The sight of Penthouse Cabin One sparked a wild thrill in my body before.
Now, the moment I round the bend in the covered path to see it, my stomach flips with unease.
A housekeeping cart sits outside of the main door. I guess Henry called them to clean up all the broken glass and booze. Good, because I’m not doing it. I don’t want to be here. I dragged my feet all the way from my cabin after a night of tossing and turning.
I hate him, I tell myself over and over again. Because if I can be angry, and hate him, then it distracts me from how hurt I am, I’m learning.
Taking a deep breath, I swipe my key card and enter through the service entrance.
“Hello?”
“Yes?” Bell dumps a dustpan full of glass into the bucket before looking up to see me.
It’s strange to see another staff member in here, even if I know her. I’ve been the only one to step foot inside since I started working for him, besides that one visit from Belinda and then Michael, of course. “Oh, hey.” I do a quick glance around. “Do you know when Mr. Wolf will be back?” Maybe I’ll luck out and only have to deal with him through abrupt text messaging.
“No idea. They just told me to clean the place out and get it ready for rental.”
Rental?
That’s when I notice that his laptop isn’t on the desk anymore. And the checkered jacket he wore to cut wood isn’t hanging on the hook.
And his hiking boots aren’t sitting on the doormat.
In fact, all of his personal possessions seem to be gone.
A strange sinking feeling hits my stomach as I wander into the bedroom.
The bed’s been stripped and remade. And the closet is empty of all his designer suits and casual clothes.
Henry’s gone.
I wander out the door with an absent “Thanks,” to Bell, and pull out my phone to see if maybe Henry texted me and I somehow missed it.
Nothing.
Not a single message from Henry.
What the hell? What does this mean for my job?
~ ~ ~
“Hey.”
Belinda peers up over her glasses at me. “Good, you’re here. I’ll need your iPad and your work cell phone now.” Her tone is clipped and businesslike. She’s back to her normal, overly calm persona.
My stomach sinks. So that’s it? I’ve been, what, fired?
“You can change in your cabin, or in the restroom near the cleaners, up to you, but you better hurry.” She glances at her watch. “The crew will be starting their shift soon. I’m sorry I don’t have a proper uniform for you here yet, but Mr. Wolf didn’t exactly give me much time to prepare.”
I frown. “The crew?”
“Yes. The Outdoor crew. That you asked to be reassigned to now that Mr. Wolf has to go back to New York.” She’s speaking to me slow and loud, as if I’m hard of hearing.
Henry has gone back to New York?
Clearly Belinda thinks I was aware this was all happening. Why shouldn’t she? That would be the normal thing to do: tell your assistant that she won’t be needed anymore and that she’s been reassigned.
But Henry didn’t tell me that. Instead, he demanded that I stay and used the threat of a pornographic video to keep me from getting on a ferry and going home. Why put me through all that anxiety if he planned on leaving and letting me transfer out anyway?
Other than to toy with me.
To punish me.
To exert his power and control over me.
Maybe he’s still screwing with my head now. Giving me what I asked for, only so he can take it away.
My stomach twists with hurt and anger.
“You’re going to be reporting to Darryl Sykes, and you’ll be working on a team with twelve guys. Twelve guys, Abbi. You’re the only female. You’ll be expected to carry your own weight around there, but Mr. Wolf seems to think you’ll manage.” Belinda’s lifts her brow knowingly. “For the record, I think you’re insane for wanting to work in the crew. You and them,” she shakes her head to herself. “Let’s just say I hope you’ve developed a thick skin. And if you haven’t… just come and tell me and we can move you to Housekeeping, okay?”
“Okay.” There was a time, just weeks ago, when she wasn’t being anywhere near as accommodating, but I guess she was stuck playing whatever game Henry was leading.
She holds her hands out, waiting for the electronics still within my grasp.
I hand them over to her absently, still in shock over this unexpected turn of events.
“Mr. Wolf asked that I remind you of the confidentiality agreement that you signed. I’ve forwarded a scanned copy of it to your e-mail address for your records. You should review it.”
I pull my personal phone out and see the notification from her sitting on my screen. I click on it and the attachment opens up. There’s my signature at the bottom of the attachment. The day I signed this, I had no idea what kinds of secrets I’d be keeping. This is clearly his way of reminding me that nothing has changed.
“I didn’t mean review it right now!” She glances at her watch irritably. “You should really get going. Darryl will be in shortly. He’ll be waiting for you at the gates, and he doesn’t like to wait.”
I spin on my heels, ready to make a mad dash for the cleaners, where I can pick up whatever scraped-together uniform they managed to find for me.
But first….
It’s the last thing I want to do right now, and yet I’m compelled to get answers so I don’t spend the entire day in my head, concocting scenarios, none of them with happy endings for me.
I step into the stairwell where I can gain more privacy than out in the hotel hallways. Pulling out my personal phone, I find where I programmed his number—something I did the first day I started with him, for no other reason than because I wanted Henry Wolf’s phone number on my personal phone—and I hit Call.
And I hold my breath.
He’s not going to answer. Why would he answer? He’s probably already on a—
“Wolf.”
My heart stutters.
“Make it quick, Abbi. My plane is about to leave.”
How does he know it’s me calling? Does it show in the display? “I was just…. You’re leaving.”
“Is there a question?”
“Why are you leaving?”
“Because I have a hotel chain to run. I can’t do that from the wilderness.”
“But you said you were staying for the summer.”
“Things changed.” I can’t help but hear the sharp edge in his already abrupt tone.
“I’m on my way to work with the Outdoor crew.”
“Good. You got what you wanted.”
“What I wanted?” What I wanted was for Henry not to break my heart by sleeping with another woman. I want to not feel like my insides have been torn out of my body, leaving this hollow ache behind.
He sighs. “You’re young and inexperienced and naive, Abbi. I knew better. I was just so overcome by stress, and you were there. And so easy.”
“Fuck you.” I can’t believe those two words slip out my mouth. I don’t think I’ve ever actually said them to anyone, not even Jed. But what’s more, I can’t believe the real, raw anger that laces them.
“Take care of yourself and enjoy Alaska, Abbi. Go and fuck a few more people. I know I will.” The line goes dead.
A sob tears out of my throat, and only then do I realize that I’m actually crying. God, I hate to admit it but Mama was right. I’ve seen Henry’s teeth now, and he delivers one painful bite. A one-minute phone call with Henry and I’m bawling in a stairwell.
Furiously wiping away my tears, I rush down the stairs to change my uniform.
For the first time truly aware that, for all its vast, rich wilderness, Alaska feels completely empty.
