but I really like to get manicures?”
“I’ll help you with the interview part,” Hannah volunteered. “I’m sure we can find some test questions online, and we can practice what you’ll say.”
“And I’ll help you choose an outfit. Between the five us, we’ll find something decent and professional for you to wear,” Lila chimed in.
“And I’ll go pour the wine so we can have a toast!” Carmen said, even though she was already drinking a margarita. Lila helped her get out the wine glasses and pop the cork on a new bottle, and we cheered to my good luck. And I crossed my fingers that I would impress Dani Dohlman enough to get the job.
$$$
I made sure to pay extra attention in my Entrepreneurship 2 class the following day. The lecture covered details about owning and maintaining businesses, and I wanted to feel extra smart for my interview the following day. I stayed up late on Tuesday night doing some research on Blissful Salon and Spa and Dani Dohlman so I could feel prepared for my interview. Turns out, Dani actually co-owned the spa with her husband, Kevin Dohlman. Blissful employed massage therapists, estheticians and hair stylists. You could walk in and get a massage, mani/pedi, eyebrow and bikini wax, and highlights all right there. They were open all week excluding Mondays, which was typical for spas.
I found a picture of the staff on their website, mostly women varying in age, but also two men. Dani and her husband Kevin were to the side of the picture, and were the only ones not wearing a black shirt with the Blissful logo on it. Dani looked petite, with long wavy brown hair highlighted with streaks of blonde. Kevin loomed over his little wife, looking full of confidence at the camera. Everyone was smiling, and the group looked fun.
I did more research on Dani and Kevin and found a few interesting things. Kevin, forty-four, had actually started his own company back when he was just eighteen. He opened a photography business–– even though he had no skills as a photographer–– hiring the models and photographers while he managed the business. He eventually went on to start his own magazine, which I had heard of and was a big deal a while back in the Midwest. Kevin had a degree in business and entrepreneurship and a résumé full of managing different companies, from restaurants to a small hotel. He still owned his photography/magazine business. Did I mention what that business was? The name of the magazine was Gropers and it was an adult magazine. As in, naked women. I was a bit shocked when I read that part, and when I clicked the link to the Gropers website, the pictures were quite….revealing. It wasn’t porn, just pictures of the women, but still. Not what I expected.
“So I don’t get it. He’s in the adult industry but runs a salon and spa with his wife?” Lila and I were walking back from classes on Wednesday. I had my purple notebook filled with what Professor Laman went over that day, and was feeling my confidence soar for my upcoming interview. I had an education, Kaufman, and great interviewing skills to back me up.
“Well, I’m not really sure. It says he still owns Gropers, but has considered selling it because of his children. They have three girls under the age of eight. That has to be awkward if they ever found out what daddy was doing at his job.”
“I can’t believe the wife is okay with it. That would just be weird to me. My husband goes off to work and oogles naked chicks all day. Do you think he gropes them?” Lila snorted with laugher at her play on words.
“Well, it actually gets a bit weirder.” We continued walking through the parking lot, waving at friends and classmates as we neared Wacker. Lila got her keys out to unlock the front door. “Dani actually used to pose for Gropers. That’s apparently where she met Kevin.”
“What? Alex, I’m not so sure about this job anymore. You’re going to turn into a porn star!”
“Lila! I’m sure Dani doesn’t pose anymore. She’s given birth to three children.”
“That doesn’t mean anything. Look at Amani. She went full frontal in her latest film just one year after delivering twins. Some woman can just bounce back. Look at your sister for crying out loud. She has a better body than me and she’s had five kids.”
“Yeah, yeah, I guess she could still