The Green Ticket

Epilogue



NINE MONTHS LATER



“Thank you for calling Blissful Salon and Spa. This is Alex, how may I help you?”

“Hi, Alex. This is Mrs. Lombardi. I would like to schedule a massage for next week.”

“No problem. How are you, Mrs. Lombardi?”

“Doing well, can’t wait for my massage. I skipped last month’s and my back is making me pay for it.”

“Well, let me see when I can get you in then.”

“Will Allie be available?”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Lombardi. Allie no longer works for Blissful.”

“She doesn’t? Do you know where she went?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have any forwarding information on her. But I can get you in next Thursday at your usual time of 1:30 with Vicki. You’ve had her a few times before. Would that be okay?”

“Sounds good to me. Slot me in. See you next week.”

“Have a good day.”

I hung up the phone with a smile on my face. It was a Saturday night, approaching closing time of six o’clock. Tiffany was mopping the front lobby, and I knew Dani was hovering in the back office pulling the closing reports. I had cut everyone except for Mandy, who was finishing up with her last hair appointment. I was thrilled she had stayed on part-time after she had her baby boy. She continued to be one of Blissful’s top stylists. I stretched my arms above my head and tilted my head from side to side, hearing two satisfying pops that would make Hannah squirm with discomfort.

Speaking of Hannah, I felt my phone buzz in my pants pocket and knew it would be my roommate. Sure enough: We’re outside. No rush!

I smiled as I thumbed back my reply, then stood and made my way to the back. Dani was in the office pulling the nightly reports off the printer when I entered. “How’d we do?” I asked, sinking in the office chair.

“Another great night. The Halloween ads you came up with are spectacular. They’re really moving the products. Which is good because we’ll have a new shipment come in probably within three weeks. The more we can get off the shelves, the better.”

“Great. Henry is waiting for me outside. Mandy’s just getting finished and Tiffany was almost done with the cleaning. Mind if I take off or do you need any more help here?”

“No, no. You go. I might even just take the reports home with me so I can get a better idea of the week we’ve had.”

I gathered my purse and binder and slipped my light jacket on. It still felt weird to leave Blissful at a normal time, and not have to be afraid I was going to be reprimanded. “Brunch tomorrow?” I asked Dani.

“I’ll be there at eleven. Have a good night, sweetie.”

I waved goodbye and headed out, slipping into Henry’s car once I was outside. “Hey, guys.” Henry leaned over from the driver’s seat to give me a kiss. Hannah and Peter were in the back seat, and we were on our way to Tango to celebrate Emma’s engagement to Corey. I don’t think any of the Wacker girls would have guessed Emma to be the first to walk down the aisle–– including Emma. When Corey popped the question to her over summer at the lake–– with a stunning princess cut sparkler–– Emma said she about fell in the water she was so surprised. I was thrilled for my friend. Corey somehow tamed the wild child in Emma, and Emma had fallen head over heels for her prince charming.

“Did everything go smoothly today with Lila’s flight? Carmen make it on time to pick her up?” I asked, running a comb through my hair. Heading straight to a party from an eight-hour workday wasn’t ideal, but that was a sacrifice I was willing to make now that I actually enjoyed my job at Blissful.

“Yep, everything was fine. They’re both already there,” Hannah said. “Does it weird you out going back to the scene of the crime?” She was of course referring to the incident with Kevin at my birthday party.

“Eh, kind of. It’ll probably just bring back gross memories. But I’m glad to go there on a much happier occasion.”

“How was Dani today?” Henry asked me, merging right to get on the interstate.

“She was good. I know since her mom moved in with her it’s been a lot better. Her stress levels have gone down now that she has help with the girls.”

“What does she hear from Kevin?” Peter asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. “Really not much. They mostly speak through their lawyers, which I think is so sad. Dani said he only wants to get the girls one weekend a month. Can you believe that? One weekend a month is all he wants with his children. He’s so disgusting.”

“That’s just sad. I can’t believe you had to put up with him for so long. I can’t believe Dani put up with him for years. I’m glad that you both can put all this behind you. Soon enough the divorce will be final and Dani can finally have some closure.”

“She needs it.” I looked out the window and thought of my boss, my friend. Dani had been in her own personal hell since the day I told her about Kevin and Allie. A lot had happened in the past nine months, and I was so proud of the way Dani handled herself. Her marriage had crumbled, her heart was broken, and her trust in friends was shattered. She had a lot of pieces to pick up, and I knew it couldn’t have been easy for her. But she was surviving. She put on a brave face, she stayed strong in front of her daughters, and she refused to lie down and play dead. The one thing she wanted to make sure she had from the divorce settlement was Blissful. She put her heart and soul into her business, and I was thrilled when Kevin agreed to give her all the rights. Dani begged me to stay on as a manager, giving me a significant raise and more lenient hours. I had to say yes. There was a point in time where I loved Blissful, and I knew I was good at my job. Dani and I were in the talks to open a second salon in the downtown area of Des Moines and build a franchise. Together, as partners.

“I’d say this is rock star parking,” Henry said as he pulled into a spot right outside of Tango. “It’s like they knew we were coming.” The four of us hopped out and headed towards the door. Henry put his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him. I snuggled into his embrace. “I love you, Alex,” he whispered in my hair.

“Love you, Henry.” He gave me a quick kiss before we headed inside, and then up the stairs to meet our friends. We were approaching one year of seeing each other, and I couldn’t be happier with my relationship. He had accompanied me on a trip to Seattle in June to meet my family, and I had met his entire clan as well. I was madly in love with Henry Landon and excited about what our future would look like.

Lila was the first person I spotted once I got to the top of the stairs. “Lila!” I shrieked, running over to my best friend and practically jumping into her arms. She was spray-tanned to perfection, her teeth sparkling white and her white-blonde hair bouncing with curls. She looked like the same gorgeous Lila I had always known, just with a few subtle enhancements. I’m talking about her teeth and tan. She thankfully decided to forgo any plastic surgery.

“Alex! I’ve missed you so much! Seriously–– you’re coming out to visit me next month, right? Please tell me you’re still coming out!” she said, her arms still wrapped around me.

“Yes! All us girls are coming out. You better be ready!” We finally pulled away, and Lila grabbed my hand and led me towards the direction of Emma and Corey. “I cannot believe Emma is engaged. If you would have asked me last year if I thought Emma would have a ring on her finger, I would have peed my pants from laughing.”

“If you would have asked me a year ago if Emma would have a boyfriend, I would have peed my pants from laughing,” I said, speaking the truth. It was crazy to look back over the year and think about how much had changed. Lila was on the rise in LA, just booking her first big-time reporting gig that would hopefully catch the attention of the producers of Buzzworthy. Emma was getting married next fall to a great guy. Hannah was in love with Peter, I was in love with Henry, and Carmen–– well, Carmen was still Carmen. She had been dating Max on and off, but there wasn’t anything too serious between them. I think they liked to hook up when the rest of us were coupled up, but Carmen seemed perfectly content with her situation. All my friends were happy.

“Everyone’s here!” Emma squealed when we got to her table. I gave my friend a hug, noting how beautiful she looked in her deep teal dress with her blonde hair all in curls. We had thrown her one engagement party already, the weekend after she said yes, but we wanted another one so we could celebrate with Lila.

“We have to get a picture! Peter, will you take one for us?” Hannah asked, handing her digital camera over to her boyfriend.

“Oh, Henry, will you get one of us too? Here’s my camera.” I shoved my camera into his hands and went to take my place next to Lila.

“Corey! Grab mine too, please. I want to get a shot of this,” Emma said, and Corey obliged by going through her purse and pulling out her camera.

“You girls know you can just tag each other on Facebook, right?” Corey asked, making us laugh. We’d heard that line a million times before, but it never stopped us from each getting a picture on our own cameras.

The five of us huddled close together, arms around each other and smiles shining. The flashes went off and we examined the pictures, declaring them perfect. Corey popped the cork on a champagne bottle and filled our flutes, and we toasted to the new life him and Emma would be starting. The night passed in a blur of drinks and dancing. With Lila gone and Emma about to move out and into a new house with Corey, we weren’t technically the Wacker Girls anymore. But I knew that no matter what our futures held, our time together at Kaufman would always be looked back on fondly.

I learned a lot that year, and while some of the lessons I learned were painful, I was still proud of the outcome. I knew better than to let someone intimidate me, and I knew that money would never fix a problem. I grew up. I’m sure a lot more obstacles would be thrown my way in the future, but I know now that I have a voice and how to use it. Isn’t our world just a big game of money versus morals? I wasn’t the only one who walked the thin and complicated line between the two. Heck, I’d probably face the same situation once or twice more in my life–– maybe even more. It might have taken me some time to figure it out, but I know that in the end, I made the right decision. Morals trumps money, and the green ticket isn’t worth the trouble.





About the Author


Samantha March is an author, editor, publisher, blogger, and all around book lover. She runs the popular book/women’s lifestyle blog ChickLitPlus, which keeps her bookshelf stocked with the latest reads and up to date on all things health, fitness, fashion, and celebrity related. In 2011 she launched her independent publishing company Marching Ink and her debut novel Destined to Fail. When she isn’t reading, writing, or blogging, you can find her cheering for the Green Bay Packers.