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Matthew’s warning about me not fighting with the guests went out the window. I could take them being rude to me. That was okay. But for Eloise to drag my mother into this was low. And today, I was willing to stoop down to her level, even if my job was on the line.
“All I’m saying is your mother worked hard for you to have everything you ever wanted. And for you to end up working at a hotel, of all things? It would crush her.”
Would it? I wondered to myself. Mommy always wanted me home and to wear the best clothes and have the best food. She had sheltered me, yes. Would she be crushed if she saw me like this? Struggling in Florida and giving Daddy the cold shoulder?
“You don’t know anything about my mother,” I hissed at her, closing the gap between us. I reminded myself that Mommy was still proud of me whatever I did in life and that Eloise didn’t know shit about our relationship or her death.
“Why are you working here anyway?” God, this woman was nosy. “Did something happen with you and your father? Did he finally realize how much of a burden you are?” She laughed at her comeback, but I could only raise an eyebrow at her. I wanted to hide away so I could cry, maybe throw up a little bit.
The wave of emotion was like a punch in the stomach. To see Eloise and for her to talk about my mother. It was too much for me. It made me miss her even more than usual. It made me question my decision to move away. It almost made me want to grab my phone and apologize to Daddy. God, it made me consider his offer so I could return home and go shopping again.
But my pride wasn’t something I could swallow. It must have been a St. James trait to have to prove people wrong. And that was exactly what I wanted Daddy to see. That I could take care of myself without his help and that I was just starting my journey in the real world. What did Eloise know? Did he fucking crystals make her a success?
So I squared my shoulders and swallowed the lump in my throat. “You know what, Eloise? Don’t talk about my family like you know them, okay?” I gave her a fake smile, which she returned with a grimace. “And second, at least I’m working at something for myself.”
She mumbled something to herself to mock me—typical, immature Eloise. “Working on something for myself,” she echoed. “What do you want, a fucking medal?
“No. I want you to get out of my face and shut your mouth.”
“Aww.” She gave me a fake pout. “Is that the way you speak to your guests?”
“You're wasting my time.” I shook my head. As much as I wanted to put Eloise in her place, I didn’t want her to see me getting riled up. That would mean she had won.
“That’s right, walk away, St. James. How I wish the other girls were here to see this.”
“Goodbye, Eloise.”
“Your mother would be turning in her grave right now,” she called one last time, hoping to get in the last word. One thing she needed to learn about me was that I always got the last word, and she didn’t have a right to talk about my mother—to even think about her.
“Do you want to fight right now, Eloise?” I tossed the basket of supplies to the side and marched up to Eloise, ready to pounce.
“Because I don’t give a fuck about this job really. I could take you down right now.” And I would. I wasn’t afraid to get physical with her, especially when I knew which parts of her plastic body would be more damaged if I had to swing a fist at her.
“All bark and no bite, St. James?” she challenged. I told myself not to make the first move, but if she dared lay a finger on me, that was it for her. And the next time she talked about my mother, I was going to bust her lip. I could take care of a lawsuit.
“You don’t know jack shit about my family,” I hissed at her, closing the space between us in one stride. She was taller than me, so I had to look up at her, but that didn’t mean I was going to back down.
I was so close to her that I could smell the margarita on her breath. She had to take a step back.
“Get away from me.”
“No!” I snapped. “You want to fight me, Eloise? Let’s fight. You chose the wrong day to mess with me.”
“I don’t have to fight with you to prove my point.”
“Which is what exactly?”
“That you’re a nobody now. That I’m so much better than you.” Like I said, she thought everyone was competing with her. But I wasn’t. I didn’t care if she’d won the lottery. Her attitude was trash, and no amount of money was going to fix that for her.
“You’re not going to live off of your stepfather’s money forever, are you?”
“It’s my mother’s money, too.”
“Really? So tell me, Eloise, will your mother be coming to this party of yours today?” The smile was wiped from her face at my statement. I didn’t want to be the mean girl, but Eloise was giving me no choice. She wanted to push my buttons using my dead mother? Then, I was going to push back.
“She’s in Japan for a business trip with her husband.”
“When is she not on a trip?” I grew up knowing that Eloise’s mother was always away, and I didn’t know if it was for business or if she just wanted to get away from her daughter. But everybody knew that Eloise longed for her absent mother to be at school activities. More often than not, she didn’t come, and Eloise was left with her nannies. “It looks like she’s avoiding you.”
