Page 18 of The Summer Request
“Look!” Lisa shouted. “My name is written on this cookie!” Val shot her a look. The cookie was the size of a dinner plate.
“It’s good, too,” Lisa said, mouth full.
Enough dilly dallying. Val unzipped her smaller bag and dumped a pile of clothing onto the floor. “I brought cleaning clothes for anyone who might need them. Old t-shirts and things.”
“How long have you been planning this?” asked Michelle. There was a touch of astonishment and wonder to her voice.
“It all just sort of came together.” Val ripped off her cute, beach-ready tank top with the seashells on the bust and threw on a raggedy t-shirt. “Don’t be shy.”
“Give me something,” Lisa said, holding out a hand. “I’m not getting dressed in front of you, though.”
Val handed her a yellow shirt. “We’re going to see you in your swimsuit later.”
“That’s different,” Lisa said brightly as she walked into a bedroom and shut the door.
“Is this why your bag was so heavy?” Michelle stood there, arms crossed. “You’re going to get arrested.”
“How can we be arrested if we’re there to clean?” Val asked. “Seriously. Think about it.”
She let out a sigh. “I guess I’ll be the lookout.”
Val beamed. “There’s my girl! Take a shirt just in case. We’ve gotta go!”
Val made a call to the valet and, by the time they got downstairs, the car was waiting for them. She got them to the store in record time, threw together a bucket of cleaning supplies, and hopped back on the road.
Lou’s house wasn’t even on the beach. The six-thousand-square-foot home was located in the gated community of Star Island. It was a quick two-and-a-half-mile drive from their beachfront hotel, though of course, as often with the obscenely rich, the short drive felt like entering another world.
For thirty million, it came with a sparkling saltwater pool, nine bedrooms, ten bathrooms, and a dock deep enough for a “medium” yacht, whatever that meant.
They arrived at the neighborhood entrance and Val flashed her best Hollywood smile at the guard. “Melanie Tenderhook,” she said confidently.
He looked at his clipboard, nodded, and pressed a button. The gate opened and off they went.
“MelanieTenderhook?” Lisa snorted, causing even Michelle to laugh.
“Like I’m going to use my real name!” Val rolled her eyes. Miss Tenderhook happened to have a 4.7-star rating on Skillz, which was how they’d gotten approved for this job in the first place.
They drove down the palm tree-lined street as Michelle and Lisa gawked, trying to catch glimpses of the mansions behind the tall fences.
Val had her eyes on the prize. The white Spanish-style villa was just around the bend. She pulled up to the front gate, punched in the code she’d gotten from her temporary boss at Skillz, and on they drove.
The trees obscured most of the house from the street, but as they got closer, they got the full view. It looked even more gaudy in person.
Val could feel her jaw tighten. Justine never would’ve wanted this place. This house was all Lou.
She parked next to a fountain launching water twenty feet into the air.
Lisa took off her sunglasses, stumbling as she got out of the car. “How do we get in?”
“Follow me.” Val led her to the door and rang the doorbell.
They waited. Then waited some more.
Maybe the doorbell wasn’t hooked up? She rang it again, this time hearing the soft, delicate song echoing inside.
“The current housekeeper is the one that hired us,” Val said in a whisper. “She must be busy. I can try to message her.”
They waited so long that Michelle abandoned her lookout post in the car. “Okay, this was a nice idea, but it’s clearly not working. It’s time for us to go.”
