Aster perched on the chair, holding her notebook and pen at the ready, as Elizabeth glowered at her computer screen. Every night they made a list of things Aster needed to do the next day: schedule pickups and deliveries, return calls, book travel for important guests. Aster had never booked travel in her life. The first time Elizabeth asked her to do it, she’d tried to text the airline from her phone. She’d learned a lot in the last few weeks, she thought with an unfamiliar sense of pride.
Aster’s gaze drifted to Elizabeth’s desk. There was an open Us Weekly near her phone, with a full-page story on the rapper Ko folded back. Another magazine showed a photo of Ko and a pretty girl. With a start, Aster realized it was Faun, with whom she’d apartment hunted. She and Ko were dating? Since when?
“Are you a big Ko fan?” Aster asked.
Elizabeth’s eyes flickered from the screen for a beat. “We’re trying to design an engagement ring for his flavor of the month.” She pointed at Faun’s picture in the magazine, her mouth a thin line. “They came in a few weeks ago and basically said, ‘Dazzle us.’ Those are the worst kind of clients, the ones who have no idea what they want. They almost never end up buying what we design.”
There was another knock. Mitch appeared in the doorway. “You mind if I take a look at your computer for a second, Elizabeth?” he asked. “I have to run a quick scan. It’ll take one minute, I promise.”
“Fine,” Elizabeth snapped. “Aster, don’t leave yet.”
Mitch stepped into the room, shooting Aster a sympathetic smile. Aster smiled back. So far Mitch was the only good thing about this job. He checked in on her every day, sending her jokes and bringing her red Swedish fish—her favorite—to help her get through that bitch of a spreadsheet. He’d been the one to sit with her and patiently teach her Excel—and to recover the file when she accidentally deleted it. In Aster’s old life, she would have held a party in his honor by now.
Elizabeth typed away furiously on her phone, clearly in her own world. Aster stared at the picture of Faun and Ko in Interview. They were in front of a step-and-repeat at the Chateau Marmont, one of Aster’s favorite places in LA. “Faun comes from money too,” she said, thinking aloud. “Her mom patented some new kind of plastic surgery technique that made them a fortune. She only died a few years ago. Faun’s still devastated.”
Elizabeth’s head whipped up. “Where did you read that?”
“I didn’t read it. She told me.” Aster thought for a moment. “You know, her mom had one of the most insane jewelry collections I’ve ever seen. You should try to use that for Faun’s ring. Maybe you could make a vintage-inspired piece that echoes something from the collection? I bet you could find an old photo in Vogue or something.”
Mitch looked up from what he was doing, his head cocked. “That’s a great idea.”
Elizabeth made a swishing motion with her hands. “Stick to data entry, Aster. Leave the client management to the professionals.”
“All done here,” Mitch interrupted, standing back from the computer. He turned back toward the door, winking at Aster on the way out.
Aster glanced at her watch as Elizabeth logged back in to her e-mail, trying not to panic. Corinne would seriously freak out if she held up the plane. Or worse, she would just leave Aster behind, and Aster would have to take a bus.
“Aster.” Elizabeth’s voice was cold. “This spreadsheet isn’t complete.”
Aster sat up straight. “What?” she asked dumbly. She’d gone over every data point multiple times; there was no way she’d missed anything.
Elizabeth tapped a French-manicured nail against the screen, the lines around her mouth growing deeper. “I don’t see the past purchases anywhere on here.”
Aster stared at her blankly. “You didn’t ask me for past purchases.”
“Well, you’ll have to add it, then,” Elizabeth said. “You can do that tomorrow.”
“I’m not here tomorrow.”
Elizabeth glared at Aster for a long beat, so long that Aster wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do. “You think you can just come and go as you please, don’t you?” she finally said.
“I’m sorry.” Aster tried not to raise her voice. “I’m trying, I really am. I promise to tackle this first thing Monday. But I already told you I needed to use a vacation day tomorrow, so—”
Elizabeth raised a hand, cutting her off. “You think you’re trying? That’s a fucking joke, my dear.” Her eyes blazed. “Your whole family is like this, but you’re the worst of them all. You think there are no rules. You do whatever you want, no matter what happens to anyone else along the way.”
“Then why do you work for us?” Aster shot back.
Elizabeth tilted her chin into the air. “That’s none of your business.”
Veins bulged in the older woman’s neck. And then, suddenly, Aster got it. Elizabeth wasn’t talking about work. She knew.