Page 108 of The Playboy

I knew how hard that was going to be.

How I could lose this opportunity.

How she could ask me to leave.

How she could walk out of this meeting and call Macon and tell him the truth.

Am I stupid for taking this risk? For potentially blowing this shot?

It didn’t matter. I couldn’t go on until I came clean.

“Something’s been eating me up, and I have to be honest with you.” I exhaled loud enough that she could hear. “I don’t work at the bar.”

Her eyelids narrowed. “Okay … then where do you work?”

“I work at a hotel on the beach on Kauai.” My body was jittering so badly that I swore she could see the vibrations. “In the housekeeping department.” The pulsing in my heart was rocketing through my chest. “And I’ve worked as a housekeeper for the last four years.”

I separated my hands and gripped the armrests. “In fact, it’s at the hotel Macon’s currently living in. Before I even met him, I was cleaning his room from the day he checked in.” I wrapped my arms around my stomach, the armrest not giving me enough support. “I know that’s something I shouldn’t be ashamed of. I know I should have been truthful on my résumé. But Macon doesn’t know about my job. I’ve kept him in the dark, and if I listed it, I was afraid one of you would discuss it with him before I had the chance to tell him the truth.”

I mashed my lips together, fighting the emotion. The urge to cry became so strong, but I wouldn’t. I needed to get through this. I needed to show her who I was, not the person I’d created on my résumé.

She pushed my résumé aside. “Let’s stop the interview part and talk as friends, okay? I want you to feel comfortable enough to say everything you need to tell me.”

“Please.” I nodded extra hard. “I need that.” I waited several seconds before I continued, “I’m sure you’re wondering why I haven’t told Macon any of this.”

“I am, yes.” Her voice was delicate, even-toned. “And I say that because you should have heard the way he spoke about you, so I’m not sure why you’ve even hesitated to tell him.”

I’d been looking at the table, her stare too much, but her response made me gaze up.

“He’s enamored with you, Brooklyn.”

Words that only made me feel worse.

Because despite my unwillingness to commit to the next level, I cared about him deeply.

I wanted him.

His feelings, his opinions—they mattered.

And to hear that he had spoken so highly about me was a feeling I just couldn’t get over.

My head hung low. “I didn’t think it was ever going to lead to this. He and I, I mean. There was a time when I wouldn’t even give him my name.” I was giving her backstory and probably more information than she needed, but I just wanted her to see my side. “My life is muddy. I’m too full, between work and school and juggling things, and then Macon came in out of nowhere, and suddenly”—I looked at her again after glancing away—“he was bringing me up to the room that I’d just cleaned the day before, and I learned that he was the one staying in it, and I just couldn’t tell him.” I swallowed, the angst so thick that I could barely get the spit down.

“I clean guest rooms for a living, and his family owns a hotel brand. It’s an intimidating feeling.”

“But nothing you should be embarrassed of.”

“I wasn’t”—I drew in more air, holding it inside—“and then I was when it came to him. It just didn’t feel like enough, and that was a hard thought to navigate.” When I inhaled again, my eyes briefly closed. “I’ve always been this confident person. Independent. And when he came into my life, I locked up. I couldn’t tell him the truth—not quite the same way that just happened with you, but the feeling was similar.”

She leaned forward, her dark hair falling from behind her ear, and she didn’t push it away. “We all come from somewhere, Brooklyn, and we all have a starting point. You’re a full-time student. You’re enrolled in a Six Sigma certification course. You have a skill that’s not extremely common, which means you’re going to be in high demand the moment you graduate.

“So, you’ve cleaned hotel rooms”—she gave me a soft smile—“and in your mind, that’s not the ideal way to begin. That doesn’t change who you are or make you less of a woman or inadequate or on a level that isn’t equal to him. What I think it shows is that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to support yourself through college, and that’s honorable, Brooklyn.”

“And if I had to guess, I bet you’ve reorganized the entire structure of housekeeping to save them time and money.” She paused. “Am I right?”

“You’re right, except they won’t listen to my ideas.” I sighed.

“I’ll listen.” She licked her lips, the gloss that covered them not even budging. “Tell me.”

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