The Secrets Duet

by Brownell, Rachael

  She smiles at me but doesn’t say anything for a few minutes. When she finally does speak, she moves around the counter and takes a seat next to me. “Sometimes it’s the mystery which surrounds the person that makes us want to be near them. Sometimes, you just know that getting to know someone will be worth it. You don’t have to figure it out right now. I’ll make sure your dad gives her the job so that you have time.”

  “Thanks, mom.”

  “Of course, but I need for you to do something for me in return.”

  I should have known there was a catch. “Okay,” I say, stretching out the word for a few seconds longer than necessary.

  “When you figure it out, you need to tell me. Then, I want to meet this girl. If she’s the one who’s going to steal your heart, I need to meet her and give my approval.”

  I laugh. “Mom, it’s not my heart that I’m afraid to lose to her. She barely wants to talk to me at this point. One step at a time but yeah, I promise to tell you what it is that’s special about her when I figure it out.”

  I head to my room to finish up my homework before having dinner with my mom. Apparently my dad is working late, again. I wanted to talk to him about Kat’s interview, but he didn’t come home before I went to bed and he was gone when I got up the next morning. So much for asking my opinion.

  I move through the halls the next morning on auto-pilot, thinking about Kat the entire time. I don’t hear what the teachers say. I don’t engage in conversation with any of my friends at lunch. I look for her everywhere, but I don’t see her. I even check the library before lunch is over. Maybe she is sick today?

  Just as the thought crosses my mind I see her coming down the hall towards me. She looks lost in thought and walks past me without even a glance in my direction. I watch her walk away, along with the rest of the male population. Even the girls are watching her since their boyfriends can’t take their eyes off of her.

  She looks beautiful today. Her hair is down, flowing freely all the way down the middle of her back. She’s wearing a pair of jeans which hug her in all the right places and those boots I love so much. Damn! My body is having a reaction to her and she’s not even standing next to me this time.

  I make it through the rest of the day in a trance, a vision of her rolling through my mind. I’m mentally undressing her every chance I get but since I have nothing to go on, the vision always fades before she kisses me or before she takes her top off. It’s the most frustrating thing ever.

  I rush over to the resort as soon as school is over. I want to talk to my dad before Kat gets there for her interview. I find him in his office, the door wide open, on the phone. I close it behind me for privacy, take a seat and wait.

  He doesn’t acknowledge my presence until he’s finished on the phone. “What do you need Cam? My day is full and I have an interview in a few minutes.”

  I love being dismissed even before we’ve had a conversation. I should be used to, it but it seems to shock me every time for some reason.

  “I wanted to talk to you about your interview before she gets here. She…”

  “I already called on her references,” he interrupts. “None of them remember her so if she doesn’t have a good explanation for that then she won’t be hired.”

  “I can give you a reference. I’m the one who told her to apply.”

  He seems to think it over for a few minutes. “Why is this so important to you?”

  “I’m trying to help her out. She’s new and she’s different.”

  “So, basically you want me to give her a job because you like this girl? There are better ways to get close to someone. Try talking to her.”

  “It’s not that, Dad. She needs a job and I thought we could at least give her a shot. We need the help anyway. What would it hurt to give her a chance?”

  He nods his head in agreement and then motions for me to leave. I’m hoping he truly considers her for the position. I should call mom and make sure she talked to him. Maybe she can make it a guarantee?

  I hear the click of heels headed towards me and I duck around the corner. I feel her presence before I see her and watch, thankfully unnoticed, as she enters my dad’s office. I quickly dial my mom’s number. She confirms she talked to my dad when he came home last night, but she wasn’t convinced he was going to give her a job.

  It was heart breaking to hear what a bastard my dad was time and time again. He never does anything to be nice. It has to be the best business decision, all the time. He’s incredibly successful because of this, but he’s also considered to be a huge asshole by most people who know him. He says you can’t have it both ways, you can’t be the nice guy and the successful guy. I disagree with him, but I keep my mouth shut.

  I watch as my dad, who I hadn’t noticed leaving his office, re-enters. Where the hell did he come from? When I walked out only a few minutes ago he was seated behind his desk. I want to stop him and ask, but he’s closing the door before I can even round the corner.

  I wait as patiently as possible for Kat to emerge from the depths of my dad’s office. It feels like forever before the doors open and Kat steps out into the hallway. Her facial expression doesn’t tell me anything. She doesn’t look exceptionally happy or sad. It makes me wonder what went on behind closed doors. Did he offer her the job or not?

  I wait until she’s out of sight before barging into my dad’s office to find Kathy, my dad’s secretary, sitting on his desk with her skirt around her waist. I must have screamed because they both turn to look at me with an expression which can only be described as “oh shit!” before Kathy jumps down and runs past me, fixing her skirt the best she can.

  “Cam.” You can hear the uncertainty in his voice. “Have you ever heard of knocking?”

  Are you fucking kidding me? “I have. Have you ever heard of adultery?” I was not in the mood to take his shit today. I just caught him in a compromising situation with his secretary. I now have the upper hand for as long as I can play it.

  “Look, Cameron. I’m not sure what you think you just saw but…”

  “I know exactly what I saw, dad. I know exactly what you two were about to do and I know exactly what you are going to do right now.” Time to play my cards, carefully. “I don’t give a shit if you like Kat or not, she is going to be the newest member of our staff. You, for once, are going to think about someone other than yourself and do something nice for me.”

  “Are you actually trying to blackmail me right now?”

  “No. I never once mentioned telling mom. Unless you want me to? I can. I can tell her for you.” I see his eyes go dark and stormy and know I may have just pushed the wrong button. Or the right one, depending on how you look at it.

  “That won’t be necessary since there is nothing to tell. Kat will receive an email with her starting wage and date later this week.” He pauses to collect himself and to reign in his temper. “Will there be anything else?”

  He knows. He knows I have the upper hand. I could probably extort him for a bunch of different things right now, just like I did last time when I got my car, but I’m not that person anymore. I don’t want to be that person anymore. So, no dad, I don’t need anything else right now.

  I shake my head and walk out, knowing by now Kat should be long gone and I don’t need to watch for her. I got what I wanted but not the way I wanted to get it. I shouldn’t have had to go to those extremes for my dad to do me a favor. The bigger issue right now is what to tell my mom.

  4.

  Katrina

  After the way my interview with Babette ended I was more than a little skeptical about how this one would go. The Montgomery Resort was prestigious. I used to hang out at places like this. I know the type of person they are looking for to work there, but I’m not that person anymore. As much as I need a job, I refuse to conform. The skepticism I had about getting the job, it was mostly in my head. I knew I wouldn’t be getting the job.

  My mom drops me off and because she can, she waits in the lobby while
I’m ushered into a room down the hall for my interview. I know this place feels like home to her. I can’t imagine how hard all of this is for her. We never talk about it. Mostly because we can’t. It’s too hard still. Who would want to relive the worst moments of their life over and over again?

  I sit down as gracefully as possible. I’m wearing heels today and as much as I thought putting them back on would be like riding a bike, I was wrong. I feel off balance whenever I’m standing. I have yet to fall, but I figure it’s only a matter of time. I plan on taking them off the second I’m back in our piece of crap car.

  The door opens and in steps a middle-aged, attractive man. I thought I was interviewing with someone from human resources? He’s too attractive to work in human resources. Not to mention, his cufflinks give him away. They’re probably more expensive than any of the pairs my dad use to have.

  “Good afternoon, Katrina,” he greets me.

  I stand to shake his hand and that’s the moment I forget how to walk in heels. I start to fall forward into him but grab the chair I was sitting in just in time. I know I’m blushing, but I try to shake it off. I reach for his hand, make eye contact, shake it and sit back down as if nothing happened.

  The interview takes no more than twenty minutes. When it’s over, I find my mom sitting in the lobby where I left her. She looks broken. Her smile, when she sees me, doesn’t even come close to reaching her eyes. Normally, being a former beauty queen, she could fool anyone with just one smile. Not me. Not today.

  I wait until we’re back in the safety of the car to ask her about it. She brushes it off saying it brought back old memories. I knew places like the Montgomery Resort would probably always affect her. It’s hard going from rich to poor without a choice in the matter.

  I receive an email which says I have been offered the position a few days later. I start this Saturday at 9:00 am. I’m confused at first. I’m not sure how I could have possibly gotten the job. In the end, it doesn’t really matter, though. I now have a job. I have something which will keep me busy and I don’t have to stare at the walls of my room all weekend long.

  I’ve been avoiding Cam at school all week. I see him everywhere now. It seems like he’s there every time I turn around. I’m late to class half the time because I have to find another way to navigate through school in order to avoid walking towards him. I’m not sure why he has such an effect on me, but I also don’t want to try and figure it out. The truth is, he scares the crap out of me. It’s not him as much as it is the way my body reacts to his proximity.

  My mom drops me off at the employee entrance at 8:45 am on Saturday. I try to open the door to go inside when I realize you need a key card to get in. I don’t have one of those so I knock instead. No one is answering. Should I go around to the front and go in the entrance for the guests? That’s probably frowned upon. Places like this like to keep the hired help separate from the paying guests.

  I’m about to blow it off and go in the front when I hear someone approaching from behind me. My body goes on high alert and I start to see black spots. I’m about to have a panic attack. I cannot do this right now. I need this job. I need some semblance of a normal life again.

  I turn around, thinking if I prove to myself I’m not in danger my body will calm down. Oh, how wrong I am. It’s him. Cam. He’s standing about five feet away from me, grinning from ear to ear.

  “I see you got the job,” he says matter-of-factly.

  “I did,” I say, mentally challenging myself to calm the fuck down. My voice is steady, giving nothing away for the time being. “How the hell do I get inside, though?”

  If he’s at this entrance he must work here. Surely he can let me in.

  He walks past me and bangs on the door hard, twice. Only a few seconds pass before an older, stick-thin man opens the door and ushers us through. I follow Cam down the long hallway, not sure where I should be going. The email said my trainer would meet me here.

  “That’s Art. He’s hard of hearing, so if you forget your key card you have to knock really loud if you want in. Try not to forget your card if you can help it.” I can hear how much he respects Art by the way he says his name. It sounded close to admiration.

  “Okay, thanks. Where do I get one of those key cards?”

  “Your trainer will get one for you when they get you your uniform. Everything gets checked in and out except your key card.”

  He stops walking outside a closed door which says “Ladies Lockers” on the outside. I smile up at him, trying not to make eye contact. I know if I do I might go weak in the knees again. I still haven’t decided if I like the way he makes me feel or not. The effect he has on me is overwhelming most of the time.

  “Thanks,” I say, pushing the door open and walking in.

  It’s exactly as you would expect only ten times nicer. The locker room at the country club I used to spend my summers at wasn’t even this nice. I was starting to think I was in the wrong place when someone else opens the door behind me and walks in giggling.

  I turned around to see two girls, oblivious to me standing there, whispering at each other and giggling like teenagers. Appropriate I guess, considering we were all still in our teens. They stop suddenly when they notice me standing in the middle of the room, staring at them.

  “Hey, I’m Katrina,” I try to break the silence surrounding us.

  “Oh,” girl number one says. “I’m Heather. I think you are working with me today.”

  “Okay. What should I do with my stuff for now,” I ask, gesturing to my purse and coat.

  She glances at girl number two and then back to me like she’s a little lost. Girl number two walks to the other side of the room and starts to put her stuff away without saying a word to me. I’m not sure I like her very much. Aren’t waitresses supposed to be friendly?

  “Here, let’s walk down and get you a uniform and they will assign you a locker. Bets, cover for me until we get there okay?” I look over my shoulder to see girl number two, Bets apparently, is waving her hand dismissively over her shoulder at Heather. That one is super friendly.

  Heather gets me set up with everything I am going to need. I’m pinning my nametag on my uniform when a handful of other girls start coming in the locker room. It’s about 9:15 am at this point and I’m wondering if they are all late for their shift?

  Heather introduces me to all the girls before we head off to the dining room to start serving brunch to the waiting guests. It’s a good thing everyone wears name tags because I won’t remember a single name.

  My first shift goes well. I have a new found respect for anyone who has ever been my waitress before. I knew I was a spoiled, rich brat in my past life but after dealing with some of the guests today, I would never allow myself to act that way again.

  I’m waiting out front for my mom to pick me up when I feel him approaching from behind me again. I’m starting to get used to him sneaking up on me. I’ve let my guard down with him and that’s not a good thing. It wasn’t really my choice. My body is reacting however it wants toward him.

  “You really shouldn’t sneak up on a girl, you know?” I don’t even bother to turn around. He knows I’m talking to him.

  “I wasn’t sneaking up on you. I came over to talk to you and see how your first day went. Did the girls treat you okay?”

  His question catches me off guard and I turn to face him. I’m met with those stunning eyes and I get lost for a second, forgetting he asked me a question. I want to answer him, but I can’t look away. Our eyes are having a conversation of their own. The second I break eye contact with him I can feel his eyes travel down my body and back up. Damn!

  “Yeah,” I breathe out shakily. I want to say more. I want to actually have a conversation with him for some reason. I start to open my mouth when I hear my mom honk the horn behind me. Fantastic timing! “I gotta go.”

  Embarrassed by the piece of crap I’m jumping into and the way I reacted to him, I duck my head and run to the car. I jump in and
put my seatbelt on saying nothing to my mom as she pulls away. I make the mistake of looking in the side mirror. He’s watching me drive away and making no attempt to hide it.

  My next shift goes better than my first. I only have one more day of training to figure everything out so I stay late and work on the computer, making sure I know how to ring everything in correctly. Heather has helped me more than I expected. She’s a great trainer and a nice person. I could see us being friends. Maybe it would be nice to have at least one friend.

  Apparently she knew who I was before she started training me. She’s in three of my classes at school. She didn’t bother to mention it to me until we were finishing up my last training shift.

  “So, you’re really a social butterfly aren’t you?” She asks, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  “Absolutely,” I retort, just as sarcastic as she’s being. I laugh as I look up to see she’s smiling at me. We really could be friends, in another life. “Didn’t you know? I’m apparently better than everyone else and that’s why I don’t talk to anyone.”

  That had been the rumor I had heard after my first week of school. I was stuck up. I was better than everyone else. It amazed me since I hadn’t spoken to a single person, except Cam. Didn’t anyone see I was trying to keep to myself? Nope. Apparently my bitchy personality was being taken wrong.

  “Yeah. I heard that amongst other things but only half the shit that goes around school is true. So which half is true with you? Are you really a social butterfly and too good to talk to any of us or are you just an anti-social bitch?”

  She’s smiling so I know she doesn’t really believe either. I want to tell her I’m trying to survive, but that will bring up other questions which I do not want to answer. Questions I will not answer. Questions I cannot answer.

  “A little of both,” I say, winking at her as we both pick up our purses to leave.

  I have the car today so I make my way to the employee parking lot. I’m digging through my purse when I feel him walk up behind me. Again! Really?