“Come hither, assistant,” Velvet said playfully, hanging over the upstairs railing. “Let’s get me unpacked and enjoy this glorious day. Daddy’s going into town. The lake is ours.”
All at once, it came back to me in a rush, the heady joy of this place. Here, I could be somebody different. Maybe even a princess like Velvet…
After I hauled in forty pounds of melting ice.
CONDOR LODGE SUMMER DOMESTIC STAFF
Carriage House Room Assignments
Room 1:Norma Dewberry, head housekeeper
Room 2:Exie Johnson, chef
Room 3:Kamal Reddy, Mad Dog’s bodyguard/head of security
Room 4:Starla Pham, Rosa’s masseuse and PA
Room 5:Marie Keyes, junior housekeeper and server
Room 6:Leo Marlow, chauffeur and Mad Dog’s PA
Room 7:Jane Marlow, pet caretaker and Velvet’s PA
Track [4] “Help I’m Alive”/Metric
Jane
Dad was still stewing aboutEddie the next morning. I could tell. So when Velvet sent me into town on my first personal assistant mission to buy shampoo at the lake’s one true salon—Mandy’s Hair Caboose and Big T’s Barber didn’t count—I had a pit stop in mind for a gift that could turn his mood around.
When my father isn’t happy, no one is.Idefinitely wasn’t. And I needed him on my side right now. I wanted to be basking in the glow of future plans with Eddie, not avoiding my father’s scowl. I was going to fix it with the one thing he loved more than old cars. Music.
Specifically, old records.
“This town is a fried-chicken-bucket of charm,” Starla said, whipping the hybrid car into a packed parking lot off the Strip to let me out. “Everyone is so nice. I came into town yesterday with Norma, and in five minutes, I’d booked a job with a man who needs hip work. A sweet man, not a creep who thinks just because I’m a massage therapist, I give happy endings.”
“Rosa isn’t going to want you doing work outside the lodge,” I warned her. “Same as when we’re back in the Bel Air house. You have to get it approved in advance.”
“Everyone needs a side hustle,” Starla said, giving me a playful smile as she tossed a mermaid-dyed ponytail over one shoulder. “Besides, Rosa doesn’t control what I do during Starla Time. She doesn’t own me. Right, Frida-pup?” she cooed.
Frida panted at her from my lap and tried to lick her nose. Starla Pham was a few years older than me—twenty-one—and had been working as PA and masseuse to Mad Dog’s wife since the fall. She was in the process of getting acupuncture points tattooed all over her arms and legs. I wish I could’ve been as laid-back as she was about the house rules.
But I’d lived with the Larsens for too long. I’d seen a lot of domestics fired. Mad Dog treated his staff fairly, but he left the day-to-day management to the head housekeeper, Norma, aka Mother Superior. Norma didn’t suffer fools or rule breakers. So far, Starla had escaped her wrath, but it was easy to screw up at the lake. I should know.
I thought for sure Dad and I would be fired two summers ago after the dam incident. After all, I caused a public scene, and Mad Dog didn’t like publicity. He was very private, a man of few words—not someone who threw wild drug-fueled parties and trashed hotel rooms. He liked the lake because he could retreat here and stay out of the press. I definitely disrupted that. The local paper and TV station were all abuzz about the dam and Betty’s when I fell into the water that summer—unwanted attention for Mad Dog. But I guess he felt too sorry for me to kick us to the curb. Or maybe he just loved my dad too much. When you’re at Mad Dog’s level, it’s hard to trust people, and Dad is as loyal as they come.
“Well,” Starla said, “I say what Norma doesn’t know won’t hurt her. If I can fit in a few extra massage clients this summer, I’m going to make that cash. Transportation is the issue. Why is the lodge so far away from town? If I were Mad Dog, I would have picked a better spot.”
Since Starla and I were both PAs, we’d be sharing this car this summer… along with Exie and the junior housekeeper. We had to sign it out when we left the house. She wasn’t wrong. The limited vehicle situation and no public transportation other than the Bonanza streetcar meant a lot of juggling rides back and forth to the lodge.
As for gas, that went on the company card. I just got mine this morning. I had to log every purchase and save every receipt. I couldn’t just buy myself lunch. If any expense were unexplained, it would come out of my pocketandI’d be fired. Which meant I’d also lose my home.
Everything.
One day I wouldn’t have to worry about this kind of stuff. Maybe one day soon. Eddie needed to hurry up and get back from the Philippines so we could talk about our own place.
“Thanks for the lift,” I told Starla.
“Leo’s picking you up, yeah?”
