Just My Cup of Tea

The bell above the door of The President Hotel rung, signaling to the blonde receptionist at the desk that someone had entered the facility. She looked up to see a turian having trouble keeping the glass door open wide enough to pull his suitcase through but not squish the backpack slung over one shoulder and also keep the summer rain off the front carpet. The blonde set her pen down on the card she was writing to her mother and stood to help the struggling turian.

She walked over to him, straightened her skirt, and stood behind him to hold the door open. Her thin fingers were white at the knuckles from holding the glass away from the turian as he dragged his suitcase inside and ducked under her arm. She released the door and gave him a warm smile, which he returned with a flick of his mandibles. "Thank you," he breathed. "It's kind of nasty outside."

"Welcome to London in the summer," the blonde answered in her native accent. She saw it intrigued the turian because he flicked his mandibles again, not as noticeably as before, but she still picked it up. She gestured towards her desk. "Let me check you in. Do you have a reservation?"

The turian shook his head. "No, Miss...?" He trailed off, the end of the sentence hanging in a question.

"Shepard. May I have your name, please?" She sat back down at her desk and poised her hands over her computer's keyboard.

"Garrus Vakarian."

Her manicured fingernails clacked over the keys as she entered the name. "And how long will you be staying with us, Mr. Vakarian?" Jayne returned her green eyes to the turian.

"My return flight - well, the first one - leaves Friday morning. What's the checkout time here?"

"11 am."

"That might work out, actually, because I think the flight is scheduled to leave later in the afternoon."

"And is the Friday the upcoming one?"

"No, the Friday after that." Garrus' mandibles flicked as he smiled. "Extended vacation," he said to Jayne's raised eyebrows.

"Well, I'm sure you won't be without something to do for the duration of your stay." She gave him another warm smile before standing up and taking a key out of a small box in the back of a desk drawer. She turned to unlock the glass case of keys and pulled one down off the third row, locking the case and placing the key back in its box before handing the key to Garrus. "Room 313, third floor, just down the hall from the elevator. It'll be on your right," she said.

"Thanks." Making sure he could hold onto the key along with his luggage, he turned back to Jayne before he went up to his room. "Is that a native London accent?"

She gave him another warm smile. It was a deciding factor in her getting the job two years ago. "Yes, sir, I've lived here all my life."

"I don't think I've ever had anyone call me sir."

"Well I take the pleasure of being the first. May I ask where you're coming from?"

"Sacramento."

"I've never been to California."

"Ever been to the States?"

"Oh, yes, a few times. Only to the east coast, though. Big cities like New York and Philadelphia. And once to a small town in Ohio that I can't remember the name of. But it doesn't matter. I'm sure it's beautiful there. Can you see the water from where you live?"

Garrus shook his head. "No, Sacramento is much too far inland. Practically center of the state. The water's a two hour drive from me, I think. I dunno, it's been a while since I was at the beach."

"Shows how much I know about United States geography. It was never my strong-suit when I was in school." A soft chuckle bubbled over her lips, stretching them into another smile. The bell over the door rang and Jayne looked away from her conversation to see a family of three running in from a taxi. "I'm sorry, but I do have a job to do. Why don't you go get settled in your room and I can meet you in the lounge after my shift?"

"What time did you have in mind?" Garrus asked, intrigued.

"Eight?"

"I'll see if I can manage to stay awake."

"Right, jet lag, I forgot. If you need a day to settle in, that's fine. I'll be right here."

Garrus nodded. "Expect me anyway."

Jayne smiled again. "I'm looking forward to it already." The family had finally pulled in all their luggage and belongings and paid the taxi driver and was walking up to the desk after shaking off most of the rain under the small canopy over the door. Garrus smiled as the elevator opened its doors to take him up two floors.

What Jayne assumed to be the father placed a hand on the small counter above the desk. "Afternoon." His thick Scottish accent rang in her ears.

"Good afternoon, sir. How may I help you?"

"Looking for a room for my family and I for a week."

"How many in your party, sir?"

"Three."

Jayne scrolled through room descriptions on her computer. "We have a room on the sixth floor with two double beds, or one on the second floor with a double bed and a cot." She looked at the family expectantly.

The assumed father turned to converse quietly with what Jayne assumed was his wife for a few moments before turning back to Jayne. She could just barely see the top of the head of a child over the desk. The child could not have been more then five years old, so Jayne discreetly poised her mouse pointer over the second floor room. "We'll take the two double beds."

"Alright, just one moment, please." Jayne clicked on the sixth floor room and stood up to pull the key out of the glass case. She placed it on the desk next to the mouse and turned back to the father. "Your name, sir?"

"John Bryant."

"Thank you." After a few moments, Jayne stood again and handed the key to the man. "Here you are, room 604, just down the hall from the elevator on your left. You should be able to see it from the doors."

"Thank you," the man said with a curt nod. His wife also nodded at her before she herded their child towards the elevator, carting their suitcases behind them. Jayne watched the family struggle to hold the doors open to get the overpacked suitcases inside, and the child began to wail when the door alarm sounded. When the elevator had finally taken up the family, Jayne took a moment to lean back in her chair.

What am I doing? I've never been that way with a client before...Nothing could go wrong with a cup of tea, though...right? Jayne just sighed, shook her head to clear it, and focused on finishing the card to her mother before the next person stepped into the hotel and out of the rain.