The Green Ticket

Chapter 7



The Tuesday following Halloween, I headed to Blissful right after class for my first facial. I checked myself in for the appointment, and sat up front with Kamille until Allie was ready for me. I used my time studying the menu of services. I really wanted to get them memorized so I didn’t have to always have one on hand when the phone rang.

“You ready, hon?” Allie appeared in front of me, clad in the usual Blissful uniform: black dress pants and the white-collared shirt with Blissful Salon and Spa etched in black on the left side. She had her black hair pulled back in a tight ponytail with a thin pink band holding back her bangs. I was going to be doing more training after my facial, so I also wore dress pants and a plain white top, as I didn’t have my official staff shirt in yet. Dani had told me I didn’t need to wear my work shirt everyday though, just to dress up on the days that I didn’t wear it. I had planned to hit up the mall with Lila later in the week to help fill the void of non-professional clothes in my closet.

“Ready!” I slid off the stool and gave Kamille a friendly wave as I followed Allie behind the partition and into the salon part. Kamille just raised her overly plucked eyebrows at me and stared back down at the computer screen.

“I just don’t think she likes me much,” I said to Allie, waving hello to the other stylists that I passed. I had been introduced to all the staff at an employee meeting last week, and thought I would fit in just fine at Blissful. The stylists were mostly female, and the median age was probably twenty-five. There was one male massage therapist and one male stylist who seemed just as nice as the females. The only one that seemed less than thrilled with me was Kamille.

“Don’t take it too personally,” Allie said, opening the heavy doors that led to the spa area. I immediately felt a sense of calm when the busy chatter of the salon faded away and the soft music floating from the hidden speakers hit my ears. “She was being considered for the management job, so she probably wasn’t going to like whoever ended up getting it.”

Well, that explained a lot. “I get it. Why didn’t she get the position? I mean, it makes sense to hire internally.”

“I think there were a few reasons. She has a really busy schedule with her school and she’s in a lot of extra-curricular activities. She’s also pretty new to Des Moines –– she just moved here from out of state last year to go to Irving –– and Kevin was really big on finding someone who has a lot of connections with the city. And we’ve been able to watch her up front and see how she works, and she doesn’t seem to connect with the clients very easily. The personality that’s needed for the position just wasn’t there. You can’t tell me you think her personality is that of a winner.”

I gave a slight nod but didn’t say anything. That was a bit harsh, but Kamille never had been friendly to me.

Allie ushered me into a treatment room as she gave me the low-down on Kamille, then held out what looked like half a towel to me. “I’ll slip out of the room, and go ahead and undress to your comfort level. Put this on over your body and lay face up on the bed. You’ll want to make sure to either remove your bra or at least take the straps down, because I do a neck massage. Same goes for your pants. If you can take off your socks and slacks, I also do a foot massage while your mask sets in.”

“Got it. Thanks.” Allie left the room and I set out removing my socks, pants, bra, undershirt, and blouse. I also took off my watch and necklace, setting them carefully on the little table in the room, climbed into my towel/robe thing and crawled underneath the covers, eyes towards the ceiling. The soft music was soothing, but there was that scary-looking dentist-like contraption looming to my left. I wondered if I would be getting any extractions done and what the heck that entailed.

My thoughts wandered over to Halloween while I waited for Allie to come back in the room. I couldn’t believe what a fool I made of myself. I threw up twice more on Sunday, thankful I didn’t have class or work to attend, and cringed every time I thought of Henry Landon. I really thought we had a connection going, but now I seriously doubted it. I barely remembered what our conversations had been about, and I was sure he was just entertaining the drunk girl at his party, trying to help his buddy Peter out. Peter had asked Hannah out for a dinner date this week, and all us girls were super excited for her once we found out about it. She deserved a nice guy. I wanted to ask Hannah to ask Peter to ask Henry what he thought of me, but I was sure Henry he would not be interested in a lush like me. I blew my chances on Halloween.

“Ready, hon?” Allie asked, tapping lightly on the door and entering, dimming the lights just a touch.

“Ready!” I responded, feeling the déjà vu from our earlier conversation at the desk. I wondered how many times stylists repeated themselves throughout the day. I wondered how many times I would repeat myself when working the desk.

“Do you have any make-up on, like foundation or blush?” Allie asked, sitting on the short black stool that was by my head.

“Um, yes and yes. Sorry, I didn’t even think to take it off!” Duh, Alex. Obviously you couldn’t wear make-up during a facial.

“No problem at all. Most women do, and I can easily remove it. We also offer a complimentary make-up session after all facials, just a touch-up to get you on your way. It’s near impossible to go anywhere after a facial since we remove all make-up, so we just put a bit of foundation on, usually a bit of eye make-up as well so they can feel good about themselves and not have to worry.”

“Wow, that’s a great idea. I guess I don’t know what I’ll look like when I’m done, but I’m sure I’ll want the make-up application.”

“Our clients really appreciate it, and that’s what we care about. Most other salons don’t offer that.” Allie wiped a cool cloth around my face then concentrated on my eyes, wiping away all traces of eye shadow, liner, and mascara. “I’m going to look at your skin under the light to determine what we need to use today on you. I’m just going to put these over your eyes so I don’t blind you,” I felt little pads cover my eyelids, “and just take a look. Now, what kind of skin do you think you have? Oily or dry? Any problem areas or trouble zones?”

The light flickered on but didn’t really affect me thanks to the eye pads. I considered Allie’s question. “This time of year I think I have really dry skin. I try to use a moisturizer a lot because sometimes it looks like my skin is just flaking off, which is really gross. I’ve never had the best skin and I still get breakouts, especially on my chin, but not many other problems that I can think of.”

Allie ran the tips of her fingers along my forehead, both cheeks, my nose, chin and even felt my neck and décolleté. “Your temperature is nice and even, which is a good sign. You have fairly healthy skin, but I can feel little dry spots. It’s important that you keep using your moisturizer, and aim for twice a day, once in the morning and again at night when you remove your make-up. We have a super-hydrating moisturizer that you could try as well that should help clear that up.”

The light flicked off and Allie removed the pads from my eyes. I blinked a few times to get my contacts moist, then closed my eyes again as Allie began to smooth something on my face with what felt like a paintbrush. “I’m starting with an exfoliant first. This helps slough off the dead skin and reveal the sparkling skin underneath all those dead cells. Is the steam bothering you at all?”

“I really didn’t notice it until now,” I answered, feeling warm puffs of air reach my face. It was kind of nice actually.

“The steam helps open up your pores so I can really get down to what’s beneath your skin and bring everything up and out. It’s like a detox for your skin. If you use an exfoliant at home, the shower is a good place to apply it. Get in, shampoo up first and then put it on. The steam from the shower will be like giving you your own facial at home.”

As soon as the gritty material was slathered over my face and neck, Allie promptly removed it, running a washcloth over the applied areas until my face was bare again. “I’m going to turn on the light again and just do a couple of quick extractions here for you.”

“Uh, Allie? What exactly is an extraction?” I finally worked up the nerve to ask. Could I get some anesthesia or a Vicodin first?

“It’s pretty simple. I’m just going to remove your whiteheads. I don’t see any blackheads on your skin, which is great. It might be a little uncomfortable. I’m just going underneath the skin to bring everything up. It’s a safer way than just popping pimples, which can cause irritation and lead to scarring.”

Well, I felt like a fool. Good thing I hadn’t asked for the Vicodin. The extractions didn’t hurt too bad, just a mild discomfort like Allie had said. “Is training going good?” she asked, while squeezing a particularly sensitive spot on my chin.

“Oh, yeah, it’s been great. I’ve almost got the menu down, and I think I caught on to the computer system pretty fast. I’m going to sit in with Kevin on a conference call on Thursday with other franchise owners, which should be pretty educational. Hopefully I can think of a few things to contribute so I don’t just sit there in silence like a dope.”

“I’m sure you’ll do just fine. And Kevin will help you out. He’s a man of a few words, but he cares about all of his employees. And the business. He loves to succeed.”

“How long have you worked here?”

“Since they opened last year. I actually worked on the other side of town at a salon there, but Dani and Kevin made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. And I love it here. My fiancé and I moved over to this part of town about eight months ago, and we just love it. More convenient for both of us, plus it’s just a nicer area. It would be a good place to start a family.”

“I didn’t know you were engaged. Congratulations! When’s the wedding?”

“Thanks, hon. I don’t wear my ring a lot because I don’t want to get product on it. But the wedding is going to be next summer, June 21st.” I heard Allie fiddling with more bottles, then wheeling the chair back over to the bed. “I’m going to put the first mask on you now. It’s a calming mask, and the second will be a hydrating mask to help get some moisture on your face.”

“Okay.” I felt the paintbrush running over my skin again, tickling me when she ran it under my nose.

“Did you work somewhere else before coming here?”

“Actually, I still technically work for Tastie’s. Friday is my last shift there.”

“Tastie’s? I didn’t really peg you as a Tastie’s girl.”

“Well, it was really just to earn some extra money while in school. And my best friend and roommate Lila also works there, so we did a lot of shifts together. Honestly, it really isn’t that bad. Frank, the owner, is a really nice guy and the hours are pretty flexible. And the uniforms aren’t as bad as what the Hooters girls have to wear.”

Allie finished putting the mask on me, then started to massage my neck and shoulders. It felt amazing. All the stress and pressure that I didn’t even know had built up started to melt under her fingertips. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the relaxation, but my thoughts wandered to Frank and Tastie’s. Frank’s reaction to my new career opportunity had puzzled me.

“Where is the job at?” I told Frank that I had gotten a manager position at Blissful Salon and Spa a week and a half ago, to inform him that I was officially putting my two weeks’ in and hanging up my lacy black bra.

“It’s in Witte, on Mayfair Lane,” I had answered, taking a sip of my lemonade. I was sitting in Frank’s office, which was messy with menus, design concepts, schedules, résumés and more. Frank liked to have his hands in every pot, and oversaw anything that went down at his restaurant.

“Who’s the owner?”

His question caught me off guard, but I answered. “Kevin and Dani Dohlman. They’re a husband and wife team.”

Frank had sat back in his chair, one hand under his chin. “The Dohlmans, huh. You’re going to work for the Dohlmans.”

I hadn’t known how to respond to that. Frank didn’t seem happy about my new position. He looked concerned, mad, maybe a little confused. “Um, yes? I mean, yes, I am. At Blissful Salon and Spa. Have you been there? Do you know them?”

“I know the Dohlmans, Alex. I know them. I don’t want to fill your pretty head with bad stories before you go, though. I can see what an opportunity this is for you. But, well, the Dohlmans might not be all you’ve cracked them up to be.”

“What do you mean by that?” Kevin and Dani were successful entrepreneurs and business owners and wealthy and nice and welcoming. What could possibly be wrong with them?

“I’ve worked with Kevin before on a few deals and projects. Got burned one too many times. The man only cares about his money. Doesn’t care about his employees, his partners, or his customers–– though he’ll try to tell you he does. He wants money and he wants it fast. You know, I really shouldn’t even be saying anything.” Frank halted his story, but I was salivating for more.

“No, you can tell me, Frank. I would appreciate knowing what I’m getting into. I did some research online about them but didn’t really find out a whole lot.”

After a bit more cajoling, Frank finally let it spill. He talked about bad business deals, disappearing money, multiple lawsuits involving Kevin, and many cases of sexual harassment brought on from Kevin’s female employees. He discussed Kevin’s background in nude modeling and the multiple affairs Kevin had since he married Dani, including one with Franks second wife–– now ex.

I left Tastie’s that day feeling a little sick to my stomach. I was overwhelmed with knowledge on my new bosses, and none of it was positive. Could Frank’s stories be true? He made Kevin out to be scum, someone who only cares about dollar bills, women, and getting ahead no matter who he hurt. I remembered the odd feeling I had gotten when I first met Kevin, the intimate hug he gave me after offering me the job, Dani’s frozen smile.

“Can I ask you a question, Allie?” I asked, as she wrapped up my massage and began removing the face mask.

“Anything, hon.”

“Do you like working for Kevin and Dani? I mean, how are they as bosses?”

Allie paused, the washcloth hovering over my cheeks for just a moment before she resumed wiping the goop away. “They’re great! Dani is the biggest sweetheart around. I just love her. A big heart, a great mom, and she’s so focused all the time. And Kevin, he’s not around as much as Dani, but we all still really like him. He’s good to the employees, he’s generous, and I think he’s a pretty good boss. Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering. I’ve never worked at a place where I’m so close to the owners, working side by side with them almost daily. It will be a new experience, that’s for sure. So I just wanted to get some scoop, that’s all,” I lied. I wanted to see if Allie would offer up any details to back up Frank’s allegations against Kevin.

“I think you’ll like it. Dani seemed to take a liking to you right away. Kevin can be a bit overbearing at times, but you just need to stand up to him.”

“What do you mean?” Like sexual harassment? Asking me to steal money from the cash drawer so he can pay strippers?

“Sometimes he thinks of his employees like personal assistants. When I first started, he was asking me to fetch his coffee, run to the store to pick up his orders, things like that. I finally put my foot down and said I am an esthetician, not his slave, and he stopped asking.”

“Okay.” I grew quiet as she slathered the second mask on my face, thinking about what she said. She didn’t make Kevin out to be a bad guy at all. Maybe Frank had a different view on him because of some business deals gone wrong between the two of them. I started to relax, relieved that my worry was for nothing. And because Allie had started to massage my feet.

“Yeah, Kevin really isn’t one to worry about. I think he’s a great boss. Like I said–– I think Dani is a big sweetheart. Most of the time. Sometimes she can be just as overbearing as Kevin though.”

“Really? Like how?” I was surprised. I thought Dani was very real and down to earth. Kevin definitely gave me the overbearing vibes; Dani not so much.

“I shouldn’t even say anything. It’s our boss, you know? I don’t want to seem catty right out of the gate.”

“You can tell me, Allie. It’s not like I’m going to run to her and start blabbing. I’m just curious about who I’m working for is all.” I really did want to know Allie’s opinion, even though she did come off just a bit snarky with her Kamille comments and now clearly wanting to dish on Dani. But this was a salon. Isn’t that what always happened?

“I’d just say to watch out for her. She’s someone who doesn’t mind putting a knife in your back if it means she can get ahead. She puts herself on the top pedestal, and no one can come close to her.”

I got quiet, thinking that over. Why would Dani stab someone in the back to get ahead? How much farther ahead could she possibly want to get? Was Allie serious that Dani would do something to one of her employees to make her look better? From what I knew of Dani so far, that just didn’t fit. I stayed silent the rest of the facial, trying to make sense of what I had just learned. Could it be true?

I was feeling a little defeated, wondering if this position was really right for me. I didn’t want to be around overbearing bosses who would take advantage of me or stab me in the back for their own selfish reasons.

“I’m sure you’ll be just fine, Alex. I’ll help take care of you, and the other girls are great too. Dani can be a sweetheart, and Kevin isn’t around too much. Sometimes in a small salon the personal stuff can just get a little too personal, but you have to try to push it aside and focus on your responsibilities instead. Now, let me get this mask off you, and you’ll almost be done. How was your first facial?”

“Um, it was great. I really enjoyed it. Thanks, Allie.” Though I enjoyed the gossip more. Finding out why Kamille wasn’t uber-friendly to me and the dish on Kevin made for a successful fifty-minute facial. I just wasn’t sure how I felt about Dani now. Allie spritzed some toner around my face and declared me complete.

“I’ll let you get changed and meet you up at the salon to retouch your make-up. I’m glad to have you on board, Alex. I think you’ll make a great manager.”

I put my clothes back on with a smile on my face. I knew my friends were supporting me, my sister was thrilled with my new position, and I had a friendship forming with Allie. If I had any troubles with Kevin, I knew I could go to her for advice. Now, I just needed to find a way to get Kamille off my case for losing out on the job, figure out how to sound smart and manager-like in the upcoming conference call, and get my homework done for Monday. And while I was making my to-do list, I thought of another one I could add: stop thinking about Henry.

$$$

After Allie reapplied my make-up (making me look better than the original make-up application I gave myself that morning) I headed into the office to study the menu and play around with the back office options on the computer. Dani had set me up with my own codes so I could get into the system, where I could pull up detailed tracking reports, find the order forms for products we needed, and even check out the numbers of competing Blissful salons.

I became engrossed in my work, jotting down notes for myself and marking down questions that I needed answered in my notebook. I kept flipping from the back office to the regular salon schedule, keeping an eye on how the appointments were moving and if my help was needed at all. Tuesdays were a slower day and I was pretty sure Tiffany, the front desk worker that night, could handle things. She was in her twenties, just a few years older than me, and liked to stay busy up front. Whenever there weren’t customers, she could be found cleaning the area. She had admitted to me before that she was a little OCD about cleaning. I didn’t have any problem with that.

I stayed in the back almost the entire night, but kept a close on the schedule. At busier times, right around six and then again at seven, I came out to help Tiffany at the front desk. Other than that I stayed in the office, fiddling with the back office controls, studying the menu that I almost knew by heart now, and re-reading parts of my employee handbook. At about 7:30 the office door opened, and I was surprised to see Dani enter.

“Hi!” I said, sitting up straighter in my chair and smoothing my hair back.

“Hi, honey,” she said. “I just thought I would pop in and see how things are going tonight.”

“Really well. It’s not been super busy, but the stylists have been good with sales tonight. Everyone on the floor sold at least one product. Allie’s sold three.”

“Wonderful. Tuesdays are probably the slowest appointment day, so the more product we can sell, the better.”

I made a note of that in my notebook. Maybe we should start a special, something that occurred only on Tuesdays during the week. Twenty percent off maybe? Help move the products off the shelf. I would have to think about it.

“Tiffany’s been doing good out front, and I’ve been back here getting some studying in. I logged into the back office like you showed me and I’ve been playing around with the different features. It’s pretty awesome what all you can see.”

“It is. And that’s something you can log on from home, too. You don’t need to be on a Blissful computer for it. So that’s nice for me and Kevin, we can easily pull up the schedule or numbers at home without having to call or stop in all the time.”

“Oh, that’s awesome! I’ll definitely be checking things out at home.” It would be nice to stay up to date on how the salon was running on my days off.

“Terrific. Hey, have you eaten dinner yet? I was going to see if you and Allie wanted to grab a bite after we closed up. Maybe just head down the street to Boomer’s?”

I thought of all the homework that was waiting for me at home: studying for a test, finishing an accounting spreadsheet, and trying to decipher the difference between two songs that were written about fifty years ago. I knew I should have declined Dani’s offer, but I really wanted to go out with her. I had felt us bonding over the past couple weeks and I really liked her. She was down to earth, fun to be around, and super nice. I hadn’t gotten any of the vibes that Allie had warned me about. And Dani always seemed so nice around Allie and seemed to enjoy her company. I couldn’t figure out Allie quite yet, but I hoped maybe she was just having an off-day when she gave me my facial. “Sure!” I heard myself say. “It shouldn’t take too long to get everything cleaned up, so we should get out right around eight.”

“And with Tiffany up front, you won’t have to worry about cleaning the desk area,” Dani said, making us both laugh. True enough, Tiffany had the front office area sparkling when I walked up there. Only Allie and one other stylist, Katie, were still working, and I let Katie go after her area was cleaned. I also let Tiffany head home, and quickly counted the money drawer and filed all the receipts. After double-checking that everything was set to run in the morning, we locked up and the three of us headed outside.

“Do you girls want to drive yourselves or pile in with me?” Dani asked, stopping beside Kevin’s BMW.

“I’ll just drive myself. I can’t stay out too late, I have a bunch of homework still to get to tonight,” I said, pulling my keys from my purse.

“Okay. Meet you down there then!” Dani gave a wave and piled into the tiny car. Allie and I walked together across the parking lot to the back spaces, where we parked to try to keep the closer spots open for the customers.

Luckily Boomer’s wasn’t busy, and we got a table in the dining area and put our orders in right away. I was grateful that Dani also ordered an appetizer of mozzarella sticks, because I was famished. I had to start remembering to bring more sufficient lunches than just a bologna sandwich or salad. I was even more grateful when they were delivered the sticks to our table within minutes.

“So, Alex, how do you like your new job so far? It’s been about what, two weeks? How are things going?” Dani opened up the conversation with the focus on me.

“I think it’s going really well! It actually doesn’t feel like a job to me. I’m having fun with everything, I’m learning a lot, and I think I understand everything that is expected of me. I was telling my roommate just the other day how excited I was to come in to work. I think she thought I was crazy.”

Dani and Allie laughed, and Dani said, “That’s terrific. That’s just what I want to hear from my manager. If you find something you really love doing, it won’t feel like work because you enjoy it. I can see you thriving at Blissful, I really can. You’ve picked up quickly on everything. You’ve even surprised Kevin! He couldn’t believe how fast you took to the system. It usually takes a new employee a lot longer to get it all down.”

“I practice a lot in the office. I think that has really helped,” I said. I grabbed my second hot mozzarella stick and blew on it. “Though I am a bit worried about payroll.”

“I’ll help you with that. Seriously, with the notes I have, it will be a breeze. It’s just time-consuming, that’s all,” Allie said, giving my shoulder a reassuring pat. “Kind of like the schedules. It’s easy, just a big ole puzzle that you have to figure out.”

We continued to talk about Blissful until our food arrived. It got silent as we all dug in, me enjoying my loaded cheeseburger with abandon.

“Well, let’s quit talking business!” Dani exclaimed at one point. “Alex, how is your school going? Are you able to balance your workload and school okay?”

Um, no. “Yes! It hasn’t been too bad, really. I try to get most of my work done on Mondays for the week if I can.” I should really start trying to do that. “And then at nights I can usually finish everything.”

“Glad to hear. Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Oh, no.” Thoughts of Henry Landon swished in my head. “Totally single right now.”

“Nothing wrong with that. Men are trouble. Right, Allie?” Dani laughed and looked at Allie, who gave a chuckle and bit into her chicken sandwich, nodding her head.

I gave a laugh as well, though I was unsure what to say. Yeah, men do suck?

“My husband can be such a handful sometimes,” Dani continued, ignoring her tuna salad sandwich. “Last Friday, he didn’t come home until almost four in the morning! A friend of his just opened up a new bar, Sipps, and Kevin’s been helping out there.”

“I’ve heard of that place. My friend’s are planning to check it out sometime. I won’t turn twenty-one until January, though, so I have a while to wait.”

“Oh, if your friends are ever going to stop by, just let Kevin know. He’ll make sure you get in, and he can get your girls free bottle service, too,” Dani said with a flick of the wrist.

My eyes widened. The girls would be seriously impressed if I could get us free bottle service at the newest bar in town. “Really? I don’t want to inconvenience him or anything....”

“Oh, he’ll love it. Trust me. He enjoys doing that kind of thing for friends. He’s very giving.”

“Could I get another water, please?” Allie flagged down our passing waiter, who nodded his head and scurried towards the kitchen.

“Well, that is very generous of him. I’ll be sure to let my friends know so we can plan that sometime. Thanks.” I knew I would never ask Kevin to do any such thing for me. Asking my boss for bottle service just wasn’t something I was comfortable with.

Dani smiled at me, then picked up her sandwich and took a bite. I concentrated once again on my own food, not surprised when I finished the entire burger. The three of us chatted for a bit more about Blissful, Allie’s wedding plans, and how Dani was hiring a new landscaper for her lawn. I was shocked when I looked at my watch and saw that it was already a quarter to ten. My homework!

“Well, I think I should probably get going. Still have some studying to do,” I said, pulling my wallet out of my purse.

“Oh, dinner’s on me,” Dani said, reaching into her purse as well. “You get going then, Alex. I’ll take care of the bill and we’ll just see you tomorrow. Are you in at two?”

“I am. But I can’t let you take care of my bill. Please, let me,” I protested.

“I won’t hear of it. I’m happy to do it. Thank you for your company tonight. Both of you.” She smiled at Allie, who was also getting up from the booth. “You girls get home. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

“Well, that was nice of her,” I commented as Allie and I walked out together, stopping to grab a mint at the hostess stand.

“Oh, get used to it. Kevin and Dani will pay for all your meals. I haven’t paid for my own meal since I’ve started,” Allie said.

“Really? Wow. That’s sure nice of them.”

“Yep. It’s a nice perk to enjoy. So you can save your breath trying to protest each time. They’ll never accept money from you.”

We reached our cars, and I hit the unlock button on my key fob. “Wow. Okay, then. Thanks for the heads-up.”

“Anytime. Drive safe, okay? I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow!” I hopped in my Camry and let the engine run for a minute before putting it in drive. I fished a pair of mittens out of my purse and slipped them on–– the steering wheel was freezing. As I drove towards campus, I reflected back on dinner. I had a great time and was happy that I got along with Dani so well. All the doubts I had about her from talking with Allie had evaporated. Sometimes I forgot that she was only eight years older than me. We had a smaller age gap than me and Alicia. It was strange to think that she was already married, had three kids, a thriving business and a successful husband. I decided that night that I was going to do my best to be just like Dani Dohlman.