Page 14 of My Totally Unfair Deal

“That was just a bad moment.” He scratches the back of his neck. “She’s usually much calmer. Especially with new people.”

I bite my tongue. He has no idea I met her already.

Twice.

“Why are you being so weird about this?” he asks.

“Because ninety-nine-point-nine percent of my clients are male,” I admit. “It's easy for me to dress up their wardrobe, give them lessons in being more charming because I'm a guy who has succeeded in the areas they're desperate to emulate.”

“Tell me about someone in the one percent, then.” He crosses his arms. “What happened with your best female client?”

“You're missing the point.”

“You’re not making one. What'd she hire you for?”

“She wanted to get revenge on an ex-boyfriend.”

“You do murder for hire?”

That'd be a lot easier than what you're asking me to do.

“No,” I say, remembering the woman from three years ago. “I just happened to see her crying in a cafe and I couldn't concentrate between her sobs, so I asked her what was wrong.”

“She said her boyfriend dumped her for a younger woman and she wanted to make him regret it. They were due to be at some corporate retreat six months from then and she wanted to show everyone how terrible a decision he’d made.”

“Interesting,” Jackson smiles. “Did it work?”

“A little too good. She has a reality TV show now.”

“She give you any credit?”

“The bonus thank-you check she sends every month.” I pause. “That was different. She already knew the rules of thecorporate world. And she just needed a new wardrobe, therapy, and a stylist.Plus, I had six months.”

“I’m just asking you to make Eliza more like the women who you—” He pauses. “Let me rephrase that.”

“Please do. But wait—” I throw my final Hail Mary. “Why can'tyoudo the presentations? You're good at conversations and it'd be nothing to get you fitted for a few custom suits.”

“I can't leave this place for a day, let alone a week, Harrison. Besides, someone has to hide the mail and deal with the bill collectors without anyone finding out what's really going on here.”

“Understood.” I slowly accept defeat. “Give me a chance to map out a full list of lessons and everything she'd need to pull this off…”

“Of course.” He pulls a set of keys from his pocket and tosses them to me. “As promised, those are for Villa 21, the best one we have.”

“Do you still have that marijuana garden you used to brag about?”

“Of course not.” He laughs. “Weed is illegal and I have no idea what you’re referring to.”

“If you’re only giving me eight weeks to perform a miracle, I want—no,need—to smoke some weed.”

“I’ll show you exactly where it is.”

SEVEN

ELIZA

Try to be nice, Eliza. Apologize and be the bigger person.

I take a few deep breaths and log into our resort’s reservation system. I check to see where my brother has placed his friend and draft a request for room service to send him a fruit and wine basket.

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