Sarah turned quickly, planning to walk the other direction. She could circle back to her apartment the long way. Avoid this entirely.
“Sarah?”
Too late.
Sarah stopped and turned. Lizzie was walking toward her, weaving slightly around other pedestrians. She was still in that cute dress from earlier today.
“Hi,” Sarah said. Her voice came out stiff.
“What are you doing here?”
“Walking. You?”
“I was checking out some of the bars.” Lizzie stopped a few feet away. “Chrisla said I should get to know Duval Street since I’m supposed to help organize a bar crawl in a couple of days.”
“Right. The bar crawl.”
They stood there in awkward silence. Somewhere nearby, someone was playing Jimmy Buffett.
“Can I ask you something?” Lizzie’s voice had an edge to it.
“Sure.”
“Why are you so cold to me? I’m trying really hard to do a good job, but you act like I’m some kind of inconvenience.”
Sarah bristled. “I’m not cold. I’m professional.”
“You’re something, but it’s not professional.” Lizzie crossed her arms. “Every suggestion I make you shoot down.”
“I took your advice on the pool party, didn’t I?”
“Because the board told you to.”
The words hit like a slap. Sarah felt her face go hot. “The board sent you because they want to undermine me. They’re hoping I’ll fail so they can replace me with Derek Mitchell.”
“That’s not my fault.”
“Isn’t it?” Sarah stepped closer, lowering her voice so the passing tourists wouldn’t hear. “You got this position because of your stepfather. Pure nepotism. And I’m the one who gets accused of only having my job because I was married to Billy.”
“My stepfather did me a favor. That’s it.”
“Do you not understand what nepotism is?”
Lizzie’s eyes flashed. “I understand perfectly. I also understand that you worked your way up through Billy’s company. That you earned your position. But you know what? You still got your start because someone cared about you and believed in you. That’s not so different from what happened to me.”
Sarah opened her mouth to argue, but the words stuck in her throat.
She thought about what Billy would say if he could see her now. Treating a young woman the way Sarah had been treated when she was starting out. Cold. Dismissive. Making her feel small.
He wouldn’t like it. Billy had always been kind, even when he was being firm. Especially to people who were trying their best.
Sarah looked at her hands. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ve been taking out my frustration on you and that’s not fair.”
Lizzie looked surprised. “Oh. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“I’m under a lot of pressure. That’s not an excuse, but it’s the truth.” Sarah ran a hand through her hair.
“I get that. I do.” Lizzie’s expression softened. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing a really good job. The hotel runs smoothly. The staff respects you. Tonight’s party was amazing.”
