31. Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-One
My day began with Todd calling me to his office because he wanted to talk to me about something. As I approach the coffee-coloured door, it suddenly swings open as if he knew I was waiting on the other side. My eyes widen with surprise when Charlotte strolls out of the office. She throws me a wink as she walks past and knocks into my shoulder.
She whispers good luck before she continues down the hall. My heart bangs against my rib cage, and my throat is as dry as sandpaper.
When I look up, Todd is standing there, his face flushed and angry. Silently, I plead to any higher power that will listen that Charlotte didn’t just do what I’m so afraid she did.
“Come on in, Monroe,” Todd says, turning away before I can get a word out. “Close the door behind you.”
Close the door. That’s never a good sign.
With my heart still racing, I close it and stalk toward his desk.
“Sit down.”
No friendly banter? Oh, I’m in so much trouble. I do as I’m told and sit down in the chair on the opposite side of his desk.
“You wanted to see me.” I don’t pose it as a question because I don’t want to draw this out more than it needs to be. My nerves can’t handle it.
Todd scrubs his face, looking as unsettled as I feel. This isn’t an easy situation, and I’ve put him in a tough spot. “Monroe, there’s been a formal accusation filed against you,” he says, taking a steadying breath. “And I want to know—No, I need to know if it’s at all true.”
He looks exhausted, but despite it, he clears his throat and focuses on the task at hand.
“What’s the accusation?” I ask, but we both know that I know.
Kevin was right. I’m such a lousy liar. Everyone can tell when I have a secret, and now, my lack of a poker face is biting me in the ass. Also, my hormones. I can thank those for getting me into this mess. The silence makes me choke on my lies. And every feeling I’ve been suppressing rushes to the surface.
“That you’re engaging in a sexual relationship with a guest.” There’s disappointment in Todd’s voice, and it burns a hole in my chest.
My eyes snap shut, and I wish more than anything that I could rewind the clock, but I’m where I am now because of my lies. It’s time for some truth.
“It’s true. It’s all true.”
More silence.
When I open my eyes, I see Todd’s sad one’s blinking back. I know he doesn’t want to do this, but he has to. He doesn’t have a choice. This is the only job I’ve ever known. This is all I’m good at. And it’s being ripped away from me because I chose myself over it. I chose Alden over maintaining my distance and my professionalism. I let it cost me everything.
Todd sighs heavily. “If it’s true, then I have no choice here, Monroe.” He pauses, and it makes the burn worse. “Effective immediately, you’re fired.”
Fired . I’ve never heard those words and my name in the same sentence. Sure, I’ve flirted with the line of professionalism a few times, but I’ve never straight-out burned it to the ground. I’ve gone too far, and I see it now. Nothing is worth losing everything, not even Alden. It hurts knowing I could have avoided this outcome, avoided getting to this point if I just kept my feelings out of this whole thing. But I had to go and develop feelings for him.
“Todd, I… I’m sorry.” I rub my eyes. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. I didn’t think—”
“You knew the rules, Monroe, and you broke them,” he sighs. “I don’t want to do this, but if I don’t, it sets a precedent. So, regardless of how I feel, I have to.”
I understand why he has to do it. I just don’t know if I can accept it. My mind cycles through the list of repercussions: I’ll lose my apartment without proof of employment, a fact I’m sure Mr. Lindsay is thrilled about; I probably won’t be able to get another job because of the rumours, at least not one as well paying as this one.
My heart is in my throat, and tension makes my head pound. Todd has a worried look on his face. He places his hand on mine.
“I won’t mention this in my report, Monroe. I’ll give them another reason you were let go. This doesn’t have to ruin you, and I’ll do everything I can to help you.”
A watery chuckle leaves me, and I shake my head. “You don’t have to protect me, Todd. I’ve made a mess of things, and I should deal with the consequences.”
He pulls his hand away. “But that doesn’t mean you have to. There are people here who have your back and who want to help you. You just have to let them.”
If I let my emotions take over, I’ll start bawling in front of Todd. And he doesn’t need to see that. So I stuff them down.
“Thank you for everything. I mean it.”
He nods. “You’re welcome, Monroe.”
We sit together for what feels like ages, both of us not wanting to come to terms with the fact that I no longer work at The Cerulean. Ever so kindly, Todd escorts me to the door and gives me a goodbye hug, which I wasn’t expecting. But it’s not unwanted. I hug him back just as tightly, holding on for dear life.
When he pulls back, he says, “Take care of yourself. Okay?”
The tears fight back, and I look away, hiding the emotion on my face. With a last nod, I walk out of his office. It feels surreal walking down the hall and back into the lobby, but I take my time since I don’t know when I’ll be back. If I’ll be back. When I get to the lobby, I feel eyes on me. I know it’s crazy, but I look around anyway.
As I take everything in for the last time, my attention snags on the modest café connected to the resort’s lobby, where guests can relax and wait for check-in or anybody can stop by for a coffee. I let out a resigned sigh, knowing that I’ll have to settle for visits to that coffee shop when I come to see Laryssa and Kevin. And then my eyes land on the person I’m looking for.
Charlotte.
My jaw clenches tightly, and I grind my teeth. Don’t do it. Don’t do it. But I’m doing it. I don’t work here anymore, which means I don’t have to play nice with her. My focus is solely on her, and I don’t even stop to see which pastries have made it onto the special board today.
She straightens, and I know she saw me. But she continues to sip her espresso nonchalantly like she did nothing wrong.
Charlotte sits at a woven metal table that seats two, something you might see in Paris. The café’s theme is a tribute to the city. I pull out a chair, dragging it against the floor on purpose. She winces but remains composed.
I stare at her, waiting for her to say something. She sets her cup down onto its matching saucer and looks up.
“Unemployment suits you,” she says. “I’m sure homelessness will just make you glow.”
“Why did you do it? I’ve done nothing to you. I did nothing to deserve it.”
Charlotte’s eyes shift away from me like she sees how wrong she is. But she sucks in a breath, sitting taller.
“You exist. That’s what you did.” She takes a sip of her coffee. “I thought it was only a fling, something to get out of his system, but then I overheard Wendell and him talking. I didn’t think he’d actually fall for you, of all people.”
My mouth opens, but I’m too stunned to speak. “You did this because of him? Because of Alden?”
She shrugs. “I’m not admitting to anything. Unlike you, I know how to keep a secret.”
My head shakes in disbelief. “You’re pathetic, Charlotte.” I swallow around my anger. “Look at you, you have everything. You’re gorgeous and rich, and I’m sure there’s a personality shoved down there somewhere.” Her cheeks flush. “But me? I have nothing left. You took away the only thing I had, my job, because of a man. A man, Charlotte. We’re better than this. It was never a competition between us.”
Charlotte says nothing for a long time, so I get up from my seat. I’m just wasting my breath on her.
“You had something,” she utters quietly, and I sit back down. “You had him.”
I don’t even know if I’m more angry at her or sad for her.
“You’re missing the point, Charlotte.”
I stand and leave the table.
“I heard you,” she says. “I know what you’re saying. But he wasn’t just a man; he was my man. I had him, and now I don’t.”
My temples throb. “No man is worth trampling each other for. He’s just not. No matter how great he is. And if you don’t know that, if you’re basing everything you are on whether you have him or not, then I can’t help you.”
With that, I storm out of the café. She did all this because of Alden, and I’m crushed all over again. I’d understand it more if she did it out of hate or because I slighted her. But she did it because she wanted him back, which hurts more.
“What a bitch!” Laryssa shrieks from the kitchen. She enters the living room with a container of Chinese takeout, some lo mein hanging from her lip. “Oh, she hasn’t felt wrath the way I’m going to come down on her.”
“No. You’re not doing anything.” I shove a piece of orange chicken into my mouth. “I mean it. Just leave her alone. I already gave her enough of a talking-to. She doesn’t need another one.”
Laryssa plops down on the couch beside me. “How are you so calm right now? You just lost a job you loved.”
“Yeah. Thank you for reminding me,” I say around my chopsticks. “I don’t know. Maybe it hasn’t hit me yet.”
When I look at her, there’s a gravity behind her eyes. “And Alden? What are you going to tell him?”
God, I don’t have an answer for that.
“I don’t know. I really don’t, Laryssa. I want to ignore my gut, tell it to shut up and let me be happy. But I know that being with Alden cost me everything I have. I can’t ignore that.”
“You could try,” she jokes.
My smile is half hearted. “No. If I ignore this now, I know it’ll just fester inside me. If I try to tell myself that it doesn’t matter, I’ll end up resenting him for it. And I don’t want to resent him.”
“So, what are you going to do?” Laryssa asks, her eyes wide like my life is a car crash she just can’t look away from.
I shrug, not committing to an answer. Deep down, I know what I have to do. But I don’t know if I’m strong enough to do it. And it’s killing me.