Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 102355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102355 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
In a moment, I’ll join them, but for now I’m hovering near my appointed locker, trying to blend in while I wait for Simone to get here with my uniform. I haven’t seen her since she left me outside Hugo’s office.
“Who are you?” says a feminine voice with a distinct accent. Just like with Felix, I’m guessing it could be Scandinavian.
The woman’s locker is four down from mine. Like all the other employees in here, she’s very pretty. She has white-blond hair that contrasts starkly with her thick, dark eyebrows. On paper, her features should clash, but they don’t. She’s tall and lithe with severe cheekbones and hard eyes. Beautiful, but intimidating, like a cat.
“Elle.” I shift my body toward her, inviting more conversation.
She scrunches her nose. “L? Like the letter?”
I laugh. “It’s a nickname. E-l-l-e.” One I acquired for the very first time an hour ago as I sat outside Hugo’s office waiting for him to call me back inside. I had plenty of time to consider how I wanted to navigate this new turn of events.
Up until now, I’ve been careful with introducing myself to people on Ibiza, only using my first name, but I had to get serious about whether or not I wanted anyone at Aura to find out about my family. There’s a chance that if they realize who I am, it will invite a lot of questions and attract the wrong kind of attention. My entire life I’ve lived behind the veil of my family’s legacy, never quite sure who was befriending me out of genuine interest and who was merely looking to climb the social ladder.
There’s more to it than that, though. By distancing myself from the name Isabel De Vere, I might actually be able to escape the confines of myself. Isabel is practical and uptight, always worrying about the future. Elle can be whoever I want—someone wild and free.
I told Hugo about the nickname when he finally called me into his office.
His reply: “I’ll call you Daffy Duck if you want, just fill out this paperwork.”
“Elle, cool. I’m Annika.”
The name rings a bell. “Hugo mentioned I should find you.”
Her dark brows shoot up to her hairline. “Did he? That probably means I’m supposed to train you. Lucky me.” She doesn’t even bother to soften her sarcasm, tacking on a dry “No offense. I’m a veteran. Worked here last summer as well, so I’ve been getting all the green servers this year, annoying as it is.”
I have to laugh at her frankness. “I’d find it annoying, too. No worries. I promise I’m a quick learner and I’ll try not to slow you down.”
She assesses me with fresh eyes before she turns toward her locker and whips her shirt up over her head without a care in the world. Her nakedness doesn’t faze me. I went to an all-girls prep school from sixth to twelfth grade, and it’s just the way it is. It wouldn’t make sense for Annika to go stand in line and wait for a bathroom stall just to put on her uniform.
Still, I avert my gaze and give her some semblance of privacy as I start to dig in my duffel bag in pursuit of my makeup. This morning, I only applied sunscreen and lip gloss, and Hugo made it clear at the end of our meeting that the girls on the floor are expected to go all out during their shifts.
“Where are you from?” Annika asks.
“Los Angeles. You?”
“Copenhagen. My brother and I are both here for the summer.”
I take a wild guess. “Felix?”
She nods and continues working body lotion over her legs and arms. There’s a subtle shimmer to it, and I immediately make a mental note to get some of my own before my next shift.
She raises a brow. “Met him already? He works the door.”
I smile. “Yeah, I don’t think he’s my biggest fan. He didn’t want to let me in here at first.”
She rolls her eyes as she takes a pair of heels out of her workbag. “He’s like that.” Her gaze catches on someone behind me and she smiles. “I’ve been wondering where you’ve been.”
“Running around like a loon! That’s where I’ve been.” Simone rushes toward me with relief in her eyes and a bundle of clothes cradled in her arms. “Thank god Hugo didn’t scare you away.” She foists the clothes onto me. “Here’s your uniform. Apologies in advance if it’s a little tight. They’ve been picked over, and there were only a few left to choose from. If it’s not right, we can try to see if any of the girls would be open to a swap.”
I stand to change. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. Thank you.”
“So Quinn’s really gone?” Annika chimes in.
“Yes, and don’t remind me. At this very moment Ollie is probably snogging her face off, promising he’ll never cheat on her again, and this time, he’ll be better.” She sounds truly revolted, and I can’t help but smile. Then she looks at me and smiles back. “But it’s fine because now we have Isabel.”