39. Mila
My legs tremble as I head to HR. Raya texted me, saying to drop everything to meet with Jessie.
I hope Raya isn’t there. I’m not ready to face the person who witnessed me naked with my boss. Even the thought of it makes my face burn.
Walking through HR feels very different from the week I worked there.
Suze is settling into her desk, probably in from her lunch break. She tilts her head as if to ask why I’m here, but she doesn’t.
Georgia’s chair is empty.
Emily watches me walk by like maybe she knows something.
Jessie stands as I approach. “Come on in. Sit down.” Her voice is falsely bright, making my nerves jangle.
She shuts the door with a click. Jessie only closed her door twice the week I was here.
I’m shaking so hard my teeth almost chatter. I’m a rule follower. A good girl. I never get in trouble. I never visited the principal’s office.
This is the worst.
Jessie sits down and leans forward, her elbows on her desk. “You’re not in trouble, Mila. I’m involved only to make sure that all parties in this relationship were there of their free will. When we have a gap in the chain of command, there is always the possibility that there was a power dynamic at play, even if it was only implied.”
I try to find my voice, but it won’t come. So I sit there.
“Did you at any point feel like your job was contingent on your relationship with Sebastian?”
I shake my head no. “We met before I started.”
“And when you realized he was the manager, what did you do?”
“We agreed not to see each other.”
Her forehead crumples, as if she didn’t expect that answer. God, did Sebastian tell her something else? He said to tell the truth.
“Did he later convince you to start seeing him?”
“No, it just happened.”
“He didn’t pressure you in any way?”
With his kisses? His attention? Why had I changed my mind?
“No. I liked him.”
“Because he had such a high position here?”
Was that an accusation? “No! That was the problem, actually. Why we decided not to date.”
“But you did.”
“It just happened.” My body shakes again, and I feel tears forming.
Jessie gives me a small smile, like I’m a kid who needs a warm hug. “You’re all right, Mila. I’m making sure that you never felt like you had to date him or else face consequences at work.”
“I didn’t. Raya is my boss. Sebastian was clear that he wasn’t in charge of the interns.”
“Good.”
So, I got one answer right.
“Did you ever feel he was giving you extra attention over the other interns?”
That’s a hard one. I always felt it. “He didn’t move me anywhere or have me do anything special.”
She nods. “Did you take steps to keep your relationship with Sebastian secret?”
“We didn’t tell anyone.” Only after I say it do I realize it’s a lie. I did tell Brooklyn. But I don’t fix it. I don’t want to get her in trouble.
“Why did you think it should be a secret?”
“There’s a clause in the policy we signed.”
“Did Sebastian tell you about the clause?”
I fidget in my chair. “I read it when I signed it.”
She nods. “Good. But you did it anyway.”
“Not at first,” I say again. “But then it just happened.” I’m repeating myself.
She asks about any special privileges I got. I say none, even though seeing the secret suite probably counts, and having additional access on my ID card.
She looks out the window of her office. “Mila, you live on site, so it’s natural you would do…the things you do in a relationship on the premises. But I need to ask you not to do them while you are on the clock, or anyplace inappropriate.”
God, this is mortifying. “I understand.”
She fiddles with some papers on her desk. “You can return to your duties. Sebastian isn’t on site today, but you can resume your conversations with him while Raya and I decide what to do.”
Not Havannah? Sebastian was counting on her stepping in. But I simply say, “Thank you,” and escape the room as quickly as possible.
I race down the employee hall and duck into the empty staff room. I text Sebastian.
Me: Just got out of HR. They haven’t decided what to do about us. Jessie said she and Raya would decide. What about Havannah?
Sebastian: She went into labor during our meeting. She’s out of the picture for now.
Me: Oh, no. That’s bad, isn’t it?
Sebastian: It will be okay.
But it’s not okay.
Me: Jessie said you’re not here.
Sebastian: I got sent home to avoid Raya’s wrath.
Me: Can I see you later?
Sebastian: Absolutely.
I sink into a chair. I’m not sure where to go or what to do. I feel like there’s an axe hanging over my head, and any minute it will fall.
Although these meetings ought to be confidential, I don’t know who was with Raya or what they saw. Emily might blab.
If I’ve learned anything from Maverick’s situation, news of this is going to hit any minute, and everyone will be looking at me.
I’m supposed to be with security, but Hank is off today and I’ve been stuck with Wendell, who I dislike.
Sebastian was a break from dealing with him. It feels mean that I have to go back to Wendell. I don’t want to sit in the locked-up room while he makes commentary on all the video screens. It’s been the worst rotation so far.
“Mila?”
I jump in my chair.
Raya enters the staff room. “Come along. I’ll be taking you to your new assignment.”
New assignment?
She holds out her hand. “You won’t need your uniform. You can wear the white shirt and black pants for now, but hand over your vest.”
Where am I going that I don’t need a uniform? Even the laundry and kitchen workers wear the black pants and white shirt.
I unfasten the vest, my face flaming because it feels weird, like I’m undressing for her. I pass it over.
“Your ID card will be reconfigured. It will unlock the exterior door that opens at the end of your apartment hall and, of course, your apartment door. And that’s all. You will no longer have access to any elevators or employee corridors.”
“How will I get around?”
She smiles, but it’s forced. “You won’t need to. Like Maverick, you won’t be working inside the castle.”
Maverick got pushed to the barn after he was caught with Chef Monique. The only time I ever see him is if we happen to pass each other in the staff apartment hall.
“Will I be in the barn, too?”
She heads out of the staff room, and I rush to catch up.
“No. You will be working at Havannah’s other business.”
Other business? Does she have a satellite hotel? I haven’t heard about it.
We walk through the lobby to the front door.
Bertie tips his hat at me, then tilts his head as he realizes I’m in partial uniform. His eyes move to the vest in Raya’s arms.
Outside in the front circle, the castle shuttle bus is waiting, its sides emblazoned with a gorgeous summertime view of the hotel and the mountains. The driver opens the door.
Raya leans in. “Take Mila to the Tasty Mango. Please arrange to pick her up at five.”
The Tasty Mango? What is that?
“I have a car,” I say.
Raya steps back. “You will take the shuttle for the rest of this week. Next week, you can drive yourself, one we’ve established Sebastian’s situation.”
His situation? What does that mean?
I take the steps up onto the bus. “Is he going to get fired?” I ask.
“That’s not for me to decide,” she says brightly, as if everything is working according to plan.
I sit in the first seat.
Raya stands by the hotel entrance, arms crossed in front of her, my vest dangling from her fingers, as the driver closes the door and takes off around the circle.
When we’re headed for the highway, I ask the driver, “What’s the Tasty Mango?”
He grins. “That’s the Boudreaux sisters’ deli. One of the finest sandwich places in all of Boulder. Havannah and Magnolia opened it years ago, before Donovan built the castle for Havannah. Magnolia still runs it with her husband, Anthony Pickle.”
“Pickle?”
“You know, the Pickle family. They have delis from California to New York. Anthony owns the Boulder Pickle. The Pickles are tight with the Boudreaux, although it wasn’t always so. It’s quite a tale how the Pickles and the Boudreaux married betwixt themselves to avoid both their delis falling apart. You should look it up.”
So I do, finding the Tasty Pepper, the original Boudreaux family deli, the opening of the Boulder Pickle, and the whole crazy business between Magnolia and Anthony when they were on a cooking show circuit.
We pull up in front of the bright orange building.
“Here we are,” the driver says. “I’ll be back for you at five or thereabouts, depending on where I am with guests.”
I nod. “Thank you.”
I step down in front of the big glass windows. Above them, a pink and orange awning flaps in the wind. There are quite a few people seated inside, and a couple more in line at a long glass counter where employees make sandwiches to order.
The bus drives away.
So this is what happens to people who break the rules.
There’s nothing left to do but open the door and introduce myself.