I look out at the lake, the pain, the sadness eating at me. At the same time, I am filled with a sense of relief, which frightens me. I don’t know what it means.
“You aren’t leaving me. I just need to be alone for a little bit.”
He leans down and hugs me tight. “If that’s what you want.”
I’m not sure what’s going on in my head, which is why I think I need this. “It is.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
As soon as Tyler grabbed his things and moved out of the cabin, I returned to work. I can’t say I didn’t experience a flash of panic at seeing him leave the house, but it felt right to have this time to myself. I’ve paid back nearly all the money I owe the loan shark, and the man seems content to let me return the rest in a couple of weeks with my next paycheck.
I agreed to let Lewis make the final cash deliveries, because honestly, he’s been a total pain-in-the-ass big brother over the entire thing. Lewis feels helpless and guilty for walking out when I told him the real reason I was in debt. He was hurt that I’d lied to him. Then my mother passed. He felt like he’d taken his frustration too far and wasn’t there for me when I needed him. He’s being overly protective now. He and Tyler have hounded me to talk to the police about Denim Jacket guy who worked at Blue, so I agreed. I will soon. Right now, I’m seeing my therapist and working, and trying to figure out what it means to not care for or worry over my mother anymore.
It’s been almost three days since Tyler moved out. I’ve cried, talked to my therapist for hours, and even written down my feelings about losing my mom. SuperMom and I have had poker marathons where we messaged and she comforted me over the loss. What I’ve learned from all of this? I’m less burdened, and that’s why I feel guilty. I’ll always wonder if I could have done more for my mom. No matter what she did or didn’t do, I miss her. Miss what we could have had if she’d been clean.
I’ve been slowly building the life I want to lead these past few months, and it’s helped me get through this time. Lewis, John, and Becky are my family. Logically, I knew it—but in my heart, I never believed it until now. Most surprising of all, Tyler has been there for me in ways no other person has. Which has me thinking a lot about our relationship and where I want to go from here.
The music festival weekend was a huge success, despite the many obstacles and my absence for a few days, which left Hayden putting out fires. By the time she checked out the sex suite, the place had been cleared. The file she’d found in Jessie’s office on the Fifty Shades suite also miraculously disappeared. Hayden’s been meticulously collecting information ever since on the Blue employees involved in the suite, and keeping what she finds close to her chest. She’s waiting until she has enough information to go to the police. Right now, there is no sex suite, no illicit drugs. Nothing on paper, anyway. But knowing how dogged my boss can be, I doubt that will remain true for long.
On the plus side, we’ve hired a new employee and he starts today. So, yay for me and Hayden. We might get back to something resembling a forty- to fifty-hour workweek if this person pans out.
I walk toward Hayden’s office with paperwork for the new hire. There’s a man standing at the door, staring inside, his expression amused, interested.
I walk up to him and peek around the corner.
Hayden is crawling on the ground in a fitted skirt, her cute butt in the air.
So that’s what he’s staring at.
Before I can rap lightly on the door to warn Hayden she has visitors, the guy beside me clears his throat.
Hayden’s tawny head swings around, one silky lock falling across her eye as she looks behind her. “Oh. Excuse me.” She climbs to her feet. “I was just, uh, yes, well. I dropped something. My apologies.” She smooths her skirt and attempts a professional expression.
I step inside, holding back a smile. I hand Hayden the employment documents. Her eyes flicker behind me and she discreetly mouths, “Shit,” which I take to mean she’s embarrassed she got caught with her ass in the air.
This is why I love my boss. She’s all class and professionalism, but deep down she’s a girl’s girl.
I scrunch my face and give a subtle head shake to let her know it’s probably fine. I don’t think the guy minded ogling her ass, considering he stood there staring at it long enough.
Putting on my professional voice, I say, “If you could please sign these by the end of the day, that would be great. They’re for the new hospitality assistant we hired.”
“And that would be me,” the man standing in the doorway says, his deep baritone, cultured and smooth, ringing out.
“Yes.” Hayden’s voice is a tad high. “Mira, meet Adam Cade. He’ll work with Jessie.”
Jessie is our hospitality manager who was out for appendectomy surgery. She only just returned, but is in good health. She’s also one of the employees Hayden suspects is involved in the drug ring at the casino.
I glance at Adam, this time taking him in. He’s tall like Tyler, with wide shoulders. He has on a navy suit and tie, his dark brown hair trimmed short on the sides and slightly longer on top. He’s still wearing the smirk he had on while staring at Hayden’s ass. And she’s still blushing.
Hmmm.
Adam has navy eyes to match his suit and a slightly angular nose. His skin is smooth and he has a chiseled jawline. In short, he’s a total babe, and he’s looking at Hayden like he wants a piece of that.
He is polished and classy in the way he carries himself. If I had to guess, I would say he should be running the hospitality department, not assisting in it. But what do I know? Hayden hired me for a position I wasn’t qualified for.
I greet Adam and take my leave, so Hayden can introduce him to Jessie and his new job duties.
Hayden has completely forgotten the housekeeping closet debacle and tells me I exceeded her expectations as her assistant, which in a way I was forced into with the staffing shortage. The extra workload, however, pushed me beyond my skill set. I’m a quick learner, and Hayden thinks I have upward potential. I’m taking things one step at a time, considering the sketchy crap going on at Blue, but for once, I feel like I’m being challenged at work. I really like that. Plus, I love my boss.
