Dangerous Pleasures (16 page)

“No, you cannot have cell phones,” Annie replied. “They are much too expensive to maintain. The money is going to help us pay the bills every month easily. And maybe even provide for a trip to the mall now and again.”

“What could you possibly do at a spa?” Amy asked her mother.

“I’m going to run the gift shop they’re putting in,” Annie said. “They will train me, and even though I’m only working thirty hours a week they are paying full benefits.”

“Ohhh, how embarrassing!” Amy said dramatically, and she began to cry. “Are you trying to ruin my reputation in high school? I’m finally in the popular crowd. When it gets out that my mother works in a store no one will want to hang out with me.”

“Oh, boo-hoo!” the twins teased their elder sister.

“Brittany has the IQ of a doorknocker,” Rose said.

“No, a paper napkin,” Lily put in. “Honestly, Amy, why do you want to hang out with someone like that? You’ve got a brain, and you’re a terrific lacrosse player.”

“You’re too young to understand,” Amy told her sisters loftily.

“It’s okay for your mother to be a struggling widow, but not gainfully employed?” Annie said. “What kind of screwed-up logic is that?”

“Look, Mom, everyone in Egret Pointe admires you for being so brave and so dedicated to us, even though they know Daddy left you virtually penniless,” Amy said. “But if you go to work, all that street credit goes by the boards. It’s just not fair!”

“Please don’t talk about fair,” Annie said. “Sorry to spoil your life, but I start working on September twenty-ninth, and frankly I can hardly wait. And your father didn’t leave us penniless, but he also didn’t leave enough. However, he didn’t expect to have his life ended at the age of forty-three by a big red bus. So shut up and live with it.”

The next few days were a whirlwind of school preparations. Lizzie came out from the city to drive her nephew to Princeton. There was no way Annie could leave her four younger children, and she knew her eldest son didn’t want to arrive at college with his siblings in tow. She made certain he had everything he needed, including a new laptop from his grandparents, kissed him good-bye, and then cried after he was gone. The first of her hatchlings was leaving the nest. She wondered if she’d cry when Amy left, but right now she doubted it, Annie thought wryly.

School began for her other children. Wills went off to kindergarten without so much as a tear. Mrs. Gunderson and nursery school had prepared him well. Amy headed to Egret Pointe High School as a sophomore, and the twins were in seventh grade. Annie set up a schedule. Lunches had to be made and refrigerated the night before. School clothing had to be picked and laid out. The high school bus came at seven thirty in the morning, followed by the junior high bus at seven forty, and the kindergarten bus at eight fifteen.

“Why do you have to be so anal about everything?” Amy whined.

“Because I have to be prepared for September twenty-ninth, when work will start at eight thirty,” Annie told her daughter.

“What if one of us gets sick?” Amy asked.

“Don’t! At least not until after Christmas,” Annie snapped. “How’s Brittany?”

“She actually thinks it’s cool you’re working at the Spa,” Amy answered. “She says her mother heard there are really cute guys working up there.”

“So I haven’t ruined your life after all,” Annie murmured. “Darn! And I tried so hard. Well, maybe next time.”

The twins giggled.

She had butterflies in her stomach the morning of September twenty-ninth as she got into her van and headed to the Spa. She had called Nora Buckley right after the girls got home from camp and told her she would accept the job. Nora had been warm and friendly, saying she’d see Annie on the twenty-ninth. She told her one of the PAs would show her where to park when she arrived. Annie felt a thrill of excitement to see Devyn awaiting her as she pulled up. He got into the van.

“Hey, Annie!” he greeted her. “Just go back down the circular driveway and hang a right when you get to the bottom,” Devyn told her. “The employee parking lot is behind those hedges, and there’s an entrance into the main building from there.”

She followed his instructions.

“Right there in the second row,” he directed her. “See. Your spot is marked with your name. A. Miller.”

Annie pulled into the parking area designated with her name. “Wow,” she said. “My own parking space.”

He laughed. “Glad you’re joining us,” he told her. “Wait until you see the gift shop they’ve constructed for you. Oh, Ms. Buckley said come to her office and she’ll fill you in on everything you need to know.” He got out of the van and dashed around to open her door.

Getting out, Annie found herself face-to-face with him. “Thanks for showing me where to go,” she said a bit breathlessly. What the hell was the matter with her? Her hormones were jumping all over the place. He was a kid. He was twelve years younger than she was. But, God, she really wanted to screw him!

Devyn smiled down into her blue eyes. “Glad to be of help,” he said. “Come on.” He grabbed her hand. “I’ll show you how to get into the building, and to Ms. Buckley’s office from there.”

Get control of yourself, Annie!
“Do you have a new client?” she asked.

“Yep, but she never opens an eye until ten a.m.,” Devyn said. “She’s a CFO of some big business, and actually I think she needs sleep more than anything else the Spa can offer her. Massage and reflexology every day. Nice woman.” He opened the door, ushering her inside. “Okay, after we come in this way you turn right, and you’ll see a door into the lobby. You know how to get to Ms. Buckley’s office from there, right?”

“Yes,” Annie told him.

“Then I’ll leave you. Good luck!” And he went off in the opposite direction.

Annie exited into the lobby and hurried to Nora Buckley’s office. It was just eight thirty, and she was pleased with her timing. She entered the outer office, where a secretary sat at a desk. “I’m Mrs. Miller,” she said to the girl.

“Go right in,” the secretary said. “Ms. Buckley is waiting for you.”

Annie entered the spacious office. “Good morning, Ms. Buckley,” she said.

“Nora,” came the reply. “Good morning, Annie. Your timing is perfect. Come and sit down and I’ll tell you everything that’s happening. Coffee?”

“Thanks,” Annie said, seating herself in the chair before the desk and accepting the mug Nora handed her. “I’ve brought all the papers you needed me to fill out,” she said, giving her new employer a manila envelope. “I think I got everything right.”

“I’m sure you did,” Nora replied. “Now, here’s where we stand.” And she went on to tell Annie that the gift shop was practically ready to open by the upcoming weekend, and that it would be up to Annie to stock it before then. “We can get overnight delivery for everything,” she said. “Any suggestions offhand?”

“I think we should sell the meringues the pastry chef makes. But they should have to be a special order,” Annie said. “At least three days in advance of checkout. Four to a package, and the packaging should be both sturdy and elegant. We can also ship them for our guests.”

“Cost?” Nora asked.

“Twenty dollars for four,” Annie said, “plus shipping if we decide to take mail orders. I spoke to a lady I know who works in one of the shops in the village. She said to figure the cost of packaging in the price. Egg whites and sweetener won’t be your major outlay. It will be the packaging, and because not all the guests who buy the meringues will ship, that should be extra. Too expensive?”

“No, not at all,” Nora said. “I suspect it’s just perfect. Every woman who goes to the bank gets twenties handed to her. And wealthy women fling twenties about like the rest of us do dollar bills. What else?”

“The Spa robes with the logo,” Annie said. “They are delicious, and most guests will want to bring one home. The lotions and creams used here. I noticed they were packaged with the Spa logo. They should be sold, too. But Janka and the other facialists and the masseurs should recommend which ones are suitable for each guest. After two treatments the guest’s PA should be given a list of what is suitable for the guest, and the guest given a copy of that list.”

“It sounds to me like you’ve been giving this some serious thought,” Nora said, fascinated to discover that Annie had a real knack for merchandising.

“Oh, I have!” Annie told her enthusiastically. “I’m not a runner, and I know you don’t encourage it because of the damage it can do to knees, but walkers can use water bottles too. I think we should sell lightweight water bottles, again with the logo. And pedometers. Women new to even mild exercise want to know how far they’ve gone. It encourages them. And those yummy soaps in the bathroom. We have to have those. And I was thinking that maybe we could make a deal with Lacy Nothings, that elegant lingerie shop in the village, to stock a few items with us.”

Nora smiled slowly, obviously very pleased. “Mr. Nicholas is going to be delighted by our first meeting. He does pride himself on choosing the right people to work for the corporation,” she said. “I suspect you will go far with us, Annie.” She stood up. “Let’s go see the shop we’ve set up for you, and then you can get about your business. I’ll get you a PA to work with you while you’re setting everything up. Devyn’s current guest is leaving late this afternoon. She wanted an extra day with us. Can you manage on your own today?”

“No problem,” Annie said, smiling.

The shop was beautiful, and in perfect keeping with everything else. Set in a corner of the lobby, it had a wall of windows looking out over the Spa’s gardens. It was painted white, with just the slightest touch of gold trim. Glass cases had already been installed to display the goods. In a small alcove there was a computer that Nora told her would contain her records. And behind the alcove was her little windowed office.

“I’m not very computer literate,” Annie said nervously.

“No problem,” Nora assured her. “Neither was I. Devyn can teach you.”

There was a machine for credit and debit cards, and a computerized cash register for those people actually paying in cash. Everything was light and bright and in perfect harmony with the rest of the architecture. Annie stood looking around her, both excited and scared to death. Then Nora handed her a tiny cell phone.

“It’s yours,” she said. “All of our employees are given one.”

“I can’t afford a cell phone,” Annie said softly.

“You don’t have to,” Nora replied. “It’s one of your perks. We handle the bills. And one other thing. Like everyone here, you’ll wear a uniform of sorts. Devyn can take you to be fitted later today after his guest leaves. Our uniform shop is right here. You’ll get a couple of skirts, or trousers if you prefer, two blazers, some tees, and turtlenecks for when it gets colder. Uniforms keep everything professional.”

“That’s wonderful!” Annie told Nora. “I was wondering how I was going to make my little wardrobe look fresh after a week or two.”

Nora left her, and, going into her new office, Annie found a list of suppliers on her desk. Picking up the phone, she began to make calls, telling everyone she would expect overnight delivery. One of the suppliers apologized that they had only two dozen robes in stock when Annie ordered a gross of them. She told them to ship what they had and get the rest to her by the end of next week.

A little before noon Devyn came in with a salad plate for her. “My CFO is leaving immediately after lunch,” he said. “I’ll be back as soon as she’s gone. How are you doing?” He smiled down at her.

“A little frazzled, but I think I’m okay,” Annie told him.

“Good girl! Now eat your lunch. You need your protein,” he told her as he left.

Protein? Annie looked down at the plate. Chicken salad! Her favorite. How had he remembered? But she was glad that he had, and she was beginning to feel a little tired. Lizzie had warned her she would, but said it would pass once she was used to her new schedule.

Devyn returned to her office close to two p.m.

“Sorry to take so long,” he said with a smile.

“Nora wanted me to be outfitted today,” Annie said, “and I’ve got to jet in twenty minutes. The kindergarten bus will be coming, and they won’t let Wills off unless I’m there to meet him.”

“Come on then,” Devyn said as Annie grabbed her bag. He quickly led her from her office, across the lobby, and through the door she’d entered this morning. Then down a hall he trotted, with Annie right behind him. “Here we are! Bonnie, I’ve got a customer for you. This is Annie Miller. She’ll be running the gift shop. Nora wants her fixed up, and she’s got to get home to meet the school bus.”

Bonnie looked critically at Annie. “Size fourteen,” she said. She was a big, tall woman with iron gray hair and a deceivingly young face.

“I think I might be a bit bigger,” Annie practically whispered.

Bonnie shook her head. “Nope. You’re a fourteen.” She took a jacket off a rack behind her. “Try this on, honey.”

Annie slipped into the dark green jacket. It fit her perfectly.

“What did I tell you?” Bonnie said with a smile. “I’m never wrong about my sizes. Take it off and I’ll package it. Two, right? And skirts or pants? I think skirts for you right now. You’ve got a nice curvy figure. You want to show it off. I’ll give you three. When it gets cold, if you want pants I’ll give you a couple of pairs. You can get your turtleneck then, too. I’ll give you a couple of tees right now.” Bonnie gathered the required items and pulled a long plastic sleeve over the two jackets and the three khaki skirts. She put the white tees in a bag. “Here you go, Annie Miller. Welcome!”

“Thank you so much,” Annie said, wondering if the skirts would go over her butt. She would try them on as soon as she got home.

Devyn led the way from the uniform room, taking her back to her car. “I’ll be waiting for you when you get here tomorrow,” he told her. “Nora says you need help learning the computer for the shop, and so she’s assigned me as your PA for the interim. It’ll be fun being with you again.” He opened the van door she had already unlocked with her beeper as they walked to the car. Leaning in, he laid her new uniforms on the backseat of the van.