by Anya Palvin
"Diana, I won't let that happen to you."
"No, Connor, you won't. But I won't let you stick your neck out for me this time. You know as well as I do that my job is only there because you said it should be." She didn't even wince at the reluctance to accept she saw on his face. "And when William finds that out – which will be soon – it will only look bad if you do anything about it." She sat now, all the energy her outburst had mustered drained from her. "You need to stay out of this, Connor. I can't afford to hurt the both of you."
Connor's eyes widened, and realisation dawned. "You like him." It wasn't a question.
"Maybe a little bit more than that." She smiled sadly. "And he thinks I'm just your sister. I mean, why wouldn't he? That's who I told him I was. When I tell him that I'm his employee and I was dating him because –" She rubbed a hand over her face. "Because I liked him, the job probably won't be the only thing I lose."
Connor came to sit down next to her, and she could tell the fight had gone out of him.
"I made a mistake." She said sadly.
He put his arm around and she leaned into him, grateful more than anything for him. "You made a mistake." He repeated. "And you're going to fix it. Because no matter how much you 'mess up', you never stop until you fix it." He squeezed her shoulder. "I don't help you because you need it, but because you're my sister." He was quiet for a moment. "And I'm proud of you."
Diana felt the warmth she'd been fighting all day fall down her checks.
* * *
William paced the floor of the office he shared with Connor. It was Monday morning, and he had got no sleep. The look on Connor's face when he had seen his sister had been something that had haunted him throughout the night. Not because it held anger – although that was also a concern of his – but because there was disappointment in it. William knew as well as the next person that family's behaviour was judged according to a higher standard, and maybe it was just that. But he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more going on. Especially since Diana had seemingly understood Connor's reaction perfectly.
He walked to the water canister on the opposite side of the room and thought of the way she had merely said goodbye to him and had followed her brother inside. He took a moment as he drank his water to look at the bustle of Cape Town. The hotel overlooked parts of the business district, and he could feel the busyness of people trying to get to work rife in the air as he watched the relays of public transport. But he could also glimpse Table Mountain in the background, and he appreciated the simplicity of its magnitude, thinking of how he had only the water to be grateful for when he was still in Port Elizabeth.
He missed his home town sometimes, missed the quietness he had so easily found there when he was younger. But he had spent most of his life in Cape Town, and he loved it more than he thought he could love a place. Especially now that he had an even better reason to love it. He knew that he was falling for Diana, deeper and harder than he had ever imagined. He thought about Julia, about the pain she had caused him and the way they had left things, and he knew that thing would be different with Diana. She was kind and compassionate. She laughed at the simple things and was clumsy in the most endearing way.
He smiled as he remembered her cute little fall at the beach Friday night, the way it had caused pieces of her hair to cover her face and the flush that had spread across her face in embarrassment. And then he thought of that kiss, the one that had made him forget he was in a public place, that he was a gentleman, and had reminded him what it felt like to be part of the heat, to be part of the passion of their chemistry. He poured himself another glass of water to quench his sudden thirst, and forced himself to focus on the current issue. He couldn't think about the way she made his body feel. But that was so closely linked to the effect she had on his heart, that he didn't waste much time trying to separate the two. Suddenly, Julia's face floated in his mind, and he realised with a punch in his stomach that he would have to tell Diana about her.
Nothing frightened him more. He rubbed a hand across his face, and went back to the desk they had put opposite Connor's while he was there. He knew that soon the hard part of his job would soon begin when he told people that they would no longer be needed at the hotel. But he steeled himself against it, refusing to indulge the feelings that could easily distract when focus was needed. Focus, he thought, and nodded his head firmly as he pushed all thoughts of Diana, of Julia, and of the feelings he had developed aside. He pulled up the list of employees from the file Connor had given him access to, and started to go through them. As he worked his way through the staff profiles, he was able to recognise some of the faces in front of him. He had started with the floor staff, and saw Diana's friend, Kate, and some of the other receptionists who greeted him daily.
He clicked on to the next person, and his hand stilled, the air slowed, and time freezes for him. The only thing that had not retarded was the beat of his heart, which was expeditious in his chest. The picture on the computer before him did not at all pay justice to the beauty that he had been staring at over the weekend. He could see she was younger then, her face filled with emotion he couldn't quite place his finger on. She wasn't smiling, but who did in their company photos? And suddenly things began to fall into place for William. He thought about Diana's face when Connor had introduced William to her the evening they had met. How she had seemed surprised to see him in that office the next day – her office, he realised with a blow to his stomach. The fact that she couldn't date him because he was her brother's boss was a lie. No, the reason she couldn't date him was because William was her boss.
She had lied to him, just as Julia had. He pushed back from his chair just as Connor entered the room. William couldn't even pretend that he cared about what had happened when he had last seen Connor. Especially because now he knew that Connor hadn't been upset just because they'd been caught dating.
"You knew about this?" William's words were soft, deadly, and the tone immediately alerted Connor. He walked to the computer that William was pointing at, and nodded when he saw Diana's picture.
"If you're talking about the fact that Diana works here, of course I did." At his expression, Connor shifted gears. "But that's not what you meant. No, William, I didn't know that she hadn't told you she worked here. I would have said something earlier if I had known."
William nodded, stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Is she in her office?" His voice dripped with scorn.
Connor sighed, but nodded. "William, just give her the chance to –"
William held a hand up. "You should stay out of this, Connor."
The warning was clear even though it was filled with implication. William had barely walked out before Connor picked up the phone and dialled the extension for his sister.
"Diana, William knows." He didn't waste time with niceties. "And his on his way to you."
10.
Diana braced herself as much as she could after the call she received from Connor. She knew she only had seconds to compose herself, and she couldn’t help to bite her lower lip due to the building tension and nervousness she could feel in her stomach.William didn't bother to knock, but strode in and closed her door behind him. He was quiet for a moment, and she stood, hoping that somehow it would help her gain some of the ground she had lost when William had found out what she was supposed to tell him. What she had planned on telling him that very morning.
"William -"
"You lied to me." The simple words, delivered with heart-breaking tone in his voice, took Diana's breath. "You've lied to me since the moment we met."
Diana felt the heat threaten behind her eyes, but she forced it away. "I didn't want to lie. It just happened."
"It just happened?" He repeated her words. "How did the fact that you work for the hotel - that you work for me - not come up in the conversations we had?" He pushed his fingers through his hair. "I asked you what you did. And you just...lied."
There it was again, Diana thought, the word tha
t had haunted her from the moment they'd met. "I didn't lie about that, William. I am a tour guide. I just didn’t say it was here." Diana sighed, but said what she should have a long time ago. "I was scared that you would find out and you'd think I misled you purposefully. I didn't." She shook her head. "I just...couldn't let you think that about me."
"What am I supposed to think now, Diana? You let me believe that you weren't interested in an 'us' because I was your brother's boss. In fact, you didn't just let me believe that, you told me that. And I, like a fool, thought that if you just gave us a chance, we could work it out and deal with it like adults. We could talk to Connor, and everything would be sorted out. And you indulged me." He shook his head. "How am I supposed to believe that you didn't plan this from the very beginning to persuade me not to fire you?"
"Because I didn't." She moved towards him now, and flinched when he backed away from her. "I know that you no longer want to believe me, but I need you to know that I didn't plan this. I fell into it the moment we got stuck in that elevator together. When I found out who you were, and thought about how I had basically flirted with you, I got a little scared. I hadn't fully processed the mistake I had made when you walked into my office the next day." She paused. "I didn't think that this would happen, William."
She walked to him now and took his hand, begging him to give her a chance without any words. "I didn't know that the more time I spent with you, the more I -" fell in love with you "- would develop feelings for you. If I had known that, I wouldn't have spent this weekend with you. I would have told you the truth."
"Then why did you?" William's expression was a mixture of anger and confusion. "Why did you spend this weekend with me?"
"For the reasons I told you." She let go of the hand she felt loosen in hers. "I wanted to see if we had something worth fighting for. If we didn't, I'd tell you the truth and let the chips fall where they may. But we did -" She paused. "You probably won't believe me now. I wouldn't if I were you. But I was going to tell you----today---that I was going to fight for you." William looked at her, and she felt her heart crack. "But that doesn't matter anymore, does it?"
"I'm afraid not." His face has hardened into an expression that Diana hadn't experienced before. Its effect was more devastating than any of the harsh words she had heard from him. "No matter what you tell me, Diana, I can't believe you. Everything that you've told me since that day here, in your office, has been a lie. Everything I feel for you is a lie."
Diana forced back the sob that threatened to release from her throat. "That isn't true. I may have lied about what I do, about why I couldn't date you, but that was it. Everything I have told you, everything you know about me is the truth."
She looked at him now, and the hurt that throbbed in her chest balled into anger. "I wasn't the one who wanted this, William. I wasn't the one who pushed and pushed until we finally went out. I tried to keep the boundaries, but you wouldn't let me. So don't think that I manipulated you into dating me. That was all you."
He shook his head as though the action would remove the truth from her words. "You let me pursue you. You said yes. How do I know that you hadn't planned this from the very beginning? Maybe you knew who I was from the moment you met me and you pretended to be someone who you thought I might like?"
Diana stared at him in disbelief. "Are you even listening to yourself? I would never do something so emotionally manipulative. I wouldn't even know where to start if I were to pretend to be someone you liked. Where would I even get that information from?"
The silence sat heavy between them.
"I may have lied to you, William, but I'm not the person you just described. I made a mistake by not telling you, and I deeply regret that. If I could, I would go back and tell you who I was the moment I learned who you were. But I can't, and we have to deal with the reality of that - and what it means for us."
There she had said it. She waited for him to respond - waited and hoped that the silence that stretched out between them wasn't the end. But a few minutes later, she couldn't hope anymore, and she felt the pieces of her heart that had broken with his accusations fall into the pit of her stomach.
"Okay." She cleared her throat. "I have an appointment soon, William. You should let me prepare."
But she didn't, and as soon as the door closed behind him, Diana locked it, slid to the ground, and sobbed.
* * *
Diana walked to the staff room at lunchtime, and thanked the heavens that it seemed she had no tears to pour. She had called reception to clear her morning, and when Kate had answered, she had immediately picked up that something was off. But Diana had just said she was feeling tired, and had asked for one of the keys to an empty room. It wasn't the most ethical thing she had done, but then again, it wasn't the most unethical either. Diana hadn't the energy to deal with her friend, and claiming fatigue had effectively stopped the prying. But she knew it wouldn't work with her brother, and so she had waited in the fifth floor bathroom - the one she knew hardly received traffic - because she knew he would come looking for her before long. When she finally thought it was safe - and when her face had finally lost the pink of her tears - she collected the keys from Kate. She spent the morning shifting between hurt and anger all towards William---the hurt because of his words and the anger because of the fact that he didn’t hear her out. She would be sad at one moment, and then she would think about all the things he had said to her, had accused her of, and she would get angry again. It was exhausting.
She knew she couldn't spend the whole day moping, especially since she had two afternoon tours to do, and so she had hardened herself and decided to have lunch like a normal person. She walked into the staff room and stopped in the door way when she saw almost the entire floor staff there. Kate stood in the front with Miranda and Jim, and she turned when Diana entered the room. "What's going on here?" She asked.
"We wanted to speak to you." Kate said, and walked over to Diana. "We've come up with a plan to save your job. At least for now."
Diana frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"We're talking about showing you the same compassion you have shown each of us since you started here." Miranda joined Kate at the front. "Every one of us here have something to be grateful to you for, Diana. Jim would still be looking for a job if you hadn't spoken to your brother about hiring him."
"So would I." A voice came from the back, and Diana glanced over to see one of her colleagues, Ginny, smile at her.
"You babysat my daughter for me when I had to work on short notice." Jed, the other concierge - and single father - spoke up.
"So we would like to do the same for you." Kate said. "We've decided that each of us will tell William why we think you're essential to the company. There are facts that we can use -"
"Like the revenue you bring in." Jim interrupted in his quiet way.
"Exactly, and if we just have some time, we can speak to some of the guests and I'm sure they'll be willing to give you a glowing recommendation." Kate looked Diana in the eye. "Let us help you." Her voice softened.
Diana took a moment to process all the emotions mixing and rushing through her heart and felt the warm liquid at the corner of her eyes she had thought she no longer had, "I...I don't know what to say."
She took Kate's hand and squeezed, smiled at Miranda, and then at the rest of her colleagues - her friends. "Thank you for this. I appreciate it." She pressed a hand to her chest. "I really do. But...it's too late. I've told William the truth, and I don't think you're going to get the extra time you need to put all of this together." She paused for a moment, letting the disappointment she felt in the air dissipate.
"No matter what happens to us, to any of us, I think what we have here is more important." She smiled again, and this time it didn't feel as forced. "This is going to be a rough time for all of us, but the important thing is to make sure that we support one another. Just like this."
Although there was a murmur of agreement, she could still fee
l the disappointment cling to those she worked with as they left the room. Some stopped to say thank you to her, and others asked her if she was sure it was too late. Finally, only Kate and Miranda remained, and she felt the exhaustion of the day lay heavy on her shoulders.
"Thank you for this." Diana said as she made herself a cup of tea, unable to prevent her hands from trembling ever so slightly. "I know you meant well, and I appreciate it."
"What happened?" Kate asked, and Diana knew that her hands had given her away. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror behind the couch, and knew it wasn't just that that had alerted Kate.
"Exactly what I said."
"You said you told William the truth." Miranda interrupted. "You didn't say how that happened."
Diana didn't answer, and she could see her friends put the pieces together.
"He found out?" Kate pretty eyes widened.
Diana nodded and took a sip of her tea, hoping the warmth would spread to the heart which had numbed earlier that day.
"Oh no, Diana!" Miranda exclaimed. "How?"
Diana frowned when she realised she didn't know. "I'm not actually sure. But Connor mentioned that they would be going through the employee files soon, and I'm sure he found mine."
"And he found out that you lied to him at the welcoming event? Kate filled me in." Miranda shrugged at Diana's questioning look.
"That I was lying to him for the past month that we've been dating."
There was a moment of silence as both Kate and Miranda stared at her. She would have found it amusing if she didn't feel awful about the truth of it. She took another sip of her tea, and then sighed and put her cup down. "I'm not sure how it happened, but the more I told him I wasn't interested, the more he pushed until I finally gave in. I wanted to see if he was really the man I thought he was."
"And was he?" Kate asked.
