“Good morning, darling! I hope you’re in a good mood today.”
“Of course I am, Guadalupe. Please don’t come in here with any of those cakes, though. My jeans are already feeling a little too tight lately!”
She chuckled while resting the platter of miniature cakes on an end table next to my door. “Okay, okay. But as soon as your jeans loosen up, you’re eating one of these. Are you busy right now, or do you have a few minutes?” Guadalupe had never been one to ask if any of us had a few minutes. She was practically our mother, and if she wanted to talk to you about something, then she did. So whatever she needed me for, it was clearly important.
I tensed up a little bit, even though I knew it probably wouldn’t be anything terrible. Everything had been going well at the spa, and to my knowledge, I hadn’t done anything wrong. Still, being called into your boss's office elicited a sense of worry.
“Sure, I have a few minutes. Is everything all right, or am I in trouble?”
She smiled while inviting me to follow her. Every employee we passed in the spa stared at me with fear in their eyes, clearly wondering why I was behind Guadalupe. I’d never seen her pull anyone into her office before. By the time I sat down in front of her desk, I was a ball of nerves.
Yuslan came in after us and patted me on the back. “Why do you look so worried, dear?”
I smiled at him while trying to calm myself down, which wasn’t working. “Oh, it’s nothing. I guess I’m just concerned that I did something wrong.”
Both of them chuckled, and Yuslan reassured me there was nothing to worry about. “Darling, we wouldn’t have promoted you if we didn’t think you’d be good. In fact, Guadalupe and I talked about you last night, and we’ve decided to give you a twenty-percent raise!”
I nearly fell out of my chair. “Wait. What? Are you serious? But I just started!”
Guadalupe reached across the desk and clutched both of my hands. “The woman before you was nice, but we were always coming across errors in her work. But with you, Ginger, it’s the complete opposite. Plus, we know how expensive living in a big city like Miami can be. And you’ve been with Lavender Dreams Spa longer than in your current position. Most of the clients recognize you, and you always go out of your way to make them feel at home.”
I started fanning my face as tears ran down my cheeks. “I just can’t thank you two enough! Twenty percent is so much, though! Are you sure?”
“We’re more than sure, Ginger. Oh, and you also get an extra two weeks of vacation per year with this raise. That’s in addition to your current two weeks, making it a total of four weeks. You’ll also get a larger percentage in our profit sharing, paid holidays, and unlimited sick days.”
“I don’t even know what to say, you guys! This is so unexpected! I’m really getting four weeks of vacation?”
“Yes,” Guadalupe said with a smile, “which is perfect timing because now you can travel with your tall, dark, and handsome man! Just be sure to bring me back something from wherever you guys visit because, with him, I just know it’ll be someplace fabulous!”
I giggled as she clutched her hands to her heart. Yuslan chuckled while handing me an envelope, as he always found his wife to be quite funny. I opened it up to find a five-thousand-dollar bonus check.
“This is a little something extra to help with your student loans, dear.”
I was crying so hard that I knew I’d have to reapply my makeup, but it was all worth it. Guadalupe and Yuslan had just made it possible to pay off my student loans in almost half the time.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
All three of us hugged, and by the time I got back to my desk, I knew I would never leave the Lavender Dreams Spa. I immediately called Margo, who was at home, and by the sounds of it, nursing baby Joanna.
“Good morning, Ginger! How are things at the spa today?”
“Guadalupe and Yuslan just gave me a twenty-percent raise, plus a huge bonus check!”
“Oh, that’s wonderful, Ginger! We have to go out and celebrate tonight!”
As soon as she said the word “celebrate,” I immediately got excited about wearing the fake engagement ring.
“Yes! Oh God, this is going to be so much fun! How about The Spicy Pineapple?”
“That sounds great. I haven’t been there before, though. Have you?”
A smirk played across my face as I remembered seeing Ria storm out of there the night before. “Oh, yes. In fact, Jorge and I were there last night. I’ll tell you and Eva all about it over drinks.”
The Spicy Pineapple was full of people that night, especially at the bar. Luckily, we were able to snag three empty seats next to each other. As soon as we sat down, Eva’s eyes lit up while staring at my engagement ring.
“Ginger, did Jorge actually propose to you?” Margo reached over and yanked my hand to her face, studying it as carefully as Ria had done.
Eva’s jaw dropped. “Oh, my God! I thought it was all an act, Ginger! When are you two getting married?”
