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There’s no point in denying it anymore: we’re flirting again. We should probably stop before it goes too far.
What did we even talk about at the office?
“I definitely thought we’d be able to figure out this maze pretty quickly.” Although I gave up trying ten minutes ago.
“Nothing at On Cloud Nine is easy,” Molly sighs, using her free hand to swipe at the strands of hair sticking to her face. “Well, actually, the typical stays are. We’ve earned Condé Nast’s Most Relaxing Destination award for eleven years in a row.”
“You never really talked about the resorts at work. I don’t think I truly grasped that your life was like this.”
“I try to keep both of my worlds separate.” Our fingers brush again. The friendly distance between us shrinks the more we roam around this hedge maze from hell.
Last week, Molly was a hardworking executive assistant at one of the world’s most prestigious ocean conservation firms. Now, she’s that, and also a woman who dresses in all black in the scorching Arizona heat just in case her mother is spying on us.
I’m struggling to mesh her contrasting personalities.
“Do you ever feel like you’re split in half?” I prod.
“All the time,” she whispers. “But I’m honestly fine. I’m good at being flexible.”
“Flexible or sacrificing?”
Molly shrugs and then fans herself with her free hand. “They really need to put hydration stations in this maze. It’s too hot to be without water for this long.”
Guess her shapeshifting is an off-limits topic. But I want to know more about this other side of her.
I attempt a different direction. “I’m surprised you don’t work for the family business. You have a lot of ideas for the resort.”
“It was never an option. My mother didn’t want me to follow in my father’s footsteps. Besides, I have two cousins, Dave and Larson, who will be taking over the resorts—if my dad ever decides to retire. Though I doubt that’ll happen.”
“How does that make you feel?”
“Sure, it would’ve been nice for my parents to see me as a suitable contender for being a part of the company. But,” she replies plainly, “adding water stations and pillowcases are small, insignificant changes. Nothing life-changing.”
“Everything complex is made up of simple things.”
Her gaze drops to the dusty ground. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Your current job isn’t any easier, and you still seem to manage to do everything your family requires of you.”
Molly stays late when meetings run over, and she’s always the first to fill in when folks call in sick. A true jack-of-all-trades.
“I don’t think my mother sees it that way, because I’m just an assistant and got the job through my father.”
She can’t believe that nonsense.
“A title doesn’t make the job any easier. Also, I remember your first boss, Johanna. She was a pill.”
“Yeah.” Molly frowns. “Vivian only hears what she wants to hear. But it’s fine. I genuinely like my job. Taking care of others comes easily to me,” she says softly. “My dad may have helped me get the interview five years ago, but I picked the company. Johanna was a real inspiration. She left her family fortune and started ORO from the ground up.”
“Is that something you wish you could do?”
“I’m not sure.” She shrugs. “What about you? How’d you get involved in conservation?”
“I’ve always felt a connection to the greater good,” I explain, swiping at the back of my neck. “I invested in sustainable companies at my VC firm. It became clear that the oceans were transforming into a giant trash can. That’s how Plastech was born.” Well, that, and things with Laura falling apart. “I recruited Ollie and Robert for the mechanical aspects, while I secured the capital for the project.”
“I guess if you’re an entrepreneur, you just know?” Molly appears genuinely curious. A glimmer sparks in her eyes.
“I always started businesses as a kid. Lemonade stands, trading baseball cards, and pawning off my brothers’ things. But don’t tell them that.”
