But it was an emergency ... at least, it had seemed like one
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that morning. "You and Daddy have Net jets, and I thought ..." Eliza said in her defense, reminding her
parents that they were subscribers to a private jet service as well.
"Eliza, we already bought you a car for the summer. This is outrageous. Eighteen-year-old girls do not charter private helicopter flights. We've canceled the account," her mother told her, her tone dropping low and cold. "And Daddy and I found out that all of your other credit cards are already maxed out. Those cards were your allowance for the summer."
Uh-oh.
"You really need to learn the value of things. You can't spend money like water. This kind of behavior is what got us into trouble in the first place. I'll need the cards back," her mother said sternly.
"Every one?" Eliza asked, stricken. She looked plaintively at her father. Her dad always let her do whatever she wanted, and money was never an object when it came to his little girl. But this time he merely shook his head and didn't look her in the eye. This totally blew. Usually her mother was the strict one, but if her father was also upset, then she was definitely in the doghouse. Make that the poorhouse. How was she supposed to get by without the help of her friends Visa and MasterCard?
"Every one," her mother repeated, holding out her palm.
"But what am I going to do for cash?" Eliza asked, reaching into her purse and relinquishing her treasured cards.
"You have your internship stipend," her mother reminded.
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"I don't anymore," Eliza confessed, her stomach twisting in disappointment and frustration. She stabbed the ice cream hard with the spoon, and a huge chunk of it flew out of the pint and on the terrazzo floor. "Shit," she cursed.
"What happened?" her mother asked, looking genuinely concerned. "I thought you said that it was going so well and that you were really enjoying yourself."
"I'd rather not talk about it right now," Eliza said quietly. "It's complicated." She returned to ferociously shoveling in the ice cream.
"Well, dear, you are going to have to find a new job if you want money for the summer," her mother said. Her tone of voice indicated that the parental court had made its decision, and no further appeal would be heard by the two justices.
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anna is the wife who cried wolf!
SHORTLY AFTER HALF-PAST FOUR O'CLOCK THE NEXT
afternoon, Jacqui, Shannon, and the children had just returned from Main Beach when Laurie walked into the kitchen, looking nervous. "There's someone at the door," she said.
Jacqui was helping Cody remove a scuba mask and Shannon was collecting wet towels. They both looked up at the sound of Laurie's voice. The kids dispersed into their rooms, leaving trails of wet sand on the zebrawood floors.
"Who's here?" Jacqui asked.
"A man. He wants to see Anna."
Jacqui shrugged. "Did you tell her someone wants to see her?"
"She's having her facial," Laurie explained. Anna had recently gotten into the habit of having costly at-home spa treatments. Once a week, a facialist, a masseuse, and a manicurist visited the house to pamper her with their services. "I told him to come back in an hour, but he won't go away." Laurie nervously twisted the ends of her plain cotton blouse. "He said it's important."
"You want me to tell her?" Jacqui asked, finally understanding what Laurie was asking her to do.
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Laurie nodded in relief. "Would you? She told me no visitors, and I'm worried if I say anything, she'll. . ."
Jacqui stood up and shrugged. "All right. No skin off my back."
"Nose." Shannon giggled. "No skin off your nose."