Tragic Secrets

2. Kaylee

2

Kaylee

“If I told you that you have a beautiful body, would you hold it against me?” I rolled my eyes at the wannabe Lothario as I placed his fifth beer on the bar in front of him.

I pointed over his shoulder. “Isn’t that your girl over there, cowboy? I doubt she’d like the question you’ve just asked me.”

“Oh?” He looked back at the blonde who sat at the table he’d been sitting at all night. “She’s not my girl. She’s my…cousin. Yeah, she’s just my cousin. I felt sorry for her ’cause she was home all alone, and I asked her if she wanted to tag along with me. I’m free.” He winked one pale green eye at me as he shoved a meaty fist through his auburn curls. “So, back to the question I asked. Would you?”

I’d been working at the same bar on Sixth Street in Austin, Texas, for the last two years. The Dogwood was best known for our creative cocktails and attracted all types of customers. I’d heard every line imaginable and had prepared smartass comebacks for most of them.

“If I tied you up and put you in the trunk of my car and left you there, would you hold it against me, cowboy?” I looked at his beer. It would be the last I’d be serving him; he’d already downed four of them in a matter of two hours. “And that’s the last one of those you’ll be getting from me. Now go on,” I waved my hands at him as if I was shooing an animal away, “Scat.”

Picking up his beer, he rolled his eyes. “You’re missing out.”

“Oh, I know what I’m missing out on.” I turned away from him and headed to the back, badly in need of a short break. “Jake, I’m taking ten. The bar’s all yours.”

“Take twenty,” he called out after me. “I heard that exchange you just had and think you need a little more time to regain your usual charming wit.”

“Bite me,” I hissed as I left the bar through the swinging door at the back of the room.

Tammy, our assistant manager, looked up at me as she tapped away at her computer. “Why are you wearing such a foul expression, Kaylee?”

Flopping down on the chair in front of the desk, I shook my head. “I’m not sure. This dumbass gave me a stupid line, and I just thought about how much I’m over listening to drunken men feeding me pickup lines from the eighties. I mean, can’t they come up with anything new?”

“I heard one the other day I hadn’t heard before,” Tammy said as she grinned and leaned forward. “He said, and I quote, ‘I’ve lost my number, can I have yours?’ How cheesy, right?” She laughed, and I joined her.

“Did you give it to him?” I asked, as she’d been known to fall for some of the dudes who frequented the bar.

“Not that night, no.” Her cheeks went pink. “But he came around the next night, apologizing. And then I did give him my number, and we went to eat at Denny’s after I closed up the bar for the night.”

“And after that?” I knew she’d done more than that. Tammy had a rep for being a little free with her charms.

She went back to tapping away at the keyboard. “Mind your business, Kaylee.”

“I see,” I said with a smile, my suspicions confirmed.

We were silent for a moment as she continued to work at the computer, and I let my mind wander. “Do you ever get tired of this? Is this where you imagined you’d be at this point in your life?”

Hearing the seriousness in my tone, she looked away from the screen and up at me. “What do you mean? I don’t mind this work. I’ve never been one to be able to sit in an office all day, so this is as good as anything in my books. Why do you ask?”

I nodded my head, understanding where she was coming from. With a big sigh, I let her in on how I’d been feeling lately. “I just wish I could find a calling is all.” I’d never been drawn to anything in particular, but I knew working in a bar wasn’t all I was meant for. “I took two years of college right after high school to get the basics out of the way. I thought that some career would start calling out to me during that time, and I’d go on to get a degree of some kind to help me get to that career. Only one never called, and I never went on with college. I ended up here. At this bar. Serving assholes.”

Shaking her head, Tammy argued, “They’re not all assholes, Kaylee. You just never give any guy a chance to show you who he really is.”

“Because there’s nothing to show.” I threw my hands in the air. “I see them out there, Tammy. They go from one girl to the next until they find some poor sucker who believes their s**t. Well, I’m not falling for any of it.”

With a roll of her eyes, she laid it out for me. “First off, you know this isn’t the best spot to be looking for your future spouse; no one’s at their best when they’re drunk at a bar at last call. Besides, you just need to get laid, girl. That’s your biggest problem, and we all know it. And you know Jake would be glad to pop that cherry for you.” She winked at me. “He’s said so at least a million times since you started working here.”

“What?” I could feel my face heat at that information. As if the night could get any worse; now I had to go back out there and work with the guy. “I really need to get a new job. I’m going crazy here.”

Pausing, Tammy looked up at the ceiling for a second before looking back at me. “You know, my cousin called me the other day. She asked me if I wanted to work at one of the bars at this resort she manages.”

I leaned forward with anticipation. “And you haven’t taken her up on the offer yet?”

“No.” Her blonde bob bounced around her shoulders as she shook her head. “It’s in the middle of the Caribbean on some remote island. I’m still in school working on my MBA. I can’t drop out now.”

I could feel the wheels spinning in my head. A job on an island resort? Sounds like paradise to me!

“Well, what about me?” I asked as I stood up and started pacing. “You know I’ve got nothing holding me here; I could totally go do that.” I stopped and looked at her. “Wait. What kind of job is it? Just a regular serving job? And where would I live? And how would I get there every day? And—?”

“Chill,” she said as she got up and took me by the shoulders. “And take a seat. I’ll tell you what she told me.”

I took my seat and waited for her to sit back down in her own. “Okay, okay. It’s just that it sounds like the exact change of pace I need right now; I’m excited.”

“I can see that.” She pulled up a website then turned the screen around. “This is The Paradise Resort. You know Galen Dunne, the billionaire? He owns it. And my cousin Camilla runs it for him. She told me that they would pay for airfare to Aruba and then send a yacht to get you from there. Employees stay in staff housing, which is like a hotel room with your own bed and bathroom. There’s a central living area and kitchen for everyone to use. And the pay is generous. Plus, there’s medical and life insurance as well as a retirement plan.”

“A career!” I hopped up again, clapping my hands as I jumped up and down. “A real career, Tammy.” Looking at her with hope-filled eyes, I asked, “Would you tell her about me?”

“And tell her what?” she asked as she pulled her glasses off and laid them on the desk. “That you’re a great employee until a customer starts flirting?” She shook her head again. “The resort caters to the upper-class—and they would never accept rude behavior, Kaylee.”

I knew that the kind of people who would be guests on that island would never be as crass as the drunks who frequented our bar. “I can act like a normal, nice human being when I’m around other normal, nice human beings, Tammy. And you know that I’m a pro when it comes to making cocktails; hell, I’ve come up with all the best sellers in the past year.”

“Sit down,” she said, pulling up an application on the site. “I’ll help you fill this out and put myself as a reference. In the morning, I’ll give Camilla a call to see what she thinks. That’s all I can do, Kaylee. But I agree that you need a change. This place will never work out for you in the long run. I can see that. These guys aren’t going to change.”

“I know it.” I sat back down, and we got to work on the application, a grin on my face he whole time.

Later that night I went home to my apartment and dropped onto my twin bed. This might not be my home for much longer. In a few weeks, I might be making drinks for the richest of the rich—movie stars, socialites, CEOs—who knew?

The sound of an island breeze filled my head. The smell of sweet ocean air filled my nose. I closed my eyes, imagining the entire beautiful scene.

The pictures on the website had been gorgeous: swimming pools, overwater bungalows, swaying palm trees, and so much more. The perks for employees ranged from two days off each week to free meals at the resort’s restaurants. Food and drinks were even provided at staff housing.

Everything was within walking distance on the island, so no car would be needed. I wouldn’t have to bring anything other than my clothing and personal effects. I could sell my furniture and my car, then jump on a plane to Aruba and start a real career in a genuine island paradise.

I fell asleep with all these exciting thoughts filling my head, and the next morning I woke up to the sound of my cell ringing. Rubbing my eyes, I realized I’d fallen asleep with my clothes on. “Damn, girl.” Tammy’s name glowed on my cell, and I sat up, feeling butterflies swarm my tummy. “Tammy?”

“Yeah, girl,” she said. “You up yet? I know it’s a bit early, but I thought you might want to hear this right away.”

Crossing my fingers, I asked, “Hear what?”

“That Camilla will be calling you in an hour to do a phone interview.” She laughed. “She said she’d take my word on you. So, you better not f**k it up by being rude to anyone there. You hear me, Kaylee Simpson?”

“Oh, my God!” I shrieked. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I swear I’ll be on my best behavior! I’ve gotta get ready for the call.” I hopped out of bed. “I need to shower and brush my teeth. Oh, and put on something nice.”

“The interview is over the phone, Kaylee.” Tammy laughed. “But I get it. Let me know how it goes, and if we need to start looking for your replacement at the bar.”

“I will.” I tossed the phone on the bed then ran to get myself ready.

At precisely eleven, my cell rang. I picked it up. “Kaylee Simpson. What can I do for you today?” I thought I sounded nice and helpful.

“Hello, this is Camilla Chambers.” She hesitated. “You can call me Mrs. Chambers. My cousin Tammy told me about you, and I saw the application you filled out on our website. Tell me why you want to work here and what makes you think you will make a good fit for the resort, Kaylee.”

Straight to it, then.

I stood up tall, as if I was actually standing in front of the woman. “I can make excellent cocktails and have memorized most of the Bartender’s Bible. I love experimenting with new flavors and can make a delicious drink out of pretty much anything. Career-wise, I’m not looking for anything short term. I would give you all I’ve got to give, and that means making this job my career. I would make a great fit because I would make the island my home and treat my coworkers, management, and the guests like family.”

Silence hung in the air for a moment, “Excellent answer,” she finally said, and I exhaled a sigh of relief. “How would you like to be the day-shift bartender at our most popular bar, The Cantina Cordova?”

“I would like that very, very much, Mrs. Chambers,” I said, hardly able to contain a squeal of delight.

“I’m glad to hear it. I’ll get everything arranged and send over an e-mail with the new employee packet, and as soon as you send back the signed documents and accept the salary, I’ll send you the travel arrangements. I’ll be seeing you very soon, Kaylee Simpson. Bye now.”

“Bye,” I said as I hugged myself. “And thank you so much, Mrs. Chambers.”

Looks like I’m going to Paradise!