Page 39 of September (New Orleans #9)

J uliet said goodbye to Gwen and Carly at the car, went back inside her room, grabbed her stuff, and opened the door. As she exited, there was a class participant leaving their own room, which was right next to hers. He gave her an inquisitive look and cleared his throat.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Morning,” she replied with a smile.

The class went much better, primarily because everyone was on time in the morning and then back from lunch with five minutes to spare.

When they finished right at five, Juliet went back to her room.

She had an option. She could stay the night since it was rush hour and she wouldn’t get back until probably after nine, or she could leave now, sit in traffic for at least four hours, and sleep in her own bed.

She packed her bag quickly, grabbed some snacks for the road from the small shop in the hotel lobby since that was better than from the vending machine, and checked out, letting the company pay for the room for the night.

Traffic was light at first, which got her through much of rush hour without an issue.

The closer she got to the city, though, the worse it got, and the last what should have been twenty minutes of her drive took over an hour.

Still glad about her choice, she knocked on the door and waited with a smile.

“Jules?” Gwen said as she stood in the open doorway.

“Hi,” she replied.

“What are–”

“I could’ve stayed and driven back tomorrow morning, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to fall asleep next to you.”

Gwen smiled at her and moved out of the way when Carly ran out of the apartment and jumped on Juliet’s legs.

“We’re both very happy to see you,” Gwen said as she reached for Juliet’s roller bag and pulled it inside, closing the door behind them once Juliet and Carly were in the apartment. “Hi, baby,” she added and leaned in to kiss Juliet sweetly. “It’s late. You ready for bed?”

“Yes. You have no idea.”

“Did you eat?” Gwen asked.

“Sort of,” she replied.

“So, no,” Gwen stated with a smile. “Want me to make you a grilled cheese or something while you take a shower?”

“Oh, my God. Yes! How did you know that’s exactly what I needed?”

“Good guess?” Gwen said, wrapping her arms around Juliet’s waist. “Take your stuff to the bedroom and take your shower. I’ll start cooking, and it’ll be done by the time you’re out.”

Juliet pulled her in for a hug and asked, “Carly?”

“I just took her out. She should be good for the night.”

“You’re the best,” Juliet replied.

She pulled her bag into the bedroom, started the water, and then pulled her toiletries and something to sleep in out of her suitcase.

She noticed Gwen’s laptop open on the bed with what looked like a logo on the screen, indicating that her girlfriend was planning that business of hers after all.

Smiling, Juliet went into the bathroom and took a shower, letting the hot water run over her skin for a few minutes before she cleaned up and got out.

“Uh…” Gwen looked up at her when Juliet entered the kitchen.

“I haven’t put my clothes on yet,” she said. “It smelled good out here.”

She had walked into the kitchen wearing only a towel around her body.

“Babe, you need to put clothes on, or I’m going to tear that towel off of you and–”

“I am so tired,” she interrupted. “Not that I don’t want to, because I do, but can I have a rain check?”

“Of course. Can’t help it, though. You’re hot.” Gwen winked at her. “Go. Get dressed. I’ll bring this into the bedroom. You can eat in bed and tell me about your day.”

Juliet smiled at her and went to the bedroom, where she removed the towel and changed before Carly jumped onto the bed and excitedly bounced around.

“Carly, chill,” she said as she laughed. “Bedtime, baby.”

“I thought I was your baby,” Gwen said as she walked in carrying a plate and a glass of water in her other hand.

“You are,” she replied and took the plate.

“Kiss me before you taste like cheese,” Gwen told her.

Juliet kissed her, and Gwen moved over to the other side of the bed and closed her computer.

“You were working, and I interrupted.”

“Nah, I was just looking at the old logo, which I think is pretty bad, so I’ve done nothing with it.”

“I looked at it. It’s cute,” Juliet noted before she took a bite of her grilled cheese.

“Cute isn’t exactly professional.”

Gwen lay down, and Carly moved between them, staring at Juliet, or rather, her food.

“Off the bed,” Juliet told her.

Carly looked at her like she’d just betrayed her deeply and turned around to lie down at the end of it.

“Carly, off,” she repeated.

The terrier emitted a small huff and then jumped off the bed and walked into the living room without looking back.

“Oh, you pissed her off,” Gwen said while laughing.

“She can sleep in here later, if she wants, but I just got here, and I want to be next to you, not have a begging dog between us.”

“So, you like me a little bit, huh?” Gwen teased.

“Yeah, a little bit,” Juliet said, smiling over at her.

◆◆◆

“I didn’t think you were coming in today,” Molly said the following morning.

“I got back early. I figured since the class ended at five and it was only a three-hour drive, I’d just go home and sleep in my own bed.”

“That sounds nice,” Molly replied as Juliet sat down at her desk.

“It was. I actually went to Gwen’s. She had Carly, and we just hung out and fell asleep.”

“Hung out, huh?”

“Yes, hung out. We did the other things the past two nights, and we were exhausted.”

“Wait. The past two nights? You were at–”

“Juliet?” her boss said, walking over to her desk.

“Oh, hi. Yeah, I’m here today.”

“Can I speak with you?”

He looked at her as if she were a student in a classroom and had just gotten in trouble for passing notes.

“Um… Sure.”

“My office,” he added, and started walking.

“What the hell?” she whispered to Molly.

“No idea,” Molly replied.

Juliet stood, leaving her stuff on her desk without even having pulled out her laptop, and headed to his office.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

“I’m going to ask someone from HR to join us. Give me a minute. I thought you’d be in tomorrow.”

“HR?” she asked as he picked up his desk phone. “Am I in trouble for something?”

“Just a second,” he told her, holding up his finger dismissively. “Hey, can I borrow you?” he said into the phone and paused. “In my office, with Juliet.” He paused again. “Yeah, okay. Thanks.” He hung up and looked at her. “I’d rather HR be in here before we start talking.”

“Um… Okay. I’m not really sure what’s going on here. Is this because I left the hotel last night instead of driving back this morning?”

“What? No,” he said. “I didn’t even know you did that, but I don’t care. Who hasn’t done that a time or two when they can?” He looked past her and to his open door. “Yeah, come in.”

Juliet turned from where she’d just sat down to see her HR rep, Stacey, standing there.

“Hi, Juliet,” she said, trying not to look awkward and failing.

“Hey,” she replied when Stacey sat down next to her in the other guest chair.

“So, we need to talk about something we heard from a participant in your class this week.”

“Something you heard? Okay,” she said, still confused.

“You were staying in a room by the conference room.”

“Yes,” she confirmed.

“And did you know that a participant was in the room next to yours?” her boss asked.

“I did, yes,” she replied. “Well, not at first, but yeah.”

“Look, Juliet, this is awkward for all of us,” her boss began. “But that participant heard some things coming from your room, and in light of what happened with Jordana and Andrew, too, we have to be really careful.”

“What–” she started. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Did one of the participants offer to take you out to dinner last night?” Stacey asked her.

“A few of them did. Why? It happens all the time. I always turn them down.”

“But they offered?”

“Yes. What is this about?” she asked, getting nervous now.

“One of the participants said he thought another participant and you were getting close , and we have to talk about that, okay?”

“What are you talking about?” she asked. “Participants ask trainers to dinner all the time. It’s a group thing, but I still always say no. Yes, one of the male participants was a little more insistent, but I told him no and went back to my room. I packed and checked out right after that.”

Stacey nodded before asking her, “What about the night before?”

“What about–” Then, it hit Juliet. “The night before… the sounds…” Her cheeks flushed instantly. “The other participant heard… things and thought I was with–”

“Yes,” her boss confirmed.

Juliet shook her head and said, “First of all, I’m gay, so there’s that.

But second of all, no, I didn’t sleep with a participant in one of my classes.

My girlfriend came to visit and stayed the night.

” She cleared her throat. “Not that I should have to explain this to you or anyone else, but I was with her, not some participant, okay?”

“Oh, thank God!” her boss replied and let out a deep sigh of relief.

“I’m sorry, Juliet. We had a complaint, so we needed to see if there would have to be an investigation, especially because of Jordana,” Stacey explained.

“I’m not Jordana.”

‘In more ways than one,’ she thought to herself.

“I’m sorry,” her boss added. “I wanted to talk to you because I know you know the rules, and that didn’t exactly seem like you.

I also wanted to make sure that you were okay, Juliet.

If someone was inappropriate with you or made you feel like you had to–” He shook his head.

“We’d take care of it. We’d take care of you. ”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.”

“Was he inappropriate, the more insistent one? If you want to talk alone, we can,” Stacey told her.

“It happens in just about every class, honestly.”

“It does ?” her boss asked.

“Usually, it’s just an ask to join them for lunch or dinner because they’re all going to eat anyway. They’re just being nice.”

“Was he not just being nice?” her boss checked, seemingly ready to pounce on the guy if needed.

“I don’t think so. I didn’t get a weird vibe or anything.

He just asked a couple more times when the rest of them had given up already.

He’s married with four kids, and he talked about his family during class.

I didn’t think he was trying to get me to go to dinner with just him or something else.

It was more like he thought I was away from my family and wanted to make sure I wasn’t eating alone unless I wanted to. ”

“Okay. Well, if anything ever happens and you’re teaching, you can call me,” Stacey told her. “We have protocols in place.”

“I know. Thank you,” she replied.

“I’m sorry, Juliet,” her boss added. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“I get it, I guess. Can I go back to my desk now?”

“Sure,” he said.

Juliet stood, a little wobbly on her feet, and walked out of the office, turning quickly and heading back to her desk, where she found Molly.

“Coffee. Now,” she stated.

Molly nodded, grabbed her own purse and Juliet’s bag for her, and they were out the door and on the street, walking to the store, within seconds.

“What the hell happened?” Molly asked when they were a safe distance away from the office.

“They thought I was fucking a participant in one of my classes,” she said.

“What?” Molly asked.

“Yeah, exactly.”

“Why would they think that?”

“Because of Jordana and her stupid drama,” she replied loudly.

“Gwen surprised me the first night and brought Carly. She and I might have gotten a little carried away, but I didn’t know that one of the managers was in the room next door.

I guess that explains the weird look he gave me the next morning. ”

“He heard you two?”

“Apparently. He thought I was with someone else from the class.”

“Why?”

“Some guy asked me a few times to go to dinner with them. I said no, but the other one reported me. I’m not sure if he reported it against me or to try to protect me from the other guy, but it doesn’t matter.

He still reported me, so I had to sit in there and tell HR and my boss that I was having sex with my girlfriend in a hotel room next to a manager in my fucking class. ”

“Jesus. Sorry, Jules. I didn’t know, or I would’ve warned you.”

“I know.” Juliet sighed. “I’m more upset about the fact that I was put in the situation to begin with.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I don’t want this job, Molls. If we teach all of our classes here, I’ll go home at the end of every day, and I won’t have to be in a hotel room next to someone in my class. Gwen won’t have to visit just to get some time with me or make sure I eat something decent for dinner.”

“You want them to host the classes here?” Molly asked.

“Yes. It’s stupid that the trainers and the participants travel when we have space here and can have them all come to the corporate office.”

“You should tell them that. It’s a good idea, and I bet it would save us money, too,” Molly replied.

“It would. And I was going to tell them, but now, I’m just really pissed off.”

“Hey, you didn’t do anything wrong. I’ve read the rules on travel, and there’s nothing that says you can’t have someone stay in your room with you.

As long as they’re not charging the company for their travel or food, you’re not in the wrong, Jules.

You’re an adult; you can have sex with Gwen whenever you want.

That’s what you have to remember. Was he an asshole to you or something? ”

“No, he was actually defending me. I think he would’ve kicked some manager’s ass if he found out he’d been inappropriate or tried to intimidate me into something.”

“Well, that’s good,” Molly replied as she pulled open the door to the coffee shop.

“And Stacey was fine. It’s more that I don’t want this, Molly.”

“The job?”

“Yeah,” she replied. “I checked out of the hotel because I just wanted to be home. It was one night in a stupid hotel, and I was ready to be back with Gwen and Carly. I feel like a loser who gets homesick after twelve hours or something.”

“You’re not a loser. You just liked the job you had before Jordana left.”

They joined the line of people waiting to order their coffees.

“What am I supposed to do? Keep traveling all the time when I hate it?”

“No, I think you should talk to them about your ideas, and whether they take them or not, ask them if you can have your old job back, Jules.”

“It’s a step backwards. They’ll think I can’t handle the pressure.”

“Be honest and tell them it’s the travel and nothing to do with pressure.”

“What if they never promote me again? It’s taken me years to get this one.”

“You’ll have to take that risk, I guess, but you’ll be happier. Isn’t that the most important thing?”