“Uh-huh.” I try to swallow my curiosity, but I don’t manage it. “Have you ever cleaned up after the Sterling family? Or do you know anything about them?”
“Oh yes. The Sterlings are the richest of them all. You know, the jewelry brand.”
Shock hits me like an arrow to the forehead. “They’rethoseSterlings?”
My aunt giggles at my outburst. “Yup. Their son is only twenty, but he’s a big-time investor in Reserve, among other ventures. From what I hear, he isn’t content to live off Daddy’s money. He started his own investment firm at eighteen. I overheard some of the hotel managers talking about it once.” She hums. “I’ve never set foot inside a Sterling’s in my entire life and I likely never will. But it’s fun to look at the diamond necklaces in the window, nonetheless.”
“I’ve done that plenty of times myself. Not that I need a diamond necklace to be happy, but it’s impossible not to stare at something so pretty.”
Peggy claps me on the shoulder when I stand up, handing me my backpack.
“Someday, sweetie, you’re going to graduate from Dartmouth summa cum laude with a degree in astronomy.You’re going to have the kind of job that allows you to buy your own damn necklace.”
“Yes, I am,” I say, smiling over at my beloved aunt. “I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t. Yale is going to kick themselves for not accepting you.”
My face scrunches at the reminder. “Here’s hoping,” I manage, slinging my backpack onto my shoulders. “I better go before I’m late.”
“Okay, sweetie.” She walks me out the door, hobbling more than usual thanks to her arthritis flare-up, leaning against the porch rail as she calls after me. “And be careful around those rich boys. They’re not used to hearing the wordno.”
Inwardly wincing, I wave to let her know the message has been received, then I hop on my bike and start pedaling in the direction of Reserve.
Peggy isn’t wrong. I’ve heard a lot of horror stories from employees at Reserve about the entitled behavior from guests, not to mention experiencing quite a few inappropriate propositions myself. Ishouldput Tripp Sterling in the same category as those offenders, but…I can’t quite seal him into the spoiled rich boy box.
For one, he’snota boy. He’s a man. And older than me.
Second, as soon as he realized he’d made a mistake and I was not a call girl, he took his hands off me and apologized. His regret couldn’t have been more authentic, too. And yet…
He wanted to chase me.
Catchme.
The way he threw me up against the door and touched me with such proprietary hands is a memory that still lingers on my skin now, a whole day later. How am I going to face him at the resort for the entire length of his stay? I’m probably going to melt into a puddle of humiliation every time we cross paths.
Has anyone ever told you how utterly stunning you are?
That gruff statement stays in the back of my mind the entire fifteen-minute bike ride to Reserve. When I arrive, I stop to breathe in a giant lungful of ocean air, then take the long, sloping driveway down to the staff entrance, locking my bike into the rack. I enter the employee quarters, donning my maid uniform in the locker room while chatting with some of my fellow maids.
On my way out of the lounge, I check the day’s schedule, breathing a sigh of relief that I’ve been assigned the gym/pool section of the resort.
Surely Tripp Sterling will be out on the beach all day with his friends and not inside working out or swimming in the Olympic-size pool. It is another beautiful day on the coast, after all, and there are activities aplenty planned for the influx of college students. A live DJ, masseuses, dancing, caviar, and champagne.
I set loose my wild ponytail and secure my hair in a strict braid before taking my personal employee clipboard out of its rack to begin the journey across the sprawling resort to the state-of-the-art gym, complete with a Pilates studio, trainers, and award-winning day spa. Reserve is the kind of place where I can’t even imagine myself going on vacation. It’s far too decadent.
If I had the money to travel, I would visit the Atacama Desert in Chile, where the night sky is clear and ripe for viewing the stars. Or maybe I’d go explore the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon in Iceland.
Reserve is beautiful in its own way, but not the kind of beautiful that steals my breath.
No, I’ll discover those places someday. After college. Once I find my place in the world and pay Aunt Peggy back for her kindness.
As expected for a Saturday afternoon, the gym is rather full. Influencers film videos working out and it’s a challenge tostay out of the background, but I do my best, trying to remain invisible while replacing towels, replenishing the lemon water and cups, and cleaning off machines and yoga mats.
Next, I go to the indoor pool and make sure all the lounge chairs are facing the exact same angle, clearing away bottles and breakfast cartons guests left behind. One guest complains that the enclosure is too hot, so I radio Guest Services to adjust the thermostat. Another male guest in lime green swim trunks asks if I’m wearing a bathing suit under my uniform and, if so, if I’d be willing to give his child a swimming lesson.
His eyes roam over my body suggestively, but somehow, I manage to keep the disgust off my face and politely explain that I have been assigned my duties for the day and can’t deviate.
Wanting to keep my distance, I return to the gym for another round of cleaning…
