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“I’m afraid so. Is that something you think you could do?”
Dani bit her lower lip. Cleaning. How hard could that be? She’d watched Lilly around the house. All she did was push a vacuum and scrub stuff. Dani could do that. She had to make it work. “Yes,” she said, squaring her shoulders. “I can clean.”
“Perfect. I’ll get you an outfit. There’s a budget hotel a few blocks down the street. They offer weekly rates.” Kay opened a closet and rummaged for a moment as the words ‘budget hotel’ made Dani’s stomach sour.
“I think these will fit.” Kay handed a bundle to Dani.
She looked down at the polyester shirt that matched Simon’s sitting on top of a pair of blue slacks. Ugh. Seriously? Dani tried not to show her distaste. “I can’t wear my own clothes?”
Kay shook her head. “Sorry, no. All our employees dress in company clothes.”
“Oh.” Dani’s head began to hurt, and she decided it was time to get out of there. She needed a long soak in the hot tub. “When do I start?”
“When’s the earliest you can start?”
She wanted to say next week, but she hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday, and she was beginning to feel it. She couldn’t even pay for another night’s stay at the resort. Her father wouldn’t give her any money. Not right now. She had nothing to sell. Her suitcase was only packed for one overnight stay. “I guess I could start today,” she said, the grim reality of her situation setting in.
Kay smiled and grabbed a few forms, holding them out. “Why don’t you fill these out, get changed, and I’ll get you started.”
Dani had no choice. She took the forms and gave Kay a nod. “Okay.”
As Dani walked back to her room, dread started to weigh her footsteps. How long was she going to have to be the cleaning lady? Her skin didn’t react well to chemicals. She always had to leave the room when Lilly cleaned the bathroom. The smell made her cough.
Maybe her father would call her later tonight after thinking harder about it. Especially if she sent him a few photos of her in her new uniform, maybe he would see how hideous it was and give in. She’d done what he said. She got a job. Now he needed to lighten up.
But even though she told herself her father might come around, a foreboding feeling crept into her chest. If he decided this was good for her, she just might be stuck working for who knows how long.
Chapter 3
Austin turned on the faucet and bent over to check the P-trap once again. He’d been there for over thirty minutes, messing with the pipes. It was a welcome change in routine, as the most excitement he’d had in the last two weeks was ordering a Pepsi and getting a Dr. Pepper instead. He held his breath that he’d finally fixed the leak.
Another drop of water hit the wood. Well, darn. He’d already tightened the joint as far as he could. He knelt to see how fast the water was leaking and winced as pain shot through his knee. He bit his lip and held in a swear word.
Mrs. Fleming walked into the bathroom and tsked, folding her arms. “Can’t get it to stop? I knew this place was run down. I can’t believe what they charge here.”
“It just needs a little plumber’s tape, that’s all, ma’am.” Austin hefted himself up, hoping he hadn’t further damaged his knee. That was all he needed, more recovery time at a beautiful resort where he couldn’t do anything but stare at the ocean and wish he was in it.
A frown tugged on Mrs. Fleming’s mouth and she let out a long breath. “We’re leaving in a few minutes. We have tickets for the river run excursion.”
“Then I’ll stop by later tonight.” He tried to give Mrs. Fleming his best smile, but it felt forced. Maybe because she grated on his nerves, and what he really wanted to do was tell her off.
She touched her hair and glanced up at the ceiling. “Oh, all right, I suppose.”
Wow. She was a bottle of sunshine. Was this how she treated everyone? Or just people she felt were beneath her? Austin gave her a nod and motioned with his wrench. “I’ll be going, then.”
He didn’t wait for her to show him to the door. After he got outside, he took in a deep breath, filling his nose with the smell of the beach. It was probably stupid to insist on fixing Mrs. Fleming’s sink, but it was something to get his mind off his knee. At least, it had been.
He hobbled down the pathway. Surely he didn’t damage it more, right? All he did was kneel. It was probably just a twinge. Healing was painful. That’s all.
Danica emerged from the main building and rushed toward him, her hand on her hat. She held a bundle of clothes to her chest. As she grew closer, she waved at him. “Hey, thanks for helping me earlier. It looks like we’ll both be working here. I got the job.”
She pulled out a handful of papers. “I just need to fill these out.”
It was awkward now, having not corrected her before. It kind of felt like it was too late to do it. Besides, how often was he going to see her? Tomorrow she’d forget he even existed. He decided to play along. “Congratulations.”
“I’m Dani,” she said, sticking out her hand. “Well, everyone calls me Danica, but I prefer Dani.”
“Yes. I know who you are.”
