It takes me a few moments to recognize the scent of Katie’s spicy floral perfume.
And another few moments to realize that she’s lying in my bed, next to me.
“Do you think I should talk to him about her?” she hisses, and I’m hit with a wave of alcohol off her breath.
I groan, reaching for my phone to check the time. It’s 2:00 a.m. “What?”
“About Rachel. She’s still in Homer. She hasn’t been able to get a flight out yet, so she’s just been touring around. When’s the next time she’s going to be in Alaska, right? But what if she manages to get a flight home tomorrow? So I was thinking, if I go to Mr. Wolf and ask him really nicely, and promise that nothing like this will ever happen, would he change his mind?”
I groan, finally clueing in. “I doubt it.”
Her body tenses next to me.
“I’m sorry, Katie. But he can be a real asshole, you know that.” He can also be very, very generous and giving, but in ways I never want anyone to experience. Anyone except me.
“I know. I was just thinking...” She burrows into my side. “What if you asked?”
“Me?”
“Yeah. I should have been fired too, but he didn’t fire me because of you. So maybe he’ll listen to you if you ask.”
I sigh. “I don’t know, Katie.”
“Please? Can you just try?” Her voice has taken on that really whiny tone. She must be really drunk. “I can’t imagine the entire summer here without Rachel.”
Just like I couldn’t imagine the summer here without Henry. But... I drop my voice to a whisper in case someone isn’t wearing their earplugs. “She slept with someone else, Katie. She cheated on you. Don’t you care?” I’m not sure how many people know about Rachel and Katie, besides me. And Henry, because I told him. And I only know because I saw them firsthand and, well, they’re definitely together.
“What? No.” Katie laughs. “Oh, you’re so adorable and innocent. I know it doesn’t make much sense to you. We’re best friends first, and Rachel likes guys as much as girls, so I’m not going to tell her she can’t be with them. That’ll never work. She’ll end up miserable and I don’t want that. So we’re open about things.”
Open? “So you mean you’re okay with her messing around on you?” People actually make those kinds of arrangements?
“We don’t look at it like that. We’re just enjoying life and our bodies while we’re young and we can, you know?”
Not really, but I’m learning quickly.
“So, can you please just try?”
I sigh. Firing Rachel was definitely a big mar on Henry’s reputation with his staff. “I’ll ask him tomorrow.”
She gasps. “Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You’re the best!” Before I know what’s happening, her mouth is planted on mine in a hard kiss, the taste of alcohol lingering on her lips.
Pushing her off with an embarrassed chuckle, I warn her, “I can’t promise anything, so don’t get your hopes up.”
“Too late! They’re up!”
She’s about to roll away when I grab her. “Hey, did you tell anyone about the other day? About giving me a you-know-what?”
“No? I don’t think so?” A pause, and though it’s dark, I picture her pretty face scrunched up in thought. “Well, I may have mentioned it when I was trying to convince Darian from over in cabin eight to do hers, because have you seen her in the shower? It’s nowhere as wild as yours was but it definitely could use some tidying. Why?”
I sigh. No, I didn’t notice Darian from over in cabin eight, but I don’t have the obsession with ripping hair from bodies that Katie does. “No reason. Just something Tillie said.”
She snorts out loud. “Tillie’s got lots to say. So... how does it look?”
I hesitate, but then remind myself that there’s no point in being modest around Katie. “Good. I guess?”
“Ha! Told you so. We’ll have to buy a kit in Homer and do it here next time, so we don’t get into trouble with the boss again.”
“Yay. Can’t wait,” I mutter, though I have to admit I am happy that we went through with it, given how acquainted Henry has gotten with that part of me.
She rolls away and stumbles from my bed—the bottom bunk in a cabin of three sets—and into hers.
And now I’m wide awake, with the taste of liquor coating my lips, staring at the bottom of the bunk on top of me where Autumn snores softly. I learned her secret to undisturbed sleeping: a face mask and earplugs. Apparently everyone around here sleeps with plugs and face masks. Everyone except me.
Not that either of those would help with my spinning thoughts.
What is Henry doing right now?
Sleeping, I’m sure. I wish I were lying next to him in bed. But that will never happen, not as long as I’m working for him here.
I sigh. How am I even going to broach this subject with him? And tomorrow, when he’s already got so much on his plate. I could lie and tell Katie that I asked about Rachel and he said no, but I’d rather know that I genuinely tried.
If I can just get him alone for fifteen minutes, I could make sure he’s in a really good mood before asking.
Turning onto my side, I close my eyes and let myself drift off with a smile of anticipation.
~ ~ ~
I don’t know why I’m so nervous. Maybe it’s because my relationship—both work and otherwise—with Henry has been pretty clear-cut so far: Henry says “jump” and I say “how high?” It’s not the other way around: me, asking him for things. Me, telling him what I want. Outside of the bedroom, that is. Though, even in the bedroom, he’s pretty demanding.
After an hour of staring at my phone, contemplating my best strategy, I remind myself that while, yes, he’s intimidating and we’ve barely scratched the surface of knowing each other, in some respects I probably know him better than anyone else here. With a deep breath, I open up a text thread to him.
I have a very important but quick question. Can I come by?
I close my eyes and set my phone on my chest, my heart rate speeding up as I wait.
I jump at the vibration a minute later.
Not a good time.
My stomach sinks. He must be wrapped up with work. Or maybe he thinks “I have a question” is code for sex? Swallowing my unease, I try again.
Seriously. Just a question. It’s important, and brief. I promise.
A moment later:
You’ve got me here, now. What’s your question?
I roll my eyes. Over text is not how I wanted to do this.
I think you should give Rachel back her job.
I bite my bottom lip as I watch the three dots dance on the screen.
That’s not a question.
No, I guess it’s not.
Can you give Rachel back her job?
She went against company policy.
Okay... so not a flat-out “no.”
I purse my lips together, wondering if questioning him is smart. He’s never given me reason to believe I hold any sway in suggesting anything business related.
So have others, and they weren’t fired. I think you should give her a break.
My phone starts vibrating with a phone call. My heart swells when I see Henry’s name pop up. “Hello?”
“Why?” The single word as greeting, delivered in his deep stern voice, throws me off, and it takes a moment to gather my thoughts.
I drop my voice to a whisper, though Katie’s the only one here and she’s dead to the world, her mass of bleach-blonde hair splayed around her pillow. “With everything going on right now, the last thing you need is people questioning why you fired her and you didn’t fire me. Katie and I broke policy, too. Plus, people around here don’t like you very much right now. Everyone’s afraid to make a mistake and be shipped off. They spent a lot of money on plane tickets to get here.”
Several long moments of silence hang between us.
In a last-ditch effort, I add, “You once said you wanted people to be happy working here.”
“So?”
“So, if you really care about your staff, which I think you do, then you’ll make choices to win their respect back.”
There’s a slight pause. “They don’t respect me?” He says this like he’s surprised by it. Maybe he is. It’s one thing not to like the CEO of the hotel chain you work for because he’s hard-nosed. It’s entirely different not to respect him.
“Not exactly...”
“Why? What are they saying?”
“Right now? That you’re a spineless dickhead.” I hold my breath, waiting for his response, hoping he doesn’t ask me who said that. I don’t want to get Ronan in trouble or worse, fired.
“Fine.”
I frown, not sure that I heard correctly. “Fine, yes?”
“Where is Rachel right now? Can you get hold of her?”
“She’s still in Homer, trying to get a flight home. Katie has her number.”
“Get her on the next ferry back. But she’s on a short leash and I won’t give her another chance. Make sure you tell Belinda when you see her so she can get her set up again.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
There’s a pause, and when he speaks again, his voice has dropped to that gravelly, intimate tone. “Thank me later.”
My blood starts pumping through my veins. I don’t want to hang up with him yet. “How are things? Were you with your father for long last night?”
He groans. “All night, and this morning. Him, telling me how to run things like I don’t know anything, and then my brother throwing his useless two cents in any chance he can, to try and prove he knows better than me. I’ll be so happy when they’re both gone.”
He’s more candid than he has been in the past. I can definitely feel a shift in our relationship since yesterday. It’s nice. “Hang in there. It’ll be over soon.”
“Gotta go. See you later.” He hangs up, leaving me smiling.
“Katie!” I yell, no longer concerned about her obvious hangover or the fact that she’s still sleeping. “Guess what!”