Page 34 of Maneater
Jonas, head of security
Tanya, the spa manager
Horace Greenfeld
Jealous redhead
Regina (a writer?? SURE)
FOURTEEN
JOSIE
The following morning, I woke to an alert from the resort stating that the main pool would be closed for the morning. After a bit of back and forth with Gabriel, I determined someone had swapped a clear dish soap container for the chlorine, creating a soapy mess. An allegedly unsuspecting employee dumped it into the main pool like usual without checking the labels, and now the pool has to be drained, rinsed, and rebalanced, which means I know exactly where we will be today.
“Rory, you gotta get up,” I say in my kindest voice once the sun fully rises. It’s eight, and while I tried to let my friend sleep in, knowing she’s not a morning person, we’ve got work to do.
“Oh my god, it’s too early,” Rory groans, taking a pillow from her bed and putting it over her face as if she would like to smother herself.
I laugh at her dramatics and draw the curtains open. “It’s eight.”
“Exactly. Too early. Can’t they give usone morningin paradise before we have to work?” Despite her words, she sits up and stretches before looking at me with an entertained smile.
“Better than what Lana and Demi are dealing with,” I say of ourfellow Mavens, who are on a different case. “Did you hear they’re assigned to some monster truck rally circuit?”
She nods, laughing. “Honestly, I can totally picture it. Lana is absolutely unhinged sometimes.” Rory yawns before reaching over to the bedside table and picking up her glasses.
“We’ve got a new update.”
That seems to perk her up.
“We do?”
I nod. “Someone swapped the bottle of chlorine for the pool with a bottle of foaming soap. The employee who dumped it wasn’t paying attention to what the bottle said, poured in his normal amount, and then the jets and filters kicked on, making for a huge mess.”
“Oh my god,” Rory says with wide eyes.
“Apparently, it looked like one of those crazy bubble parties.”
