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The expansive, empty living room of the luxury apartment had a set of two staircases leading up to its top floor. Behind them, a fireplace and an enormous TV had been installed, with a pair of comfortable sofas. Here, in the open-plan lobby of the building, I’d spent most of the evening pretending I knew something about selling property. I’d gleaned enough from the information Alex had given me to do a halfway decent job, but mercifully, he’d been able to lead the conversation in the right direction whenever I threatened to trip myself up.
“You did a good job tonight,” rumbled a deep, rasping voice from behind me.
I turned around and came face to face with Alex. He was standing by one of the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, a glass of champagne in his hand.
“Not just tonight,” I said sharply. “This whole week I have worked my ass off.” I didn’t want to sound like I was arrogant, but Alex and I knew I’d gone above and beyond my assigned duties. Not even giving thought that I had canceled on my only friend to be here this evening to help host the open house
He chuckled and nodded. “I’m going to finish up here, but I left my key card for the penthouse downstairs. Can you take these brochures down to Karen and bring me the key card back up from Karen?”
“Sure thing,” I said. It was already 7:30 p.m. One more task couldn’t hurt at this point. I rode the elevator down to the private parking lot for the penthouse suite, where I handed the brochures to Karen, she was the marketing assistant who’d been griping at me all evening about just about everything I did.
“Here you go, Karen, take these please,” I said. “And have a good weekend.”
“You too, dear!” she said. “Is Alex still up there?”
“He’ll be down in a second,” I said. “Hey, do you have a keycard for him?”
“No because I may need mine tomorrow for work that I have to finish up,” said Karen, reaching into her jeep to lay the brochures down on the seat.
“Wait a second,” she said. “Why don’t you just give him yours?”
“Oh,” I said. I felt a bit awkward—it meant Alex and I would need to leave at the same time since the key card was needed to operate the elevator from the penthouse. Once we got down to a lower floor, however, I could just use my Honolulu Hotels key card to get out of the building.
“Are you sure I can’t just get another one?” I asked.
“I don’t want to come back to the International tomorrow without one, do I?” snapped Karen
I shrugged, and went back, taking my key card out of my pocket. Before I went back upstairs to give it to Alex, I was reminded that I needed to call Krista. I went over to my car and unlocked it, reaching inside where I’d left my bag earlier. I pulled out my cell phone—the work phone Alex gave me had a dead battery—and called her.
“Hey babe,” she said. “Where are you?”
“Not too far from getting done here,” I said. “Where are you going?”
“We’re going for dinner in Honolulu and then I think we’re just gonna hit up some bars!” she said. “You wanna come with?”
“Sure,” I said. “If my boss ever lets me off.”
“Good luck, babe,” said Krista. “I’ll see you whenever.”
“Sure thing,” I said.
I hung up and got out of my car, replacing the cell phone in my bag. Alex was completely paranoid about us having personal cell phones at work. And if Krista had called me back on my cell, then I knew I’d get a dirty look from him.
I rode the elevator back up to the top floor, asking myself, for the hundredth time, why had I cared so much about what Alex Alson thought of me. And wondering, for the millionth time, whether the next time I saw him would be the time he found out about me—about who I was, about how I’d lied to him.
When I got back to the apartment, I found Alex. “Thank the Lord,” he said. “You don’t happen to have a phone charger, do you? My battery’s almost dead.”
“No, Sorry. Mine’s run out too,” I said.
“Got another phone?”
“In my car downstairs.”
“No problem. Look, Lena,” he said and then seemed to hesitate.
“What?”
“I just want you to know that I appreciate how much you’ve applied yourself this week. You’ve done a very good job. I couldn’t find fault in your work ethic.”
