Chapter Two

"You know this girl?" Nicole questioned, her narrowed eyes flicking from the girl sitting in the shower toward Tessa and remaining on her face. "It just figures." This last part was mumbled but Tessa heard it anyway but choose to ignore her words.

Tessa's eyes didn't move from the wet, grinning face of the young girl crouched in the shower, wrapped in a damp towel. "Yes, I know her." She said with a sigh. "She's my sister."

The girl in the shower grinned even wider, as though seeing Tessa standing in front of her was a genuine surprise. Once Tessa had explained their relationship, it wasn't difficult for Jason to see the resemblance; though the girl was a few years younger then his employee, only about sixteen or seventeen, they still looked a great deal alike, with the same brown eyes, freckled skin and no doubt brown sugar colored hair. "Your sister." Jason repeated, nodding his head slowly.

Almost comically, the girl extended her hand to him. "Ashlee Lewis." She introduced, not looking at all embarrassed by the fact that she was naked aside from the towel clinging to her wet skin.

Jason decided against shaking her head and Ashlee lowered it, shrugging slightly. "And you're the one that stole the room keys." That fact seemed obvious but he couldn't help but ask it anyway.

Holding the towel tightly, Ashlee stood up, squinting her eyes against the water streaming from the shower head as she twisted the handles and turned the water off. "I needed a shower." She answered when she turned back to face them. Tessa couldn't help but smile, shaking her head slightly.

Nicole didn't seem to see the humor in the situation. "What you have done is a serious offense." She pointed out, her voice harsh because she realized that no one else seemed to see that what Tessa's sister had done was wrong. Not even Jason, who seemed amused as well.

Jason looked over at her. "I don't think now is the time to get into this." He pointed out, gesturing toward the girl standing in only a towel, damp from head to toe. "Let her get dressed then we'll talk about what to do." Nicole narrowed her eyes but she didn't say anything.

Nicole and Jason headed out of the bathroom, leaving Tessa staring at her sister for a moment, a faint smile on her lips. "What are you doing here, Ashlee?" Tessa questioned, stepping aside and allowing her sister to get out of the shower.

"Looking for you." Ashlee admitted, looking closely at her sister. "I couldn't stay at home anymore, Tess."

Tessa sighed, she knew exactly what her little sister was talking about, what she had been subject to back home. "We'll get this straightened out." She said and Ashlee nodded. Maybe she could talk to Jason and explain things better, explain why things had ended up the way they had.

Jason closed the bathroom door behind him and instantly Nicole turned to face him, her eyes burning. "I can't believe this." She snapped and Jason resisted the urge to take a step back. "Tessa is always causing trouble here; she's not good for this hotel. Look at what's happened now."

"This isn't Tessa's fault." Jason pointed out, holding up a hand to stop Nicole's anger. "It was her sister that stole the room keys and broke into this room, remember; Tessa didn't have anything to do with this."

His words did little to calm Nicole's apparent fury. "How do we know this whole thing wasn't planned?" Jason couldn't help himself and rolled his eyes. Nicole realized that her claims were a little bit farfetched and she took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "All right, maybe not. But I don't want her sister getting off just because Tessa works here."

Jason nodded. "We'll get Vincent and make sure that she's punished." Saying those words sounded somehow childish to him but he couldn't think of anything else. Either way, it seemed to make Nicole happy and she nodded.

The bathroom door opened and Tessa and Ashlee stepped out, with the younger girl wearing a rumpled tee-shirt too big for her and a pair of cut-off blue jean shorts, her wet hair laying tangled on her shoulders. Nicole's eyes settled on Ashlee. "Do you have the rest of the room keys?"

Ashlee reached into her pocket and pulled out a stack of keys, handing them promptly to Nicole without a word. Nicole counted them and then put him into her own pocket. "Were you planning on breaking into the other rooms, too?" She questioned.

"Shouldn't I have a lawyer present for this type of thing?" Ashlee questioned, a grin on her lips again and Nicole narrowed her eyes. "Yes." She answered. "I was." Tessa shook her head again, looking amused by the whole thing.

Ashlee's behavior was typical, the constant smile as she did something wrong, the humor because she didn't know what else to do. She'd been that way all of her life, cracking jokes and smiling when she was really terrified. Nicole seemed surprised by her answer, as though she hadn't expected those words. "I was hungry." Ashlee explained. "I was going to open the little refrigerators."

Nicole looked back at Jason, as though commanding him to take some part in this discussion. "All right," he said, almost grudgingly. He could tell there was something about Ashlee, something that he couldn't quite place that Nicole hadn't even noticed. A motive behind her break-ins, perhaps. "Let's go downstairs and get Vincent and figure out what to do next."

Jason and Nicole left the room with Tessa and her sister in tow. Ashlee looked over at the older woman. "So, you work here, huh?"

Tessa gave her a confused look. "I think you knew that." She said and Ashlee shook her head. "Then why...?"

"Lucky guess." Ashlee suggested. "I just picked this hotel because it was big."

Tessa was silent, thinking about what Ashlee had said and was still silent when they reached the elevator and entered the cab with several other guests. Ashlee was forced to squeeze close to Nicole and gave the woman a grin that Nicole just ignored, rolling her eyes and staring straight ahead.

When the elevator reached the lobby, the polished steel doors sliding apart, Jason could see that the Grand Waimea was much busier now then it had been before he'd gone with Tessa to see who had stolen the room keys. Despite the guests crowded in the lobby, he could easily pick out his boss, Vincent Colville, talking to an elderly Chinese guest.

Vincent looked away from the man when he saw Jason approached and was about to give the old man his complete attention again when he saw that there was another girl, one he didn't recognize, following after them and Nicole with a frown fixed on her face. "Excuse me." Vincent muttered to the man before turning to face his general manager and his other employees. "What's going on, Jason?"

Nicole stepped up, seeming to push Tessa out of the way. "This girl," she gestured toward Ashlee. "Has stolen several room keys, broke into one of the rooms to use the shower, and informed me that she was planning on breaking into several other rooms."

Vincent's eyes settled on Ashlee, who simply smiled and stood close to Tessa; therefore, it was easy for him to see the resemblance. "Who is this girl?" He questioned, his gaze leaving the youngest Lewis and looking back at Jason.

"Ashlee Lewis." Jason answered. "Tessa's little sister." Vincent looked back at Ashlee and Tessa and found it even easier to see just how alike they appeared. "Nicole believes that charges should be pressed." Nicole cleared her throat and glared at him. "And so do I. I think that's the appropriate action."

Vincent looked at Tessa for a moment, who remained stony despite Jason's words, then looked back at his general manager. "Fine." He said. "Breaking and entering is a serious offense." This was spoken to Ashlee, who nodded once, slowly. "We'll go into my office, get the entire story, then decide what charges should be pressed."

They started toward the back of the hotel, where most of the higher ranking employees had their private offices, and where the employee's lounge was located, provided there was enough time to step away from a job and get back there. The hallway was hidden behind a single, solid oak door that required a swipe from a security guard to open, keeping guests from stumbling back into the offices by accident.

Nicole reached the door first and reached into her pocket to retrieve her wallet, where she kept her security badge and other identification, but found nothing but the room-keys Ashlee had given her. She checked her other pocket, but it was empty as well. Jason stepped up beside her. "What's the matter?"

"I can't find my wallet." Nicole muttered, not worried yet but feeling like an idiot, especially in front of Vincent, for leaving her wallet at home when she used her security card at least twice a day. "I could have sworn I didn't leave it at home."

Tessa looked over at Ashlee, who was staring down at the carpet beneath her feet and nudged her sister. "Give it back." She commanded and both Nicole and Jason turned to look at the younger girl. Even Vincent seemed interested in what Tessa was talking about.

Ashlee looked up and saw that everyone was staring at her. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said, looking over at Tessa, who wasn't buying her act for a minute.

Tessa reached into her sister's shorts pockets without a word, retrieving Nicole's leather wallet and handing it to her. "Ashlee's always had the quick hands in the family." Nicole took her wallet back, glaring at Ashlee. "She probably took it when we were in the elevator." Ashlee smiled slightly. Tessa sighed, looking at her sister then over at Vincent. "We're a family-"

"Of con artists?" Nicole supplied icily, opening her wallet and making sure that everything was still inside.

"With special talents." Tessa and Ashlee said together and Jason got the feeling that they'd been told that exact phrase since they were kids. And for some reason, that fact tugged at his heart and he felt a sudden sadness that he couldn't place.

Nicole took out her security card and swiped it across the small, white box on the right of the door, which beeped cheerfully and allowed her to open the door. Once they were in Vincent's office, the manager of the Grand Waimea, shut the door and motioned for Ashlee to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk before sitting in a large leather chair opposite her. Ashlee suddenly felt like she was very much so in an integration. "First of all," Vincent began, not offering the others a seat. "How old are you?"

Ashlee hesitated for a moment but then realized that if she gave a lie, then they'd know it because of her prolonged silence. "Seventeen." She answered dutifully, studying Vincent carefully. He was worn, old and chiseled and it was difficult for her to read any of the emotions on his face, let alone tell whether or not he'd already made up his mind about what to do with her.

"A minor." Vincent mumbled. "Do your parents know you're here?" Ashlee gave him a negative answer. Tessa was watching her sister closely. "So you ran away from home." He deduced. "I'm going to have to call your parents and send you back to...wherever you've come from."

Ashlee leaned for in her chair and Tessa even took a step toward her boss. "You can't do that." The younger girl protested. "I'd rather go to prison." She looked back at Nicole but the dark haired woman was motionless. "That's what you want anyway, right?"

"You can't go to jail for stealing room keys." Jason said and everyone turned to look at him for a moment. Tessa's eyes remained on him the longest, much longer then Nicole would have liked. "Maybe we don't have to do something so drastic, right Vincent?"

Vincent sighed, leaning back against his chair, the leather squeaking beneath him. "Certainly not prison, no." He said. "But I can't let you stay here without your parents' knowledge or permission."

"Sir," Tessa said, causing Vincent to look over at him. "I'm Ashlee's older sister, I think I should be able to take responsibility for her." She looked down at her sister and then back at her boss, giving him a solid glance, something shining in her eyes. I've done a hell of a lot for your hotel, her eyes said, you owe me something.

Vincent couldn't help but sigh, looking away from Tessa and back to Jason and Nicole. "That still doesn't solve the problem of repercussions for breaking into another guest's room." He looked at Ashlee. "That's a very serious crime, young lady, and one that I don't take lightly."

Ashlee sighed and Jason looked over at the younger girl; he'd given Tessa a chance all those weeks ago, maybe it would pay off in the exact same manner to give her sister one as well. "What about a sort of community service?" He suggested, causing Nicole to look over at him. "She could work here for a while; we're still sort a maid after Tessa got promoted."

"Absolutely not." Nicole protested instantly. "She's already broken into one of the rooms; making her a maid would give her unlimited access to this hotel."

Ashlee looked back at the woman. "Don't you think you're over-reacting a little?" She questioned and Nicole narrowed her eyes. "I just took a shower."

Nicole looked over at Vincent. "But that's not to say she won't take anything else." She pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest. "Listen to me, Vincent, this girl shouldn't be trusted, I can't even believe you're considering something like this."

Vincent stared at her with a stony expression on his face. "I never said I was considering it, Miss Booth." Nicole's stance became less defensive. "But I think Jason's idea much have potential; the Grand Waimea wouldn't have to hire another maid, and thus cut down on costs. And we are in desperate need of a maid, guests have begun to complain."

Nicole tried to think of a protest without sounding like she was mouthing off to her boss. "Vincent, with all due respect, I think you'd be putting the hotel in danger. There's no telling what she could do on her own."

"You're right." Vincent said. "That's why I'm putting you in charge of keeping an eye on her." Nicole's mouth nearly dropped open. "She's your responsibility, Nicole, and if there's a problem, it's your call."

Nicole muttered something and Vincent turned his attention to Ashlee, who was still watching him closely. "This is just temporary, and if there's one screw-up, I don't care how minimal, you're on the first plane back home. Do you understand." Ashlee assured him that she did. "You're to report to Nicole after every room you clean and she'll do an inspection."

"To make sure I don't take shit, right?" Ashlee questioned with a smile, which quickly disappeared as she shifted in her seat. "I mean, yes sir, I understand."

Tessa chuckled slightly and hid her mouth behind her hand, pressing her fingers against her lips. Vincent acted as though he didn't notice her. "You're all dismissed." He looked at Ashlee. "Go with Nicole, she'll get you started on cleaning."

The group headed toward the door, with Tessa bringing up the rear, causing Vincent to clear his throat, getting her attention. "She's your sister, so I trust you know her better then the rest of us," he began. "But if she screws up, you're gone too and I mean it Tessa."

Tessa nodded. "Yes sir. She won't mess up, I promise." Vincent waved his hand, dismissing her and she joined the others in the hallway.

Nicole glared at Jason, keeping her voice low. "Why did you stand up for them?" She snapped, voice harsh because of her low tone. "That girl is a criminal, Jason."

Jason looked at her evenly. "I don't have to clear everything with you, Nicole. And I don't have to watch myself around you, anymore, you're already engaged." Nicole's glare deepened and he instantly wished he hadn't took that shot at her.

Nicole turned to look at Ashlee, giving her a rough nudge forward. "Come on." She commanded. "You're got a lot of work to do." She pushed Ashlee ahead, away from the others and started giving her the rules of the Grand Waimea even before they had left the hallway.

Tessa looked over at Jason and smiled. "Thanks, Jason, for helping my sister like that."

Jason smiled back, waving his hand dismissively. "I just hope I won't regret it." He muttered and Tessa shook her head.

"You won't." She assured him, briefly touching his arm before heading off down the hallway after Nicole and Ashlee.

Jason was surprised to find himself staring after Tessa long before she had vanished into the lobby once again. He sighed, blinking and clearing his throat. It was already a long day and he had the feeling it was about to get longer.