“No.” Her voice was firm, unyielding. “I’m not interested in a relationship I have to hide, Eli. That’s not who I am.”
My heart hammered against my ribs. This was all falling apart too fast. “But we’re not hiding, not really. We’re just being discreet until Mom cools off. There’s a difference.”
“Is there?” Jules’s tone was cool, detached. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks a lot like sneaking around and lying. And I’ve had enough of that. It doesn’t matter anyway—your mom knows now. And she’s not happy about us, in case you didn’t notice. It’s over, Eli. Somehow, over the past couple of months, I seem to have forgotten who I was. Maybe I should thank your mom for reminding me.”
Something inside me snapped. Fear turned to anger, hot and desperate. “So that’s it? You’re going to throwaway everything because my mom freaked out? Real mature, Jules.”
“Don’t put this on me,” she shot back. “This is exactly why workplace relationships are a bad idea. The complications, the drama?—”
“Oh, spare me the HR handbook,” I spat, pacing on the beach, panic gnawing a hole in my stomach. “We can make this work. We just need time—after Lacey’s wedding, after we sort out the resort improvements…”
“And how long will that take?” Jules interrupted. “A month? Six? A year? No! I won’t live like that.”
The fight drained out of me, replaced by a cold, sinking feeling in my gut. Jules’s calm logic was like a bucket of ice water, dousing the flames of my anger and leaving me shivering.
“Jules, please,” I said, my voice quiet and pleading. “We can figure this out.”
“Let’s look at the facts, Eli.” She sighed, and I could picture her pinching the bridge of her nose, the way she did when reconciling particularly tricky accounts. “Your mother, who ran this resort for years, explicitly forbids relationships between employees. And she has good reason for that—which you and I have both been ignoring. The resort is facing major financial decisions that require our full, unbiased attention. And Lacey’s wedding is in two weeks, and I’m her goddamned maid of honor!”
My mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.
“I’m not trying to hurt you,” Jules continued, her voice softening slightly. “But these are the realities we’re facing. Continuing this relationship would be irresponsible and potentially disastrous. Especially for me. I like working at the resort, Eli.”
I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of her words. “So that’s it? We’re just… done?”
There was a long pause before Jules spoke again. “It’s for the best, Eli. We both need to focus on what’s important right now.”
“You were important to me,” I murmured, hating how small my voice sounded.
“I know,” Jules replied, and for a moment, I thought I heard a crack in her composure. “And I was fall—never mind. That doesn’t matter. This isn’t going to work. Good night, Eli.”
“Jules, wait,” I said, but the line went dead.
I stared at my phone, my mind struggling to process what had just happened. The screen dimmed, then went dark, mirroring the hollow void spreading through my chest.
