Page 19 of Worth the Fall

It was a stupid question. Thankfully, Sierra didn’t call me out on it.

“Um, because he’s the director of finance, and I work pretty closely with him. He’s my direct report.”

“So, he’d be my boss?” I asked, my voice shaking only slightly on the last word.

“He’d be your boss, yes.” She cocked her head to the side, as if studying me or at least trying to figure out what my issue with him was. “Hey, look, if you’re worried about his reputation, let me tell you that Thomas is all bark and no bite. All talk, no walk. People are scared of him, but those people are dumb.”

An uncomfortable laugh bubbled up from my throat. I wasn’t sure I bought Sierra’s version of Thomas in the slightest. Granted, I didn’t know him at all, but he’d seemed pretty scary the other day when I ran into him.

“If you say so.”

“Anything he does or says that comes off as mean is always in the best interest of the resort. He loves this place. We all do.”

That was kind of the best sales pitch I’d ever heard, and she wasn’t even trying. I stood up from the chair and went to shake Sierra’s hand before she scurried from behind her desk and wrapped me in a bear hug.

“I really do think you’d be the perfect fit. Don’t let Thomas’s grumpy exterior scare you off.”

“I think he might hate me,” I admitted.

She pulled away, giving me a confused look. “Why would you think that?”

Taking a step back, I crossed my arms over my chest and shifted my weight. I wasn’t sure if I should be confessing this to Sierra or not, but I considered her a friend, and we were both adults.

“Well, I might have been pretty drunk the other day when I got back here, and I might have sort of, kind of run right into his rock-hard chest and almost gotten whiplash in the process.”

“Oh, Brooklyn,” she said, covering her face with her hands. “He didn’t say anything to me about it.”

“Why would he say something to you about it?” I asked through my mortification.

“Because I brought up your name for the job. He didn’t mention any drunk collisions.” She gave me a shrug. “What else happened?” She was trying to be serious, but she couldn’t stop laughing.

“I honestly don’t remember everything, but I think I might have called him a rock or something?”

Sierra laughed even harder. “A rock? Like, ‘The Rock’?” She made air quotes with her hands, referencing the actor. “Or a rock? What type of rock?”

“I don’t know. Some parts are kind of fuzzy.”

“Except for therunning into his bodypart, huh?” She wagged her eyebrows, and I shook my head, wishing this moment would end.

“What can I say? Drunk Brooklyn’s an idiot.”

“She sounds like a good time.”

“Ugh,” I groaned.

“It’s fine. You’ll be fine. Now, go. Get this job so I can move and start my life without worrying about this place twenty-four/seven because I know she’ll be in good hands.”

“That was really sweet,” I said as I straightened my skirt with my hands and pulled down my blazer.

“I mean it.”

“Well, thank you. Okay,” I said as I finished fixing my outfit. “Wish me luck.”

I had a feeling I was going to need it.

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