Free Last Call for Love by Maggie Marr

assault and then Orso’s attempted extortion of sexual favors, plus Ryan leaving her this morning without a good-bye, every muscle in her body was wound taut.
    She turned toward the wall. Crying in the Mesquale Airport wasn’t her style. She pressed her fingertips into the corners of her eyes.
    “We’ve relieved Mr. Orso of his duties. He won’t be returning to Mesquale in any capacity. We’ve also seen Mr. Hughes to his private plane. He’s no longer welcome at Mesquale.”
    A gasp flew from her mouth. Orso? Hughes? Both gone? She glanced over her shoulder toward Orso.
    “I’d also like to offer you your job back. If you want to return to Mesquale.”
    She sniffled. Return? Did she want to return? There were only three months left on her contract, but those three months would give her the time she needed to decide where she was going, where she would stay, how she would live once her Mesquale contract expired, and where she might want to work next.
    “And should you decline your job, you may still return to Mesquale to put your affairs in order. You could even stay here, as our guest, and then make your decision. Either way, we’d like for you to come back to the resort today.”
    A deep breath filled her lungs. The squeezing sensation in her chest that she hadn’t even realized was present relaxed. She had a job if she wanted and a place to stay until she decided.
    “Who will take Mr. Orso’s place?”
    “Excuse me?”
    “Who will take Mr. Orso’s place? If I’m to decide whether I can work at Mesquale, I’d like to know who I’ll be working for.”
    “A valid point and an excellent question. We began the search the moment we relieved Mr. Orso of his duties. There are people we like for the position, but we’ve yet to interview. Perhaps you could come back and share your opinions on this matter.”
    She did have opinions about who should run the food and beverage division of Mesquale. There was one employee who was a perfect fit. He’d been offered the job and declined several times, but maybe with this new owner and this new operating manager, as well as this new attitude toward employees and supervisors, perhaps if offered the job again, this time he’d say yes.
    “I could do that.” She wanted to do that. She wanted to make certain no other woman in food and beverage ever again had to feel the way she’d felt for the last day. As though she were a liar and a piece of meat that a guest thought they had the luxury of ordering up on a plate as they did their meals.
    “Excellent,” Mr. Antigua said. She heard a smile in his voice. “I’ll send a car for you.”
    “I can catch the shuttle—”
    “No, Miss Duvall, please. I’ve alerted the new owner to this situation, and he insists that we send a car for you.”
    The new owner? The staff had been abuzz with speculation about the new owner for months. A nameless, faceless person who’d yet to set foot onto Mesquale.
    “Thank you,” Charla said.
    “My pleasure. The car will meet you at arrivals. We’ll speak soon. I’ll have Mary contact you about us meeting tomorrow.” Antigua was gone.
    Charla slipped her phone into her back pocket. What had just happened?  She was through the looking glass. From unemployed and homeless to having a car sent for her and a meeting with the new executive director of operations at Mesquale? How had this happened? Hughes had been sent packing, and Orso had been fired.
    Charla hefted her duffel bag up over her shoulder and grasped the handle of her rolling carry-on bag.  Did Ryan have something to do with this call from Antigua? Orso had mentioned that Ryan was in Mr. Antigua’s office when Orso was sacked. Did Ryan go to Antigua this morning and tell Antigua about Hughes? 
    She pressed her fingers to her mouth. Had Ryan put himself on the line for her? If Orso had found out and not been fired, he’d have made Ryan’s life a living hell and eventually found a way to terminate Ryan too.
    Charla pulled