Broken Wings - XVIII -

Hanging up the phone, Miranda sighed. The resort was a great place to live. She loved seeing her family after being away for them for a year and thinking she would never see them again. As wonderful as things were, there were always times when she wished she were somewhere else. Now was one of those times.

Amaliya was in the middle of trying to solve a kitchen dispute and Cassi was running around the resort by herself. Cassi "coming out of her shell" had caused a few trying times in the almost two years the resort had been open. There was the time that she had casually mentioned to a sheik that a member of his harem was being unfaithful. Then there was the time that she was about to tell a prince that he was not of the royal bloodline. Miranda had made it just in time to interrupt with some excuse and shoo Cassi away, avoiding an international incident.

If it weren't for her "abilities" they wouldn't be concerned. Cassi was very competent and capable for her age. She was a big help to her family, when she kept her "feelings" to herself. It was for that reason that they made sure that either one of her parents or Miranda were with her at all times. Damage control was much easier if you could prevent an incident in the first place. With past incidents in mind, she hurried off to find her sister.

Half way through the main lobby, she was forced to stop as a man waved a hand and started walking towards her. It was Senor Gonzalez, a young Hispanic businessman who had been a guest of the resort for a few months. Swallowing a sigh, she fixed a smile to her face as she waited for him to reach her. It wasn't that he wasn't a charming and interesting man. On the contrary, he was extremely polite and a great conversationalist. As much as she would love to sit and talk, Cassi had to be found.

"Ah, Senorita." He greeted her as he finished his approach. "How are you doing this beautiful day?"

Miranda smiled in spite of herself. She had never heard of a day that wasn't beautiful. If nothing else, Senor Gonzalez was a perpetual optimist.

"I am fine Senor, she responded, trying not to sound preoccupied. "How are you." Her eyes swept the lobby.

Her movement did not go unnoticed. "You look for something, no?"

She tried to sound carefree. "It's nothing. I'm just..."

He held up his hand to stop her, his head. "No, Senorita. You look for something. I can tell. What is it? I, Miguel Antonio Gonzalez, will help you find what you seek."

"Senor Gonazelez, really. It's not..." She stopped abruptly as she was tapped on the shoulder.

She turned to see Clancy there. She could feel her head spin. Why couldn't anything be simple? "Not now please, Mr. Clancy." She said rather briskly. As she turned back to Senor Gonzalez, she felt a hand on her elbow and she was roughly pulled aside.

"Excuse us, Senor Gonzalez." He said curtly.

A look of distaste flashed across Senor Gonzalez's face but he quickly replaced it with a sweet smile. "But, of course." He said and withdrew.

With an apologetic smile, she nodded a farewell to Senor Gonzalez and turned to Clancy.

Her eyes flashed as she spoke to him.

"How dare you?" her voice came out in a fierce whisper.

His face was a mixture of confusion and irritation.

"What are you talking about?"

"You do not interrupt me while I am speaking to a guest. Do you understand me?"

Clancy set his face to control his emotions. He seldom lost his temper and he did not want the exception to his rule to be a woman, let alone his employer.

"Miss Proust..." He tried but she cut him off.

"Do you understand?" She repeated.

"Yes, ma'am." He said in a subdued tone.

"See that you remember that. If it happens again, you will need to seek other employment. We have a certain code of conduct that we expect to be kept with our customers and we will not tolerate rudeness."

He seemed unmoved by this, which irritated her even more. Her eyes surveyed him dismissively. "Now, if you don't mind, Mr. Clancy, I need to go find my sister."

Clancy moved to the side revealing Cassi standing behind him.

"That is what I wanted to tell you." He said with a sigh. "Cassi came into the atrium and I figured you would be looking for her."

Without looking at her, he turned and left the room, leaving Miranda with her mouth hanging open.