Just Fall (The Fall Series) (10 page)

THE PIMP WORE PRADA

Ten
minutes later I pulled myself together and was clicking down the hall in my
black sling-back pumps. I did the best I could to thank a few departing guests
as I made my way to the kitchen aware that my gurgling stomach could unleash again
at any moment. Waves of nausea rippled through me as I followed the invisible
trail of aromas through the swinging doors.

The
smell, especially in the morning, was usually one of my favorite things about
The Grand. Everything about her felt like home. Everything. Morning sunlight
filled her to the brim bouncing across the maple floors. On summer nights
flames from the bonfire danced and reflected across tinkling glasses filled
with summer’s most intoxicating concoctions. There was live music and laughter,
and smiling guests danced, sang and enjoyed to excess. In these walls lived an
unmistakable feeling that everything was right in the world. Until now.

In
the kitchen the full force of sausage, eggs and bacon filled the air and I
fought to keep my composure as I scanned the room for Nina, but even in this
state of despair I felt lucky. I had lived my whole life on vacation.  People
who came to The Grandview were only visiting for a short time. I got to see
them at their happiest, full of kindness, enjoying the finest food, wine, the
white sandy beaches and the most luxurious cotton sheets. All the while cameras
were clicking capturing each joyous scene. Until now it never occurred to me
that there was anything other than life at The Grandview. Being on vacation
every day was the only life I’d ever known, and I wasn’t about to let anyone
change that. Not Evelyn. Not anyone.

Things
were bustling in the kitchen. Nina walked in just as I was about to give up,
and she noticed immediately that something was desperately wrong.

She
smiled thinly. “Hey, you okay?”

“No.
I need to talk to you in my office,” I whispered. “I’ll grab you a coffee.”

As
Nina filled a plate I grabbed a mug and stirred in two creams and two sugars,
exactly how she liked it.  

Moments
later, I sat behind my desk with my head in my hands waiting for her. “Shut the
door,” I told her as she walked in already enjoying her breakfast. “Barry
called this morning, and I have good news and bad news.”

“Bad
news first,” she mumbled, covering her stuffed mouth as she spoke.

“Nina,
this can’t leave my office. You have to pinky swear.”

“Are
you fucking serious, Lo? Just tell me the bad news already.”

“Not
until you pinky swear.” I understood why she was annoyed with my antics. So
much was hanging in the balance, and here I was asking her to do something we
did when we were about to confess which boy we were in love with each summer,
but it didn’t matter. Something about the gesture made me feel reassured, like
when Parker forced me to do it. I stuck out my pinky to show her I meant
business.

Relenting,
she rolled her eyes and wrapped her pinky finger around mine. “There. Now
please this is obviously serious. You look like hell.”

I
scowled at her sarcastically. “Yes, it’s very serious. That’s why you had to
pinky swear. What I’m about to tell you is crazy serious. It’s so serious that
I’m at a loss for what to do, and you know that doesn’t happen to me very
often.”

“Fuck!
Just say it already!”

“The
Grandview is in trouble, Nina. Profits are down, and I found out this morning
that my lovely business partner wants to sell her share. I have 90 days to come
up with the money or it will go on the market.”

Nina
dropped her fork to her plate. She was silent, but the look on her face said it
all.
That’s right, Nina. Connect the dots. The huge mansion on the lake, the
new forty foot boat docked at the marina, the Cadillac parked in the driveway.
Evelyn had burned through all of dad’s money, and now she wanted to cash in on
the one thing she had left.

I
waited for the enormity of my news to sink in. The color drained from her face.
She cleared her throat and finally replied, “And there’s good news?”

“Yes,
the good news is that I only need to come up with twenty-five percent to pay
her off, and with tourism and property values down I’m hoping it’ll be a number
I can manage.” 

“What
the fuck was your dad thinking leaving her ownership in The Grandview? What are
you going to do Lo? That fucking bitch! I knew she was evil from the get go!”

Ah,
organic girl at her best. Funny how such foul language could spew from my
petite little peace-loving, save-the-world best friend. God I loved her!

Her
anger told me she was ready to go to battle, but what she did next confirmed
it. Some people roll up their sleeves when they’re ready to take care of
business. Not Nina. The moment she set her glasses on my desk and gathered her
hair in a bun at the back of her neck, I knew she was totally onboard. 

“Yes,
she’s evil. This feels like the final blow, Nina. It will be final, too if I
don’t figure out a way to come up with the money.”

“What
do you mean come up with the money, Lo? Even at 25%, how could you possibly
come up with that much in three months? Do you have some secret life I don’t
know about? Don’t tell me you’re auditioning for the next episode of Locked up
Abroad or something?”

“This
is clearly why we’ve been best friends for so long, Nina. Even when the chips
are down your sense of humor doesn’t miss a beat.”

“Seriously,
Lo. We need to do something about your chakras!” Her eyes narrowed as she
waited for my response.

“I
don’t know yet, but I’m working on it. The chakras will have to wait for now. In
the meantime I need you to call a staff meeting for tomorrow morning. All the
department heads should be there, kitchen manager, entertainment manager,
housekeeping manager, everyone. I need to tell them myself and let them know
that
I will
find the money no matter what it takes. I’m going to see
Barry right now.”

We
were both thinking the same thing, but it was Nina who said it out loud. “Lo, I
hate to say this but three months may not be long enough. There’s a chance
you…”

“I
know what you’re thinking, Nina, but losing this place isn’t an option. I’ll
sell my fucking soul to the devil before I’ll see my parents dream sold to the
highest bidder.”

“I
know you will. That’s what scares me. Please promise me you won’t do anything
crazy. I’m worried about you.”

“I
won’t,” I mumbled with a halfhearted smile.
Damn! She could always see right
through me.

“Pinky
promise?”

I
knew I couldn’t. Instead I turned to her and rolled my eyes mockingly, “Are you
fucking serious, Nina?”

Fifteen
minutes later I slammed on the brakes in front of Barry’s office. My feet hit
the pavement before I could rip the keys completely out of the ignition. I was
on a mission. The receptionist’s eyes were wide as I exploded through the door,
and I heard her voice over my shoulder as I continued down the hall to Barry’s
office.
Barry’s receptionist works on Sundays? Business must be good.

“Hello,
Miss St. John. Mr. Stanton is…” Mr. Stanton, please! He’s been Barry since I
was ten!

The
door was open. “Hello, my dear!” Barry barked in the same booming tone that I’d
always remembered.

“I’m
sorry, Barry, I couldn’t wait until two.” We exchanged a quick hug, and he
motioned for me to sit in the chair across from him as he walked back around
his desk in shiny designer shoes.

“No
problem. I have a few minutes. Can I get you anything, Lauren?” As he spoke he
nonchalantly smoothed down the graying hairs at his temples.

“Yeah,
how about some fucking good news for a change? If one more thing goes wrong
right now I think I might lose it!”

“Well,
in that case I think I can help. However, what we discuss here must stay within
these four walls. Do you understand?”

Oh
fuck! This feels like deja vu. Is he going to ask me to fucking pinky swear?
“Of course, Barry, I understand. So what is it?”

He
pulled a small box from the top drawer of his desk. “Your dad put this in a
safety deposit box in my name when your mom passed away. It was part of her
life insurance payment. He asked me to give it to you when you needed it most.
That was the last smart thing that son-of-a-bitch did before he married that
wretched stepmother of yours.”

“Rest
assured, she’s nothing
of mine,
Barry. So what’s in the box?”

“It’s
fifty thousand in cash, Lauren. It’s not enough to bail you out all the way,
but it’s a step in the right direction.”

Hot
tears stung my eyes. I couldn’t swallow. I could only stare at the box. My dad
did care about my future in some way. At least he had enough sense to put
something away for me. I knew I had to pull myself together before I ended up
on Barry’s floor sobbing my heart out, and I was relieved when the sound of his
voice brought me back to the moment.

“Lauren,
he loved you very much. He just wasn’t the same after your mom…” he stopped. The
way I was glaring at him, he must have sensed my anger. I couldn’t let myself
go there. The only thing that mattered now was saving The Grandview.

“Yeah,
I know, Barry. Thanks,” I said, hoping to put an end to the topic. I felt like
I should say something about my dad, something nice, but I refused to let
myself think about him any longer.

“Lauren,
there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about. An opportunity.”

Opportunity?
Like I’m in any position for a fucking opportunity!
“Barry,
I really don’t think I’m up for…”

He
interrupted quickly, insisting I hear him out. “Lauren, do you know how you’re
going to come up with three hundred thousand dollars by September? If not I
think you should listen to me.”

Did
he just say three hundred thousand!
The nausea returned,
and as a precaution I grabbed the small trash can from beside the desk. I
didn’t appreciate his stern tone voice, but I had to admit he was right. I had
no idea where I would find that kind of money in three short months. “To be
honest, that’s more than I thought it would be, and I don’t have a plan yet,
but I’m working on one. What are you offering?”

Studying
my pale face, his voice softened. “It’s a way for you to get out of this mess,
but remember this can never leave this office. I’m trusting that you’re an
intelligent young woman. You’ve always been a free spirit, Lauren. Open-minded,
too. That’s why I agreed to this, well that and the fact that you need to make
some serious cash very quickly.”

Fucking
spit it out already, Barry. What the fuck are you talking about? Are you
involved in some kind of pyramid scam? Drug smuggling? Fuck! Dad always said
you kept one foot on each side of the fence.

“If
you’re suggesting that I could make three hundred thousand in three months or
less then you’ve definitely got my attention. So what’s the offer?”

“That’s
my girl! I knew you would fight for what’s yours, Lauren. You’ve always been a
fighter. I think you would be willing to do whatever it takes to keep The
Grandview wouldn’t you?”

Nina’s
words from earlier flashed in my head. “Yes, I’m willing to fight, but what
exactly are you talking about? This won’t land me on an episode of
Locked Up
Abroad
will it?” Suddenly her premonition didn’t seem so unrealistic.

Barry
let out a hearty laugh and slapped the desk hard as though it were the funniest
thing he’d heard all day. The laughter eased him a little, but I hugged the
trash can tighter, sensing that whatever he was about to tell me was difficult
for him.

“Oh,
Lauren, you’re a feisty one. I assure you what I’m offering is completely
legal. I’m an attorney after all. So here it is. I’m involved in another shall
we say… enterprise, one that I conduct from my Las Vegas office. Let’s call it
a very lucrative hobby that employs beautiful women, very much like yourself.
They travel to different cities, all expenses paid of course, and accompany
very prominent successful men to events, on vacations…”