chicklitsandfantasies

Kiara’s heels clicked against the tile granite floor tiles of the kitchen as she walked to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of mineral water. Her long brown hair was in a neat bun at the top of her head and her olive skin was complimented with a cute white lace dress. Her makeup was fresh and her skin looked dewy. “Oh, you’re back,” Ashley says in a sarcastic tone while walking into the living room dressed in a cami and daisy dukes her long hair loose down to her shoulders. “Yes, London was quite enjoyable thank you for asking. I always get joy in further refining my craft,” Kiara tells her sister. She walks out to the patio admiring the view of the city midday. Ashley follows behind plopping down on a black lounge. “You know just because you’re a grad student at Yale and you had a small role on Broadway doesn’t mean you’re above the rest of us,” Ashley quips. “Did you listen to the words that came out your mouth? I excelled all my life; while you choice local parochial school as an option I was thrilled to attend one of the top boarding schools in the country. I graduated top of my class and became the only member of this family to attend an Ivy League school. You may not have higher inhibitions but my goal is to be an actress and I never set a goal I can’t achieve,” Kiara says proudly. “Did you practice that speech? Yes you were a good student but dad’s money and your last name got you into Yale’s School of Drama. And I thought you wanted to do movies and TV? Why are you doing wasting your youth in grad school?” Ashley inquires. “I’m refining my craft,” Kiara retorts. She sits down on the couch and picks up her Ipad. “You’re dating the son of a television producer; you’ve had your SAG card since you were 10. You know you could be the lead of a TV show right now. Are you afraid to move out of your comfort zone?” Ashley asks. Kiara smiles a sly smile. “Let’s talk about you for a moment. What’s this I hear about sneaking into the club?” “I just wanted to have a night out with the girls so we got dressed up and I went downstairs and partied. We were dancing and having a good time. Dad’s busy freaking out over what this supposedly means for his reputation,” Ashley explains. “I don’t know why he’s so worried about a little small town gossip.” “Well considering his history as well as that of his father, it’s easy to see why they would be worried about another scandal. Grandma is justified for being distraught over the affairs,” Kiara expressed. She sets her Ipad down on the table. “Please she got millions in that divorce settlement and then she got money from the tabloids for airing out our family business. She was being spiteful about something she knew about for over a decade,” Ashley said. “I’m not sure what lies dad covered the story up with but she didn’t know her husband was sleeping with younger women who worked for his company. She would’ve left much sooner had she know. Grandma had class and dignity just like my mother,” Kiara said. Ashley rolled her eyes. “Oh here it comes! More my mom versus your mom crap. I know dad left your mother for mine and you’re jealous.” Kiara leaps from her seat. “That couldn’t be further from the truth,” she bellows. “Our father cheated on my mother with a younger version of her and he’s rumored to have slept with quite a few women in this town. I’m happy she was able to flee in time.” “And just like grandma she took a nice chunk of change with her,” Ashley pointed out. “I don’t believe those rumors about dad having affairs despite how my parents got together.” “You are more naive than I thought. Let’s hope you never discover any of our father’s hidden secrets. I knew I should’ve spent the rest of my break in New York with my mother,” Kiara turned and headed back inside. "It's not too late for that," Ashley snaps. Mr. Harrington walks in the living room.”Kiara, when did you get home?” he asks. “Very early this morning, daddy. I was tired and wasn’t in the mood to talk,” she replies. He can feel the tension in the room. “What’s going on here?” he inquires. “Ashley tried to insinuate that my mother and your mother are nothing but gold digging whores,” Kiara says. “The daughter of one however has no place judge.” “Because you’re just Little Miss Perfect,” Ashley derides. “Kiara! You don’t talk about your family that way,” Mr. Harrington raises his voice in a stern tone. “I’m sure others do. You and your wife can try and keep up the façade but I see right through it. I see something much more deep past the shallow surface,” Kiara says stomping off. “What was that all about?” Mr. Harrington asked. Ashley shrugs. “How should I know? She woke up in a bad mood, I guess. It was the usual back and forth until she brought up our family and reputations.” “What did she say?” he asks. “Something about not brushing off every rumor about you; that we’ll find some out to be true,” Ashley recalls. “You weren’t buying into that were you?” he asks cautiously. “Please, ain’t nobody got time for that,” Ashley laughs before adding. “Let her throw her little hissy fit. She lives here with us so she can’t be mad for long.” “I hope you’re right. One thing I’ve learned from my own mother is to never mess with a Harrington woman when she’s angry,” Mr. Harrington noted.

Nikki stands behind the counter checking the time on the register. She couldn’t wait for her lunch break. First real day on the job and she’d already dealt with some bitchy tourists. She hated this town and the people who visited during the summer months. They had put her to work in the Juniors department with and older lady who was busy doing stock while she ran register. The only highlight of this job so far was that it would give her a discount on their clothing. This department had a lot of discounted clothing and she and her family were already regular shoppers here so her 25% would be put to good use. Plus her sister’s birthday was coming up. Even though she was angry with her sister she still cared. The store was having a dress sale this week and she had some money saved up some money to buy her sister a new dress. It had been awhile since Giselle had bought clothes that weren’t practical. Even her older sister needed to feel sexy every once in awhile. Nikki sees a petite young woman with medium length blond hair, sun kissed skin and blue eyes headed in my direction. “Hi, my name is Tami” the blonde extends her hand. She gives the bubbly blonde the once over. “Nicole,” She gives her the English version of my name. Paola always thought it was better to use Nicole in public; as if people didn't start judging her immediately after seeing the name Ramirez. “You’re new here,” she points out. “Yeah just started,” Nikki replies. “And they put you in one of the busiest departments, wow!” Tami says in her airy voice. “I work back in the Dress Department. Swimwear is back there too, I think I saw a suit that would be perfect for you.” “Thanks but no thanks. I don’t really have time to go swimming and my current suit is just fine,” she tells her. “You say that now but one thing I know about working here is that you see all sorts of stuff you want to buy during the day,” she says. “I’m not an impulse shopper. However there is something that I need to buy from your department,” Nikki informs her. “Ooh!” she squeals with delight. “Come on, let’s go back and look,” she grabs my arm trying to pull me. “I’m working. And the rules are that we aren’t supposed to shop on the job,” states Nikki not wanting to get penalized on my first day. “Peggy can ring up customers if they stop by. She’s always disappearing on the clock anyway. Plus it won’t take long anyway. Looking at you I know exactly what dress I should put aside for you.” She says as we head over to her department. “It’s not for me. It’s for my older sister. Her birthday is coming up and I want something special for her,” Nikki says eye up a slinky black dress. “It’s really cool that you work here now. Not a lot of young people work here, so it’s nice to see someone closer to my age, ya know? My mom has worked here for years so I can tell you everything you need to know about this job and the people who work here starting with the boss,” Tami tells me. “Alright tell me about the boss, what dirt do you have on Mrs. Wilson?” Nikki inquires. “She’s worked here since the 80s. She was a cashier working in the men’s suits department and her sales were always up. She was gorgeous from what everyone says and the pictures I’ve seen. Really skinny cuz back then she used to supplement organic juice mixes with meals. She modeled in ads for the store when they were expanding across the state,” Tami gossips. “So what happened?” she asks thoroughly intrigued. “Well the talk of the office has always been about her torrid affair with William Harrington,” Tami gabs. “The William Harrington?” Nikki asks utterly surprised. “What about William Harrington?” a voice asks behind them. Turning around they see Mrs. Wilson standing tall dressed in a white her long brown hair on her shoulders, her dark eyes piercing them and her icy demeanor radiating. She looked good for her age, having discovered the wonders of Botox in moderation in addition to her health drinks. “I didn't realize we were having an employee meeting. Get back to your departments and get back to working before I write both of you up,” she orders pointing a gaunt finger at them.

Kirkland and Charlie intrigue me.