My mind flashed to Brie, at the dance, at the festival, telling me about Noah’s Girl Scout project, building a boardwalk with a wheelchair ramp so people with mobility challenges could still enjoy the view of the lake.
Maybe …
“Um ... we could ... ah ...” I swallowed hard, the taste of betrayal on my tongue. “We could put in a boardwalk, with ramps. All around the perimeter with little signs about the native flowers and animals and trees.”
“Yes, yes, the safe version of a hike.” Victoria nodded, her enthusiasm growing like a forest fire consuming everything authentic in its path. “That way, people don’t have to risk getting mud on their Ferragamos. Nice work, Samantha. Well done.” I could almost see the dollar signs replacing her pupils as she mentally calculated the profit margins of the “curated authenticity” ideas.
Maya cleared her throat, teeth gnawing on a corporately branded pen. “What about the Adventure Center though? We’ll still need them for the guests who want natural experiences.”
“And you said you would renew Noah’s contract if he played along,” I reminded her.
Victoria picked a piece of lint off her blazer, then slowly shook her head. “I told you I would consider renewing Mr. Barrett’s contract if he helped our numbers improve.” Her eyes never left mine. “Have they, Marcus? Have our numbers improved?”
Marcus shook his head, smiling as he did it.
I stared at my mud-caked fingernails and calloused hands, still bearing traces of the forest. “But the engagement numbers …”
“Engagement without conversion is just noise,” Victoria cut in.
“This isn’t just business to Noah,” I blurted. “This is his life. He loves these mountains more than anything.” Noah’s love for Colorado wasn’t just something he talked about; it was something he lived, breathed, embodied with every step he took on those trails. He didn’t just work in those mountains; he belonged to them.
“Maya can explore alternative employment opportunities for Barrett and his team,” said Victoria. “Guest services, maintenance supervision.” She paused, and for a split second something flickered across her face. “We’re not in the business of destroying livelihoods. But we are in the business of sustainable profit models.”
“Noah won’t go down without a fight,” I said, my voice sharper than intended. “The Adventure Center is his family’s legacy.”
Victoria’s posture shifted. “Well then, perhaps you should be the one to tell him.”
The temperature in the room dropped to “wilderness cabin” range. “Me?”
“You’ve established rapport with Mr. Barrett,” Victoriacontinued. “You understand both perspectives. His attachment to tradition and our need for fiscal responsibility. You’re uniquely positioned to help him see that adaptation doesn’t have to mean abandonment.”
“Ms. Sterling … I don’t think I can …”
Her eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch. “Unless that’s going to complicate things for you personally?”
“Complicate things for me personally?”
“No. Of course not. Surely you and Noah have maintained appropriate professional boundaries, correct? Mixing personal feelings with business decisions creates casualties on all sides. That’s why we have the ethics clause in your contract. To protect you.”
“Ethics clause?” The words felt foreign in my mouth, though I already suspected I was about to get a very expensive education in corporate fine print.
“Yes,” said Marcus, his smile spreading wider. “The ethics clause. The one that explicitly prohibits personal relationships with other LuxeLife contractors or employees.”
Marcus’s fingers punched buttons on the remote control, and suddenly the conference room screen lit up with images. Guest snapshots tagged on social media, all my pictures and videos and posts. An entire collection of digital breadcrumbs documenting my time with Noah.
Each image was a frozen moment that looked startlingly intimate when viewed through an outsider’s lens, but I knew the truth. These weren’t evidence of unprofessional conduct. They were evidence of my becoming a real person instead of a performing one.
“So all these shots of the two of you together?” Marcus let the question hang in the air, with an eyebrow raised in wait.
Victoria rested her chin on her interlaced fingers. “She was simply playing a part. Isn’t that right, Samantha?”
I knew that whatever I said next would determine not just my career, but who I was going to be for the rest of my life. “Yes,” I heard myself say, the word hollow in my chest. “Of course. Just business. I was only playing a part. Everything we did together was strictly to generate content for the job.”
The lies fell from my mouth like mountain rocks, each one landing with a sickening thud in the chasm of my stomach.
“Good.” Victoria sat back, content. “Glad to hear it.” She examined her nails, buffing them slightly against her silk blouse.
“Well, I for one am glad we had this little talk,” said Marcus. “And I’m especially glad you, Samantha, told us that there was nothing between you and Noah. That you were simply using him to finish the job we hired you to do. Involving the legal team creates so much paperwork.”
