“I believe you.”
“Thank you. Anyway, I want to apologize for that. And now that we’re practically friends, I’ll give you a warning: be careful who you talk to in the hotel, or even what you say.”
“What do you mean?”
“Except for Ivy and me, whom I’ll try to introduce you to later when we get back, all the other employees are under Kathleen’s thumb, the bi—”
I gesture with my hand to interrupt her. “I get it, I think. Kathleen isn’t one of your favorite people.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
“Melissa, you’re being honest with me, so I’ll be honest with you too. I don’t want any trouble. Until yesterday, I didn’t even know how long I’d have a roof over my head.” I notice her surprised look, but I continue: “Mr. Guillermo is giving me a chance to get my life in order. The last thing I need is enemies. So don’t take it the wrong way, but I’d rather not hear about conflicts between employees.” I don’t want to make her uncomfortable, but I also don’t want my name dragged into gossip.
“You’re right.”
“Anyway, thank you for the warning. I’ll be extra cautious around her.”
“Kathleen is the senior secretary. I didn’t mean to gossip,” she says as if she can read my thoughts. “But you really should watch out for her.”
“Why?”
“You’re a smart girl. You’ll figure out why I’m saying this.” She laughs awkwardly. “I’m sorry for how I treated you this morning, Olívia. I’m so used to living among snakes that when I meet someone good, it takes me a while to recognize them.”
“Alright, how about we eat now? I’m starving.”
After buying sandwiches and juice, we sit on a bench outdoors to have lunch. The temperature is pleasant, not too hot, and it’s delightful to eat at Boston Harbor watching the boats. I feel relaxed in a way I haven’t allowed myself to be for a long time.
“God, this is so good. I’ll never be able to lose weight.”
“Stop that—you’re beautiful.”
“But have you seen my height? If I’m not careful, I’ll turn into a ball.”
“I saw you in your underwear, remember? There’s nothing extra there besides the generous butt, and I can assure you men love that. And speaking of men, do you have a boyfriend?”
“Several.”
She pauses mid-bite and smiles mischievously. “Tell me everything.”
“I’m joking. My boyfriends are all fantasy. The heroes from books.”
“Unbelievable. You’re very pretty.”
“I had a few boyfriends in high school, but then my mom got sick and there was no time for anything else. After shepassed away, I was too worried about surviving to think about relationships.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine being without my mom. And the rest of your family?”
“It was just the two of us. I was adopted.”
“Oh! So you’re telling me you have no one?”
I know she didn’t say that out of malice, but it still hurts to admit my loneliness out loud. “Not that I know of.”
“Have you never tried to find your biological mother?”
“I did try, and my mom, Heloísa, even helped me search for her, but we never got anywhere since we had no clues about who she was. I still plan on investigating that one day.”
“Okay, enough talking about sad things.” She smiles and nudges me with her elbow. “Let’s talk about guys. What do you think of a date in about fifteen days?”
