Page 122 of Tasty Cherry

“I’ll be in touch.”

She and Raya head down the hall toward the lobby.

I turn the opposite direction to walk outside to the employee lot.

When I get in my car, I check my phone.

Mila has sent several messages.

Everything feels too normal. How are the meetings going?

I’m guessing this will take a while.

Are you okay?

Even though I have told Jessie I won’t contact her, I do. Mila is more important than my job. More important than anything.

I send one quick message.

Meeting done. Jessie will talk to you. It’s going to be just fine. I love you.

Then I toss my phone onto my seat and head home.

39

MILA

My legs tremble as I head to HR. Raya texted me, saying to drop everything to meet with Jessie.

I hope Raya isn’t there. I’m not ready to face the person who witnessed me naked with my boss. Even the thought of it makes my face burn.

Walking through HR feels very different from the week I worked there.

Suze is settling into her desk, probably in from her lunch break. She tilts her head as if to ask why I’m here, but she doesn’t.

Georgia’s chair is empty.

Emily watches me walk by like maybe she knows something.

Jessie stands as I approach. “Come on in. Sit down.” Her voice is falsely bright, making my nerves jangle.

She shuts the door with a click. Jessie only closed her door twice the week I was here.

I’m shaking so hard my teeth almost chatter. I’m a rule follower. A good girl. I never get in trouble. I never visited the principal’s office.

This is the worst.

Jessie sits down and leans forward, her elbows on her desk. “You’re not in trouble, Mila. I’m involved only to make sure that all parties in this relationship were there of their free will. When we have a gap in the chain of command, there is always the possibility that there was a power dynamic at play, even if it was only implied.”

I try to find my voice, but it won’t come. So I sit there.

“Did you at any point feel like your job was contingent on your relationship with Sebastian?”

I shake my head no. “We met before I started.”

“And when you realized he was the manager, what did you do?”

“We agreed not to see each other.”