Page 43 of (Un)Expected

SEVENTEEN

The drive back to the hotel was one of the longest of my life. It was barely over five miles, but it felt like an eternity, thanks to the man glowering in my passenger seat. I knew I should have locked my doors and ditched him on the side of the mountain.

But no, I had to be the bigger person—now, I was stuck driving back to the resort in awkward silence, and that wasfine. I hadnothingto say to him anyway. His words unearthed a pain deep inside my chest, one I’d tried to bury for a long time. This was why I didn’t get close to many people. Not only did you have to show them your vulnerabilities, but it gave people power to turn them against you.

As soon as we parked in the staff lot, I hopped out of the car, barely waiting for Cole to open the passenger side door. Fuck him, and fuck everything he said. Even as he faded out of sight, my emotions ricocheted between anger and sadness. I hated every fucking second of it.

Once I reached the employee locker room, I quickly grabbed my uniform and changed before heading back to my station. Javi arched a brow when he saw me approaching.

“I’d ask how it went, but it’s written all over your face.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I snapped, hating that I was takingout my annoyance on my friend. Cole was the one who deserved all my vitriol. However, that would require me to speak to him, and I had zero intention of ever doing that again. “We are not going to talk about today or a certain asshole ever again.”

“Shit…” Javi said, coming to my side. “I’m sorry, Alex. I thought it was going to help.”

“It’s not your fault,” I said.

It was Cole’s.

And mine.

I should have seen this coming. Cole spelled his intentions out to me;Iwas the one who ignored all the red flags. Shit, I even convinced myself he wanted to spend time with me, that he felt the same spark I did.What a fucking idiot.

In usual fashion, my bad luck streak was far from over. The moment I got myself together, I spotted Diane storming over to me, rage set in her emerald-green eyes. She didn’t acknowledge anyone else; she just beelined straight to my station.

“Alex,” she snapped. “My office.Now.”

Without waiting for my response, she turned on her heel, marching into her lair, and I dropped my head into my hands. “Well, it was nice knowing you. When the cops find my body, tell them Diane is responsible.”

“It might not be that bad,” Javi said, nudging my elbow. “Remember, I’ll still love you, even if you get fired.”

“Promises, promises,” I muttered as I lifted the counter, dragging myself across the lobby.

As I stepped into Diane’s office, the temperature dropped ten degrees. I instantly shivered as I took a seat in the stiff, white leather chair across from her oversized desk. Calla told me that when this office belonged to her grandfather, there was an antique mahogany desk carved by one of the local woodworkers. It stood in the center of the room from his first day as owner to the day he died, and it was one of the first things Diane removed, replacing it with a glass and chrome monstrosity. It fit Diane’s aesthetic—cold and void ofany personality. I was pretty sure if she could convince the board, the entire resort would be stripped of all its warmth.

As I settled into my seat, Diane stared at me, her hands steepled in front of her face. A clock ticked in the background, echoing the time slipping through my fingers as we sat in tense silence. After several minutes, she sighed, sitting up in her seat. “I assume you know why I asked you in here.”

Not a fucking clue. Maybe I had drawn the short straw, so it was my turn to be tortured. Still, I kept my mouth shut.

Diane reached across her desk, pulling a glossy magazine out from its hiding place. She slammed it down in front of me, and I flinched. The cover was one I knew too well, one of several tabloids that tried to figure out my identity and the nature of my relationship with Adam. If they had any idea…

“You have been cavorting with one of our guests,” Diane said, leaving no room for rebuttal. “The board was very interested to hear about the extracurricular services you offered Mr. Rice.”

Jesus Christ. She made it sound like I was pimping myself out for extra tips. Not that there was anything wrong with sex work, but it made my blood boil that they made such assumptions about our relationship.

I pushed the magazine back toward her. “Mr. Rice and I are spending time together,” I answered. Despite the nerves radiating through my veins, I refused to let Diane see me flinch. “There is nothing in our employee handbook that says we are not allowed to fraternize with guests during our time off.” That I knew was true. Theo read over every page of the thing with a fine-toothed comb to check that dating Adam wouldn’t violate my contract.

“It is frowned upon,” Diane said.

“I understand,” I answered, sitting up a little straighter. “Has my relationship with Mr. Rice affected my work?”

“No, but–”

“I didn’t think so,” I snapped back. “I understand why you and the board are concerned, and if our relationship starts to affectmy work, I will accept the consequences. But for now, our top guest is happy, and the hotel is getting positive publicity.” I arched my brow, daring for her to argue my point, but her lips tightened instead. “Now, if you would excuse me, I have a couple more hours on my shift, and I want to relieve Javi.”

I didn’t wait for her to dismiss me. My legs felt like jelly as I stood, and my nerves were hopelessly frayed, but Diane didn’t have the last word, and that was a victory in and of itself.

As soon as the office door closed behind me, I leaned against the wall, pressing my hand to my chest, trying to get my breathing under control. Never before had I stood up for myself with Diane, and holy shit, it feltamazing.

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