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The call ends, and Scott’s gaze flits back to me. He’s only now remembering I’m in the room.
“To be clear, you’ll be replacing Todd. Active immediately. Work out compensation with HR. Figure out what you want. Obviously, we’re not in a position to negotiate here. I don’t want this getting out. You’ll sign an NDA. Do you understand?”
Replace Todd?
What? No! I couldn’t possibly ...
“Done,” I say, confident and succinct.
I can already pictureCole Clark, Director of Operationson my email signature.
Mwhahah.
“Also, sir, there’s one more thing I’d like to discuss before Todd gets here ...”
Epilogue
PAIGE
The day Todd is fired will go down in infamy. We all hurried over to witness his removal from the hotel. It was ... loud, among other things.
His booming voice carried throughout the resort almost from the very beginning.
From down the executive hall, we were treated to several outbursts, including but not limited to:
“You’re firing me?!”
“Fuck you andfuck you!”
“You’re replacing me with this kid?! He’s a total idiot!”
There was no going gently into retirement for Todd. His reaction was on par with being wrongfully arrested and convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. And to be clear, in the beginning, hewasn’tbeing arrested (that came later). The two security guards should have been enough on their own. They were supposed to escort Todd to his office so he could collect his personal items. Then things took a turn when Todd tried to carry out cash that he was apparently stowing in one of his desk drawers. The money was in a nondescript duffel bag that screamedillegal, though he claimed it was just his gym clothes. Never mind that Todd hasn’t seen the inside of a gym since ’87.
“This is my property!” he shouted as a security guard tried to take it from him. “I’M CALLING THE FUCKING COPS!”
No need there. The police were already on their way just as Todd had moved the spectacle from the executive hallway out into the main lobby. Mad that he wasn’t leaving with his bag of stolen money, he tried to make up for it by stealing stationery and pens from reception on his way out. One of the computer monitors got wrenched free as well, but that didn’t last long. Security got that back immediately.
Sensing his opportunities starting to dwindle as the sirens drew closer outside, Todd settled for breaking the fourth wall. We were no longer audience members at the Greatest Play I’ve Ever Seen; we were participants. He started shouting at us all at the top of his lungs. Spinning in a wide circle, his finger wagging, spittle flinging everywhere. “YOU’RE ALL WRONG!I WAS THE BEST THING THAT HAPPENED TO THIS PLACE!”
Then he ducked out of the reach of one bumbling security guard and made it over to the sitting area, where he pushed a guest down in an attempt to get away. With nothing left to lose, he started throwing the stolen Siesta Playa pencils and pens behind him like he was dropping banana peels inMario Kart.
Guests continued to flock to the scene, filled with the same morbid curiosity as the rest of us.
I was manning the excursion desk, so Ihadto be there.
Cole was across the lobby, standing beside our CEO.
For everyone else, Cole kept his expression stoic and sincere. But when our eyes locked, the barest hint of a smile sneaked out. I already knew we would be breaking down this entire scene later over a shared bottle of wine.
“What was your favorite part?” I’d ask him, topping off his glass.
Cole would puff out a breath, overwhelmed with options. “What was therenotto love? Oh, maybe when he tried to jump over the back of the couch but failed miserably?”
“That’s when the police finally got him, right?”
It was a day that will live in infamy at Siesta Playa. The dragon was vanquished once and for all by none other than our very own in-house knight. News about Cole’s role in Todd’s exit spread like wildfire through the resort (which was partially my fault because I spilled the beans to Lara and Camila, and neither of them knows how to keep a secret). Immediately thereafter, anyone who was on the fence about Cole immediately switched course and acted as if they were always on his side from the start.
“Cole Clark? Yeah, I always liked that guy.”
