Chapter 7
Lizzie
Music pounded from the speakers, bass vibrating through the concrete.
Lizzie watched from near the bar as a group of guys attempted the Sunset Groove dance, completely out of sync with each other but laughing too hard to care.
The TikTok stations were working even better than she’d hoped.
Every spot had clusters of people filming themselves, trying the moves, posting to their socials.
She spotted Chrisla standing by the entrance in her front desk uniform, watching the chaos with an amused expression.
“Hi, fancy seeing you here.”
“Couldn’t resist seeing this in action. Last year’s was alright but a bit…” she lowered her voice. “Lame. Don’t tell Sarah but you can tell she listens mostly to music from way before we were born.”
“Nothing wrong with some classics,” Lizzie said.
“No, but this crowd? This is much better.”
“It’s going pretty well.” A grin tugged at her lips. Sarah had been skeptical, but the party was buzzing. “Although I’m pretty sure half these kids are going to be hungover tomorrow.”
“That’s spring break for you.” Chrisla’s gaze shifted to the far side of the pool where three older guys were clustered together, looking like peeping toms.
“Why are those three old guys here? Kind of creepy. Who are they?”
“Board of Directors. The tall one is Peter Lassiter. Next to him is Derek Mitchell, assistant GM. The one talking to them is Stavros Andreou is the board president.”
“Why would board members come to a college party?”
“They’re here to watch Sarah. Make sure she doesn’t screw up. Well that’s why Stavros is here. The other two would rather see this whole thing fail.” Chrisla’s voice dropped. “They want her gone. Well, most of them do. Stavros is on her side, but he’s basically the only one.”
“Is this about the conch thing?”
“Yup. Derek was born here, as was Peter. Their families go way back. They only tolerate Stavros because he’s the richest man on the island. If they can get Sarah out, Derek is in. It’s also a woman thing. And a wife-of-the-owner thing though.”
“That’s awful.”
“It’s Key West. It’s the world.” Chrisla shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong, I love this place. But it’s got its issues. I suppose any place does.”
“If they don’t like her, why don’t they fire her?”
Chrisla shrugged. “They can’t. The Carlson is Barnes Hotels flagship hotel. Everyone remembers when they bought it and the big to do about how they would be living in Key West and Sarah would manage it. The central board would never allow her to be fired anyway. They like her.”
“Why does this place have its own board anyway? Isn’t it usually just a central board?”
The whole thing was giving her a headache.
“I don’t know the details but there was some opposition from the previous lot owners about some corporation buying the land and the old hotel. They insisted that a local board was in charge, to keep them from turning the place into something that wasn’t in the spirit of the island.”
“Oh, I see,” Lizzie replied. Her head already hurt.
“But it’s caused a lot of issues. The compromise was that there would be a board of locals and Sarah would be GM. They can force her out if there’s something grave. Like if the hotel doesn’t do well and they can prove it’s her fault. Mismanagement. Things that hurt the image.”
Peter and Derek were talking, glancing occasionally at the party. Evaluating. She thought about Sarah earlier, setting up the stations, reluctantly agreeing to try something new. The way she’d looked stressed even when things were going well.
“I need to get back. But hey, good job with the party. Even Peter looks impressed, and that guy never looks impressed.”
After Chrisla left, Lizzie walked back toward the DJ booth. The energy was incredible. People were dancing, filming, laughing. The Electric Sunset mocktails were flying off the bar. Every station had a crowd.
She grabbed the microphone from the DJ. “Hey everyone! Having a good time?”
The crowd cheered.
“Awesome! So for those of you who just got here, we’ve got TikTok dance stations set up around the pool. Each one features a different dance. Film yourself, post it, don’t forget to tag the Carlson. Let’s see who can nail the moves!”
More cheers. Someone yelled, “Show us how it’s done!”
Lizzie laughed. “Okay, okay. How about the Beach Vibe challenge?”
A bunch of hands went up. She went over to the station where she was instantly surrounded by a bunch of college kids who whooped and hollered as she danced.
“That was amazing!” someone called out. “Do another one! Do the Kiss Kiss Kiss song. It has a dance too!”
“That’s not part of the dance challenge,” someone shouted.
“So? It’s got a dance?”
That one wasn’t on the list of songs or dances playing at the stations.
Still, shouts of approval came from everywhere and Lizzie shrugged.
The song Kiss Kiss Kiss by an Australian singer from some reality show had blown up recently.
Only issue, the dance required a partner.
Lizzie’s eyes landed on Sarah, standing near the bar, watching the party.
Should she take a risk? She saw the three board members, currently on their way back into the hotel, glance back. Sarah had to impress, right? And besides, it wasn’t just Sarah who had to impress. Lizzie did also. The board had brought her in to breath fresh air into the proceedings. So, why not?
Or was this a huge miscalculation?
Lizzie shook her head. No time to debate. She had to act.
“Alright but I need a partner. How about our General Manager?” she asked.
Sarah’s eyes widened. “What?”
“Come on. Just one dance.” Lizzie held out her hand.
“I don’t dance.”
Around them, the party erupted in calls for her to join in. At the other stations, people stopped to see what the commotion was about.
Lizzie rushed the few steps to the bar, grabbed her hand, and pulled gently. “It’s for the party. Show the board you’re willing to have fun.”
That did it.
“I don’t know this dance,” Sarah said, though she still followed her.
“Just follow my lead. It’s easy.” Lizzie fiddled with the laptop, found the song and then positioned them face to face. “Mirror my movements. Don’t overthink it.”
The song started. Lizzie began the routine, moving her hips to the beat.
Sarah was stiff at first, clearly uncomfortable being the center of attention.
But Lizzie kept smiling, kept encouraging, and slowly Sarah started to loosen up.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the board president laughing with delight as he walked out, the two other men following, less pleased.
She and Sarah moved together. Hip sway, arm movements, the playful gestures that matched the flirty lyrics. Sarah was pretty graceful when she stopped being so self-conscious. The crowd was eating it up, cheering and filming.
Then came the spin. Lizzie turned, Sarah turned, and somehow their timing was off. They collided chest-first, Sarah’s hands coming up to steady them both.
They froze.
Sarah’s hands were on Lizzie’s waist. They were inches apart, close enough that Lizzie could see the flecks of green in Sarah’s blue eyes. Close enough to feel Sarah’s breath.
The world narrowed to just the two of them. The music faded to background noise. Lizzie couldn’t move, couldn’t think, could only stare at Sarah’s lips and feel the electricity crackling between them.
“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”
Shit.
She’d forgotten. At the end, the singer and his dancer kissed in the video that went along with the song. Nobody else had forgotten though.
“KISS! KISS! KISS!”
It got louder. More insistent. Around them, people started giving each other quick pecks on the lips, cheeks, some rubbed their noses together. Sarah’s face went red and Lizzie saw her pull away but then purpose settled on her face and Sarah leaned in again.
The kiss was brief. A press of lips, soft and warm and over in seconds. But Lizzie felt it everywhere. A shock of sensation that ran straight through her body, leaving her tingling and breathless.
The crowd went wild. Cheering, whistling, phones held high to capture the moment.
Sarah jerked back like she’d been burned. Her face was scarlet. “I need to check on the DJ.”
She disappeared into the crowd before Lizzie could respond.
Lizzie stood there, frozen, her lips still tingling. Around her, people were going back to dancing, the moment already passing for them. But for Lizzie, time had stopped.
What just happened?
She touched her lips, half-convinced she’d imagined it. But no. Sarah had kissed her. Briefly, yes. In front of a crowd, yes. But she’d done it. And the way she’d looked at Lizzie right before, that wasn’t just playing along.
Or was it?
Lizzie made it through the rest of the party on autopilot. She smiled, she talked to guests, she helped clean up when things started winding down around eleven. But her mind was somewhere else entirely, replaying the kiss over and over.
By the time the pool party was over, it was ten at night. She should go home. Sleep. But her mind was buzzing. She couldn’t stop thinking about Sarah. If she went home now, all she’d do was think about her.
So instead, she boarded the shuttle downtown along with a few hotel guests. She would take her mind off Sarah the only way one could do such a thing in a place like Key West.
Party.