“Despite his jokes about wishing he was an only, he’d do anything for any of us.Jackson comes after him.He’s my associate.”
“Which means what?”
“He’s my bitch at work, but don’t ever tell him I said it that way.”
Smiling, she said, “I see how it is.”
“He’s my right hand and a damned good lawyer or I never would’ve given him your case.”
“That’s good to know.”
“He plays lead guitar in a band and sings, so we have that in common.Number eight is Gillian, the sweet, sensitive one.She feels everything so deeply.I worry about her sometimes.The things she encounters at work really affect her.More so than the rest of us.”
“I don’t know how any of you handle all the stuff you must deal with.”
“You get used to it after a while, but some cases are harder than others.”
“What about number nine?”
“That’d be Roman, the baby of the family and one of my favorite people ever.I’m thirteen years older than him, but he’s always been very special to me.I’m looking forward to him being done with school in May, so we can get him back home with us.He plays the drums and is looking to find a band when he gets done with school and has the time.”
“You obviously love them all very much.”
“I really do.They’re very important to me.”
“What’s it like working for your parents after all the custody craziness?”
“It’s… often a delicate balancing act.At times, they’re oblivious to what it was like for us, which infuriates us.But most of the time, it’s not an issue.I go days without even seeing my father, and my sisters have a decent groove with my mom.”
“How did you end up boys with boys and girls with girls?”Was she being too nosy?Asking too many questions?He didn’t seem to mind, but would he say so if he did?She hoped not, because she was fascinated by everything he had to say.
“That’s how they divided us as kids when they were fighting over us, and it just sort of happened that way with work, too.”
“It’s a very interesting story.”
“Yes, so interesting that they made a reality TV show about it while I was in high school.That was a real blast.”
“Ew, they did not!”
“Did too.We were on billboards all over Hollywood for months.”
“I bet I saw them.I grew up in that neighborhood.I wasn’t really aware of the show, though.I was in my smoking, drinking, chasing boys and driving my brother crazy era back then.”
Smiling, he said, “Where’d you go to high school?”
“Hollywood High.”
“Ah, the home of the Sheiks.”
“That’s right.I worked at the Roosevelt after school, bussing tables and cleaning up the pool area.”The Hollywood Roosevelt was an iconic hotel in the heart of the tourist district.
“Is it true that place is haunted?”
“Well, I never had an encounter with Marilyn, but other people swear they have.I’ve served room service to the Marilyn Monroe Suite, which is as close as I’ve come to her.Where’d you go to school?”
“Beverly Hills High School.”
“90210.”
