Lizzie waited for Sarah to take them back. To say she didn’t mean it. But Sarah just stood there, coffee cup in hand, face blank.
“It should never have happened.” Sarah set down her cup. “I expect you to be professional about this. Don’t let it affect your work.”
“How can you say that?”
“Say what?”
“That it was a mistake. After everything—after what we—” Lizzie couldn’t finish the sentence.
“It was just sex, Lizzie.” Sarah picked up her coffee again like that settled it.
Lizzie turned and walked back to the bedroom before Sarah could see her face. Her face was doing a strange dance, trying to keep up with her emotions. Anger chased disappointment and then turned into rage.
She grabbed her phone and started texting.
Had sex with my boss last night. She just left me cash. Like I’m a hooker.
The reply came right away.
WHAT?
Lizzie sneered as she typed back.Yup. So that as dumb.
Her clothes from last night were draped over a chair. Dry now but wrinkled. She dropped the sheet and started getting dressed, hands shaking so badly she could barely button her shorts. When she was done, she stalked back into the main room, hands on her hips.
“I’m not taking your money.”
“It’s just for transportation—”
“I don’t want it.”
Sarah turned to face her. “Don’t be ridiculous. Look, I’ll leave the van and you can drive it back. I can walk and…”
“No.”
They stared at each other, neither breaking eye contact.
“And I’m not being ridiculous. I’m being clear.” Lizzie grabbed her bag. “I don’t want your money. I don’t want anything from you.”
She walked to the door. The morning was warm. Warmer than New York. What really got her was the humidity. The rain had made the air turn into soup. Lizzie grabbed her phone and pulled up the maps app. Orienting herself via the street view feature she marched forward down White Street toward the water. The resort was along the Atlantic, and the road along the beach led right to it. The employee housing was just a bit beyond there.
She could have called an Uber, but the walk would do her good. Back in New York she walked 20K steps a day easily. 3 miles was nothing.
She had just made it to the beach when her phone rang. She half expected Maya, wanting to know all the detail
Mom.
Lizzie almost sent it to voicemail. But her mom would just worry and call back three more times.
“Hey.”
“Hi sweetheart! How’s paradise?” The cheer in her tone was at once soothing and heartache inducing because suddenly, she missed her mom. It wasn’t that she was home sick. No. She had just been humiliated, and yes, a little heart broken, and she wanted her mom. She wasn’t about to tell her that though. No way was she going to cry to her mom after a week away.
“It’s good. Warm.”
“I bet. How’s the internship going?”
“Fine. It’s fine.”
