult customers.”

“Yes, I have.” Chip took a sip of his coffee before setting it down in front of him. “But if that’s how you think I would best spend my time, then I guess that’s what I’ll be doing.”

All right then. Clearly Claire was not doing well in keeping the hotel’s right-hand man happy. “No – please. I want you to tell me what we need to do. I was hoping to learn a lot from you.”

“Look,” he said, leaning forward. “I’m going to level with you. Things at the hotel don’t look good.”

She sat back. “What do you mean?”

“It’s not been a great time for hotels the last few years, if you haven’t noticed.”

Claire nodded. “Oh, of course.”