The Green Ticket (14 page)

“We were in the cab–– just the two of us–– and I gave the cab driver my address. But Kevin said maybe we should have afterhours.” I continued to stare at Mandy. “I said I really wanted to get home. I said I had to get up early, which was a lie–– but I just really wanted to get home. Kevin gave the cab driver a different address and said that he knew I would want to keep partying with him. I was ‘his party girl.’” She used quotes with her fingers. I felt sick. “I said no again, that I really needed to go home. He wouldn’t listen. The cab driver was listening to Kevin because Kevin slipped him some money. I didn’t know what to do.”

Mandy’s eyes started to fill with tears. I grabbed her hand without even thinking about it. “It’s okay, Mandy. You can tell me. I’m here to help,” I whispered, worried I was about to start crying. I was terrified about what she was going to say.

“This is all just really silly. I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding. I shouldn’t even be making a big deal over it.” Mandy’s demeanor shifted suddenly. But she wasn’t fooling me.

“Mandy, if it makes you uncomfortable or upset, it is a big deal. Just let me know, and I can figure out the next step,” I said firmly.

“Well, we were in the cab and he–– he put his hand on my knee. Like this.” She put her hand on her own knee, closer to her thigh. “I shifted away from him, thinking he would understand that I was uncomfortable. But the hand went higher.” She ran her hand up on her leg, and I felt my stomach flip. “Before anything else could happen, we were being dropped off at Blackout.”

“The afterhours nightclub? He really meant afterhours like–– afterhours?” I asked, baffled. Blackout catered to the younger crowd, the ones who thought they were invincible and could stay out until five in the morning. Even Mandy at twenty-four would be considered old at that club. And Kevin was in his forties!

“The one and only. We walked in, he got us a table and ordered some drinks. I was sure something was going to happen there and knew I needed to get out.”

“So what did you do?” I had no idea how the story would end, and was aching to find out.

“I went to the bathroom, called one of my friends, and snuck out.”

I sat in my chair in disbelief, mouth agape. “And Kevin?” I had to ask, had to complete the story.

“I’m sure he realized what happened. I had a tough time debating whether to come to work this week.”

“Why did you?” I asked honestly. I was shocked. I wasn’t sure I would go to work after something like that. Her own boss had practically forced himself on her, imprisoned her in a cab, and took her somewhere she didn’t want to be. Jesus. Where would I even start my note-taking? Who the hell would I tell?

“Well, I couldn’t decide if it was a big deal. Technically, nothing happened.”

“Technically. But what if you didn’t get out of Blackout? What if your friend wasn’t able to pick you up? It could have been bad, Mandy. Really bad,” I repeated, emphasizing the words. Frank was right. What had I gotten myself into?

“Yes, but then with the alcohol…I had been drinking…maybe I led him on? I didn’t think I had, but I don’t know. Maybe it was just as much my fault. And he never said anything to me about it. He was here on Tuesday and greeted me like everyone else. I figured it was all just in my head. No big deal. But then….”

“There’s more?” I practically shouted, on the brink of falling off my chair. What the hell could happen next?

“There’s more,” Mandy confirmed. “He–– he paid me.”

Not what I thought was coming. “He paid you? What does that mean?”

“He came in last night, right before closing time. I was in the front sweeping. You and Allie were here in the office doing the closing reports.”

“Okay.” I remembered being in the office with Allie. I didn’t know Kevin had stopped by.

“He said that he would appreciate if I kept Saturday night on the down low. Then he handed me an envelope and just walked out.”

“And there was money in the envelope?”

“Two hundred dollars.”

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. That was a lot of money to me. And probably to Mandy, too. “Two hundred dollars? Wow.”

“Yeah.” Mandy just looked at me, the disgust clear on her face. My thoughts raced. Was it hush money? Bribe money? Prostitution money? What was Kevin’s deal?

“So,” I tried to pull myself together, act like I had a plan, “what do you want to happen next?”

“Well, I really considered quitting. That night in the cab freaked me out. And then the money…it made me feel like a hooker or something. Even though we didn’t do anything. I swear to you, Alex––what I told you was the truth. We did nothing.”

“I believe you, Mandy, I believe you.” I didn’t want to mention the stories Frank had warned me of. “I just need to figure out what I need to do next.” I stared down at my sheet of paper, the words swirling in front of my eyes. “So, you said you thought of quitting. But you aren’t going to?” I questioned.

Mandy dropped her eyes down to the floor once again. “I just found out I’m pregnant.”

I scrambled through my mental employee rolodex. Did Mandy have a boyfriend or husband? I couldn’t remember.

“I just started seeing a guy not too long ago. I haven’t even told him yet. I haven’t told anybody yet. I had pretty much made up my mind to quit, then I took the test and now….I need a job. And I need my benefits.” Mandy’s eyes started to fill with tears again as she tried to speak. “I need this job. I need to get past this. I’m hoping that Kevin understands that I don’t want anything…a relationship or anything like that from him. He’s my boss, he’s married and has children and I’m not attracted to him at all. Hopefully by sneaking out and leaving him at the club alone, he’ll back off me now.”

I nodded my head, absorbing Mandy’s story. What a hard place to be in. I didn’t know what step I, as her manager, was supposed to take next. “Are you going to tell the guy you’re seeing about the baby?”

“I am. He deserves to know. I’m going to keep it too. I’m twenty-four. I need to be responsible for my actions. And he’s a good guy. Well, I think he’s a good guy anyway. I really haven’t known him all that long.” Mandy paused, straightening her shoulders and sucking in a deep breath. “If he doesn’t want to be a part of it, then that’s fine. I’m not asking him for anything. Well–– probably child support down the road. Or maybe not. I don’t know.” Mandy looked at me with helplessness in her eyes. I was sure I mirrored her expression.

“Well, we can always work through that part in a bit. Let’s focus right now on Kevin, and Saturday night and the money. Since you told me this story, is there something you would like me to do? Speak to Kevin about it?” How the hell was I going to pull that one off? And then Kevin would know that despite paying her, Mandy still told someone what he did. What if he fired Mandy because of it? She needed her job.

Mandy was shaking her head. “No. I really don’t want to bring it up. I guess I was just hoping for…protection maybe? I just feel better knowing that someone else knows, so you can maybe keep an eye on it. Make sure he’s not doing it to the other girls.”

In addition to my regular work duties, school and social life, I now had to make sure Kevin didn’t hit on his employees. Slap that on the to-do list. “Mandy, have you heard of anything like this happening before? Have any other girls said similar things?”

“Sometimes I’ve heard people talk about the strange comments Kevin can make, and I’ve heard stories about him and Dani being swingers.”

“What?” I practically shouted. Swingers? Seriously?

“I don’t know if that’s true or not,” Mandy rushed to say. “Only a rumor that I heard.”

I dropped my head in my hands, massaging my temples. “Okay. For now, I’ll do my best to keep an eye on Kevin. While I know what he did on Saturday wasn’t right, I’m not sure it’s technically illegal or sexual harassment. And you don’t want to go that route anyway, so we’ll just leave it at that for right now. Please come to me again though if something else happens. I’ll need to figure it out then. I just hope that time doesn’t come.” Mandy nodded. “And for your situation, if you ever need someone to talk to, feel free to come to me. I have an open door policy. I hope everyone knows that. Would you like more hours scheduled to try to bring in some more money? Do you have a savings account or plan in place for financials?”

“I’ve always had a savings account, and it has a decent amount in there right now. I’ll just keep making that grow. And I would appreciate the extra hours. Better to get them in now before I’m too pregnant to be on my feet all day,” Mandy said.

“Right. Well, I’ll help Allie do your schedule and slip in that you are looking for some more hours. I won’t say why. I won’t say anything until you do. You have my word on that.” Mandy nodded again. “Okay, so that’s where we’ll leave it for now. I’ll have my eyes and ears open. Don’t hesitate to come to me again if you have another incident,” I said firmly. “It’s my job to run this salon smoothly and to make sure my employees are happy. And safe,” I added.

“Thank you, Alex. I feel so much better telling you. I really wanted to get that ––all of that–– off my chest.” Mandy stood, and I got to my feet as well. “I should probably get back out there. I have a 4:30 highlight that I haven’t started preparing for.”

I gave Mandy a little squeeze before she left, wanting to assure her that I had her back. I would want the same from my manager. After Mandy left the office I sat back down in my chair, staring blankly at the computer screen. The salon and spa schedule was on the screen, showing who was checked in, which rooms were in use, and what employees were about to be done with their clients. For ten minutes I sat alone in the office, trying to understand what Mandy told me. Was I making the right decision by not confronting Kevin? I knew I needed to respect Mandy’s wishes–– and protect her job. I struggled back and forth until the office door opened again and Allie peeked her head in.

“Hey, Alex? I think Julia might need some help at the front. She’s having a problem redeeming a gift card.”

I popped out of my chair, straightening my shirt and patting my hair. “Okay, thanks for letting me know. I’ll get right up there.”

“Everything okay?” Allie questioned, peering at my face.

“Yeah, everything’s great.” I wondered briefly if I should fill Allie in on what Mandy told me. She had been here longer and might have more insight or an idea on what I should do next. But, no, I promised Mandy it was between me and her. “Actually,” an idea hit me, “I’m not feeling well all of a sudden. You’re closing tonight, right?”

“Yep. Do you need to go home?”

“I might try to get out a little early. Do you think it would be a problem?” It was a total lie. I suddenly wasn’t feeling great, but it wasn’t physical sickness. I was sick over Mandy’s story. And I needed to get home and get ready for my date and try to get this icky feeling lifted off me.

“No, that’s fine. I can run the reports. I’ve done them before and I do it with you all the time. I’ll just call if I have any questions, but it really shouldn’t be a big deal.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.” I knew that Dani had told me before that she expected me to close every night that I was working, but that was impossible, right? And the salon had managed for months without a manager prior to me coming on board. I was sure it would be fine.

“I’ll just come in earlier on Sunday to make up for my time,” I told Allie as we walked out of the office and towards the spa section. “And I’ll just run through the reports when I get here and work on the schedules. That will keep me busy until opening time.”

“I have tomorrow off, but you work Tuesday, right?”

“Correct.” I opened the heavy spa door and was greeted with the active bustle of the salon. “I’ll say bye before I leave. I’ll try to make it as long as I can.” I flashed what I hoped was my ‘I’m so brave to work through this sickness’ smile and headed to the front desk.

I helped Julia with the gift card problem, checked in Mandy’s 4:30 highlight, closed down and cleaned treatment rooms 1-5 since they would no longer be in use the rest of the night, and did some more sweeping to remove hair off the salon floor. At 5:15 I decided to call it a night. After saying my good-byes and continuing to fake a stomachache, I climbed into my Camry and headed to Kaufman. I felt bad for lying to everyone, but I seriously needed to get out of there. I trusted Allie to close the salon, had my cell phone on me if there were any problems, and needed some time to unwind from Mandy’s story. I knew I had given Mandy my word not to tell, but I had to go to the girls for advice. Hopefully between the five of us we could figure out what I should I do.

But most importantly, I wanted to get Kevin and Blissful out of my mind and concentrate on one thing–– Henry Landon.

Chapter 10

“Hey, you’re back early!” Lila greeted me when I walked through our door, setting my purse and work bag next to the kitchen table.

“Yeah, I was able to slip away a little early. I have so much to tell you guys. And I figured having more time to get ready would only help me.”

“I was just getting ready to jump in the shower, but I’ll wait ‘till after you leave now. I’ll text the girls that you’re ready. Everything okay?” Lila peered at my face, which I was sure still showed the dismay from Mandy’s story.

“Yeah. Kind of. Maybe not. I’ll tell you when everyone gets here. It’s quite the story.”

“Okay, then. Are you hungry? I know you’re going out to eat, but I was just going to munch on some grapes.”

“Grapes? Not a piece of cake or something?” I teased her.

Lila opened the fridge and pulled out a bowl of green grapes, easing the lid back and heading to the kitchen sink. Turning on the faucet, she replied, “Funny. And no. My casting call with Mary Strubaker is in three weeks, so I’m putting my best foot forward from here on out. Watching what I eat, paying attention to the workout calendar you made me, and I need to schedule an appointment for a facial. I’m thinking next week. Could you get me in?”

“I’m sure we could. Have you ever had a facial before?”

“No, why? Are they scary?”