I had a one-night stand with a man I barely knew, something so wildly out of character for me, it’s almost comical. Strangely enough, I don’t feel the panic I might expect in this situation. Instead, I feel at ease.
Warmth and calm and?—
My eyes meet the clock on his bedside table.
6:30
Six-thirty. On Monday morning.
Oh, fuck.
No, no, no.
My body jolts up—or tries to, at least, but his arm turns into an iron vise. Last night, I was enamored as his muscles flexed while he brought me more pleasure than I could imagine, but right now, his strength is a bad thing. I slap at his arm frantically.
“I gotta go. Shit, shit, shit.” Relief moves through me as his arm releases me. Graham wakes slowly, blinking as I roll out of the bed, nearly falling in my haste, but I catch myself before I hit my head on the bedside table. I donothave time to cover up a giant bruise. At this rate, I barely have time to get home, take the world’s fastest shower, and get ready for my first day of work.
“What’s going on?” he asks, blinking.
“I have to go. I have to go to work. It’s my first day!” I look around for my shoe. “Shit! Where the hell are my shoes!”
“I set them against the wall,” he murmurs, sleep coating the words, and mygod,in another world, I would love to see how long it takes for that tone to wear off, to find out if he’s less grumpy and domineering this early in the morning. Instead, I give him an appreciative wave and run in that direction, grabbing my shoes as I go. My shorts are beside them, and I sigh in relief, sliding them on, followed by my sandals before moving back to Graham.
I bend to where he’s now sitting up in the bed, hair a mess, face creased with sleep, and I press my lips to his, hard and fast. One last moment to remember this magical night by. “Last night was great, really. But I have to go,” I say, then stand.
“You’re leaving?” he asks, still groggy, and I shake my head, sliding my top, bra, and underwear into the bag, deciding I will be stealing his white tee as a souvenir.
“I have to. Thanks for a great night. Later, Graham,” I say, then I’m making my way through his place until I’m out the door and nearly running down the hall. When I’m safely closed into the elevator, I let out a girly squeal, a happy, giddy sound,before pulling out my phone. There are a dozen texts from Claire and Lainey, asking me what happened, each one getting more ridiculous. Instead of reading them, I decide to call Claire to tell her I’m alive and well. She picks up as I’m walking out the front door of the hotel. My apartment is about half a mile away; if I book it, I can make it there in about five minutes while I give her the fastest rundown of my night possible.
I make it to my apartment in record time, and forty-five minutes later, I’ve showered, fixed my hair, and done my makeup with fifteen minutes before I need to be out the door and on my way. I’d planned to pick out my clothes last night before bed, but now I’m staring into my closet with utter panic. Unfortunately, my wardrobe very much screamsfifth-grade teacher who loves color,not executive assistant at a luxury beach resort. As my anxiety stacks within me, my phone rings from my dresser, and I let out a breath of relief before answering Lainey’s call.
“Thank god you called, I’m freaking out,” I say, hearing the frantic tone of my voice despite trying to push it down.
“Well, hello to you, too,” she laugh. I’m surprised she’s awake, since she works late as a bartender at her dad’s bar, but knowing Lainey, she set an alarm to call me before work. “Is this freakout because you had your first one-night stand or because it’s your first day?” I brush off the first half and focus on what’s important.
“What does someone wear to be an executive assistant to a hotel project manager?” I ask in a whine.
“Okay, a new job freak out,” she says, and I can almost hear her little nod, locking in to help me out. “Wear something simple, but still you. You’re not going to work at a Fortune 500 corporate headquarters. You’re going to work at a beach club in Seaside Point that hasn’t even opened yet.” I take a deep breath and let her words slide through me, relieving some of thetension. My eyes drift over my options in my small closet before I form an opinion.
“Cardigan, a white tee, and a skirt?” I ask, biting my lip.
“Perfect. The pink cardigan with red hearts. It’s?—”
“It’s lucky,” I say with a breath, tugging it off the hanger and tossing it on my bed. I set her up on speaker while I get the tee and a loose, black knee-length skirt, then start getting dressed.
“So now that we’ve conquered the outfit, how was last night?”
“It was amazing, spectacular, and I promise to tell you all about it later, but right now, I need to get ready. I have ten minutes until I have to leave.”
“Fine,” Lainey says, but there’s no irritation in the word. “Then, how do we feel about your first day at your new job?” she asks. Her voice is smooth and calming. I take in another deep breath, letting it reach the bottom of my lungs before letting it out. In the classroom, I would tell the kids to picture all their bad feelings coming out with the exhale. I take my own advice, and as I inhale again, I feel marginally better.
“I… don’t know,” I admit. “I’ve never had a job that wasn’t working with kids, so I’m not sure what to expect,” I say, having realized this fully just yesterday.
“You’re working for a man, so you’re basically still working with children.” I let out a small laugh, the action easing me further. “But also, not working with kids is exactly why this is the perfect choice for you,” she says. “You started working with kids while you were still a kid yourself. You kept it up because everyone told you it was what you were meant to do. You never gave yourself any room to try anything else.” Her words hit right on the spot that I’ve been contemplating for months myself.
I started babysitting at age twelve, around the same time I realized Grant wasn’t going to college. It wasn’t because he wasn’t crazy-smart. It wasn’t because he hadn’t earned any scholarships that would have more than covered the tuition. Itwas because he didn’t want to leave me behind in Seaside Point with only our quickly aging grandparents to care for me. His sacrifice required one of my own. Instead of joining clubs and hanging with friends after school, I started working to earn my keep.
By fourteen, I had people telling me how good I was with kids.A natural.
