Page 4 of His Forever

***

María-Luisa watched from behind the curtain as her son went into the apartment and then left a short time later. Uttering a quick prayer, she went back to her room thinking that prayers for her son were finally being answered.

Chapter Three

Up early the next morning, Marleigh showered and got dressed, unsure of what the dress code was at María-Luisa’s salon. She grabbed her bag that held her essential oils and rocks for the hot stone massage she offered, then ate her pop tarts while talking to Harry. She talked to Nabisco too, but the calico was deaf. She made a good snuggle buddy, however, and had the sweetest personality. Hearing a knock on her door, she grabbed her stuff and opened it to a smiling María-Luisa.

“Good morning, Marleigh. Are you ready?”

Smiling at the older woman, she said, “Yes, ma’am, I am! Oh, before I forget, my cousin will be here later today with my furniture, what time does the salon close?”

“Ah, we are usually only open until around one o’clock.”

“That should work. Do you know where I can get a rental car? I can’t keep imposing on you.”

“It’s no imposition. In fact, you can use my late husband’s car, it’s just sitting in the garage and needs to be driven.”

Marleigh looked at her in astonishment. “Are…are you sure?”

“Absolutely. I will call Zeus to have him make sure it is road-worthy for you, si?”

“If you’re sure, then yes, thank you.”

María-Luisa ran by the local donut shop to grab donuts and coffee for the salon, and then they headed to the salon itself. Walking in and looking around, Marleigh was impressed with the layout and services offered. After putting the donuts and coffee in the breakroom, María-Luisa said, “Come, let me show you the room where you will do massages.”

She could tell walking into the room that the vibe was off. Taking a deep breath, she opened her bag and pulled out several candles and lit them. “María-Luisa? When is my first massage?”

“Thirty minutes from now. There were three scheduled today, is that okay? They will pay you directly, and the weekly booth rent is one hundred dollars.”

“Okay. Are there clean linens? I need to prepare the table,” she told the salon owner.

“Si, they are over here in this cabinet,” María-Luisa said, pointing out the enclosed cabinet.

She got busy resetting the room and changing the linens, then pulled out her phone and got her relaxation playlist going. Hearing a knock on the door, she opened it to see her first client. “Hi, I know you were expecting Sunny, but she is no longer here. My name is Marleigh Cross and I would be pleased to give you a massage today at half price for your inconvenience.”

María-Luisa overheard the young woman and smiled to herself.That’s one way to build clienteleshe thought as she watched the woman walk through the door and Marleigh step out to give her time to get ready.

An hour later, the woman walked out and up to the desk and said, “María-Luisa, your new girl has magic hands. I want to book for her for the same time each week please at her normal charge. She wouldn’t take the full amount, though, so can you find a way to tuck this in something of hers?”

María-Luisa nodded as she booked the woman as far out as the computer would let her. “Si, I will tuck it in her purse when she is not looking. Spread the word, will you?”

“Absolutely.”

***

By the end of the day, María-Luisa had “tucked away” money from all three clients, who wanted “the new girl” to get the full payment, each of them saying that they had gotten the best massage of their lives. When Marleigh came out after cleaning the room once the last client had left, María-Luisa motioned her into the breakroom.

“Did…did I do something wrong?” she asked.

“On the contrary, whatever you did, you did well,” the older woman said as she handed her the money.

“What’s this?”

“Each one of your clients today insisted on paying the rest of the massage cost directly to you, saying they had received the best massage ever.”

“But I told them it was half price!” Marleigh said.

“Yes, I know, but theywantyou to have it so you can’t say no.”

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