Page 30 of Spring Break with a Bodyguard
TEDDY
One more day.
Should be easy, yet it isn’t, not when tensions are running high after yesterday’s near-disaster with Roberts.
I flinch as a door slams somewhere down the hallway, my hands fumbling with the amenities tray. Every noise, every shadow has me on edge this morning. Javi and I have a plan—a last-ditch effort to catch Roberts with concrete evidence before bringing Preston into this mess. But first, I need to survive the morning shift.
My radio crackles. “Theresa, please report to the staff room,” Carmen’s voice announces. “Immediately.”
I freeze, the bottle of shower gel slipping from my fingers. Carmen’s tone is unusually tight.
“On my way,” I respond, fighting to keep my voice level.
As I approach the staff room, the usual morning chatter dies. Employees huddle in small groups, their whispers stopping abruptly when they notice me. Housekeepers I’ve worked alongside for days now avert their eyes or stare with naked curiosity.
I push open the door to find Carmen waiting, lines of worry etched around her mouth. “Theresa—” she begins, but Roberts emerges from the corner of the room, cutting her off.
“Ms. Holden,” he says, his smile sharp enough to draw blood. “Or should I say, Miss Hollister?”
The room falls silent. My pulse pounds in my ears, but I adjust my fake glasses with deliberate calm.
“I’m sorry?” I manage, feigning confusion. “My name is Theresa Holden.”
Roberts approaches, tablet in hand. “Interesting. Because you look remarkably like someone else.” He turns the screen toward me, displaying a photo from last year’s Love Beach charity gala. There I am, draped in designer couture, champagne in hand, wearing novelty glasses as part of the masquerade theme—glasses nearly identical to the ones I’m wearing now.
“That’s not—” I start, but Roberts cuts me off.
“Save it. I’ve been looking into your background since the suspicious jewelry incident.” His smile widens. “The question is, why would Theodora Hollister be working as a housekeeper under a false name? Unless the rumors about your fall from grace are true. The Hollister black sheep, cut off after that PR disaster with the lease increases. Reduced to scrubbing toilets while hiding your identity.”
Fall from grace. PR disaster. Lease increases.
Relief floods through me even as I maintain my bewildered expression. Roberts thinks I’m here because I’ve been disowned—he hasn’t connected me to his theft ring.
“Mr. Roberts, I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else,” I insist, though with less conviction than before.
“Save your denials.” Roberts practically preens. “I’ve already contacted several media outlets. They’re quite interested in the story of the fallen socialite. I imagine they’ll be arriving shortly.”
The media? My stomach plummets through the floor.
“You did what?” Carmen turns to Roberts, horror flashing across her face. “Mark, that’s completely inappropriate?—”
“It’s news, Carmen,” Roberts dismisses her with a wave. “And it explains everything—the mysterious thefts that started when ‘Theresa’ arrived, the suspicious jewelry. She’s desperate for money and attention.”
Miguel steps forward, his weathered face set in stubborn lines. “That’s ridiculous. Theresa—whoever she is—works harder than anyone I’ve seen. She’s not stealing anything.”
My throat tightens at his defense. After everything, Miguel still believes in me—or at least, in Theresa.
Roberts waves dismissively. “Your loyalty is touching but misplaced. Security will escort Miss Hollister from the premises immediately.”
As if on cue, the staff room door opens—but instead of security, it’s Javi, his expression carved from stone as he takes in the scene.
“Conrad,” Roberts acknowledges him with obvious smugness. “Perfect timing. Please escort Miss Hollister off the property. It seems we’ve had an impostor in our midst.”
Javi’s eyes meet mine, a silent question passing between us. I give him the smallest nod. Plan B.
I straighten my posture and remove my glasses. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”
The shift in my demeanor is dramatic enough that several staff members take an involuntary step back. Even Roberts falters momentarily.
