Page 15 of Fake Bride's First Love
One. Million. Dollars.
Chase came out a few minutes later and sat down next to me. “What was that all about? One minute you’re screaming into the phone, and the next, you’re all excited. And now you look like death, no offense.”
I leaned back in the chair and looked at Chase. “If Ria thinks that I’ve treated her like shit lately, then she’s in for a rude awakening.”
7
Ginger
It had been a busy day at Lavender Dreams Spa. We were lucky to rarely have anyone file any complaints, thanks in part to Guadalupe and Yuslan taking such good care of their clients, but when we did, it was usually messy. A woman claimed that she’d booked a two-hour massage online, even though the longest we offered was ninety minutes. After refusing to pay when the masseuse stopped at the scheduled time, she demanded a free treatment, or she’d leave us a bad review online.
Thankfully, Eva was a manager who could tell when a customer was lying. Much like Jorge could spot a fake diamond from a mile away…or so he had claimed.
Before taking my old position, she had gone to great lengths to familiarize herself with every service we provided. And that included understanding how our website worked. Even though most of our clients were good people, we still dealt with the occasional person who was looking for a free handout. And it was almost always the people who had the most money.
That seemed to be the case that morning too. Even the way the woman spoke suggested that paying for a luxury spa service was like water under the bridge. Which was odd, since she was looking for a free massage.
I couldn’t help but eavesdrop as Eva showed her our website and asked where she clicked on the two-hour option.
The woman scoffed, saying it wasn’t there anymore.
“And it’s never been there, Mrs. Robinson. So while I’m very sorry for the misunderstanding, we will not be giving you a free treatment, and you do need to pay for services rendered today.”
I giggled as it became quiet, followed by Mrs. Robinson pushing through the glass doors a few minutes later. I’d also heard her unzipping her purse, so clearly, the spa won. Several people started clapping as soon as the door shut, and when I finally poked my head out, I saw Eva hunched over the desk with her head in her hands.
“You handled that so well,” I said while walking out to her.
One of the clients who was cashing out agreed with me. “Good for you. It’s not right when customers pull that crap, and I’d bet good money that she knew exactly what she was doing.”
We watched as Mrs. Robinson drove away from the spa in her expensive car, peeling out of the parking lot and nearly missing a construction worker who was trying to cross the street.
Eva and I made our way into the break room, where we poured ourselves a cup of coffee.
“At least you don’t have a lot of those customers coming in here,” I said while adding cream into my coffee.
“That’s true, and I think that I handle them very well when it does happen. Aside from managing the schedules and some employee stuff, which comes with every job, it’s pretty easy. To be honest, it feels too easy for me.”
“What do you mean?”
Eva stared off into the distance as she spoke. “My life is so…simple, Ginger. All I do is work, hit the gym, watch a movie, and repeat the cycle. I miss having a boyfriend.” Eva was definitely the relationship-type who didn’t do well on her own; I’d come to realize that some people were simply wired that way.
Thankfully I’m not like that…anymore.
“Well, enjoy it now because it won’t be long until a guy snatches you up. And remember that relationships aren’t always fun. When I look back at some of mine, I realize they were more stressful than enjoyable.”
“That’s true, and I’m starting not to miss Anthony anymore. How are things with you and Jorge, by the way?”
Somehow I found a way to hide my excitement. “Great. We’re having dinner tonight.” Eva’s right eyebrow went into a hook, as usual. “As friends, Eva. Just as friends.”
After work, I went straight home to get ready for dinner. My stomach was grumbling loudly, but I fought the urge to eat something ahead of time.
As I took a quick shower, I started thinking about Ria again. It was only a matter of time before Jorge had to deal with her, and based on everything he’d said to me, she sounded like a woman who always got her way. I hadn’t seen what she looked like, though. Ria either had her social media accounts set to private, or she avoided it altogether.
But knowing Jorge, she was probably drop-dead gorgeous.
The good news, I told myself, was that Jorge was suspicious enough of her to have me look over the books. And she really was embezzling money. Anyone who’d just graduated with their accounting degree or was still in college could have figured that out. But what would happen when he confronted her? Would he have the balls to fire her ass and take her to court, or would she seduce him back into bed?
Stop thinking that way, Ginger. He’s just a friend.
