Page 27 of Out of Office

“But enough about my plans for world domination. We want to continue to foster organic but strategic growth in the area, inviting talented locals to helm each hotel. The main focus for you is expansion. We’re seeing great results from Tropics Panamá and Tropics Roatan.

“I want us to add five more hotels in the Central America area by the end of 2027. We have interested real estate owners already. They are willing to be presented locations with similar profit margins to what we see in Panamá. This will be the focus for you, outside of driving results in the region. We want a project as talked about and as exhilarating as Tropics Panamá with a history behind it. Those design features in Panamá have become one of the main drivers outside of the destination itself.”

“Absolutely, this sounds similar to my thoughts. The area is vastly underappreciated, and there is great potential for sustainable growth. My vision is to continue to partner with locals and bring economic impact, not to flow out of the areas but into them.”

“See, you get the mission. Fantastic. You start on Monday. Your office will move here to the thirty-fourth floor, and you’ll get your bonus package, and benefits will drastically change. Mick will provide you with the package by end of the day today, and you can review the offer. I need an answer by Friday. Does that work for you?”

A bubble of excitement threatened to burst out of me at the news. I wanted to whoop and holler. Instead, I flashed my teeth in a poised smile.

“Yes. I can give you an answer first thing tomorrow morning after I review the package in detail,” I said with fabricated calm.

“Fantastic. I look forward to seeing you flourish, Genevieve.”

I glided out of Ricard’s office, transported in my personal cloud. Who should I call first? I definitely wanted to text Gino; he was probably in mediation right now but would be available soon for lunch. Mom was the obvious choice, but instinctually, the first face that flashed into my mind, was the same one that haunted my dreams and my nights.

“Cheers to you, my friend. You gonna kill it!” Gino said over the bustle of the Korean restaurant that had just made a splash a few weeks ago. It was equidistant from my office and Gino’s law firm, the perfect location to celebrate. I hadn’t been able to break for lunch, so we decided to meet for dinner instead. I’d reviewed the package in detail and, after hesitating, had sent it to my mom. She’d already sent me bullet points for negotiation, all things I had planned to ask for anyway. Maybe it was time for me to start flying solo, but how disrespectful would that be to her?

“Thanks, babe!” I clicked my Moët glass with Gino. I’d panicked when he had ordered the bottle, but then I remembered I had some wiggle room out of my debts with this new move.

“So, are you gonna negotiate the pieces your mom recommended?”

“Yeah, it makes sense. I’m asking for $10K more than the original offer. I think Ricard would think less of me if I didn’t. I also plan to ask for reimbursement for dry cleaning because it’s one of the most annoying bills I pay per month. And for them to cover my Wi-Fi at home because you know I’ll be working late nights,” I said, digging into my spicy beef bibimbap, the umami flavor saturating my palette. Anything not to encounter Gino’s disapproving face. Anything to shut up that little voice that told me working late nights wasn’t the flex I thought it would be. Insidious thoughts that had no space on a day of celebration.

“Girl, I wish you wouldn’t. I’m very happy for you, but I know you’ll just work twice as hard, longer hours, and I’ll never get to take you out for ladies’ night at Kiki’s on Thursdays.”

“When was the last time I went to Kiki’s for ladies’ night?” I asked him while taking a sip of the Moët.

“Twenty-fourteen.”

“Exactly, the chances were always slim to none.”

“Old lady.”

“Take it back!”

“I won’t. So, are you gonna tell me now what is bothering you about all of this?”

I sighed. Gino knew me too well. I was excited, I truly was, but he wasn’t wrong. A lot more pressure and work loomed in my near future, and I always met additional tasks by barreling forward. The thing was, I had been barreling forward for years now. And I’d been able to tell Gino, and Mom, but I wanted to celebrate with the one person that was out of reach.

“Damn, that sigh was deep. What is it, honey?”

“I want to call Adrián.”

“Mmmm.” Gino kept his face down into his own bibimbap.

“What was that?”

“You deleted his phone number like a sixteen-year-old. Now here we are.”

“Yeah. That was a rash decision, but I didn’t want to be tempted to reach out, when he was clear there was no future, when I was clear of the same.”

“So, you can’t even be friends?”

“Remember Joey D from Ms. Ramirez’s Spanish class?”

“Yeah, it was everything or nothing. That dude broke my heart. I get it, okay. But, babe, life is too short. You’re about to go into overworking mode. Wouldn’t it be nice to have your sexy, tall, hunky friend to chat with here and there?”

“Okay yeah, but...how do I reach him now?”

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