There was a knock on my room’s door, and I looked up at it in surprise. I still had some time before breakfast and more before I needed to dress and go to work, but I already had my uniform on which just consisted of white pants and a matching shirt. A sign of purity, which was kind of crazy, because most of the girls were far from that when they were away from here. I didn’t feel much better than them, as I thought about the time that I’d just spent with Jerrik.

It was so strange because I never got visitors. Samantha had come to my room a couple of times, but she usually let herself in or called out for me to let her in. Whoever was on the other side of my door waited silently.

I had an idea who it could be, and I was part hopeful, part apprehensive that it was him. But no, I hadn't allowed Jerrik anywhere near my room, though I’d gone to his plenty of times already for some clandestine fun.

After a moment of hesitation, I went to open the door. And I wasn’t sure if it was good or bad that it wasn’t Jerrik there but Henry instead.

“Um, can I help you, sir?” I asked politely, even though I knew what he came for.

He tilted his head towards the inside of my room. “May I come in?”

“Of course,” I said immediately, stepping aside to let him through, then letting the door close.

He let himself inside, and I wanted him back out instantly. I didn’t have much to call mine, but this little space had been mine for the time I’d been working at the retreat. My boss looked around at all of it, and part of me rebelled at the idea of someone I didn’t know invading my space and eyeing my things. If he hadn't been Henry, I wouldn’t have let him in at all.

“Was there something you wanted me to do for you, sir?” I asked tentatively, after moments of silence.

He stopped, then turned to face me. The look on his face surprised me because I thought he looked a little tired. But then that look was gone, replaced by the professional face he held up in front of all the staff.

“Sharon, we talked last time, and I was pretty sure we understood each other at the time.”

Oh, yeah. He knows, I thought to myself. And he was not happy with it.

“We understood each other perfectly, sir,” I replied honestly.

I’d understood what he’d told me—I’d simply disregarded what he’d told me and did what I wanted. Hell, I tried to be discreet, and I’d been so sure I was successful. It was almost time for Jerrik to leave, anyway, so why couldn’t this confrontation have waited?

But, in spite of all that, I was able to stand tall, hands at my sides, and meet Henry’s gaze head on. This was nothing like the last time, where I practically advertised my guilt. At that moment, I didn’t think there was anything for me to regret, certainly not what Jerrik and I had between us.

Henry’s eyebrows arched in his surprise, and I almost wanted to smile at how calm we were both being about this.

“You say you understood everything,” he said slowly to clarify.

I nodded sharply. “Yes, sir.”

He hummed, then glanced around again. “Sharon, we are both busy people, or at least I am. So I’m just going to come out with it and ask. Are you sleeping with our client? Specifically the one I warned you against?”

I took in a deep breath, then let air out through my nose. I met his gaze without flinching and nodded again.

“Yes, sir,” I repeated. “I am.”

He waited for a moment as we tried to stare each other down, but no one was winning. After a while, he nodded back.

“Very well,” he said blandly. “Sharon, we have been very pleased with your service so far, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Only take what’s yours, and your last pay check will be deposited to your account.”

I nodded along to what he said. It was inevitable; I had to admit, especially with how careless I was being. I didn’t exactly hide that I wasn’t staying in my room, or that I was sneaking back in just to change into my uniform and start work.

Now, with this, I wouldn’t have to do that anymore.

Henry sent another glance around the room, nodded to himself, and walked toward the door. I had a feeling they already had someone in this room, but I let it slide because it wasn’t like it was home for me. But then he paused in the doorway and turned back to look at me.

“Just so you know, you will not be getting a reference, no matter how good your work has been.” Then he turned, and he was gone.

I could have done without his parting shot because it wasn’t like I didn’t know. It was part of the rules for when an employee broke regulations, as I had. Why write a reference for someone that didn’t deserve it, after all?

I closed the door behind him and leaned back against it. I was still in uniform, but I didn’t have any use for it anymore. I was fired. And surprisingly, I was okay with it. Getting employment at retreats, especially one like this one, wasn’t exactly an easy task, and almost impossible without any reference from this job.

But even though I should, I didn’t care whether or not I landed a job at another retreat.

Jerrik had come out of nowhere and intruded in my life, but I had to admit, at least to myself, that he’d given me so much more. Whether or not he helped me find another job, or tried to support me, or I ended up starting again in some other town… I couldn’t regret the past few weeks because, in that time, I would say I felt the happiest I’d ever felt since the day I left our town.