The Ugly Girlfriend(3)
The queen of the ball had officially arrived. Angela was always the center of attention. Her fair skin, bright brown eyes, long real hair and a body from hell commanded attention not only from men but also from women. It had been as such for the entirety of her privileged existence.
The attention quickly turned from the awkward moment with LaToya to the tipsy beauty in front of them. In honesty, she was grateful. She could feel the pity emanating from around the table. Instead, she preferred for people to ignore her. It was better than being the central focus of a misunderstanding. Case in point, the white guy. Raising her eyebrow, she looked down at her now watered down drink and wished the night away.
However, even as she sat silently brooding, she felt Mitch still looking at her. She tried to glance away. What did he want now? A babysitter? A nurse? Ugh. Men, she thought as Angela giggled again.
Chapter Two
Early morning came quickly. LaToya pulled herself out of her full-sized bed and leaned over the side. Hitting the alarm on her I-pod clock radio, she snuggled her feet into her furry, pink slippers and made her way to the bathroom. Hair in a bun, she turned on the shower and grabbed her toothbrush.
On her mirror was a huge yellow note. LOSE 30 POUNDS! Looking up at the Post-It, she brushed her teeth in circular rotations as the dentist had instructed and shook her head. That note had been there for two months and since then, she had put on three pounds. The thought was depressing.
An hour later, she was at the Redmond’s home with her cleaning crew preparing their house for a party that weekend and cleaning up from a party the night before.
Some people loved the social scene, and that number most definitely included the Redmond’s. They were a strange but happy couple. Two cosmetic surgeons who had a flare for the eccentric and knew everyone who was anyone in Phoenix, the Redmond’s were also one of her best clients.
It was a beautiful day outside. Around the pool, as she stuffed plastic plates and glasses into a huge, black garbage bag, she looked up at the blue sky and felt completely at peace. Life was good for her outside of being a lonely, young hag. She had a small business that was thriving, a small home that she loved, and friends and family who loved her. Plus, an hour ago, Barnes and Noble had called her and said that her new order of books had arrived. She couldn’t wait to pick them up, get home and start her latest crime/romance series. It was almost like a hot date. In fact, it was a date.
Her employee, Marie, walked past her and smiled. LaToya snapped out of her daze and got back to work. She would think of her date later.
After the house was cleaned and the van had been loaded by the crew, she saw them off and headed to lunch. It was then that she thought about the embarrassing night before and the Irish fellow, Mitch. Mitch! Shit! She was supposed to call him back.
Still driving, she reached over into her purse on the passenger seat and felt through her well-organized pockets to find Mitch’s card.
Money was money. She dialed him quickly on her Bluetooth and listened to the phone ring. Preparing to leave a message, she was shocked when he picked up.
“Hello,” an Irish accent greeted.
“Mitch.”
“Yes.”
“It’s LaToya from last night.”
“Oh, wonderful. Good to hear back from you, LaToya.”
“Good to talk to you as well. After meeting you last night, I am following up to see if you are still interested in hiring my cleaning service.”
“Yes, very much.”
“Great. When would be a good time to come by and assess your home needs?”
“Now, actually. I’ve just arrived back, and I’ll be here for a while. Is right now a good time for you?”
“Sure.”
“Okay. I’m in Scottsdale in Sonoran Hills off the 01 loop. Go to N. Scottsdale Road to East Adobe. I’m on Manana Drive. Do you know where that is?”
“I can find it. I have another client not far from there.”
“Great. Well, I’ll text you my exact address, and I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Alright, I’ll be there in about 30 minutes.”
LaToya made a u-turn in the street and headed east.
She had two ways at looking at last night. She could whine about being the odd one out again, or she could use every opportunity to get a new client. Honestly, she preferred the cleaning contract. While her friends were off getting laid, she’d be getting rich.
***
Thirty minutes later, LaToya pulled up in a winter green Mini-Cooper to the private drive of Mitch O'Keeffe. It was tranquil, upscale split-level situated on a hill in the middle of the community. She parked and went to the front door. Before she could ring the bell, Mitch opened it.