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Brynn

"Brynn, I have a little problem." Sophia bites her lip and dances anxiously from foot to foot. Her long blonde hair is tied up in a neat ponytail, and her uniform is impeccable.

"What's wrong?" I'm the Director of Entertainment at The Palmer Resort and Spa , a swanky mountain resort in Festival Valley, home to celebrities, renowned public figures, and the ultra-wealthy.

Sophia is one of the luxury stewardesses for guests who pay for extra service, and one of my most reliable workers.

She's on summer break from her university, and she busts her butt to give the guests a great experience.

"The Winfrees want to go out on a cocktail cruise around the lake to look at the mansions along the shore, which is usually great.

I love being out on the boat." Sophia's talking a mile a minute and then stops abruptly, wringing her hands.

"But…Eric is in the boathouse this afternoon, and.

.." She trails off, shrugging her shoulders at me.

"Say no more." I hold up my hand. "I'll get changed and go with them."

"Oh my god, thank you so much, Brynn. You're the best!" Sophia's whole face lights up. "I don't want to be alone with that guy. He's such a jerk." With another grateful smile, she runs off to make the arrangements for the Winfrees.

I walk to the front desk, sighing as I throw myself down onto the polished mahogany counter.

"That bad?" Celeste Blaze, Assistant Manager of The Palmer, hands me a candy from the small bowl set out for incoming guests.

"I have to spend the afternoon with Eric," I mumble.

Celeste passes me the whole bowl of candies. "That kid is going to get his comeuppance one of these days. You can't be rude to everyone but the guests and expect to keep your job." Celeste clucks her tongue.

Eric is the nephew of Walker Russell, General Manager and Celeste's boss.

Nepotism is in full swing here. Walker is a decent guy, but for some reason, he won't fire his nephew even though anybody else in his position would have in week one.

Since the resort is brand new, we're all trying to make a good impression with our CEO, Mr. Maloney, which means not complaining right out of the gate.

We handle the personality issues and obvious ineptitude as needed, but we are desperately hoping Eric's time is almost done.

The resort opened in June, and over the past six weeks, Celeste and I have bonded over bottles of wine, gallons of ice cream, and our shared desire to make our jobs at The Palmer a career.

Celeste grew up in Festival Valley. The Blaze family is well-known and there are a lot of them, so extra pressure to achieve her dreams under a microscope.

"It's fine. Fake it 'til I make it." I plaster on a big smile. "Can you please block me out on the calendar for the next few hours?"

"Of course." Celeste enters my request into the system, giving me twenty extra minutes so I can run home and change.

With the exception of having to deal with the Eric-types, I love my job.

The Palmer is the first management position I've ever had.

Every full-time employee at the resort gets free room and board via a tiny house village at the back of the property and access to the employee cafeteria.

Great benefits and time off are icing on the cake.

I'm also living closer to my brother, Cole. He’s in Duhring Park with his fiancé, Miranda, who is like the sister I never had.

I work long, hard hours, but it's rewarding, and I want to protect my happiness like a dog with a bone.

My watch vibrates with an incoming text message, and I can't help but smile. Speak of the devil.

Miranda

Can't wait to see you, Brynn-Brynn! Betty and Violet are coming with me tomorrow. Are you still free to hang with us? LY. heart emoji

Yes! Come to the resort for lunch. Text me when you're close, and I'll meet you in the lobby.

I gather my tablet, phone, and papers. "I'm going to change and then head to the boathouse to deal with he who shall not be named."

"We're both off tomorrow, right? Let's get lunch, and you can share the list of idiotic things Eric is bound to say today."

I laugh. "I'd love to, but my future sister-in-law is coming to take care of some wedding details. Dinner instead?"

"Perfect." Celeste gives my shoulder a final squeeze.

After a stop at one of the resort's restaurants to make reservations for lunch tomorrow, and a quick change at home, I'm out on a boat with the Winfrees.

It's a beautiful July day. Sunny, but not terribly hot.

Perfect for cruising around the lake. Eric points out the fancy houses and regales the guests with architecture facts.

He manages to come across as a somewhat normal human being with the guests, although his tone is patronizing, and he calls Mrs. Winfree, sweetheart , which she clearly does not appreciate.

It gives me minor comfort when sociopaths don't blend as well as they think they do.

When Eric slows the boat so they can hear his spiel over the motor, I take the opportunity to pull out the small cooler.

"Would either of you like something to drink?" I ask, sitting on my knees.

"Rum and coke; thank you, dear," Mrs. Winfree requests with a kind smile.

I nod as Mr. Winfree puts up two fingers indicating he wants the same.

As I lean over to get the drinks started, Eric pulls away quickly, knocking us all back against the cushions.

The top of the cooler smacks me in the leg, and I flash him an irritated glance.

Eric hides a grin, taking off across the water like we're in a race.

Dick.

When he idles again to point out the Dillinger Mansion, I manage to get the drinks poured and hand them to the guests.

I catch a shit-eating grin on Eric's face, and I try to sit down quickly knowing he's about to do something stupid and reckless.

Before I can move, he lurches the boat forward and I stumble, tipping over the side of the boat and into the cold lake water.

"Brynn!" Mrs. Winfree screams, and Mr. Winfree yells out, "Man, 'er, woman overboard," as I break the surface of the water, gasping and coughing out a mouthful of lake water.

Eric circles me with the boat, making waves that jostle me back and forth. Luckily, I insisted on a lifejacket even though Eric scoffed at me.

"Not sure we have one in your size, Brynn," he said. Like his opinion would keep me from being safe on a boat.

I'm a curvy goddess, and he can get bent.

Eric maneuvers closer to me and then turns off the engine. He bends down to offer me his arm.

I grit my teeth and swim over to the side of the boat.

Is he seriously going to try to pull me up?

This is humiliating. But I don't have the upper body strength to do it myself, so I reach for his arm and try to hoist my leg up and over the side of the boat.

I'm close, and then, Eric winks and releases me.

I splash down hard into the water again.

"Whoa, I can't lift you, Brynn. All those curves work better on land than water. Too many bonbons, I guess."

What did this fucking dickwad just say in front of the guests? Body shaming frat boy, douche!

"You'll have to meet us back at the shore. Head that way." Eric points behind me and starts the engine again.

Mrs. Winfree eyes me with concern, and she hits Mr. Winfree's leg to get him to say something to Eric, but I don't need the guests involved, so I wave them off.

"Not a problem! I'll see you guys back at the dock.

" My words are drowned out, literally, as I splutter and cough when Eric jets away, spraying water over me.

I'm not the best swimmer, which is why I insisted on a lifejacket in the first place, but the shore doesn't look too far away.

So, I turn and start making my way to the closest pier.

Okay, to-do list.

One, swim to shore.

Two, get the guests back to the resort.

Three, Eric and I are going to have a little chat.

I can do this.