Jessi was back! In spite of everything, even with how anxious and depressed I’d become since she’d left, now she was back I was my usual self once more. Happy and bubbly, carrying both emotions wherever I went.

Not that I wasn’t still anxious when it came to Mason, though. I’d decided it would be in everyone’s best interest if I cut ties with Mason before things became too sticky. Jessi was on the road to her happy ending with Trent, and I was happy for her. Just because it worked for her with the eldest Thompson brother, didn’t mean I could wish for the same from Mason, however.

I’d pretty much used up all my miracles just being healthy. Getting too entangled with Mason could not lead to anything good.

For one, he was nothing like his brother. Trent acted a lot like his father, something of a workaholic like he didn’t know how to relax. I knew now he was with Jessi, he’d be taking time off now and then. She’d make sure of it, even though he was technically our boss, because she was a caring woman like that.

Mason, on the other hand… all the staff in the hotel, be they maids, or staff in the kitchen, the lobby, on the grounds… everyone knew just what kind of person Mason was, and it wasn’t the kind of person that you could rely on in a serious relationship.

He liked to party. A lot. I’d known that already. Heck, I was always there to clean up his messes for him, and several times I got to see just how out of hand those parties could get. In every single one, there was never a time I’d found him fully clothed or without some woman hanging off him. After I slept with him, those images came back to haunt me, and I couldn’t help but regret what I’d done a little bit.

It had been my decision, but after a long time of deliberating, I realized it had been the wrong one. Mason’s life was one I didn’t think I could live up to, and not just because we were in different social classes and he had way more now than I ever would working on my own for the rest of my life.

Avoiding him was hard on me. I handled it for a week without actually running into him, and I didn’t know if it was down to luck, or if he was just really busy.

I made sure to clean his room later, but not too late. And while I worked on his floor, I tried to spend as little time in the hallway as possible, working faster than I ever had before. It was detrimental in that I got to spend more time in the staff lounge and risked him finding me there again, or I landed myself more work for having extra time for other duties before I clocked out. At least Jessi was back and she was always there to keep me company.

In all that time, I hadn’t caught even a single glimpse of Mason, but it didn’t make me happy at all. I was losing my usual cheer and everyone was starting to notice. So to keep them off my tail, I’d pretend. Fake cheeriness was something I hated because I’d done it so much when I was sick and didn’t want my college friends to know what was going on with me. I went home each night and I wanted to cry myself to sleep. I didn’t know why because I shouldn’t already feel attached to this guy. Before the night we spent together, I’d only caught glimpses of him, sometimes in the nude. It wasn’t like we were close.

It was for the best. Still, when I trudged into work at the one-week mark of avoidance, it was with heavy feet and an even heavier heart. I was early because I’d woken up early, and when I walked into the staff room, I heard someone humming, and immediately knew it was Jessi.

“Someone’s in a good mood today,” I called out to the kitchen, heading that way. It was early, so I didn’t need to change into my uniform just yet.

“Someone’s in a not so good mood today,” she retorted, smiling at me over her shoulder.

“Are you baking right now?”

“Yeah. I had the time and you’ve been so down lately. I wanted to make you something sweet. Also, it’s an experiment. I’m trying out some new creations. Matthew Thompson asked for it himself, so I’ve been working myself to the bone coming up with it.”

That had me perking right up. Usually when Jessi came up with new creations, it could take a while before she was happy with what she wanted to make, and in the meantime, there were plenty of treats to enjoy. Usually, I didn’t indulge myself in too much sugar or desserts, but I never refused one of Jessi’s.

“Can I try some now? Are you making enough for everyone, or…?”

“Yeah. My kitchen isn’t big enough for this, and I usually either work at my parent's place or here, but it would have to be past hours and I’d be using the hotel’s ingredients. Trent had everything I needed be stocked up. I’ll be sending some of this up to his office later, and he’ll probably share them with his family. He’ll have to agree before anything can be added to the menu.”

I sniffed the air a little, already drooling at the scent. There was a hint of mango in there, some vanilla, and I wondered at exactly what she was trying to make. She picked out one of the pastries from the tray with a napkin and held it out to me. It was shaped like a pie, but small enough to fit in my hand with a dip at the top, where icing had been sprinkled.

“Careful. I took that batch out of the oven just a few minutes ago, so it’s probably still hot.”

“It feels fine to me through the napkin, not hot or anything.”

Still, I brought it cautiously to my mouth. Never once had I tasted something Jessi made and not liked it. I’d tried experimenting with cooking on my own sometimes, and it always came out badly, so even if she was my friend, I always approached experiments with caution.

Jessi was good at her job. I bit into the pastry, and my eyes widened at the burst of flavor on my tongue. There was a fusion of mango and vanilla, and maybe something else in there, then the soft pastry and the sweet icing.

“This tastes amazing,” I said, chowing down on the rest of it, then holding my hand out for more.

She laughed. “Well, I would hope so, considering our boss will taste it. I’ve been trying to get a solid recipe for this for the past few days. The first ones…”

“Weren’t as great?” I guessed.

Another reason why the stuff she made tasted so good; she usually went through all the trials on her own before having someone else try out the semi-finished product. She turned herself into her own guinea pig.

“They weren’t terrible but I burnt some of them. Then I ended up eating them anyway because I just hate to waste food and effort.”

She picked another one for me, then one for herself, and took a tiny bite, chewing with a small frown on her face.

“It’s not bad… but it’s still missing something. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but I need it to be good enough for the hotel’s standards in case we get another surprise review.”

“Your food always gets nice reviews anyway. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

“There’s always something to worry about. Everybody’s a critic these days, and I don’t like hearing people didn’t like my stuff.”

“If this is going to have a lot of sugar, though…”

“I’ll figure something out for a sugar-free category. There’s only so healthy you can make any dessert, and that one will probably take me longer to work out. Also, I need to take in possible allergies, so I’m watching the ingredients I put in…”

I watched her in admiration. “You take your job seriously.”

She laughed. “Of course I do! I spent a lot of time and money to get to where I am. I wouldn’t waste so much effort if it were something I hated. Besides, it’s great when I get to taste my food.” Then she laughed again, a little more rueful as she glanced down at herself. “I do have to worry about my weight with all the pastries and desserts I keep eating.”

“Exercise more. It’s why I usually walk, though if you wanted, you could try going to the gym.”

At the word ‘gym,’ Jessi almost looked pained, and I laughed at her reaction. As much as she worried about her weight with what she loved to eat, she disliked the gym. I’d be making time to go myself but I ate pretty healthily, and while I was curvy, I wasn’t quite as plump as Jessi was. She was self-conscious about it but I thought it looked good on her.

“So,” she said after we’d eaten a couple more. “What’s been going on with you lately? You’re not acting like your usual self at all.”

Now that she’d brought it up, I couldn’t help feeling down again, my shoulders slumping as I let out a weary sigh.

“I’ve just… been having problems.”

She smiled. “I realize that. And because you did the same for me, I won’t push you for details until you want to tell me on your own.”

I gave her a grateful smile back, though it was touched with unease. I didn’t know why I hadn’t told her yet. It had bugged me before when I knew something had happened between her and Trent, and she didn’t tell me about it, but every time I’d opened my mouth to try and broach the subject, I’d say something else instead.

“It’s not something to worry about,” I reassured her. “It’s just something I need to get over.”

Mason would not become my whole life. I had a lot that was great in my life without him. Even if he was hot as hell, and just the thought of him made me want to stay in bed some mornings, I could and would move on.