Whitney

by Jade Parker

  “I was just explaining how I knew about Prada, not saying that group of girls was nice.”

  “They call themselves the i’s.” I explained how they worked.

  “Man, brutal,” he said when I was finished.

  “They can be.” I shook my head. “When I first started working here, I didn’t want anyone to know I arrived in a limo, I didn’t want anyone to know we were really wealthy. I told Caitlin all my stuff was knockoffs. They weren’t. Then as I started to get comfortable around here, I let things slip. Now everyone knows my biggest secret.”

  As though to prove my point, two employees walked by. The girls put their heads together when they saw us and talked low.

  “See?” I asked. “They’re talking about me.”

  “You don’t know that. They could be talking about me, saying how hot I am.”

  I laughed. “You think so?”

  “Don’t you? I’m pretty hot. Course, that could be because it’s a hundred and three degrees today.”

  I laughed some more. Jake always made me feel better, even if he wasn’t doing a lot of talking. That he was talking so much now surprised me, but also made me feel good. He knew when to talk to make the unhappiness go away.

  “Your dad owning the park — I think it’s cool,” he said. “I bet you know all kinds of things about the park.”

  The good thing was that he’d been giving me attention before he found out that my dad owned the park. So I knew his being with me now had nothing to with the truth he’d discovered earlier. It made me feel good about him, about us.

  “I know some things,” I admitted.

  He looked around, before settling his gaze on me. “So do you know Mr. T’s real name?”

  “Tzonkryzkewski.”

  “Bless you.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Didn’t you just sneeze?”

  I laughed. “No. That’s Mr. T’s name. Tzonkryzkewski.”

  He laughed, too. “Oh, wow, no wonder he goes by Mr. T. What other park secrets do you know?”

  “I know they’re going to build a new slide over the winter. I’ve seen the design. It’s going to be pretty awesome. It’s a bunch of corkscrew turns. I haven’t decided what to name it yet.”

  “You get to name the slides?”

  I felt myself blush. “I get to offer suggestions. They don’t use all of them.”

  “That’s awesome, though.”

  I smiled. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

  I should have known Jake wouldn’t be bothered by the truth. What did it matter if my dad owned the park?

  “Listen, Robyn invited me to her place tomorrow night to break in her mom’s media room. She said you might need a ride. True?” Jake asked.

  I had a limo at my disposal. When did I ever need a ride anywhere? Still, I’d rather ride with Jake than David.

  “True.”

  “So can I give you a ride?”

  He asked it like he thought I’d say no. How could he not know how much I liked him?

  “I’d love for you to give me a ride, but I have to warn you. My dad’s coming home tonight, which means you’ll probably have to meet him tomorrow night when you come to pick me up.”

  “You make that sound like it’s a bad thing.”

  “My dad is a little overprotective. He might make you take a drug test.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Have you ever watched Meet the Parents? I think Robert De Niro’s character was based on my dad.”

  “So I may have to take a lie detector test, too?”

  “Not that bad. But you’d probably get a lot of questions, so I understand if you don’t want to go through that.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve got nothing to hide. Besides, I’ve taken a lie detector test before. No big deal.”

  “Why did you take one?”

  “My dad gave me one when I was about eight. To show me how it worked and to show me that if I ever lied, he’d find out. So I’m a pretty honest guy.”

  An honest guy. But would he tell me the truth if I asked him if he really liked me? Or would he avoid answering? And how could I still doubt how he felt about me? We were going to do something else together. He was going to risk meeting my dad. He had to like me, didn’t he?

  “Okay, then,” I said, smiling, really glad that he wasn’t afraid of my dad. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  My dad was standing on the steps leading up to the front door when David pulled the limo to a stop in front of the house. I knew David had sent a message up when we were at the front gate. I didn’t wait for David to come around and open the back door. I was out of the car and rushing up the steps before David had even gotten out of the car.

  “Hey, Kitten,” Dad said, smiling.

  “Dad!” I knew I was too old for certain behavior, but I still leaped up to hug him. It worked because I was short and he was tall.

  Laughing, he wrapped his arms around me, squeezing tightly. I wasn’t upset with him about all that had happened at the water park. I hadn’t lied on my employment application, because that would have been illegal and I’d gone to the park numerous times with Dad when he had meetings, so the staff, like Mr. T, knew me. I was pretty sure that the order to keep me happy had come from park management — not my dad. Dad wanted me to feel normal after my bad experience with Marci, so calling for special favors would have been against the purpose of his idea.

  Dad set me down, put his arm around my shoulders, and led me into the house. “Tell me everything.”

  “Oh, there’s so much.”

  We went into the living room. I sat on the sofa, my feet tucked beneath me. Dad sat beside me, stretching an arm along the back of the sofa. I got my blond hair from my mom, my green eyes from Dad. Dad’s hair was brown, always fashioned in a business-cut style, never a strand out of place. His personal trainer kept him in shape, made sure he ate healthy. Unlike Aunt Sophie, Dad didn’t do Wicked Wednesdays. He never strayed from his proper diet. Which I guess is admirable, but is also slightly boring. Especially when I’m the one sharing meals with him.

  I told him all the good things that had happened at the park. When Dad first gets home from a trip, I don’t usually lay all the bad stuff on him. My mom had taught me that — when you first see someone, share the good stuff. Because first impressions last the longest, and if the first thing you do is gripe, they’ll stop coming around. Not that Dad would abandon me or anything. Mom was just trying to make a point. She was full of wisdom.

  I really missed her sometimes.

  It was later, while Dad and I were having dinner at a fancy restaurant with Aunt Sophie that I brought up my plans for Saturday night. I thought it was a good idea to mention them while Aunt Sophie was around to give Jake her seal of approval.

  But I didn’t need it. To my utter shock when I mentioned Jake, Dad was totally cool with him giving me a ride to Robyn’s. Who would have thought? He did say that he expected Jake to come inside, no honking in the drive. But other than that, Dad seemed to think Jake wasn’t a problem. Jake wouldn’t even have to take a drug test.

  Of course, the fact that he was an employee at Paradise Falls indicated he had already passed a drug test. They took safety pretty seriously there, and all employees — including me — had taken drug tests before getting hired.

  I was feeling so good about Dad being okay with Jake that I decided not to bug him about Marci. Besides, she wasn’t really my problem anymore since I wasn’t part of P&E. I knew that if I told Dad about my abrupt move to souvenirs that he’d arrange for me to be moved back to where I really wanted to work. But I didn’t want him interfering. I managed to get a couple of real friends on my own. And now, quite possibly, I was going to have a boyfriend. Jake would pass Dad’s inspection — no problem.

  * * *

  The next morning, I was back at the Treasure Chest. I heard through the grapevine that a final meeting had been held to discuss the luau. We were going to have a bonfire, hire a local band, and ha
ve a laser light-show.

  Caitlin was my source about the laser light-show, because they talked to her about talking to Michael to see if he could set something up on short notice. He could. He even knew a local band that was looking for a gig.

  I wasn’t bothered about not being included in the meeting, because it meant I wouldn’t have to deal directly with Marci. She never sent me an invitation. And I was cool with that as well, because I wouldn’t want to be at the party without Jake. Besides, we would both be working. The staff got paid extra for after-hours events so there was actually a good bit of excitement in the air around the water park.

  Jake was still serving ice cream near the Treasure Chest but I was a little self-conscious now that we were going to get together that night, and he was going to meet my dad for the first time — and Dad was going to meet him.

  Jake and I could be taking our relationship to the next level.

  I could hardly wait.

  * * *

  “So you and David?” I asked Aunt Sophie.

  She was in my room doing the whole makeup-so-it-doesn’t-look-like-makeup thing. It was Saturday night and I was getting ready for what was almost a date. Usually she stayed at an apartment in the city when Dad was home, but she’d decided to hang around a few more days. I could think of only one reason for that development. She wanted to be close to the chauffeur.

  “Is there more to that question? Because I’m not sure where it’s going,” she said.

  “Are you two an … item?” I prodded.

  “Uh, yeah. You have a problem with that?” She leaned back and looked back at me. She had green eyes like mine.

  “No. I think it’s kinda cool actually.”

  “Good.”

  “So how long have you been dating him?” I asked.

  “Oh, about a month now.” She tapped my forehead. “Don’t bug your eyes like that.”

  “But how did I miss it?”

  “We’re very discreet.”

  “Does Dad know?”

  “Not yet.”

  “I think he’ll be cool with it,” I assured her. “I mean if he was cool with Jake, he should be cool with David and you.”

  She furrowed her brow, looked like she wanted to say something, then shook her head as though she’d changed her mind.

  The doorbell rang. Jake was here!

  “Hurry up and finish,” I told her, no longer interested in discussing David and her.

  “Relax. You know your dad’s going to want to talk to him.”

  “But I don’t want him to scare him off.”

  “Who do you think is going to be doing the scaring?”

  “Dad, of course. I don’t want Jake to have to be alone with him for too long.”

  “Oh, all right,” Aunt Sophie said, rolling her eyes and stepping back. “You’re beautiful.”

  “Thanks, Aunt Sophie.” I hurried to my bed and grabbed my tote. I looked back at my aunt. “If you get married, will I get to be a bridesmaid?”

  “If I ever get married. Let’s not rush this, okay? I just discovered I like him and we’re taking it slow.”

  I rushed out of my room and down the stairs. I glanced around. No Jake. Had Dad run him off, just like I’d been afraid would happen?

  I looked out the window. Jake’s truck was still there. I peeked into the living room. Empty.

  Then I realized where they’d be. Dad’s library. He always met with people in there. It was his favorite room. He always had business meetings there, and even though this wasn’t a business meeting, I had a feeling that he’d treat it like one.

  I felt a little like Caitlin because I was feeling nosy. I wanted to know what they were talking about, what they might be saying about me. Specifically, what Jake might be saying. This could be the moment I’d been waiting for, when I found out what he really thought of me.

  Was he telling Dad how much he liked me? Was he explaining that he wanted us to get serious?

  I knew what Dad was saying — that I was his princess and he’d do anything to see that I was happy.

  As I neared the library, I slipped off my sandals so Dad and Jake wouldn’t hear me coming. I crept to the open doorway. I peered around the corner. Dad was sitting at his desk, leaning back in his leather chair, looking calm and relaxed.

  Jake was standing in front of Dad’s desk, his hands stuffed into the back pockets of his jeans. Even from my angle, he looked like he was stiff, nervous. I’d never seen him nervous. He always seemed to be a guy in control.

  “Jake —” Dad began, and his voice rumbled like it did when he was talking to a business associate. It was authoritative, left no room for arguing.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. St. Clair,” Jake said, obviously not recognizing the tone of Dad’s voice. “But I can’t keep taking money for being with Whitney.”

  I was surprised that they didn’t hear my heart slam against my ribs.

  I spun around and pressed my back to the wall. I could hardly breathe. My lungs just didn’t want to draw in air. I thought maybe I was dying. I sure felt like I wanted to die.

  From the very first day at the water park, I had noticed Jake, because I had spotted him watching me. All summer Jake had been there for me. He worked near wherever I worked. We started doing more things together. I had fallen for him — hard.

  I thought he liked me. I thought he wanted to be with me because he liked me.

  Only now I knew the truth.

  My dad had been paying him to be with me. Dad had been buying me a boyfriend.

  I slipped out of the house, knocked on the door of David’s apartment above the garage, and told him that I needed to go to Robyn’s. He didn’t question me, probably because when Dad hired him he told him that he was supposed to take me wherever I wanted to go, whenever I wanted to go — as long as it was before ten o’clock at night.

  He may have thought the black truck in the drive was unusual, but he didn’t say anything about it.

  I had him take me to Robyn’s, because it was the only place I could think of that might offer me a safe haven. Not that I could hide out there. David would tell Dad where he had taken me if Dad asked him. After all, Dad was paying him, too.

  On the way over to Robyn’s, I called Aunt Sophie on her cell phone and told her what I had overheard. I also explained that I just needed some time away, was fine, was going to Robyn’s, and wasn’t going to do anything foolish.

  Aunt Sophie understood. After all, Dad was her brother. She had known him her whole life and knew he liked to control things. But even she admitted that this time he had gone too far.

  “Buying you a boyfriend? You can get one on your own. What was he thinking? He told me there was a guy at the park named Jake who might want to do things with you, and that it was okay for you to be with him, that your dad trusted him, but I had no idea he was paying him!”

  Like that confession was supposed to make me feel better. It only confirmed what I had heard, and it explained so much, like why Jake’s name seemed to mean something to her and why she’d been perfectly okay with me going out with him. Aunt Sophie probably would have gone on a little longer but I’d told her I was losing my reception.

  When I got to Robyn’s, she, Caitlin, Sean, and Michael were already there, waiting to start the party, waiting for Jake and me to get there. Only there would be no Jake.

  Now they were all sitting around on the couch or a love seat, united, while I sat on the floor feeling so very alone. I knew those feelings weren’t fair to them. But everything made sense now.

  The reason Jake always seemed to be working wherever I was. The reason he hadn’t kissed me.

  “I thought he liked me. But my dad hired him. All this attention he was giving me was because my dad paid him to pay attention to me.” My cell phone rang. I ignored it.

  “So what — your dad staked out the water park, noticed who came and went, then hired Jake?” Caitlin asked.

  “He owns the water park, Caitlin. He could have looked through all
the applications and picked the person he thought would be best. Or maybe he took out an ad. Who knows? Jake’s dad is a cop so maybe my dad thought Jake had the serve-and-protect gene. I don’t know. I just feel betrayed by Dad and Jake.”

  Another cell phone rang. Not mine. Sean, looking sheepish, took his cell phone out of his pocket and looked at the display.

  “I have to take this.” He stood up and started walking to the far side of the room while flipping open his phone. Then he started talking really quietly.

  I concentrated on him as a really awful thought started to form.

  Robyn reached across and touched my knee. “Go on. Finish explaining.”

  “In a minute.”

  She looked over her shoulder at Sean. “He won’t mind.”

  “Who do you think he’s talking to?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “I think he’s talking to my dad.”

  “You’re just getting paranoid now,” Caitlin said. “Why would he be talking to your dad?”

  “Because my dad knows people, knows things, and has contacts.”

  Sean closed his phone and returned to sit by Robyn on the couch.

  “Were you just talking to my dad?” I asked Sean.

  “Yeah. He wanted to know what was going on and if you were okay. I said you were fine.”

  Typical guy. I wasn’t fine. Couldn’t he see that? Or maybe it was just that right now I was upset with all guys.

  “Why did he call you?” I asked.

  “Because he was worried.”

  I shook my head. “No, I mean why you? How does he know who you are? Was he paying you, too?”

  “No. Absolutely not. Although he may have known I was your supervisor, because he talked to me about you working in my section of the park.”

  Great. Was there any part of my life that my dad hadn’t tried to control? I looked at Michael. “So did my dad pay you to come to the water park, introduce yourself to me, and sell me on a laser light show that he’d already paid you to put on?”

  He looked at Caitlin, looked back at me. “What?”

  “Now that I’m thinking about it, you being at the water park and telling me about your dad’s light-show company, and a customer canceling on the Fourth of July just seems way too coincidental all of a sudden.”