38. Sebastian
When I arrive in Raya’s office, she’s sitting with her hands clasped on her desk like she’s been waiting for me.
I take a chair across from her. I’m the superior. I should handle the hard parts of this conversation.
“Would you like me to call in Jessie and Havannah?” I ask.
Her face is solemn. “Yes. I should not have to bear the brunt of this betrayal alone.”
Betrayal. Raya is ready to blow this up.
“I’ll call them.” We’ve seen less of Havannah lately as she hits full term, but as far as I know, she’s in the castle. She has a suite she uses for her family when things get busy. Its location is almost as secret as the hidden one I showed Mila.
I step out of Raya’s office and into the hall to make the calls. There’s no reason to do it in front of her. She’s angry, as if she can barely hold it in.
I call Havannah first. She picks up on one ring.
“What’s wrong?”
I usually text, so she knows something is up. “Hey, we have a serious staffing matter to manage.”
“Can it wait?” Her voice sounds strained.
“I don’t think so.”
“Really? Is Maverick seducing more upper management?”
If only. “No, this one is about me.”
“Oh.”
“Raya’s upset with me. You might be, too. I’m going to ask Jessie to sit in as well.”
“Can you and I talk about it first?”
“We can, but Raya’s waiting in her office. She wants action right away.”
She lets out a long slow breath. “I see. I’m not sure I’m in a condition to even waddle over there.”
“We can come to you.”
“Can you do that right away?”
“I’ll assemble everyone.”
“I’ll be in my front room.” She ends the call.
At least she realizes the gravity of this.
Now for Jessie. Since I’m so close, I decide to walk into HR. It’s still the lunch hour, so only Emily is inside the big room. I wonder if she hooked up with Maverick like he planned. Not my business. They are close enough on the hierarchy that it doesn’t matter.
Thankfully, Jessie’s having lunch at her desk, holding a sandwich from the cart in the lobby as she clicks around on her mouse.
I lean inside her office. “Can I borrow you for a bit?”
She looks up. “I’m deep in payroll approvals.”
“Havannah is waiting for us.”
“Oh.” She wraps her sandwich up and sticks it in a tiny fridge in the corner. “Who is it this time?”
“Me.”
“Oh.”
Emily watches us as we cross the office to the hall. I pop my head into Raya’s room. “Havannah is meeting us in her suite. You ready?”
Raya rises from the desk, picking up her ever-present iPad. I don’t carry one, preferring to keep tech out of my interactions. I take my notes afterward. Raya uses hers like a shield.
Havannah’s suite is tucked in the same tower as the private restaurant. I scan my card, and we are silent as we ride to the tenth floor, which can only be accessed with four IDs in the entire staff. Me. Trey, head of maintenance. Anna, head of housekeeping. And Hank, head of security. We have to escort anyone else who goes there, or Havannah does.
But that’s how much trust she’s put in me. I hope I haven’t wrecked it.
We step into a small foyer outside the elevator. There are two doors. One to the stairwell, which is similarly secure, and Havannah’s door.
I knock on it.
Havannah’s husband Donovan answers. “Hey, everyone.” He nods at us. “Come on in. Please make it quick.”
“Nonsense,” Havannah calls from inside.
We all enter the soothing cream and lavender interior. Havannah is propped on pillows on a chaise. She wears a loose pink dress that reaches her ankles.
“You feeling okay?” Jessie asks.
Havannah waves away her concern. “Bored out of my mind. Someone isn’t letting me so much as log onto a tablet.” She shoots a look at her husband.
Donovan pinches his lips. “Havannah is hardheaded when it comes to doing what she wants. I’m insisting she takes six weeks to recover after the baby comes.”
“Two,” she says.
“Four,” he volleys back.
“We have it handled,” I say. “You take all the time you need.”
It’s then that I notice a tightness in her expression. She grips one of the pillows so hard that her fingers are white.
Donovan scowls.
They are more upset about this meeting than they are letting on.
“Everybody sit down,” Havannah says, gesturing to the sofa and scattered chairs. “Sebastian sounded all doom and gloom, which isn’t like him. Let’s get to it.”
Jessie and Raya sit on the sofa, and I take a wide armchair. I consider how I will start this without being too shocking.
But Raya does it for me. “Earlier today, I discovered our general manager fraternizing with one of the interns in an empty apartment on the staff wing.”
Jessie turns to her in shock. “What do you mean, fraternizing?”
“I think we get what she means,” Havannah says. “Okay, so we have another situation like Monique and Maverick, only with a more direct line of command?”
Jessie fumbles for words. “Sebastian? Really? You’re everyone’s boss. This is highly inappropriate.”
Despite all the times I pictured this moment, I hadn’t quite prepared myself for their judgment.
“Should we take a moment for me to explain the circumstances?” I ask.
Raya fairly sputters. “The circumstances? How about the circumstances where you are naked, our intern is naked, it’s business hours for both of you, and you are on hotel property?”
Ouch.
Donovan’s mouth twitches, like he’s trying not to show any reaction. Havannah is grimacing, her usual control of her expression faltering as well. She’s got the pillow in a death grip. This has to be my fault. She’s put her trust in me, and I’ve failed.
“I’d like to hear it,” Jessie says. “I’ll be the one filing the report.”
Havannah lets out a long, slow breath. “Can you give us the short version?”
The strangled sound of her voice alarms me, like she is going to react far more fiercely than I expected.
I need to calm everyone down. “I met Mila before she began working here. I wasn’t involved in her hiring, so I had no idea?—”
Donovan interrupts. “Havannah?” He straightens her dress, where a dark spot of pink expands.
“Damn it,” Havannah says. “I was trying to hold that in.”
“I told you this one was for real.” Donovan lunges for the wall and mashes a button. “Sarah, bring the hospital bag. It’s time!”
Raya leaps to her feet. “Sebastian! You sent Havannah into labor!”
“No, no,” Havannah says. “I’ve been having contractions for two hours. I went too early last time with Rebel and embarrassed myself. I was trying to be sure, then Sebastian called. Uh oh—” Her words dissolve into a keening cry.
Oh, geez.
Everyone stands to help Havannah up.
“I’m fine. It’s just a baby.” Water pools at her bare feet. “Donovan, can I get some shoes?”
“Which ones still fit?”
She smacks his shoulders. “Hush. Get the Crocs.”
Sarah, Havannah’s primary assistant, barrels into the room with a black suitcase. “All ready. I’m ready.”
Donovan returns with pink Crocs and bends down to place them on Havannah’s feet. “You’re really wet,” he says. “I think you’ll slip.”
“I’ll get a towel.” Sarah rushes off again.
“Do I have time to change dresses?” Havannah asks.
“You nearly had the last baby in the limo!” Donovan says.
“No, no,” Havannah says. “You’re forgetting. We thought I was going to have the baby in the limo, but then it took another twenty hours.”
“Oh, right.”
Havannah looks at all of us. “It was our first date. It was a lot.”
None of us know this story, and Jessie, Raya, and I exchange glances. We knew Rebel had a different father, but not that Havannah gave birth to him on her first date with Donovan.
“I insist on a new dress,” Havannah says again. “And dry underwear.”
“Well, come on,” Donovan says. “Let’s get you changed.” He gives us all an apologetic smile. “We’ll have to table this for now.”
Havannah holds onto the back of the chaise as she takes small, mincing steps toward the hall. “Handle it as close to what we did with Maverick as possible,” she says. But then she bends over, letting out a long moan. “Ohhh, here we go again.”
Sarah returns with the towel. “You all are still here? Handle this situation yourselves.” She passes the towel to Donovan and herds us out like cattle. “She’ll let you know when she’s ready to talk business again.”
Then we’re out in the foyer by the elevator.
“This is so exciting,” Jessie says. “The baby is coming.”
“No, it’s ridiculous,” Raya says. “Sebastian has committed a fireable offense.”
Jessie scans her ID, realizes it doesn’t work, then looks at me. “We didn’t fire Monique.”
“We got them separated, though,” Raya says.
I don’t interrupt, but step between them to call the elevator.
“This is different.” Jessie twists her hair into a long rope. “Maverick was causing problems beyond his relationship with Monique.”
“So, we should send Mila out to the barn, too?” Raya asks.
Jessie searches my face. “I think this one is probably a more long-term relationship, am I right?”
I nod.
“I should handle it,” Jessie says. “Raya, you seem very angry, and as a direct subordinate, you should not be involved.”
“But I am Mila’s direct supervisor.”
The elevator doors glide open and we step inside.
“Don’t fire her,” I say. “If anyone should take responsibility, it should be me.”
Jessie holds up a palm. “It’s out of your hands, Sebastian. You say you met her before, but you kept seeing her after you learned she was an intern.”
“I did.” There’s no sugar coating that.
“And this is a consensual relationship?”
“Yes.”
“He’s going to plot with that girl to make her say what he wants,” Raya says. “We need to call her in right away.”
“I’ll call her in,” Jessie says. “Sebastian, do I have your word that you won’t contact her until I let you know we’ve concluded our interview with her?”
I nod.
“All right then.”
We step out into the lobby.
Jessie turns to me. “Sebastian, I’m going to ask you to take the rest of the day off. We’ll call Mila in today.”
I shove my hands in my pockets. “All right.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
She and Raya head down the hall toward the lobby.
I turn the opposite direction to walk outside to the employee lot.
When I get in my car, I check my phone.
Mila has sent several messages.
Everything feels too normal. How are the meetings going?
I’m guessing this will take a while.
Are you okay?
Even though I have told Jessie I won’t contact her, I do. Mila is more important than my job. More important than anything.
I send one quick message.
Meeting done. Jessie will talk to you. It’s going to be just fine. I love you.
Then I toss my phone onto my seat and head home.