Chapter 1 1

Love is a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person.

...

"Get out of my sight!" As she splashed hot soup on the waitress's white shirt, a woman in her sixties yelled. "You don't respect an elderly person." She continued, frowning.

Instead of looking in their direction, Claire Hutton stared down at her stained shirt, tears streaming down her face. When she finally got a job at the posh Hotel deLuxe, she was bullied by an older wealthy woman who wasn't happy with her order and told her she didn't have respect.

What had she done to earn such a fate? She pondered this question and excused herself to use the restroom. She found herself crying in front of the mirror, and a lady about her height with black hair handed her tissue paper to clean herself up. The lady straightened her hair and adjusted her makeup.

"You can cry all you want; this is a safe environment." The lady mumbled and then walked away.

Claire wiped the stain out of her blouse under the water, but it wouldn't come out. She walked into the restaurant after drying her clothing. She noticed a white pause on the ground in front of the exit door and chased down the owner, who was about to enter her black car.

Claire called after her as the woman turned to face Claire. She was the focus of the woman's attention. Claire's clothing had a stain on it, which she had noticed.

She was in her forties and was holding a black Louis Vuitton handbag and matching shoes. Her hair was parted to the side and her outfit was white. She wore a standard lipstick shade. She took off her sunglasses.

Claire Hutton had seen her before. The billionaire retired supermodel and well-known stay-at-home mother Loren Cohen stood in front of her.

Claire kept her excitement contained as she continued, "Your purse ma'am." She doesn't want Loren to know she was a weird number one fan.

Loren took it from Claire and smiled. She said, "Thank you...Claire Hutton."

Claire's expression showed her surprise. "How did you..."

"Your barge." She spoke up before Claire could complete her sentence. "Your name is prominently written on your barge."

Claire examined her barge as well as Loren's. "Mrs. Cohen, it was great to see you face to face. I am pleased to be your biggest supporter. Is it possible to get your autograph? Perhaps a picture?" Claire had asked.

Claire had admired Loren since she was a youngster, watching all of her fashion presentations on the runway and wishing to be like her when she grew up, but her fate altered when her brother had taken all of her father's money following his death. Her mother was sick and she had tried everything she could to get extra money so that she could send her sister to school.

Loren collected Claire's phone and took a picture with her. She removed money from her purse and handed it over to Claire. "I'll pay you for finding my handbag."

It was turned down by Claire. "I didn't hand up your purse to you because I was short on cash. I would have done that to anyone and not only rich people." Claire said this as she pushed Loren's hand back toward her.

Loren returned her gaze to Claire's ruined shirt. "How did things go down there?" Claire stared down at the stain as she pointed. "That was done by a wealthy woman. She claimed I was impolite since I only gave her what she asked for and she dumped boiling soup all over my body." Claire exhaled deeply. "I need to go or I'll be fired." Claire gave Loren a friendly smile. "I'm glad I got to meet you in person." She murmured this as she approached the door, but Loren stopped her before she could enter.

"Please take this." Claire received a card from Loren.

"My son is looking for a new manager, and there will be a lot of competition for that post, so I recommend that you submit your resume as soon as possible."

Claire retrieved it. "How come you're doing me such a tremendous favor?" Loren giggled when she asked.

"Claire, I've taken a shine to you and hope we can hang out when you obtain that job. I wish you all the best." As she got into her car, she said. The automobile sped away.

Claire stood there watching the automobile drive away. She examined the card. "Cohen Fashion industry?" She stroked it with her fingertips. "You are an angel, Mrs. Loren Cohen, and thank you for dumping hot soup on me, aggressive old lady." As she walked into the restaurant, Claire grinned.

Louis Batty, the owner of Hotel deLuxe and an old friend of Claire's, had stopped her on her way into the kitchen. He always smiles whenever he sees Claire. Her face was as innocent as a dove and he liked seeing It.

As soon as he observed the stain on her shirt, he called her. He grew enraged.

"Was that the ruckus from earlier this evening?" He inquired. "And you couldn't have told me about the woman who bullied you and poured soup all over your body?" As he approached her, he yelled at her.

Instead, Claire gave him a kind smile.

"After being bullied like that, how could you smile?" He inquired of her. "That woman needs to be taught a lesson. Nobody has the right to treat my friend badly, even if they are wealthy." He sprang for the kitchen door, but Claire intervened.

"You must not become enraged, Louis. Following the soup mishap, the woman did me a favor. Loren Cohen gave me a business card and told me to submit my CV as soon as possible because her son needed a new manager. I hope I am chosen because she was so lovely and nice." He shook his head as she smiled warmly at him.

He collected the card from Claire. "Do you mean I won't see your face every morning?" He inquired.

Claire began to chuckle, and he joined in. "That is if I am approved. Is it possible for me to leave early today? Before it's too late, I need to create and submit my résumé." He handed her the card, which she accepted.

He made a shooing motion with his hand while nodding. "I'll make an effort to function without you. Anyway, a happy birthday to you."

"You remembered." Claire came to a halt and stared at him.

"Certainly."

"I appreciate it." As she stepped out the door, Claire smiled.