The Green Ticket

Chapter 11



“I’ll have the avocado salad, hold the dressing. And just a water, please.” Dani dug around her oversized purse, triumphantly pulling out her wallet.

“Is that all, miss?”

“And whatever she would like too.” Dani gestured to me.

“Um, I’ll just have what she is having. Thanks. And thank you for lunch,” I said, turning my attention away from the complicated menu board to face Dani.

“My pleasure. I should be thanking you for coming out to lunch with me. I need a break from the girls every once in a while or I’m afraid I would constantly talk in baby language!”

It was a Wednesday, and Dani had asked me out to lunch before I started my shift at Blissful. Lunches were becoming a common occurrence between us. We even had a few dinners together, and trips to the mall. I had been to Dani and Kevin’s house twice and was starting to feel more comfortable around my bosses. Kevin still gave me the creeps sometimes, but nothing further had been said from Mandy, so I was assuming everything was okay with that situation. And Dani really was becoming a true friend. Well, a friend in the way that a boss can become a friend. I still got nervous around her and tried to always say the right things, but I could tell I was slowly becoming more at ease with her.

“So I haven’t really talked to you in a few days. How’s everything going? Classes all right?” We settled into a booth in the corner, Dani shoving her briefcase in first and then sitting down. I also shoved my briefcase, smaller than Dani’s but still professional looking, into the corner and took a seat across from her.

“Classes are good. My friends are good, and I think everything else at Blissful is going really well. And–– ” I was bursting to tell her about my date–– “I had a date on Saturday night!”

“You did? I didn’t know you had a date lined up. With who? Where did you go?” Dani leaned her elbows on the table, pushing her body forward. I made sure to avert my eyes from the cleavage that was spilling out of her lavender blouse.

“It was kind of last minute. His name is Henry Landon, and his friend Peter is kind of seeing my friend Hannah. We met at a Halloween party.” I paused as our food was brought out. The salad looked...interesting. A little sad with no croutons or dressing, but it was healthy and Dani swore by them. I tucked in with only somewhat abashed enthusiasm.

“Henry thought he was going home for the weekend, then he didn’t, so he decided to take a chance and see if I was free. He wanted to get reservations at Bellini’s but they were full, so we actually just ended up at an Applebee’s.”

Dani’s perfectly plucked eyebrows rose. “Applebee’s? On your first date?”

“To be fair, he let me choose the restaurant. And I love Applebee’s and it’s simple and wouldn’t put as much pressure on me as Bellini’s.” I hurried to defend Henry. I loved our first date. I thought it was perfect. “But he did say for the second date he will make sure to get that reservation at Bellini’s.”

“Wow, so you already have a second date planned?”

“Yep. It’s going to be this Saturday. And I’ll have the whole day to get ready since I have the weekend off!”

“If things go well, maybe the four of us could go out together sometime. Kevin and myself, you and Henry. I would love to meet him.”

I nearly dropped my fork. “Yes! That would be excellent. I’ve already talked so much about you and Blissful. I would love that!” It was almost going to be like a meet the parent’s scenario, which made me nervous. Maybe after the third date–– if there was a third date–– would I mention it to Henry.

“Tell me more about Henry! What does he look like? Where is he from?”

Dani and I had an enjoyable lunch, where I spilled all the details on Henry and how excited I was over a boy–– the first time in a long time. Dani gave a few stories on her daughters and the hassle they gave her over the weekend, and mentioned a few sales reports that she wanted to go over with me back at the salon.

When we left the deli, I imagined what we looked like to others as we bounced out the door–– Dani, petite yet full of confidence, dark hair tucked under a stylish wool cap and a dark red peacock coat protecting her from the cold. Me with a lighter coat on because I still hadn’t dug up my proper winter coat from the storage box, a white stocking cap covering my red hair. We ran towards Dani’s vehicle to get away from the cold, laughing and out of breath by the time we reached the doors. I imagined that people thought we were sisters, or maybe just best friends. Perhaps business professionals out for a casual lunch before heading back to the office. Being around Dani gave me newfound confidence. I had the power to make decisions, to run a full-scale salon and spa, and be in charge of employees. Dani made me feel level with her. We were a team, and our main goal was to make Blissful as successful as it could be. I was falling in love with my new life.

$$$

“Alex, can I talk to you? Are you busy?” Kevin opened the door to the office and took a seat.

I swiveled my chair around so I was facing him. “Yeah, sure. I was just looking at the sales reports for the goals I assigned everyone.”

“Yeah, yeah, the goals. That was a great idea if I haven’t mentioned it. Great idea.” Kevin was his usual self–– all over the place and seeming to be in a rush. “Buy, hey, listen–– did you leave here early on Saturday?”

That wasn’t what I was expecting. I thought back to Saturday. Date night with Henry. The chat with Mandy regarding the man standing before me. “Um, yes. I left about forty-five minutes early. Then I came in an hour early on Sunday to make up for it and to work on schedules.” I gestured to the schedule board, where my hard work was pinned to the corkscrew.

“That’s really not acceptable. We need a manager on duty at all times, and you need to stay to do the cash drawer.”

I felt as though I had been slapped. “But Allie was here...?” I trailed off meekly. Allie had been here, right? And she told me it would be okay to leave, I was sure of it.

“While Allie helped us for a while, she is not the manager of the store. Either you, Dani, or myself need to be here to close. Every. Night.”

I stood still for a moment, wondering if I was going to cry. The tone of voice Kevin was using made me feel like he was belittling me. And every night I had to close? That meant I could never cut a night short during the week or weekend–– ever? “Okay,” I said slowly. “I see what you mean, and I apologize. I wasn’t aware that Allie wasn’t capable of closing. I do have one question though.”

Kevin had already turned his back to me and was powering up his laptop in the far corner of the office. “Yeah?” he said, distracted and already uninterested in me.

“What about the days I come in early? Or do work away from the salon before my scheduled time?”

“You’re a manager. You’re going to work more than forty hours a week. That’s why we pay you salary and give you those nice bonuses when the salon does well. Didn’t they teach you anything about managing at Kaufman?”

My face went crimson. How dare he undermine me! A question is a question. And no one said anything about working more than forty hours a week when I signed on. I swiftly turned back to the computer, the sales reports going fuzzy as tears filled my eyes. Do not cry in front of this dick. Do not cry, I repeated to myself. How I so badly wanted to snap, to tell him his disgusting behavior towards Mandy helped me reach my decision to leave early on Saturday. See what excuse he could come up with then.

But I didn’t. I calmed myself down, focused back on my reports, and Kevin and I worked in silence for about ten minutes until his phone started ringing. First, it sounded like a business call. I could only hear Kevin’s side of the conversation, but it didn’t sound like a good one. “Did you get him to sign the paperwork? I told you–– the paperwork has to be signed! What are you not understanding? Get the f*cking paperwork signed and to me no later than five o’clock tomorrow!”

Sheesh. And I thought he talked down to me. Another phone call right after that. “This Kevin.” Kevin and Dani both answered their phones that way, like they were too busy to include the “is.” “Well, hey, stranger! I just spoke to Chris and it sounds like everything will work out fine. The paperwork should be to me by tomorrow, no problem. She’ll be ready to be on set by next week, and the photographer and shoot location are good to go. Yeah, it was nothing. Come on, you didn’t think I would let this opportunity slip, did you? She could be a potential Playmate, and I want her to have her first real shoot to come from Gropers. Yeah, buddy, we’ll get it!” A hearty laugh that sounded more evil than anything to my ears. “Yep. Yep. Friday night again? I’ll be there. Make sure she is too.” His cell phone flipped closed, and Kevin started whistling a tune. I kept working, shifting my focus to preparing the next payroll batch, trying to ignore the slime that dripped from my boss’s words.

“Hey, you doing anything for dinner?” Kevin asked, and I turned my head slightly to see if he was on the phone again. He wasn’t.

“Me?” I asked.

“Well, yeah! I think I’m going to stick around for a while and keep an eye on things. I could go grab us something if you didn’t bring anything.”

“Um, sure. I mean, no, I didn’t bring anything. So sure, that would be great.” I was confused. Was he not just berating me for leaving the store? Now he wanted to buy me dinner? And he wanted to stay at the salon all night? That was really going to cramp style. I felt like I was under a microscope now with my leaving-early mistake. I would have to put on a top manager performance that night.

Kevin left shortly after to pick up some Chinese, and I went out into the main area. Wednesdays were a hit or miss busy night, but that Wednesday the schedule had seemed full so I scheduled more staff than usual. Perhaps people wanting to get in before the Thanksgiving holiday made the schedule busier. Tiffany was at the front (Windexing the counter when I checked on her) and Allie, Morgan, Jewel, Katie, Sophia, Alyssa, and Vicki were on the books. From the schedule it looked to be a steady night, and that was not including walk-ins. I was thankful that Mandy wasn’t scheduled. Even though there hadn’t seemed to be any more problems, I didn’t want her and Kevin together all night long in case it made her uncomfortable.

“Hey, Tiffany. How is everything going up here?” I asked when I reached the front. Tiffany flicked her brown bangs off her forehead and threw some paper towels in the garbage.

“Not too bad. A little busy.”

“Well, I’m going to eat dinner soon, and Kevin will be here the rest of the night, but if you need help up here, don’t be afraid to get me. I’ll be up in a jiff.”

“Kevin’s going to be here? All night?” A flicker of panic crossed Tiffany’s heavily made-up brown eyes.

Shit. Please, oh please, do not be another Mandy situation, I thought to myself. “Yes. We have some work to do in the office.” Total lie, I was pretty sure Kevin just wanted to keep an eye out on me, but I certainly didn’t want to tell one of my employees that. “Is everything okay?” I dared to ask.

“What? Oh, sure. Sure, yeah.” Tiffany grabbed out a bottle of Pledge from beneath the counter and ripped off another handful of paper towels. “Just was wondering. Want to be on the best behavior if the big man is around!” She tittered, a cross between a laugh, a screech, and a choke.

F*ck. Clearly something was rattling Tiffany. And I would bet money that it involved Kevin being inappropriate in some way towards her. Did he follow her to a club too? Try to pay off her in some way?

I stood for an extra beat at the front, watching Tiffany furiously scrub down the wooden panels of the desk. I didn’t want to push her or make her more uncomfortable than she clearly already was. I just needed to remind her that I was here. “Okay, well, I’m going to alert the others that he’ll be around tonight so we keep everything extra clean. But, Tiffany, if you ever need anything, work or personal-wise, my door is open. Okay?”

Tiffany looked up at me then and seemed ready to say something when the ringing of the office phone cut through the tension. She just nodded at me and picked up the phone with a brisk, “Thank you for calling Blissful Salon and Spa. This is Tiffany, how may I help you?”

I walked into the salon, wondering how to get Tiffany to tell me what was up. Wait? I didn’t make Mandy come to me, but then again, I hadn’t known any of this before Mandy told her story. Now that I knew, I was afraid every time an employee acted rattled around Kevin I was going to assume he was harassing them in some way. Maybe he was just firm with Tiffany once, like he was with me earlier. Maybe she made a mistake with an appointment, or forgot to clock-in, or left cleaning supplies out. Just because she was jumpy didn’t automatically mean Kevin tried to hit on her. I was jumping to conclusions.

After satisfying myself with that pep talk, I walked around and alerted the rest of the staff that Kevin and I would be having a business dinner in the office while going over stats (another lie, but I didn’t want to make it sound like we were having a cozy dinner together) and that we would both be around the rest of the night if they needed anything from us. That seemed to go over well enough for everyone, so I retreated back into the office to wait for Kevin to return with my Kung Pao Chicken and egg rolls.

$$$

Friday. I arrived at Blissful two hours before opening time. Kevin stayed at Blissful the entire night on Wednesday, even staying to count the drawer and organize receipts with me. Then Dani stayed all Thursday night with me. I felt terrible. I felt that they didn’t trust me with their business, all because I left early one night. One night! And it wasn’t like I skipped an entire shift at work; it was a measly forty-five minutes. The eggshells I was walking on were delicate, and I felt sure I was going to lose my job any day now. I needed to work extra hard to prove that I was a capable manager for Blissful Salon and Spa.

I shuffled my way into the office first, placing my winter coat on the rack behind the door and unwinding the blue and pink scarf from my around my neck. Placing my briefcase on the desk, I snapped it open and took out a few reports. Even though I was slammed with homework last night, I still took a stack home with me to work on. I was afraid for my latest Musical Appreciation assignment. I couldn’t concentrate on my report about the elements of opera when our hairspray sales were in desperate need of a boost. How could I think about libretto and supernumeraries when a real crisis was happening in the store?

The more I went through the reports on Thursday night, the more I saw that sales were slipping overall. The bonus idea that I had for the employees helped raise the numbers from previous months before I was around, but they still needed help. Especially during the week.

I sat at the desk and tapped a pen against my mouth. Something was nagging me, an idea I thought I had....I flipped through my notebook, where I would often jot down passing ideas or tasks for me to complete. There, written in pink pen: “Have specials on Tuesdays? Wednesdays? 20% off? SLOW DAYS!”

I sat up straighter in my chair. Okay, this was good. This gave me a start. I could put together an advertising plan for the slow middle of the week days. Help move products off the shelf.

Before I could start outlining my ideas, Blissful’s phone rang. I picked up the office extension, shaking the computer mouse alive so I could pull up the schedule if necessary.

“Thank you for calling Blissful Salon and Spa. This is Alex, how can I help you?” I cooed into the phone.

“Oh, Alex, hi. Wow, you’re there early.” Dani.

A satisfied smile spread across my face. I was trying to think of ways to casually mention my early start, but this worked perfectly. “Hey, Dani! Yeah, I have some new marketing ideas that I wanted to try to plan out before next week. Since I have the weekend off, I figured I could come early and get a jump on it.”

“That’s great, hon. Lots of initiative, that’s what we like to see.” Score! “Hey, sweetie, is Kevin there by chance?”

My euphoric feeling dropped. Not this again. “No, I don’t think so. I didn’t see his cars anywhere, and I’ve been through the whole salon this morning.” A white lie, but I think I would have realized by now if Kevin was in the store.

“Well, shoot. He didn’t come home last night and I need help with the girls.” Awkward pause. “I’m sure he was just staying at his buddy’s house,” she quickly interjected. “Kevin got a DUI last year and is really careful now not to drink and drive.”

Something was telling me that wasn’t the whole truth, but I still said, “I see.”

“Shoot, shoot, shoot. I don’t know how to be in two places at once. Do you know what time Allie comes in?”

I didn’t have to check the schedule. I practically knew it by heart. “She should be in around 9:30 for set-up.”

“Alex, sweetie, I hate to ask this of you, but I think you’re my only hope. Would you be able to help me out today for a little bit? Allie can handle the store I’m sure. Who’s at the desk this morning?”

“It’s Kamille.” Again, no checking needed. “What do you need me to do?”

“I have to drop Trinity off at her daycare in ten minutes. Camilla’s baby-sitter is in the daycare center as well, so both girls will be there. But Brianna was supposed to bring snacks to her school party today, and I put her on the bus without them. They’re sitting on my kitchen table.”

I was still unsure about what she needed me for. And did she really want me to leave the salon–– on a Friday? What happened to always being here? “Okay.”

“So I need to get the girls out the door, but they are in the opposite direction of Brianna’s school. Would you be able to swing out here and grab Brianna’s snacks and take them to the school? I don’t want her to get in trouble for not having them. Or have the other kids give her trouble. Kids are so angry these days.”

Dani and Kevin’s house was a good twenty minutes away from Blissful. Twenty minutes there and back, plus picking up the supplies, driving to Brianna’s school, finding the classroom, making small talk with the teachers...I was looking at being gone for over an hour from the salon. And right when I was in the middle of a brainstorm. But how could I say no? This was Dani, my boss and my pseudo friend. I had to do it. “Okay, sure. How do I get into your house?”

“The code on the garage is 17456. Just type that in and the door will open. The door to get into the house is unlocked. Just be sure to close the garage door when you leave.”

“And where is Brianna’s school?” I stood up and shrugged my coat back on while listening to Dani spout directions.

“Thank you so much, Alex! I owe you one. And of course I’ll pay you gas money for all your troubles. Just leave a note for Allie and let her know one of us will be there shortly.”

We hung up and I scribbled a note for Allie, letting her know I had to help Dani but one of us would be back at the salon near opening time. I left my notebooks and briefcase on the desk, grabbing only my purse as I rushed out, making sure the salon doors were locked behind me.

The early morning traffic didn’t help me get to Dani’s any faster. I jumped out of my car, leaving the engine running, and scrambled to the garage. Punching in the numbers that I scribbled on the piece of paper, I ducked under the door and tromped up the three wooden steps leading into the house. Luckily, the plate of cookies and box of juice boxes were on the table like Dani said, so I scooped them up and rushed back out of the house. With my hands full, I had to first drop the boxes off in my car, then run back to close the garage.

Speeding to get to Brianna’s school and trying to carefully read my directions, I heard my cell phone ringing from the depths of my purse. The ringtone alerted me that it was coming from my Blissful phone. Dani and Kevin had given me my own cell phone my first week on the job and paid for the phone bill. They told me I could get rid of my regular cell phone but I hadn’t had the time to cancel my service yet. It was on my to-do list....somewhere.

I missed the phone call and pushed harder on the gas pedal. My car clock read 9:45. Blissful opened in fifteen minutes. Damn it. It was going to be closer to eleven when I finally got back.

After successfully delivering the cookies to the classroom, waving at Brianna who gave me an eyebrow raise back (really? A seven-year old can do the one eyebrow raise?) and jumping back in the car, I finally dug out my company phone and listened to my voicemails.

9:28. “Hey, Alex, it’s Allie. Just wondering if you’re coming in today. I figured you would already be here by now. Let me know!”

9:34. “Me again. I checked the schedule and it said you would be here at nine. Everything okay? Are you sleeping? Wake up, silly!”

9:46. “I just called Dani and she said you were running a favor for her. Glad to hear everything is okay. See you when you get here!”

All three messages from Allie. I must have not heard my phone ringing when she called the first two times. But didn’t she go into the office and see my note? Allie always left her belongings in the office as well; she should have seen the note taped to the computer. I shook my head and continued driving.

Pulling into Blissful at 10:48, I parked over the line but didn’t care. I would fix it later. I jumped out and hightailed it into the salon, throwing open the front door and hearing the bells chime. I was greeted by Kamille’s smiling face. Weird. She never smiled at me.

“Hey, Kamille,” I said breathlessly. “How are things going in here?”

“Great!” she trilled, making me even more suspicious. Kamille did not trill. To anyone, especially not me.

“Great,” I echoed. “Is Dani here?”

“Yep. Her and Kevin are in the back.” More smiles.

“Oh, um, okay. Great. Thanks. I’ll just head back there then.” I walked past the desk and into the salon, where I was glad to see Lindsey and Carolyn with clients in their chairs. I waved my hellos and continued back, once again stripping off my winter coat and scarf.

“I’m back!” I announced, opening the office door. Dani, Kevin, and Allie were all in the office, hunched over some papers on the desk.

“Alex, sweetie, I’m so glad! Thank you so much for your help. This day would have been a disaster without you.” Dani put her arms around me and squished me into her chest. I patted her on the arms, feeling slightly uncomfortable that her enormous boobs were all over me.

“No problem. It all worked out and Brianna’s teacher was thrilled that the kids wouldn’t have to miss snack time,” I said. “Allie–– I got your voicemails. Did you not see my note?” I asked, shoving my purse in a desk drawer.

“A note? No, I didn’t see one from you.” Allie looked confused.

“It was right here, taped on the computer screen. You sure you didn’t get it?” I pressed, looking at the computer for my note. Then around the computer. On the desk. The floor. Where the hell was my note? I knew I wrote one.

“No, sorry. I didn’t see anything.” I studied Allie’s face. She looked genuinely confused. I believed her.

“Huh, that’s strange. I know I left one. I even taped it on the computer.” I shook my head, trying to figure it out. “That is so weird.”

“Kamille got here before me, but she said she didn’t see anything either. And I don’t know why she would have come into the office for anything. I think she just looked around up front,” Allie said.

Kamille. Would she have thrown away my note? Is that why she was all smiley at me when I came in? But what would be the point? Obviously, she had to deduct that I was doing something for Dani since the note stated so. Did she really think she could try to pass me off for being late on my own accord?

“Actually, speaking of Kamille, she came to me this morning with a great idea!” Dani interjected.

I turned my attention to her. “Well, that’s wonderful. What’s her idea?”

Kevin piped in. “Our sales tend to suffer during the middle of the week. Less appointments, people aren’t getting their paychecks yet, blah, blah, blah. Tuesday and Wednesday seem to take big hits on sales.”

“I don’t know how Kamille figured that out. She must have overheard us chatting about it,” Dani said.

I started to get a cold feeling throughout my body. No. It couldn’t be. She didn’t.

“So Kamille came up with some plans, some advertising strategies to try. Check these out.” Kevin thrust some loose-leaf papers my way, and I scanned them over. Kamille had taken my ideas. She had outright stolen my plans for Take Two Tuesday and Want Me Wednesday.

I was speechless. I stared at my plans, taking in all the details. She hadn’t changed anything. Not one idea on here was hers. They were all mine. She hadn’t bothered to change a f*cking thing. My mind raced. Did I tell Kevin and Dani that these were my ideas? How would I get proof? My briefcase!

I turned around to face the desk I had been working on before Dani called. All my papers that were scattered around were gone. I opened up my briefcase. Nothing in there except my notebook and usual folders. She must have found the papers, copied everything, then disposed of them. She must have found the note I left for Allie and got rid of that too. That sneaky little bitch!

“Alex? Hello! Come on, don’t you think this is great? We decided to start it next week and see how it goes,” Kevin said, snapping me back to reality. I couldn’t tell them the ideas were mine. I had no way of proving it. I would just have to play along.

“That’s great. Very wonderful.” I forced a smile on my lips. “Let’s roll it out on Tuesday. I’ll contact Peter and see if he can make up some new signs for us to put around the salon. And I’ll bring it up on Monday’s staff meeting as well so everyone knows to push it.” I started moving around the office on auto-pilot, hastily scribbling a to-do list.

“Terrific! Maybe we should think about giving Kamille a little bonus as well. Such a fabulous idea. I wish I could claim it myself!” Dani said, and Kevin and Allie chuckled. I forced myself a small laugh, all while thinking, yeah, me too. I didn’t know how, but that bitch was going to be called out on this.

Alex’s To-Do List:

Peter––signage

Prepare for Monday staff meeting

Manicure for Henry date

Take Kamille down!