Okay. Stop it. Just ask her. What’s the matter with you? Just. Ask. Her.
Yes. That was the right course of action. With a slight nod of determination, Olivia pushed her chair back from her desk, but was stopped short by a raised voice coming from the front desk.
“Markham. M-A-R-K-H-A-M.” It was a woman’s voice, and she was obviously irritated and rapidly approaching annoyed. Olivia stood up and went out to see if Stephanie needed help.
The lobby was still bustling. The hum of conversation mixed with the sound of suitcases being wheeled along the granite floor to create a steady buzz. Three people stood in line behind the older gentleman Jacob was taking care of and the angry blonde across the desk from Stephanie. The woman was pretty, albeit heavily made up, her long, dark lashes far too lush to be real, accentuating bright blue eyes that might have been pretty if they weren’t flashing with anger in the moment.
“Hi there,” Olivia said, as she stepped next to Stephanie. “I’m Olivia Santini, the assistant manager here. Is there a problem?”
The woman sighed. “Apparently, yes. I’m trying to locate a guest of yours. Ms. Markham—”
“I told her we don’t have anyone by that name checked in,” Stephanie said, her own irritation clear to Olivia. Stephanie was always calm, cool, and collected, so Olivia wondered how long she’d been dealing with this woman before voices were raised.
“And I told her to look again. Because of course she’s checked in. Her family owns the damn place. Markham Resorts?”
Stephanie looked to Olivia, who stared back at her.
The woman gestured to Stephanie’s keyboard with her manicured hand, red nails flashing in the holiday lighting. “Look again. Hayley Markham. M-A-R-K—”
Olivia felt her eyebrows raise up toward her hairline as she did her best to understand, to compute what she was hearing. Hayley Markham? Well, that would be a weird coincidence…
“Oh, you know what?” the woman said, stopping Stephanie mid-type. “Sometimes she uses her mother’s name if she’s trying to fly under the radar. Try Boyd. Hayley Boyd.” Then, suddenly, “There she is. Good God, babe, where have you been?”
Stephanie’s fingers froze and she turned her head slowly toward Olivia, who turned to look toward the offices.
Hayley stood in the doorway, eyes wider than seemed possible, face blooming with bright red splotches, lips parted in a small “O.”
Time stopped then.
Just stopped. Olivia felt like everybody had frozen around her and she was the only one able to move…except she couldn’t. She could do nothing but stare into those green eyes she’d grown to look forward to seeing. To trust. To—yes. To love. And all Hayley did was stare back, looking just as confused and shell-shocked as Olivia felt. There was a beat, two, as their gazes held, and then it was as if somebody had hit the play button again and movement resumed.
“Where have you been?” the woman said to Hayley, coming around to the side of the desk where the doorway was and stepping through it without permission, without even asking for it.
“Why are you here?” Hayley asked, but her voice was so quiet, Olivia read it on her lips instead.
“I’ve been texting and calling. Did you lose your phone again?”
But Hayley wasn’t looking at the woman any longer. She was looking at Olivia again. Olivia, whose feet were still, apparently, rooted to the floor. Hayley opened her mouth, then closed it again. She tilted her head to one side. It wasn’t until she took a step toward her that a word finally escaped Olivia’s mouth. Just one word. A question.
“Markham?” She said it quietly, but clearly.
Hayley pressed her lips together, rolled them in and bit down. She looked at the floor.
“I told you,” the woman said. “Her family owns this place.” There was a hint of pride in her voice as she smiled the kind of smile reserved for wealthy soap opera characters when they speak to a member of the hired help. A smile that was polite but didn’t reach her eyes. A smile that said she was making an extra effort to speak to somebody beneath her, and that should be appreciated. Apparently done giving her attention to the staff, the woman turned back to Hayley, reached out her hand and wiggled her fingers, then took a step closer to Hayley and grabbed her hand. “Babe. Seriously, come here and kiss me. I haven’t seen you in weeks.”
Olivia’s stomach churned sourly and there was a split second where she thought she might throw up right there on the floor of the lobby for all to see. She swallowed down the bile that had risen in her throat and just looked at Hayley. For her part, Hayley looked stunned, at a loss for words, and downright miserable.
She should.
Olivia had to get out of there or she was going to lose it in some way. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she felt like she couldn’t get a full breath. How could this be happening? How had she not only not seen this coming, but never even suspected Hayley might not be telling the truth? Not only was she not who she said she was—my God, she’s part of the Markham family?—but she had a girlfriend. Maybe they were married. How the hell would Olivia know? Hayley obviously hadn’t told her the truth from day one.
“Excuse me,” Olivia said quietly as she pushed past the woman, sidling by in an attempt not to touch her.
“Olivia, wait.” It was Hayley, but Olivia couldn’t bear to look.
Once she was through the door, it was all she could do not to run, not to sprint as far and as fast as she could away from that desk. Away from the expressions of surprise. Away from the glimpses of a possible future she’d stupidly allowed herself to see.
Away from Hayley.
She speed-walked, keeping her head down, until she got to the only place she knew that she wouldn’t be seen or walked in on or heard. A small supply closet in the back of the building on the way to the maintenance area. She opened the door with her master key card, went inside, and shut it behind her. She left the light off. The smells of cleaning solutions assaulted her—bleach, lemon-scented furniture polish, hand soap. But Olivia didn’t care. The only thing she was aware of was the rising tide of grief that wouldn’t be held back any longer and she finally let it out, opening her mouth wide in a silent scream of pain as the tears came and her knees buckled and she sat on the floor.
And she cried.
Chapter Twenty-One
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Hayley said it quietly but fiercely, through clenched teeth and with clenched fists. She couldn’t get the image of Olivia’s face out of her head, her disbelief, the look of betrayal, the way her sparkling eyes dimmed. All of that happened while she looked right at Hayley. The realization of what she’d done had hit Hayley hard, went right down to the pit of her stomach and sat there like a rock. If the walls of the office had started to literally crumble around her in that moment, Hayley wouldn’t have been even a little bit surprised. Her entire world was imploding and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it, because she’d caused it all.
Guinevere stood there looking a multitude of things. Stunned. Hurt. Insulted. Wide-eyed. All of that shifted a bit until anger was added to the mix. “Do not talk to me like that,” she said, a low almost growl. They were both aware that Stephanie, Jake, and the others in line might not have been looking at them, but ears were open and working, and Hayley did not need everybody in the lobby witnessing her emotion. At least, not any more of it.
Her hand on Guin’s elbow, she tugged her—not gently—through the front desk area, through Olivia’s office, and into hers where she shut the door. Then she whirled on her.
“What the fuck, Guin?” At Guinevere’s widened eyes and slight lean back as if avoiding a blow, Hayley went on. “What are you doing?”
At one time, Hayley had found Guinevere Aston very attractive. Her blond hair was pin straight, bluntly cut in a bob that angled up from her jawline. Her eyes were large, brilliant blue and wide-set. Her nose was perfect, thanks to a nose job five years ago. She wasn’t tall but had a very ni
ce figure from years of yoga and Pilates. An admirable fashion sense was icing on the physical appearance cake. Guin definitely turned heads when she walked into a room, and she had turned Hayley’s once, long ago. But not anymore.
“I have been texting you.” Guin’s voice held an edge of indignation. “I have called. I have been worried sick.”
Hayley sighed. “You haven’t been worried sick. Serena told you I was fine.”
Guinevere wasn’t able to catch the quick flash of surprise that zipped across her face. “I see.”
“What, you thought my best friend wasn’t going to tell me you were hounding her about me?” Hayley sighed, understanding that it might have become unbearable for Serena. “Did she tell you I was here?”
Guinevere at least had the decency to look slightly embarrassed. “I may have overheard her talking to somebody, and I put two and two together.” Then she straightened and waved a dismissive hand. “But that’s not the point here. The point is you’ve practically ghosted me. Why?” It was as if her face couldn’t decide between a hurt expression or an angry one, so it tried to do both, and the result seemed a bit unnerving. “I thought we had something.”
It became clear to Hayley right then, in that very moment. Finally. It was possible Guinevere would never understand, wasn’t it? That she would just…never get it. That something in her brain wouldn’t allow her to actually hear the words being said. Was that a possibility? Could Hayley do or say anything at all to make herself clear?
All Hayley wanted to do was go find Olivia. Explain. Beg. Plead. God, she’d get down on her knees if she had to. But she was not going to leave things like this, with Olivia thinking she was a lying, deceptive imposter.
Even though that’s exactly what I am.
The sudden feeling of utter hopelessness and defeat drained her energy so quickly, she had an instant of wondering if she’d died. Had a stroke or an aneurysm or simply ceased to exist. Hayley dropped into her chair, and the breath left her lungs as if she’d had it knocked out of her.
“Honey? You okay?” Guinevere squatted next to the chair, laying the back of her hand across Hayley’s forehead as if she was a child with a fever. Hayley pushed the hand away.
“You have to stop calling me honey,” she said quietly, doing her best to keep any irritation or edge out of her voice. She was frustrated and angry at Guin, yes, but she wasn’t an asshole. “I’m not your honey or your babe or your sweetheart. We do not have something. You are not my girlfriend. We dated a few times. We made out once. That’s all.” She forced herself to look into Guin’s eyes, even as they filled with tears. It was the least she could do. “I’m sorry.”
“But there was that time…” Guin stood up and kept talking, walked around the office picking things up and setting them back down.
Hayley let her voice fade until it was nothing more than background noise. She had to let Guinevere work through it; she owed her that much for not being clear enough from the start. She should’ve listened to Serena months ago. A glance at her watch told her it was nearing six. There was so much to check on for tonight, and she knew she couldn’t sit here listening to Guin forever. She needed to give her a time limit.
God, she needed to talk to Olivia.
* * *
Olivia had no idea how long she sat in the dark supply closet, but she’d finally stopped crying. Man, she had started to worry that maybe she wouldn’t. That maybe she’d just cry forever and never be able to stop.
But she had.
Her eyes were scratchy and her nose was running and she was certain her face was a big, splotchy mess, but at some point, she had to go back out front and do her job, and she’d have to face Hayley sooner or later.
Goddamn it, she knew she shouldn’t have gotten involved. She knew it! Everything in her had warned her not to get caught up. Not to be sucked in by Hayley’s charm, by Hayley’s beauty, or by her own loneliness. How could she have been so stupid? Olivia considered herself a strong woman, but this? This was a lot. This was too much.
Hayley was a Markham? God, she’d never in a million years seen that coming. And why wouldn’t Hayley have told her? Why was that a secret? Was Markham Resorts running a test of some sort like that show…what was it? Undercover Boss? Was that it? But a test for what? And had Olivia failed?
God, of course she’d failed. She’d slept with her boss. Duh.
Olivia used a nearby metal shelf to haul herself to her feet. There was so much running through her head right now. Through her heart. Confusion, mostly. Confusion and hurt because she didn’t understand what had happened. She didn’t understand any of it. At all. And she wanted to. She desperately needed to. But it was almost six, and things were happening in the Evergreen and she was in charge. Well. Sort of in charge. She was in charge behind Hayley Markham, who… Olivia stopped. Felt her brow furrow. Did Hayley actually not know how to run a resort, or was that just an act? Another lie to add to the pile?
My God, what a mess.
She snatched a tissue out of the box she’d opened and used it to blot her face, blow her nose. She couldn’t remember a time in her life when her brain had ever felt so crammed full of disconcerting information, and she felt like it was literally about to leak out of her ears.
Her phone buzzed. Stephanie.
Where are you?
Olivia sighed. She took a moment to get her bearings before typing a response. Near maintenance. Needed a minute.
“Okay, Liv,” she whispered to herself as she blew her nose one more time. “Pull it together. There’s work to be done. You’ve gotta shelve all this crap for a later time. Just…pull it together.” Inhaling slowly through her nose, she filled up her lungs and held it for a beat. She slowly blew it out through her mouth, reached for the doorknob, and let herself out of the supply closet and into the hallway…
…where she nearly ran right into Stephanie.
“There you are,” Stephanie said, not missing a beat and making no indication that she thought it was strange to find her boss exiting a closet. “Are you okay?”
Not wanting to get into it, Olivia tipped her head from one side to the other and shrugged. “I’m fine for now.”
“Well, good.” Stephanie took her elbow and steered her back toward the front of the building. “Because there’s a man from Markham Corporate here.”
With a slight roll of her eyes that happened before she could catch it, Olivia said, “Why not just send him to Hayley?”
“He’s specifically asking for you.”
“He is?” That was a surprise. Olivia was pretty sure people at Corporate barely knew her name, let alone would come here to speak to her in particular. Olivia wasn’t a nervous person—she was pretty calm and cool in stressful situations—but the nerves kicked in right then. She swallowed down the lump of anxiety that had formed, chewed on the inside of her cheek. What could this man want? Corporate rarely visited. The manager went to meetings twice a year with the higher-ups, but that had never been Olivia. Roger had always gone. When he’d come back, he’d have new policies or budget revisions to share with her. But she couldn’t remember the last time somebody from Corporate actually showed up in Evergreen Hills.
Was he here to fire her?
It didn’t make a lot of sense. Wouldn’t they just have Hayley do it? She was Olivia’s superior, after all. Unless… Olivia closed her eyes and swallowed hard. Unless they knew that she and Hayley had a sexual relationship, and that led them to believe that Hayley wasn’t in any position to let her go. Maybe they were both going to get fired!
Her brain was running away with her. Olivia knew that, but she couldn’t seem to stop it. The worst-case scenarios in her head, impossibly, just kept getting worse.
They walked quickly, Olivia and Stephanie, their shoes clicking along the floor, Olivia doing her best to smile at guests as they passed. She had a job to do, despite the turmoil her head and heart were now in, and goddamn it, she would do it. Right up until the bitter end.
&nbs
p; They rounded the corner and Stephanie picked up her pace, scooting back behind the front desk to help Jake. Luckily, aside from the older couple he was waiting on, there was nobody in line. The atmosphere was still festive throughout the lobby, the holiday lights twinkling—both inside and outside—now that it was dark. Guests all decked out in their party clothes flowed from the elevators past the front desk and around toward Split Rail, where Mike was running a big happy hour with tons of drink specials before dinner.
Olivia looked at Stephanie, who gestured with her chin toward a gentleman in a suit who stood, one hand in his trouser pocket, the other holding a black leather briefcase. He stood gazing out the lobby window. From the back, he had thick salt-and-pepper hair and broad shoulders.
Straightening her frame so she stood as tall as possible, she took a deep, fortifying breath and approached him.
“Excuse me?”
He turned to look at her, his light brown eyes soft. He smiled at her, vaguely familiar somehow.
“I was told you were asking for me. I’m Olivia Santini, assistant manager.” She held out her hand and he grasped hers. As he shook it, he said the last words in the world she expected to hear.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Ms. Santini. I’m Benton Markham.”
She blinked at him, speechless. This wasn’t just “a guy from Corporate.” This wasn’t even “a bigwig from Corporate.” Benton Markham was the bigwig at Corporate. Founder. President and CEO. He’d built Markham Resorts from the ground up and into a Fortune 500 company. The man was a business legend.
And now he was standing in front of her, smiling and shaking her hand, and she couldn’t seem to make a single word come out of her mouth for a good ten seconds. Finally—finally—she found her voice. “It’s an honor to meet you, sir, and welcome to the Evergreen.” Suddenly, everything in the world about the Evergreen ran through her head. Were the floors clean enough? How about the windows? Were the valets wearing their entire uniforms, including the hats they all hated? Had Jake been polite and helpful to the guest while Markham was within earshot? Somehow, she managed to yank herself back to the moment at hand. “What can I help you with, sir?”
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