“Ha. Good one. This is my little sister, Kat.”
“We met.” She smiles at me from behind her computer screen. “I hear you can’t handle your workload, so your mum brought in a mini-you.”
Kat blushes and offers Oakley a modest “I’ll do what I can” look while I try to decide which one I’d like to slap harder. Turns out it’s a tie.
“Nope, all good,” I say. “In fact, if you need help with those weddings you’ll be hosting while I’m handling the bartending competition, just let Kat know. She’ll be happy to jump in.”
“I might do that. Overseeing her work would be good management training.”
Dammit, she’s right.“But before she can help either of us, she needs to read the employee manual.” I glance at Kat with what I hope looks like an easy (and not menacing) smile.
“Urgh, she’s making you read the manual?” Oakley says to Kat, then mimes sticking her finger down her throat.
“I know, right?” Kat says. “Bossy much?”
“This is one situation where being bossy is appropriate,” I say to Kat. Reaching out with my forefinger, I tap the end of her nose. “Because I am your boss.”
“And she’s not going to let you forget it either,” Oakley mutters.
Rubbing my temples with both hands, I say, “I really need to get back to work. Try to get all those forms filled out, then we’ll grab a bite of lunch with Hadley.” Hadley’s my recently married, very pregnant best friend, who runs a dance school out of the resort’s yoga studio while the mums lie by the pool and sip cocktails or get massages.
Kat’s face falls. “I have lunch plans already.”
My cheeks warm with the embarrassment of being rejected by my little sister. “Really?”
“That cute guy who was cleaning the pool Snapped to see if I wanted to meet him for a burger at the beach bar.”
“How nice,” I say with a toothy grin. “That’s… I’m glad you’re settling in so fast.”
“Thanks. Everyone’s just so nice here. I’m not sure why you complain so much.”
* * *
By the time I leave for lunch with Hadley, I’m a ball of ragey tension, but that's okay, because by the time lunch is over, I know I'll be feeling much better. Not only that, I'm sure I'll have a plan. Hadley will help me get back on track. That's what she and I do for each other — provide sympathy and a lot of very helpful ideas. Historically, our brainstorming sessions include copious amounts of deep-fried food, and to be honest, I wouldkillfor a heaping plate of french fries right about now instead of my Jennifer AnistonFriendssalad — but no matter. I will not harm my body just because I'm angry at my family.
When I get to the studio, I’ll be greeted by the scent of orange essence and the sound of New Age music. Yes, that is exactly what I need. The view of the jungle through the wall of windows, the serenity of the quiet space, with its wide-plank hardwood floors and a tall, thatched roof, and my best friend, who is about to become super pissed off on my behalf.
Hadley has been the yoga/salsa/merengue instructor at the resort since we finished high school, but a couple of years ago, she came up with the idea to start her own dance school. When she couldn't secure a business loan to rent a space, she approached Harrison and Libby to see if they could work something out, since the studio sits empty most of the time. She was able to sell them on the idea, based on her theory that having local families drive out to the resort on a regular basis would only serve to increase business, as not only would the parents likely purchase refreshments and possibly spa services (which they do) while they wait for their children, they would also start to think of it as a go-to place for their big life events. Her idea worked out beautifully, which I'm thrilled about because it means I still get to see my best friend almost every day, even though she's happily married and has started a new career path.
I pull open the door, and walk in, but it’s not orange essence I smell. Instead, it’s the heavenly scent of a cheeseburger and french fries. I look across the room to see Hadley at her desk, shoving fries into her mouth. She gives me a guilty look, then swallows. "Sorry, I was hoping I'd finish eating before you got here. I couldn't stand the idea of another salad today."
I shrug and offer her an easy smile, even though the scent of all that greasy goodness is making me unreasonably agitated at the moment. "The baby needed a burger."
"And what the baby wants, the baby gets," she says with a grin.
That's all right. I'm going to enjoy my healthy salad, knowing I'm fueling my body with what it needs to get me through the rest of the afternoon.
"So? Did you get your smart goals all sorted?" she asks, dipping a fry into a dollop of ketchup.
I shake my head and flop into the office chair next to her desk. Setting my Scooby-Doo lunch kit on top of it, I say, "I got absolutely nothing done this morning."
I launch into a retelling of the morning's events — my mother and Kat ambushing me, me insulting the entire Banks family and Rosy, snide Oakley, and my horny younger sibling, who is about to ruin my life. By the time I finish, Hadley has eaten every last fry without offering me one (for which I'm glad, obviously, because the last thing I want to do is eat a delicious hot french fry), and I've only managed two bites of my—let's face it, boring—salad. My stomach growls, and I pick up my fork again, telling myself to be glad I have anything to eat for lunch at all. I stab some spinach and a sliced cherry tomato and pop them in my mouth, waiting for Hadley to make me feel all better about my predicament.
But instead of her railing at the injustice of it all, she lets out a big yawn. "Sorry. I just get so tired after lunch. I can't believe your mum did that."
"Right?" I say with my mouth full.
"But what's done is done, so I suppose rather than dwelling on how you ended up with Kat, you'll just have to make the best of it."
