Chapter 3

Summer

“Could we do a ninety-minute massage, please? I’ve been so stressed out you wouldn’t believe.”

“Of course, Miss Edwards. I think we should do the lip injections and Botox first, though. You’re going to want to relax after those are done,” the aesthetician said as she examined my face. “You really don’t have many wrinkles. Where do you get the Botox.”

“This line right here on my forehead. If I squint, I look hideous,” I said as I pointed to the deep line near my eyebrow that I hated.

“Yes, okay, squint for me so I can see it.”

As I squinted as hard as I could, she pressed the needle into the area and shot a couple cc’s of Botox into it. I’d been getting Botox injections for a year since turning twenty-three had basically made every one of my lines start popping out on my face.

“For the lips, I don’t like them to look crazy. Just a little on the top peak and a little on the bottom. The last girl jacked them up, and I looked like I had floatation device lips for at least a month. It was not cool at all.”

“I totally understand. After you came in to talk to the manager, she showed us all how you liked to have them done. I’m very sorry for the inconvenience last time.”

This was exactly why I kept coming back to Aesthetic Surgery and MedSpa – they knew how to treat their clients. Even when something didn’t go as planned they owned up to it and made sure the error was fixed. Although I first visited them for my breast implants, I’d been coming back to the MedSpa for the last year. They did hair, nails, pedicures, massages, and injections. It was basically a one-stop shop for getting beautiful.

She massaged the areas of injection while I sat back and relaxed for a few minutes. Life really had gotten so stressful for me. It was impossible to try and relax with the constant worrying I was under.

“Thank you so much,” I said to the girl.

“You know, I see a couple of lines forming around your eyes. Would you like to do some Botox there too?”

“What? No!” I screamed. “Let me see.”

“They aren’t too bad, but since you’re here, we could certainly take care of them. It’s only a little extra.”

“Yes, please, please, I can’t be looking hideous.”

She did a couple extra injections on each side, and then I moved into the massage room for my last bit of pampering. I’d already had my hair dyed and nails done, so it was time to lay back and let the masseuse release all the stresses of the day.

Of course, I only booked with the hot guy from Spain. If you were going to get a massage, there was no reason you shouldn’t pick the hottest guy in the place to be rubbing all over your naked body.

“Hello, Miss Edwards,” Sergio said in his delicious accent.

“Sergio, darling, I told you to call me Summer. You’re being naughty today aren’t you?”

“I’m sorry, Summer; it’s nice to see you again,” he said as he motioned for me to lay back. “Are there any areas that are particularly bothering you?”

“My thighs have been so tight. Could you work on those first?”

Sergio was slightly older than me with a dark complexion and long hair that he always kept pulled back. No matter how hard I flirted with him, he never gave in to me. It was becoming so frustrating, though. How was it even possible a guy like him wasn’t willing to break the rules and have a little fun with someone like me?

He did as I asked and started massaging my legs. He moved up and down my thighs but stopped at an appropriate distance from anything too exciting. When he was done there, he came up and sat by my head as he massaged under my shoulders.

I pressed my chest out in an effort to entice him as his hands moved seductively across my skin. It was pointless, though. He just gave me a pleasant smile and continued about the massage. By the time I flipped over so he could work my entire back, I was done flirting and just wanted the darn massage.

“Thank you, Sergio,” I said as I handed him a tip. “I loved having your hands on my body.”

“Thank you, Miss Summer, have a great day.”

When I arrived at the front counter, I couldn’t help but try and figure out what the heck was going on with Sergio. Obviously, he wasn’t rich, and I wouldn’t have dated the guy, but he could have at least flirted with me and not blown me off.

“So tell me about Sergio,” I said as I leaned over the counter to talk to the receptionist. “Is he married? Dating someone? What’s his story?”

“No, I don’t think he is. Isn’t he the best masseuse, though? I mean everyone raves about him.”

“Yeah, he’s the best.”

“Okay, so your total today is four thousand, two hundred and eighty-five dollars.”

“Wow, that’s more than normal.”

“Did you have some extra injections? Those are four hundred dollars for each cc.”

I handed over the money as panic started to build. I’d already spent my money after a couple days of visiting with my friends and a day at the spa. I’d spent everything I had and didn’t have enough to pay my portion of the rent. Patrick was going to kill me, I was sure of it.

“Yes, thank you so much,” I said as I tried to hold myself together while I walked out to Patrick’s car.

He’d been nice enough to loan me his car, and I was going to go home without the money for rent, again. I just couldn’t do it. I knew what had to be done – I hated it, but it had to be done. My father wasn’t exactly helping me out lately, but I hadn’t been asking him for money either. I was doing my best to be on my own, and although I really did hope my family would just give me my credit card back, I didn’t need all of that at the moment. I just needed a little help with the rent.

“Hi Daddy,” I said when he answered on the first ring.

“How are you doing? How’s the new job going?”

“Things are going so great, Daddy. I’m just between jobs right now, so I’m going to go on some interviews. But I’m really excited to see what is out there.”

“Summer, you lost another job?” he said in that disappointing tone of voice that I was beginning to get used to. I hated that voice. I’d hated it since I was a child and brought home mediocre grades.

My father wanted someone really smart to take over his businesses. He wanted a son. Instead, he was stuck with me – a girl who was more interested in fashion and friends than math problems. I hated college and was horrible when I tried to work with him. Basically, I was an overall disappointment to my father, and I knew it.

My entire life had been spent always feeling like I wasn’t good enough for him. He expected so much, and I consistently under delivered. At some point, I just stopped believing I could ever be the daughter he had hoped for.

There was no ivy league in my future. No big office job or fancy business suits. That just wasn’t who I was. Even though I wasn’t sure exactly who I wanted to be yet, I knew that an office job was not going to be on my list.

“Dad, I’m trying really hard.”

“Well, I’m not giving you any money. I’m sorry, but you’ve got to learn to take care of yourself sooner or later, and me bailing you out all the time isn’t helping anything.”

I tried not to cry. Tears weren’t the answer, and I knew it. I just couldn’t help myself as his verbal scolding made me feel more and more terrible. I’d been raised in a house where people did things for me all the time. It wasn’t until I turned twenty-one that this idea of me being able to fend for myself had even been mentioned.

Yes, I knew I should be able to work and do all of these things. Yet I had never had a single stitch of practice, and I was so frustrated. It would have been nice to be one of those people who understood things right away and could pick up new tasks. I wish I were like that. But I couldn’t focus; I couldn’t keep thoughts straight in my head half of the time, and I was always frustrated.

“Daddy, I’ve got to pay Patrick rent money. Could you please just loan me a thousand dollars. I’ll pay you back if you need me to,” I said through my tears. “I am working hard. I’ve been getting jobs, but I’m no good at them. I’ll get another job soon and try harder.”

“A thousand dollars is all you need, and you don’t have that? What have you been doing with the money from selling your purses?”

“How did you know I was selling my purses?”

“Your mother keeps seeing them at the consignment shop that she likes to go to. So you’re selling your purses and partying? Drinking? What are you doing since I know you’re not working.”

I heard the frustration in my dad’s voice, and I wanted to make it better. Genuinely, I wished I wasn’t so frustrating for him. If I could magically be better, I would have already done it. The problem was, I had this huge learning curve for adulthood, and I was barely scraping the surface of all the things I needed to learn.

“Dad, I’m trying really hard.”

“Honey, I love you with every stitch of my being, but I don’t think you understand the meaning of hard work yet. That’s my fault. I should have required you to work harder as a teenager. I should have asked for more from you, and I’m sorry. But that’s why right now is so important. You’ve got to find your own way.”

“Daddy, but I have no skills, no money.”

“Honey, what about being a model? You talked about that before. Is there any work there?”

“I got on with an agent, but she says it’s hard to find work for me because I’m commercial, which means I’m a basic girl without an interesting look.”

“Maybe you could try the cosmetics counter at the mall. You’re really good with your makeup.”

“Daddy, that pays like minimum wage. I can’t live off of that. How am I supposed to do anything fun? All my money would go toward rent, and I’d have nothing left.”

He paused for what seemed like forever, and I thought for sure he was going to cave in and give me some money. I understood I had to get a job. I had to start working, and I’d do that right away. But I also had to pay Patrick the rent money or he wasn’t going to let me keep living at his place. I’d missed the last money and couldn’t do that to him again.

“Okay,” he started to say, and my heart fluttered with excitement. “I know you are trying, and I want to help you out. If you keep a job for thirty days, I’ll supplement your income with a small allowance. And I mean small. I’m not going to pay all your bills. You’ll need to pay most of them. But I’ll put a thousand dollars in your bank account each month to help you out.”

“You’ll do that now?” I asked.

“No, after thirty days of working. You’ll need to show you can keep a job and actually work hard for it. Life isn’t easy, honey. It’s uncomfortable and hard sometimes.”

“Daddy, but I need it now.”

“I’m sorry. You’ll need to work at the same job for thirty days and show me you’re able to push through some of the uncomfortable feelings and really make an effort. Working isn’t supposed to be fun. It’s work. It’s hard and uncomfortable, and you have to just keep doing it. As an adult, you have responsibilities, and having a job is one of them.”

“But …” I continued to sob … “What am I supposed to do now?”

“Get a job honey, and remember this is for your own good. Your mother and I love you very much and want to see you grow into a strong and independent woman.”

“I … um … I don’t want to be independent. I’ve tried it, and I don’t really like it. How about I just find a rich man,” I joked with him.

“Yes, you do want to be independent. A rich man is going to want a strong independent woman by his side. You’ve got to learn these things. Now call me and let me know when you find that job so we can start counting down your thirty days. I love you, honey; I’ve got to go.”

“Love you too,” I managed to say as we hung up.

I couldn’t believe he still wasn’t giving in and helping me out. It had been months since he and my mother kicked me out. I honestly thought they would be more sympathetic to how hard I had been working and the changes I was able to make so far.

I spent the rest of the day driving around and trying to figure out how I was going to explain this to Patrick. Living on my own was way harder than I’d expected it to be. It was impossible to manage my money for a whole month, and I could never imagine being able to do it on a long-term basis.

As I walked up the steps to Patrick’s apartment, I wiped away my tears and tried to hold it together. I opened the door slowly while still trying to figure out how I could explain to him what was going on. It was Friday, and I was supposed to pay him today. I’d planned on spending much less at the spa than I did, and now I’d just gotten myself into a pickle.

“Summer!” Anna said as she jumped off the couch and flung her arms around me. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Hey, oh, you’re both here?”

“Remember, we were all going to have a game night tonight? You and Patrick against me and Jason. Come on, I sent you the calendar to put it in your phone.”

“Yeah, of course, no problem,” I said totally not remembering we were doing this. “Do you mind if I take a quick shower first? It’s been a long day.”

“Hey, Summer, it’s nice to see you again,” Jason said.

“You too. I’ll be out in a few,” I replied as I motioned for Patrick to come talk to me down the hall.

“We ordered pizza so it should be here in a few minutes. You’re fine,” Anna added.

“What do you need?” Patrick asked as he was pouring drinks in the kitchen.

“Um, well. I don’t think I’ll be able to pay my part of the rent until next week,” I whispered. “I’m really sorry. I’ll take a pair of my shoes into the consignment shop and get you some money first thing next week.”

“Come on Summer! This is ridiculous,” he said loud enough that both Jason and Anna stopped talking and looked our way.

“What’s up?” Anna asked as she joined us in the kitchen.

Anna was my best friend out of the whole group. I’d known her long before I knew everyone else. She was honest with me all the time but loved me for who I was. If there was anyone who would understand what I was going through, it had to be her.

The day my father kicked me out it was Anna who came and got me and brought me to her apartment. No matter what was going on, I trusted her and her opinion, but when it came to Patrick, she had a bit of a blind spot. They had shared the apartment before me, and she nearly always sided with him on our little squabbles as roommates.

“Nothing, it’s no big deal,” I tried to say so everyone didn’t start talking about my inability to keep a job.

Every time I had a money issue, Patrick and any number of my friends would go on and on about how I had to learn money management. They would tell me about all these apps to use on my phone and tips to start saving money. It was so overwhelming.

Then they would go on and on about job openings that I should apply for and how I’d be the perfect fit. I was starting to believe I wasn’t good at anything and would never be able to keep a job. The problem was that they always suggested extremely boring jobs that I knew I would be horrible at. One time, Anna even suggested that I work as a secretary at her father’s company. I couldn’t even imagine the horror of having to sit at a desk all day long.

“Summer has lost her job again and doesn’t have money for rent. But surprise, surprise, her hair and nails are done. Oh, and is that some lip injections I see there?” Patrick asked as he pointed at my lips. “I’m so over this Summer. It’s got to end. I need a new roommate.”

Patrick stormed off to his bedroom, leaving me standing in the kitchen with Anna. There was no crying this time. I was too exhausted. I didn’t know if everyone just thought I was purposely being a horrible employee or what, but I genuinely liked talking to people, and sometimes I just got sidetracked by the clothing. Yes, I did make some mistakes in the process, and I was learning from those.

Like social media posting was a definite no-no in the workplace. I got that now. I wasn’t going to forget it, and I could take that lesson with me to my new job. I might not be a fast learner, but I was learning.

“You’ve got to keep a job, Summer. That’s like your eighth job in the last few months,” Anna said as she gave me a hug.

“Hey, I know a guy that wants to hire a nanny,” Jason said as he joined us in the kitchen. “How are you with kids? I bet the pay is good, and you’re basically just taking the kids to and from school.”

“I can hang with kids.”

“I’m not sure if he’s still looking, but he was pretty desperate to get someone on board,” Jason said as he started to dial a number. “I’ll call him right now.”

“Oh my gosh, that would be perfect,” I said as Anna looked at me skeptically.

“You’d have to make sure they get to school on time each morning and pick them up. They probably have breakfast before you leave. It’s a big responsibility.”

“Anna, come on. I could do it. Plus, it’s kids who are old enough for school. It’s not like they won’t be able to talk. They could tell me what I forgot. It would be perfect.”

Jason went to the balcony to talk with his friend while Anna continued to look at me as if I was crazy for thinking I could take care of a child or a couple kids. I managed to take care of myself well enough that I didn’t starve to death. I could handle a couple of kids.

Plus, I was more motivated than before. I needed to keep a job for a month so my father would start helping me out a little. Playing with kids before and after school sounded like the most amazing opportunity ever.

“Seriously, Summer, it’s going to be hard, and you can’t just quit. Those kids will love you and rely on you. You’ll have to stick it out even when you think it’s getting too hard.”

“I know. This is perfect for me. Come on, think about it. I love kids. I only know how to cook kid friendly food like mac and cheese. I’m excellent at doing hair, so if there is a little girl, I could rock some cute hair styles for her. Don’t you think it might be the right thing for me?”

“If you’re going to commit to it, I know you could be an amazing nanny. You are very fun to be around, and I’ve seen how much kids just love you. Jason’s son Clyde absolutely adores you. Just make sure you’re taking it seriously and really try hard. If this guy is a friend of Jason’s, I’m sure I’ll hear all about it if things go wrong.”

“I’m confident I can do this Anna, you’ll see.”

Jason came back in with a smile on his face. He and Anna had only been together a few months, and I really didn’t know him too well, but I was hopeful this smile meant that I could get the job.

“Okay, you can go for an interview. He’s actually interviewing some people tomorrow. He will want you to stay at his house for the first few weeks at least so you can learn how everything works. Could you do that?”

“Yes, she can,” Patrick said as she stood in the hallway looking annoyed at me.

“Yes, that’s fine,” I added.

“Tomorrow, two o’clock, I’ll text you the address. Don’t be late, though. He’s a stickler about the time thing.”

“I’m always on time.”

Both Patrick and Anna broke into laughter at the idea. Maybe I was exaggerating a little, but I could be on time for this job interview. There was no doubt in my mind that this job was meant to be.

“Always?” Anna teased.

“Okay, okay, maybe not always. But I’ll be on time for this. I promise. Thanks for helping me out Jason; I really appreciate it.”

“Not sure how much of a help I was, but at least you can go in for the interview. Tyler is really picky, and I think he’s been through a few nannies in the last few months. But I know he’s getting desperate to hire someone and so hopefully, it works out for the both of you.”

“Is he mean or something?” I asked.

“No, he’s a really nice guy. I think he’s just particular about his children and their schedules. His wife passed away a few years ago, and he wants the kids to maintain a schedule so their life isn’t stressful. From what I understand, the last nanny went back to college or something. So not a big dramatic firing or anything like that.”

This was so exciting. My bad mood had totally been turned upside down by the prospect of being a nanny. I loved kids, and without a doubt, I could hang with them and feed them. I couldn’t imagine why I hadn’t thought about being a nanny before.

As we ate pizza and played party games, even Patrick seemed to lighten up a bit. He stopped being grumpy and even smiled a few times while we played. For the first time in several months, I finally felt like a job was going to be the perfect fit for me.