Ellis was awoken from his deep slumber by a knock on the door. He groggily pushed himself up and rubbed his eyes as he tried to focus in the dark room. The smiling face of Lisle appeared from behind the door.

“Good morning, Ellis, the plane will be arriving in about a half hour so I wanted to give you enough time to wake yourself up. You are more than welcome to head back to bed once we’re unloaded and our guests are settled,” Lisle explained. His eyebrow cocked a bit as he noticed a familiar black robe draped over the young man’s body.

“You won’t—” Ellis yawned, “You won’t need me for anything else after?”

“Normally we would, but I try to let my new hires recover the day after they get here to keep their system from wearing down too much. You’re more than welcome to sleep until lunchtime if you’d like. You are planning on staying, yes?”

Lisle noticed Ellis’ suitcase was still on the table and his belongings had yet to be unpacked. Ellis nodded and rubbed his neck. He, too, looked down at his body with confusion as he realized he was wearing a large clothing item that was not his own.

“Yes… yes! I want to stay, I’ll get ready!” Ellis said with a smile.

“Good, Janine’s made some light breakfast items that will be available on the coffee bar for you to grab. Dress warmly!”

Ellis, showered and bundled in his warmest sweater and largest scarf, walked into the lobby about twenty minutes later with a small yawn. He shakily buttoned up his coat and turned his eyes away from the insanely bright sunlight that reflected off of the lobby floor. He found Masoud and Grant standing beside the coffee bar with mugs of steaming coffee in their hands and heavy coats with faux fur-lined hoods over their bodies. They turned to greet the newest employee as he approached.

“How’d you sleep?” Grant inquired.

“Fine, I think?” Ellis said sheepishly.

Grant handed Ellis an empty mug and turned to the office across the way, “Lisle! Ellis is here!”

“Coming!” Lisle called through the half-cracked door.

Ellis poured himself a cup of coffee and eyed a still warm cinnamon roll from the tray. He nervously looked at Grant after feeling the intensity of his gaze upon him. The doctor titled his head to the side in question. His hair wasn’t styled and he seemed much more casual than he had the day prior.

“You can have one, Ellis,” Grant said softly.

Lisle walked out of his office with a stack of folders in his hands and a yawn on his lips, “Oh, Ellis, is that the warmest outfit you own?”

“Yes?” Ellis replied with a bit of confusion.

Lisle gasped, “That won’t do, you’ll freeze!”

“Do you have your gear in your office, Lisle?” Grant inquired.

“Yes, please get it for me. I’ll stay inside to greet our guests. Masoud, would you please grab the luggage carts? Roland radioed and should be landing shortly,” Lisle requested.

“Of course! Two smalls and one large, you think?” Masoud asked as he pushed himself off of the coffee bar. Lisle nodded in reply.

Lisle watched with a smile as Grant headed into his office before he turned back to Ellis who sheepishly sliced into a cinnamon roll to cut it in half. He set the folders down and grabbed a mug to make himself a tea.

“What I’d like for you to do is accompany Masoud and Grant out to the plane and observe. Since Grant is our medical professional, he’ll be out with you all today to assist Miss Prescott since she won’t be able to use her wheelchair with the snow. Please get her chair and bring it inside, then help Masoud unload the luggage. You’ll get them loaded onto one cart per room and take them to their suites while I get their paperwork finalized. Do you remember which rooms I assigned to whom?” Lisle asked.

“Miss Prescott is in room 1 to be closest to the wheelchair, the couple—Sydney and James—in room 3, and the author in the last room, number 15,” Ellis replied.

“I’ll make a manager out of you yet, Mr. Hughes.”

Ellis smiled, his cheeks turned a bit red, “Load the carts, take them to their rooms, then what?”

“That’s all for the de-boarding side of things, if you’d like to help Roland and Masoud unload the inventory it would be appreciated but not necessary. What I would really like for you to do is go back to bed or get yourself unpacked and rested before lunch. Many of our guests will, most likely, want to rest so today will be the one day to really let yourself recover from the trip and acclimate before we get busy. We all will be returning to bed shortly after, so don’t feel awkward if you need to retire.”

“Okay.”

“Good, I’d suggest hiding a few of those cinnamon rolls for later, they go quick.”

Lisle nudged him with a soft wink. Grant returned with a heavier coat, a thick hat, and warm gloves. He handed them over to Lisle who urged Ellis to finish his cinnamon roll and get bundled up, noting that he could see the plane on the horizon and time was of the essence. Masoud returned with two of the luggage carts. They looked like gilded birdcages that almost floated above the delicately designed floor tiles below them.

“Alright everyone, our first goal will be getting Miss Prescott inside since Grant will need to have a conversation with her about her health, Ellis will be grabbing her chair and return to help you with luggage, Masoud,” Lisle explained. “If anyone needs me, I will be here trying to get my head on straight.”

Grant softly set his knuckle against Lisle’s head and brushed back a strand of hair, “Promise me you’ll go back to bed once everything is settled.”

Lisle smiled widely, “I will. Please grab a scarf, I worry about you getting sick.”

Grant merely nodded and headed toward the coat rack by the concierge desk to do as he asked, while Lisle picked up his steaming tea and files. Ellis watched with a curious gaze for a moment, suddenly awash with realization that the two men were not merely coworkers.

“I’ll be back with the last cart in a moment! Hopefully Roland will have the plane ready to disembark by the time I return, Ellis make sure you’re warm enough. It’s bitter out there!”

Ellis slid on the heavier coat over his own and the warm beanie over his head. He ensured he was bundled up before he pulled the carts toward the front door to ensure they were close enough to deposit the luggage without much hassle.

Grant, sipping his coffee, wrapped his arm around Lisle’s waist and kissed his cheek.

“Why was Ellis wearing your robe?” Lisle inquired with a cocked eyebrow.

“He was sleepwalking last night, we found him in the lobby and he was shivering,” Grant replied nonchalantly.

“Thank you for helping him… he seems excited.”

“I hope so, the last thing we need is a miserable, sickly child to look after that won’t be able to pay the facility fees.”

“Grant!”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Just don’t overwork him, keep him on half days for a while until I get him vaccinated and he gets rested.”

“I will. Please ensure Miss Prescott is handled delicately and make time for Syd and James.”

Grant nodded and kissed his cheek again before he wrapped his scarf around his neck and walked toward the front door. He joined Ellis and Masoud who had returned with an extra large luggage cart and pressed his thumb against the door lock scanner. The trio of men walked out into the chilly atmosphere, heeding Lisle’s warning about not slipping as they went.

The cold breeze took Ellis’ breath away and the light was intense as the sun bounced off of the snowbanks. The plane door was opened and a young woman, wrapped up in a heavy woolen peacoat, appeared in the entryway with Roland behind her. The pilot waved down Grant who hurried across the snowy landscape. Ellis followed, carefully moving to try and keep himself from sliding on the uneven ground.

“Miss Prescott, my name is Doctor Grantham Fontenot, I’ll be carrying you inside. My associate, Ellis, will grab your wheelchair. You’ll only be without it for a moment,” Grant explained as he walked up the steps.

“Fine,” she replied with a pout.

Ellis felt his heart race as she pulled down her scarf to speak. Her short bangs blew softly over her thick brows and her freckle-covered cheeks were red from the cold breeze nipping at them. Her brown eyes were soft and her lips pursed in frustration. She locked eyes with him, cocked an eyebrow up, and stared intently. Ellis turned away in embarrassment.

While Grant lifted the young woman into his arms, Ellis waited by the base of the stairs until space was made for him to go retrieve the wheelchair. Masoud took a purple suitcase from Roland at the top of the stairs, he stuck a small sticker with a bold number 1 on it.

As the first bits of luggage, the wheelchair, and the first passenger were grabbed, a young couple appeared at the top of the short staircase with several large suitcases in hand. Ellis took the purple suitcase from Masoud who noted it belonged to Emma Prescott and needed to be put on one of the smaller carts, then followed Grant into the hotel.

He set the wheelchair down and opened it back up, then placed her suitcase on one of the luggage carts as instructed. He stepped out of the way to let Grant carefully place the guest back down and turned his eyes toward the excited couple as Lisle intercepted them in the doorway with a sad smile on his face.

“Hello dears, I hope the flight was easy for you both,” Lisle said as he embraced the barrel-chested, stocky man.

“Hi, Lisle, the flight was fine,” the man Ellis could only assume was James replied. He had a well-groomed mustache and dark black hair that was slicked back. Everything about him looked expensive.

Lisle embraced the woman for a brief moment before he pulled away and set his hands on her arms, “Sydney…”

“Surprise!” she said, absolutely glowing as she rubbed her stomach.

Lisle, looking utterly shocked, turned to James before his eyes moved back to Sydney, “Congratulations! How far along are you?”

“You’re pregnant?” Grant inquired with a small smirk.

“Four months, and I am exhausted,” Sydney replied as she pulled her woolen beanie from her kinky brown hair.

“I assume you’re staying for the last half of your pregnancy then, yes?” Grant asked.

“We’d like to, if it’s not too much trouble,” James replied.

“We’d be delighted to have you, room 3 is ready for you both. I’ll have Ellis bring your luggage up once we get it all unloaded. Ah, that reminds me, this is Ellis Hughes, he’s our newest employee. Ellis, this is James and Doctor Sydney LaRue,” Lisle said.

“Hello, I’ll be up with your bags shortly,” Ellis replied as he took the outstretched suitcases from Masoud who had returned to the warmth of the hotel. They both had number 2 stickers, so he placed them on the largest cart.

Masoud waved to the regulars, “Hello James, Syd, welcome back. Ellis, please follow me, we have much to unload.”

Ellis nodded and raced off after Masoud who was already on his way back out into the tundra. They bypassed a tall, slender man with large aviator sunglasses on his head and lightly curled red hair. He had an aloof aura about him, his long trench coat was old and his scarf was a patchwork mess of different fabrics, and Ellis could only assume he was the author Lisle mentioned the night prior. He looked to be much younger than what Ellis had imagined when he first pictured a tenured writer with deadlines.

Lisle, hands pressed together, nervously watched as Ellis wandered back out into the snow before he turned to his old friends. James and Sydney shared glances before they addressed the hotel owner.

“He’ll be fine,” James assured, knowing full well why Lisle was uneasy.

“I hope so,” Lisle replied. He exhaled and turned to the final guest with a soft smile, “Hello, welcome to Lonely Planet Hotel. If you’re ready, I’d be happy to give you a tour.”