A Case of Extreme Mistaken Identity - Victorine E. Lieske Page 0,4
was that?
She took off her sunglasses so she could show Kay that she was trustworthy, and to give her a little time to think. Last year her father played in a movie, and his job looked good, from the few scenes she saw. He was someone important, ordering people around. What was that called? Dani tapped the side of her leg. The name popped into her head. “What about CEO?”
Kay pressed her lips together, her eyes smiling. What did that mean? Was she laughing at her? Heat rushed to Dani’s face. She’d said something wrong.
“I think we’re fresh out of those positions.”
“It doesn’t have to be that. I’ll take any job, really. I have great phone skills.” She talked on the phone a lot. That one would be easy.
Kay drew in a breath and seemed to assess Dani. “Why are you looking for a job?”
Tears threatened to spring to Dani’s eyes. She swallowed them back. She couldn’t look pathetic. This was a simple matter of waiting out her father’s tirade. “Something happened,” she said, skirting around the truth. “I need some money.”
“To pay your bill here?”
Oh, crud. Dani hadn’t even thought about that. Her cards probably wouldn’t work. Last night’s stay would have to be worked off. Her shoulders slumped and she dug her toe of her sandal into the carpet. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Do you have a place to stay?”
A flash of hope filled her chest, and she jerked her head to look at Kay. “If I can stay in my room while working here, that would be best.”
Kay blinked. “Well, the position I’m thinking of doesn’t pay enough to cover a suite here.”
The hope she’d felt a second ago evaporated, and a cold, hard ball formed in the pit of Dani’s stomach. “Oh.”
Kay shifted and crossed her ankles. “You’re from LA, right?”
Dani nodded.
“And you can’t go home?” Kay’s voice softened.
Home. The word never sounded so good. But there was no way to get there. Tears once again threatened to come, and Dani furiously blinked them back, determined not to let herself cry in front of this person who might be her future boss. She shook her head.
Kay was silent for a moment before she spoke again. “Do you have any cleaning experience?”
Oh, no. Things were going from bad to worse. Manual labor? Had her life gotten so far into the toilet that all she could do was get a job cleaning them? She glanced down at her manicured fingernails. “Is that all you have?”
“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.