Take a Break

ASTON

“Please tell me you aren’t planning on working late again?” Tiffany came bounding into my office exactly one minute and thirty seconds after her shift ended. She had a ratty backpack over her shoulder and had already changed out of her uniform—a navy pencil skirt and white blouse—into a pair of cut-off jeans and a green tank that matched her eyes.

I eyed the pile of papers lying next to my laptop. The hotel was looking for a new supplier for cleaning supplies and a couple of the couches in the lobby needed to be replaced. I had a ton of other stuff left to do, but none of it was urgent.

My high profile client was checked in, we hadn’t heard another peep from the frat guys since I sent up the complimentary champagne, and there didn’t seem to be any other problems with the guests that needed my attention.

“No, I don’t think I will. I’m beat.” Staying late was a way of life for me, but my feet were aching in my new stilettos, my eyes were burning from staring at my computer screen for too long and my three hours of sleep the night before was catching up to me. The night before that I only had four.

Tiffany’s smile spread from ear to ear. “That’s exactly what I was hoping you were going to say. Come on, I’m going to the beach and you are coming with me.”

I shook my head so hard I almost gave myself whiplash. “Not a chance. I’m going home and going straight to bed. The only stop I would consider making is in my bathroom for a long, hot bath.”

Tiffany stuck her freshly glossed bottom lip out and crossed her arms. “When was the last time you were outside during daylight hours? All work and no play does more than make Aston a dull girl, you know. You also need some vitamin D. Some of the staff members are starting to wonder if you’re actually a vampire.”

I laughed. “They are not. They see me outside on the pool deck all the time.”

Sliding open my bottom drawer, I pulled out my purse and started gathering my things. It wouldn’t take me long. My phone was lying next to me on my desk and there were only a few other items I used during the day that I needed to pack up.

My office was in a state, at least by my standards, but I could tidy it up tomorrow. The office I called my own was a glorified broom closet and while I loved it, it only took about fifteen minutes to clean from top to bottom.

It was an office in a true minimalist style. The walls were a pale gray with only a clock and a noticeboard up against them. The only furniture was my desk, a couple of chairs and a side table with a fake plant on it. A perpetual item on my to-do list was to pretty the place up a bit, but in the couple of months it had been my office, I hadn’t found the time.

Tiffany fell into step beside me once I locked my door. “Okay, but when was the last time you were outside for fun and not work? The beach is fun and if you’re not going to let me get you laid, this is the least you can do.”

I didn’t agree with her last statement, but my mind was preoccupied with the question before. When was the last time I’d been to the beach? It was a good question. I was there a couple of weeks ago to organize a fundraising event for one of our guests, but that was for work and it was night time.

Truly, I hadn’t always been the workaholic I was now. I’d never been a slacker either, but I used to make time for fun. My promotion to manager was something I had worked toward for almost two years. It became the thing that drove me, the thing that occupied all my time. Since the promotion, I was more focused on work than ever before.

Truth be told, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been to the beach for fun. Imagining what the warm sand would feel like between my toes, and the waves gently lapping over my feet, I changed my mind about going right home.

“Okay, I’m in. Your car or mine?” I asked, but Tiffany was already linking her arm with mine and leading me to the parking lot out back where she parked. One of the perks of my promotion was parking in the executive lot. It was only a couple of paces closer to my office than where I used to park, but it was in the opposite direction of Tiffany’s car.

She clasped my arm tight and waved a finger in my face. “I’m not taking any chances with you deciding to go home on the way there. I’m driving, and we’re staying for at least a couple of hours.”

A couple of hours was much longer than I’d been planning on staying, but she was right. Left to my own devices, I probably would find a reason to come back to work once I’d had a little break, or to go home to get to bed early so I could be back at work even earlier in the morning. No, better to go with her. It was time for some me-time for a change.

“Your car it is. We’re going to have to stop so I can buy a suit and stuff though.” Tiffany nodded and started telling me all the gossip among the floor staff about a new chef I’d hired. It was exactly what I needed to shut me off from work—mindless chatter and laughing with my friend.