The Green Ticket (5 page)

I found a picture of the staff on their website, mostly women varying in age, but also two men. Dani and her husband Kevin were to the side of the picture, and were the only ones not wearing a black shirt with the Blissful logo on it. Dani looked petite, with long wavy brown hair highlighted with streaks of blonde. Kevin loomed over his little wife, looking full of confidence at the camera. Everyone was smiling, and the group looked fun.

I did more research on Dani and Kevin and found a few interesting things. Kevin, forty-four, had actually started his own company back when he was just eighteen. He opened a photography business–– even though he had no skills as a photographer–– hiring the models and photographers while he managed the business. He eventually went on to start his own magazine, which I had heard of and was a big deal a while back in the Midwest. Kevin had a degree in business and entrepreneurship and a résumé full of managing different companies, from restaurants to a small hotel. He still owned his photography/magazine business. Did I mention what that business was? The name of the magazine was Gropers and it was an adult magazine. As in, naked women. I was a bit shocked when I read that part, and when I clicked the link to the Gropers website, the pictures were quite….revealing. It wasn’t porn, just pictures of the women, but still. Not what I expected.

“So I don’t get it. He’s in the adult industry but runs a salon and spa with his wife?” Lila and I were walking back from classes on Wednesday. I had my purple notebook filled with what Professor Laman went over that day, and was feeling my confidence soar for my upcoming interview. I had an education, Kaufman, and great interviewing skills to back me up.

“Well, I’m not really sure. It says he still owns Gropers, but has considered selling it because of his children. They have three girls under the age of eight. That has to be awkward if they ever found out what daddy was doing at his job.”

“I can’t believe the wife is okay with it. That would just be weird to me. My husband goes off to work and oogles naked chicks all day. Do you think he gropes them?” Lila snorted with laugher at her play on words.

“Well, it actually gets a bit weirder.” We continued walking through the parking lot, waving at friends and classmates as we neared Wacker. Lila got her keys out to unlock the front door. “Dani actually used to pose for Gropers. That’s apparently where she met Kevin.”

“What? Alex, I’m not so sure about this job anymore. You’re going to turn into a porn star!”

“Lila! I’m sure Dani doesn’t pose anymore. She’s given birth to three children.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. Look at Amani. She went full frontal in her latest film just one year after delivering twins. Some woman can just bounce back. Look at your sister for crying out loud. She has a better body than me and she’s had five kids.”

“Yeah, yeah, I guess she could still pose. I just don’t really want to think of her like that…you know, naked and stuff. It’s a little weird.”

“Do you think she’ll talk about that business in your interview?”

I shrugged, stepping into our apartment and setting my oversized purse that doubled as a book bag on the kitchen table. “I don’t know. I certainly don’t want to bring it up. How uncomfortable would that be?”

“Definitely weird. But kind of fascinating at the same time if you really think about it.” Lila stripped her heavy black sweater off, suddenly only wearing a flimsy red bra in our kitchen. “Do you think I need to get my boobs done?” she asked, cupping a breast in each hand.

Bewildered, I said, “Um, no. Are you crazy? You have frickin’ C-cups; how much bigger would you want?” I couldn’t even believe Lila was asking that question. She was always hard on herself about her weight, but she never mentioned plastic surgery before.

“What if I finally lose some weight, but it’s all in my boobs? Silicone will keep them perky all the time,” she answered, still not letting go of her girls. “And the main anchor on Buzzworthy has fake boobs and she’s always flashing them around in those slinky dresses.”

“You’re crazy. Please don’t get plastic surgery. You’re beautiful the way you are. Trust me. And what would Joel say?”

“Speaking of Joel,” Lila said, looking down at her cell phone, “he just texted and said he’s on his way over. Want to have dinner with us tonight?”

“Nah. I think I’ll head up to Hannah’s and practice some interview questions with her. You kids have fun. And please–– no more plastic surgery thoughts!” I pleaded one last time before we went our separate ways. Women shouldn’t have to change their appearance for anything, whether it be for a guy or a job. I hoped Lila wasn’t being serious about going under the knife.

$$$

I arrived at AJ’s with five minutes to spare on Thursday. Generally I’d like to show up much earlier, but with class dismissing at one and then the fifteen minute drive, that was as close as I could make it. I knew what Dani looked like from her picture on the web, and hoped that it was current. I told the hostess I was meeting someone, then took a seat on the wooden bench beside the front doors to wait after not spotting her in the dining section.

I smoothed down my caramel sweater dress, knowing I looked professional but not stuffy after pairing it with dark brown tights, Emma’s knee-length brown boots with just over an inch of heel, and a chunky gold necklace with a white flower attached to it. Lila had put hot rollers in my hair last night, so I woke up today with soft red curls framing my face and almost no frizz after a bottle of smoothing crème was ran through my strands.

At 1:30 on the dot, Dani burst through the restaurant doors.  She looked just like her picture, except even smaller in person. I had a few good inches on her even though she was wearing heels, and I couldn’t help but to admire her shoes. And by admire, I mean salivate. They were nude slingbacks with a peep toe and flecks of purple, and I knew if I could see the sole, the Louboutin red would be there. To own a pair of the coveted designer shoes was a fantasy of mine. Dani matched her outfit with her shoes, a loose fitting purple dress with a scoop neck and lots of gold jewelry. And her boobs. How a woman so tiny could have such huge breasts was beyond me. They must have been fake. How she didn’t just tip forward was beyond me. But besides that, I was instantly in awe of her–– from her fashion sense to her shoes to her manicured fingers that were holding onto a briefcase and the way she so confidently glanced around the room, extending her hand to me and introducing herself. I wanted to be just like her.

“You must be Alex. I’m Dani Dohlman. So nice to meet you! Thanks for meeting with me today.” She stuck out one hand and I gave it three firm shakes, just like I learned in Kaufman’s career class. No weak handshakes for this girl.

“Nice to meet you, Dani. And thank you for meeting with me!” I couldn’t help my excitement. I just hoped Dani wouldn’t think I was a supreme dork.

“Well, let’s get a table and then we can do the interview and go over what we are looking for at Blissful. Cute dress by the way,” she said, flagging down the hostess and requesting a quiet spot in the dining area.

I beamed in pride as I followed along, sliding in across from her at an oversized booth. Dani promptly turned off the mini TV that was at the table showing a basketball game, opening her briefcase and pulling out a few sheets of loose paper along with what looked like a handbook. It was that moment that I got a look at her wedding ring. Holy smokes, that ring was no joke. A giant square sat on her third finger, surrounded by even more diamonds on the side, and a band covering the top and bottom of the square with even
more
diamonds. I wondered how many carats her ring was, and just how much money she was wearing on her hand. “Okay then. Why don’t we start by you telling me a bit about yourself?”

I hated that question. Almost every interview I had been on asked that. I never knew where to start. Where I was born? Did I talk about my family? My hobbies? “Well, I’ve been living in Des Moines since I was eight. I moved here with my sister from Baruva, Illinois. You’ve probably never heard of it. It’s just a tiny town.”

“Baruva? I used to live in Mapleton. That’s just about forty minutes away from Baruva!” Dani exclaimed, her blue eyes lighting up. She jotted something down on the piece of paper in front of her. “What a small world. I moved away when I was still young though, so I’m not too familiar with the town anymore. Who are your parents?”

Ah, another question I hated. “Well, my mom was Lisa Abrams. She passed away though when I was five from breast cancer. And my father, Marcus Abrams, left me and my sister not too long after that. He couldn’t handle Mom’s passing, I guess.” I stared down at the table, running a finger along the polished veneer. Why did my interviews always have to start off on this foot?

“Oh, Alex, honey. I’m so sorry,” Dani said, the sympathy in her voice making my heart ache. “I know how it feels to lose a parent. I lost my dad in a car accident just four years ago. I think about him every day.”

I looked up at her, noticing the way she gazed straight at me, not looking away or trying to change the subject like many people did when I talked about my mom’s death. It was like everyone got so uncomfortable and flustered when I brought it up. But not Dani. She understood what I had been through. I felt an instant kinship with her and right then, and knew I wanted the job now more than ever.

Once we were able to move past the topic of our parents, she asked me a few questions about Kaufman and what classes I was studying. She was especially interested in my entrepreneurship class, which I knew would be the case. I flexed my brain and spit out the information I had learned over the past few weeks from my classes. I spoke about managing employees, how to handle the hiring and firing, how continuous training can be key in making the business succeed, and even some financial information. I gave ideas on marketing for good measure as well. I wanted Dani to see what I could bring to her business.

Through the interview, we found out we had more in common besides being from a small town in Illinois and losing a parent. Dani also held a job as a teenager at a hotel, and we shared some of our more outrageous stories with one another. She went on to tell me more about her life and how she began modeling when she was eighteen, which is how she met Mr. Dohlman on the set of a photo shoot. Since I knew she had posed for Gropers, I wasn’t surprised to hear she did nude modeling, but tried not to let on that I already knew that information. From her beautiful face to oversized melons, I wasn’t too surprised that an adult magazine snapped her up. I wondered if she ever considered Playboy? We all had a past, but now Dani was a buttoned-up (kinda) businesswoman, owning Blissful with Kevin and looking into opening multiple franchise locations. Dani was by far the coolest woman I had ever met.

“Well, Alex, I’m sorry for taking up so much of your afternoon,” she said at one point, causing me to take a peek at my phone. It was already 3:30! The afternoon and interview had flown by. “Are you hungry at all? I could order us some food if you wanted to stay and chat for a while longer. I know I promised us a late lunch, but I didn’t think it would be this late! I could tell you some more about Blissful and our staff, and we could set up a time for you to come in and see it and meet my husband.”

Did that mean I had the job? She wouldn’t offer to buy me lunch and keep talking to me if she was just going to toss me out, right? “I’d love that, Dani, thank you. I don’t have any plans for the rest of the day. Well, some homework tonight of course, but that’s typical.”

“What’s your favorite class that you’re taking?”

“I would have to say entrepreneurship. I know that I would like to be my own boss some day, to own a business that I really love.”

“Well, Alex, I’ll tell you that I absolutely adore you. I think you would make a great addition at Blissful. If it were up to me, I would offer the job to you right now.” I held my breath. It sounded like she was getting ready to turn me down. But what about lunch? That would make it awkward. She continued. “Once you meet with Kevin, I’m sure he will agree with me. We don’t like to do any big hires without both agreeing to the person, but really, I can’t see why he would refuse. You’re just what we’re looking for.”

The waitress chose that moment to approach us, and Dani ordered us some spinach dip with pita bread, along with more waters. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Dani liked me. I was
this
close to getting a fabulous job and working with someone who I already considered to be a role model. She was successful, beautiful and seemed to overcome some hard times.  I couldn’t believe my luck.

“So, how about sometime this weekend? Can you stop by Blissful or do you have plans?”

“I can do this weekend! I don’t have any plans at all.”

“How about Sunday? It’s still a pretty quiet day, but it should be busy enough so you can see some of the action without being overwhelmed. Kevin and I don’t work a lot of Sundays ourselves. We reserve that day for church and family time, but we can definitely stop over so he can meet you and you can decide if you would want to take the job.”

“That sounds perfect! Thank you so much, Dani. I really appreciate the opportunity,” I said, hoping I sounded as sincere as I felt.

“You are so welcome, Alex. I have a feeling that my husband will just love you.”

Chapter 5

I pulled my Camry into Blissful’s parking lot on Sunday afternoon, the first real cold day of the fall season. The girls and I were keeping our fingers crossed that the weather would keep its semi-warm temperatures until next week –– Halloween. We were attending a costume party together, and going as the Spice Girls. I mean, really, was there anything better suited for us? My red hair cast me as Ginger Spice, obviously, and I was looking forward to rocking a mini dress with some towering platforms.

Blissful Salon and Spa was a stand-alone business, meaning that it was not in a strip mall attached side to side with other businesses. Dani had told me when they first built Blissful just fourteen months ago, their original spot had been picked out, paid for, a done deal, then the owner of the strip mall decided to let a gym be put in right next to the spa. Dani and Kevin were appropriately peeved off. Who wants a gym with loud music right next to where a client is getting a relaxing massage? So they got out of that lease and into a new space, which had gone smoothly and opened up last year on Mayfair Lane.