The good news is that no one knows who I am around here. I used to live in New York, but I’m not a media highlight. Levi always had more media coverage than I did. I don’t envy him for that. It can’t be easy.
Cali heads for the elevators, and I follow her, several paces behind. She’s already pressed the button to go up, but the elevator car hasn’t arrived yet. Three elevators go up twenty to forty flights, but they seem to be slow.
“Please tell me you’re going to your room,” Cali says.
It’s just the two of us. There are plenty of people around, but no one else is waiting by the elevators. I should be grateful that we can have our own brand of privacy, but I’m not happy.
“I’m not done. Why are you here?”
Cali pinches the bridge of her nose. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m staying at this hotel because I came to New York for a job interview.”
I know that. I’m drunk, not an idiot. “Not that,” I say, and grimace when I shake my head. “Why Luxenberg Enterprises? What happened in California?” I need to hear it from her lips.
The harder part, however, will be remembering it tomorrow.
TWELVE
Cali
Logan never returned my calls.I suspect he blocked my number. I wrote him a letter, which got returned, and he hadn’t opened it.
And now he wants an explanation? I’ve been trying to give him one for the past several weeks, bordering on two months. It’s clear he wanted nothing to do with me.
What changed?
I’m frustrated. Tired. And regretting the decision to come to New York. At least I didn’t move here. It was just a lousy job interview. I’ll return home and keep looking for another job.
“What happened atVacationer’s Paradise? Was it not such a paradise?” he retorts.
He’s drunk, and I have half a mind not to give in to his questions and ignore him. I’m ready to go up to my room, waiting for the elevator to come, and sleep off the shitty day that I've had. Tomorrow, I’ll fly home and never think about Logan Henderson again.
But it’s hard not thinking about him.
I screwed him over, and even though it wasn’t my fault and Bridget was behind the video and posting the nasty review, I’m weighed down with guilt.
I’m drowning in the bottom of the ocean, refusing to take my last breath. Instead, I let the water and current drag me down to the dark floor of the sea.
“Well?” Logan tilts his head, eyes wide, as he waits for me to respond.
“I got fired,” I say, and exhale a breath of relief when the elevator doors open.
I’m not so relieved when he follows right behind me.
I ignore him, push the button for the floor, and hope he’ll do the same and we can end this conversation as quickly as it began.
“I’m not surprised,” he says, staring at me, straight into my soul. His back is to the elevator doors, and he hasn’t pushed any buttons for the floors. But he sure knows how to push my buttons. “After that review you wrote, you should have been fired.”
My jaw drops. I shouldn’t be surprised he thinks I was behind the appalling review of the resort, but I had nothing to do with it. I was fired before Bridget finalized the video review and posted it.
“First of all, I didn’t get fired for that video review. I was fired because I created something nice about your little resort and Bridget got up in arms about me giving another five-star glowing review. Second, Bridget never intended for the resort to get a positive review. She sent me there as punishment because she knows how much I despise the cold. She was hoping that her plan would work, and I’d give you a shitty review.”
Logan sways, his hands bunch into fists, and I contemplate putting my arms out to make sure he doesn’t fall. But that takes too much energy, and he catches his footing before stumbling.
The elevator dings as we reach my intended destination.
Logan doesn’t move. He stands there, staring at me, and I shuffle around him, stepping out of the elevator.
I don’t glance back at him to see if he follows.