I try to steady my breathing, but I hate the thought of Maya being upset or in trouble.
That’s it. I have to find her to make sure she’s okay, to make sure we’re okay. I throw on a hoodie and sweatpants and head for the elevator.
When I get to the lobby, I peer at the front desk workers. I don’t want to ask for Maya directly, in case it brings unwanted attention to her. But, I know Maya’s friend is named Holly, so if I ask for her, maybe I can figure out what’s going on.
I walk up to the counter and a woman with bright-red hair greets me. “Hello, sir, how can I help you?”
“I spoke with someone named Holly earlier. I was wondering if she's working today.”
The woman whose nametag says Angel leans back. “Yes, she was just here. Let me check the back office.”
When she reappears a moment later, a petite blonde, whom I presume is Holly, is following behind her. Angel points to me, and Holly’s face changes from pinched brows to wide eyes.
“Hello, Mr. Evans, how are you today?” she asks.
“Good, I was looking for—”
Holly cuts me off. “More info about the snowshoeing trek, right? Let me just take you to our recreation desk.”
She comes around to my side of the counter and says, “Right this way.”
I whisper, “What are you doing?”
“We can’t talk here, just play along.” She leads me through the lobby and then stops abruptly in front of the giant picture window. “Pretend I’m talking to you about snowshoeing.”
I suddenly feel like I’m in a spy movie. “Why are we being so secretive?”
“Management has eyes everywhere. You’re looking for Maya, right?” She moves her hands like she’s giving detailed directions.
“Yeah. I can’t find her, and she’s not returning my calls or texts. I thought maybe you’d know.” I nod my head as if I’m intrigued by the non-existent snowshoeing trip we’re pretending to talk about.
“You haven’t seen or heard from her because she’s been in the basement. No reception down there.”
“Why is she in the basement?” An image of Maya locked in hotel jail springs into my brain.
“Lauren was upset that you missed so many events. She blamed Maya. That’s why Lauren took over as your host. Housekeeping has been swamped with all the athletes and guests, so they moved Maya to laundry duty.”
My nostrils flare. In a loud voice I say, “It wasn’t Maya’s fault. Where’s Mr. Mynt? I’ll fix this.”
Holly looks around with a pasted smile on her face. “Shhh…I get it. I’m angry too. But, I don’t think confronting Mr. Mynt is the best plan.” She brings her hand to her mouth and nibbles on her thumbnail. After an awkward silence, she finally says, “I know what to do. Give me your phone.”
“I’m not giving you my phone.” I clutch my phone in my pocket.
“Not to keep. I’m going to put my number in.”
I try to discreetly hand her my phone. As she’s typing in her information, I ask, “What do I need to do?”
“Go about your normal day. I have an ace up my sleeve. Get it, ‘ace’ like a tennis serve?” She winks at me, clearly proud of her pun.
I rub my forehead. “I get it. But what is your ace?”
“You’re going to have to trust me,” Holly replies.
I’m reminded of the last time I heard that phrase, “trust me.” It was when Maya surprised me with the igloo. That worked out, maybe I’ll try to roll with it.
“Based on the fact that you’re Maya’s friend, I’m going to cautiously trust you.”
“Good. I’ll text you the plan. Oh, and by the way, I entered my number as ‘Momma E’, so if Lauren sees your phone screen, she won’t know it’s me.”
