“What, by getting married as soon as I graduate?” I asked.
“Your brother was a dumbass,” Cindy admitted. “I’m just suggesting you slow it down and date someone. Go out with one of your classmates and act like a teenager. You have the rest of your life to grow up.”
“Shit. You sound like my parents,” I complained.
I heard laughter through the phone. I’d momentarily forgotten that my mom was working with Cindy on my LA home. Of all the leaks, she was the one that made me want to get mad. I thought we’d worked this out when Tami and I were at each other’s throats, and my mom kept interfering.
I shook myself and remembered something Uncle John had taught me. We have control over how we react to something. Was it worth getting worked up about? Maybe, but I decided to let it slide … for now.
“Can we talk about anything else right now?” I asked.
“I talked to Caryn and your mom about your place in Canada. Are you looking to just use it for a vacation spot, or do you want to fix it up better?” she asked.
Whistler Blackcomb was one of the best ski destinations in North America. I’d fallen in love with snowboarding when I’d done my photo shoots for Range Sports. The condo had four bedrooms, and, according to Caryn, a shuttle bus took you to and from the resort. I envisioned letting my friends and family borrow it when I wasn’t using it.
My mom had mentioned that I might want to offer it as a short-term rental. She explained it would be cheaper for a family to rent my condo than get hotel rooms for everyone. She estimated that it should pay for all the costs of owning it and make a little extra. It was something I was kicking around for my other properties in New York, Monaco, and Greece.
“I can’t see living there, but I can see someday using it as a place to take my whole family. If I’m going to do that, I would like to make it look better than the pictures Caryn sent me. Caryn said the skiing was fantastic.”
“I’ve got some ideas for maximizing sleeping arrangements. One furniture company makes a queen-size bunk bed with a trundle bed that can be pulled out. We can put two each in two of the bedrooms, a queen in the smallest bedroom, and a California king for the master. The bunk rooms wouldn’t be ideal, but you are on vacation. You would only use them to sleep.”
I did a quick calculation in my head, and this way we’d be able to comfortably accommodate all the little rug-rats plus some.
“The only problem I see is having enough bathroom space for that many people. I’m not worried about the boys,” I said, and then slowed down because I remembered what a pain it was to share a bathroom with my brother. “I can see it being a source of conflict if someone hogs it.”
“Okay, I’ll work on a solution.”
“You might have to look at the kitchen, too.”
We’d had to beef up the kitchen in my Malibu home. From the plans I’d seen, I suspected we could run a small restaurant out of the one my mom and Cindy had designed.
“Why don’t you send me up there to check it out in detail? You could also buy a ticket for Kevin,” Cindy suggested.
“I’m not sure how much work you’d get done if you take your boyfriend.”
“He’s been complaining I don’t spend time with him. This would solve that plus give me an excuse to spend a weekend skiing.”
“I see,” I said.
“I am also a poor college girl,” she hinted.
Cindy was full of it; her family had money. But if she was working for me, I should do what was right. I realized she probably didn’t want to go to her parents with her hand out all the time.
“Call Megan. Have her book the tickets for the flight and ski lifts. Also, tell her that I authorized you to have a debit card. But be aware that Megan tracks everything. It’s for when you travel for me,” I said.
“I had another thought,” Cindy said, sounding shy all of a sudden.
“What’s that?”
“Our spring breaks are the same week. Could we go to New York, Monaco, and Greece to check out your other properties?”
“You know, that’s not a bad idea. I had planned to do something similar with Brook … before we broke up. Without her coming, I bet I can get out of having to let my parents tag along,” I said to agree.
If Brook would have gone with me, there had been rumblings that our parents would go. Not that it wouldn’t have been fun. We’d survived last spring break sailing the Caribbean. Then I had an idea.
“You should invite Kevin.”
“He has his spring football game the week before, and he and most of the defense are going to Daytona Beach that week. I’ve been looking for an excuse to skip that,” Cindy admitted.
The tone of her voice told me not to press her for details as to why she didn’t want to spend spring break with her boyfriend and his football buddies. I figured I probably didn’t need to know.
Then I looked at the clock. I hadn’t planned to hang on the phone this long. I’d missed my time to run.
“Hey, I hate to do this, but I have to go to school. Call Megan,” I said and paused. “And thanks for helping Scarlet. She clearly wasn’t happy, and I had no idea what to do for her.”
