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Post by misstami on Sept 27, 2010 18:57:13 GMT -5
Pushing open the door to her suite, Kayla gave the head housekeeper one last bit of instruction about the hotel wide cleaning planned to start the next day. Now that the summer season was over, it was time to start anything that needed doing before the fall resort season got into full swing. Saying good-bye to the employee with a strained smile, Kayla shut the door to her suite.
Kicking off her heels with a relieved sigh, she set the armful of paperwork down on the desk in her sitting room, flipping open the top folder. She briefly read the first page, a listing of minor repairs maintenance was claiming needed to be done, and closed the folder again. Flopping down in the armchair near her desk, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back, trying to relax.
It had been a stressful day, with the last of the summer guests and tourists all seeming to be leaving at the same time. And of course their father would think this would be a good time to take a "business trip" for a few days, leaving her in charge. She'd spent the day trying to solve one crisis after another. She was particularly annoyed that Neil seemed to have disappeared when she really could have used his help that day.
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Post by zerog07 on Sept 27, 2010 19:47:05 GMT -5
Despite the fact that the sun had already set, it had been a very short day for Neil. After the little party he had thrown in his suite the night before, he had taken the phone off the hook and pretty much slept through the whole day, waking up in the afternoon to go to the beach to surf a little. Now he walked slowly through the hallway, whistling a tune, distracted, thinking about his plans for the later. Dressed very casually, in a t-shirt and surf shorts, he walked to his sister's door, deciding to check on her. He knew she was probably going mental with all the workload, since their dad was away. Not that Neil did anything to help. It was usually the opposite.
He used his key card and threw the door to her suite open, barging in as he usually did. Turning his head, Neil looked around the room to find her at the desk, with her folders and papers. Probably working, as usual. Kay really needed to lighten up a little. Especially now that their dad was gone. His work trips were Neil's favorite times, because of the freedom he had. Just like the night before, when he was supposed to be tending the bar during a particularly crowded party, but instead he'd just decided to bail with two very tipsy girls to his suite. When their dad was out, Neil knew he could usually get away with almost anything, since his sister was nowhere near as hard on him. Which meant that her workload was usually double not only at the hotel, but at babysitting him too. He honestly felt a little sorry for her, but not enough to stop him from pulling the same thing every time he got a chance. And, as far as he knew, it wasn't like she was being forced to take the burden of running the hotel or anything.
"Hey, sis! Heck of day, huh?" He said very loudly, closing the door behind him and throwing himself in one of her chairs. If she had doubts about his whereabouts, they were solved by the amount of sand he left behind as he crossed her room. He leaned back on the chair and rested the back of his hand on his hands, intertwining his fingers and sighing. Then he sat up a little, remembering something. "Oh, by the way! Do you mind taking care of my room tab, clearing it before dad sees it? We had a party last night and the girls went a little crazy with the champagne." He flashed her a lazy grin, clearly utterly clueless about how tired she was or of the fact that she'd been looking for him.
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Post by misstami on Sept 27, 2010 20:29:58 GMT -5
[Kayla's work ensemble today: www.polyvore.com/kayla_work/set?id=23586696]Jumps as her suite door is thrown open with a crash, almost knocking the stack of papers off of her desk. Glares at Neil as he strolls into her suite, tracking sand across her clean rug. "Really, Neil, you couldn't have rinsed off the sand at the beach? I know I don't get out there that often, but you didn't need to bring it back to me." Picking up her phone, she presses the button for housekeeping, requesting someone to come by to vacuum her rug. "I don't need to guess where you've been today, instead of here when I really could have used your help."She gives him a disapproving look as she stands up & slips her suit jacket off, laying it on the back of her desk chair before moving to sit in the other armchair. Studying him for a moment, she sighs wearily. "How much is it this time? I wish you wouldn't ask me to cover for you like this." Holds up her hand to keep him from speaking before shes finished. "No, I know why you ask me, because you know I'll cover for you. But you can't keep doing this, Neil! Dad always finds out, and people in town are always talking about your latest misadventure. And weren't you supposed to be working the Maynard party last night?" |
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Post by zerog07 on Sept 27, 2010 22:08:45 GMT -5
He kept a playful smirk on his lips, then looked down at the rug, not even aware of the mess he was making. In a very relaxed, clearly non-apologetic tone he replied, patting his shorts lightly, which made a even bigger mess as more sand fell down on the rug and on her chair. "Oooh... I'm sorry, Kay. I didn't see it. But it's not so bad, it's good for you to have some contact with the beach." He smiled and raised his eyes to look up at her again, his grin growing wider as she glared at him with disapproval.
Neil opened his mouth to answer, but she didn' t let him, so he just stayed still on the chair, watching her with a look that suggested mild amusement. They always did that dance. He'd screw up, have her clean up the mess and she would complain and lecture him, but would still end up fixing everything anyway. Kay didn't really give up on him easily, he'd give her that. After she was done, he prenteded to wait for a moment, in case she had something else to say.
"Calm down, sis. Dad won't know anything, the old man is slipping already. And it was just a couple of hundred bucks. They weren't very fancy ladies, so we just drank the cheap stuff." Neil laughed cheerfully and sat up, dropping his hands to rest them on the chair's armrest, clearly trying to make her feel a bit uncomfortable, something he loved doing. He didn't really wait for an answer, knowing she would end up taking care of it for him. "You're a total star, Kay. I owe you one." He owed her several, already, and she could never seem to cash in those favors.
He slowly got up from the chair, shrugging and shaking his head, taking a few steps towards her. "You gotta lay off this 'family reputation' thing, Kay. You're starting to sound like dad. You don't want that, do you?" Neil shot her a teasing smirk. Sometimes he really didn't get his twin sister; she seemed to be at least ten years older than her age. Neil couldn't care less about reputation or their status or anything. He was just interested in the family money and how he could spend it having as much fun as possible. He gave her an innocent look, turning to walk to a window, glancing outside and strecthing his arms lazily. "I was, you know, sis? But the party was so slow, I figured the other guys could handle it." Neil blatantly lied. The party had been a huge formal that had everyone at the hotel busy, especially considering that most of the temps hired for the summer were already gone, leaving a very stressed small staff to take care of everything, all of which was under her direct responsibility.
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Post by misstami on Sept 27, 2010 22:28:57 GMT -5
Kayla watched him walk over to the window that overlooked the beach. She was at a loss of what to do with him. No matter how she tried, she couldn't seem to make him want to take any responsibility for the hotel or for his own actions. She hid a bit of an indulgent smile, knowing that whatever he did, she would most likely always be there to clean up his mess. Even if she did resent how he acted at times. She did sometimes wonder though if one of them had been switched at birth with another baby, considering how different they were.
Getting to her feet tiredly, she joined him at the window, nudging him with her elbow. "If one of us doesn't worry about the family reputation, then god knows what would happen to the business." Turning her head towards him, she gives him a pleading look. "Please, for me, stick around and help with the seasonal spruce up, and I won't say another word about you bailing on the party last night. Or the wild party in your suite that kept me awake til the wee hours of the morning."
Hearing a knock at the door, she calls for whoever it is to come in. Nods her head, smiling, as one of the housekeeping staff enters, pushing a vacuum cleaner ahead of her. Turns back to Neil, shaking her head. "So do you have plans for the evening, or do you think you can spare time out of your busy social calendar to have dinner with your old maid sister? I'd love to hear how my nephew is doing."
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Post by zerog07 on Sept 27, 2010 23:13:59 GMT -5
Neil laughed, playfully nudging her back with his elbow and turning his head to glance at her."Well, then, little sis, I'm pretty sure the hotel will be safe and still very respectable when you're in charge. After all, you're going to have to give me a big allowance... " He turned his body in her direction, frowning a little."Speaking of which, do you know the old man still won't give me a dime? It's insane, I can barely survive. Do you have any idea how much he pays a barman? When are you going to talk to him about this?" He was clearly being overly dramatic about this, poor rich boy whining about not getting an allowance, when he could be a gold medalist in burning money if it ever became an Olympic sport. Neil wasn't used to being cut off and having to save money nor to actually working. And it was very typical of him to expect Kay to solve his problems, especially when they concerned his relationship with their father. She was, after all, daddy's girl.
Neil turned back to the window, hearing her request, pretending to think about it. He really didn't want to stick around and help with that, he knew it was going to be hard work, but he was aware that he couldn't push his sister over the edge. He doubt Kay would in fact tell on him, but it wasn't just the possibility that made him consider the request, but the fact that he was actually worried about her workaholic lifestyle. Neil ended up nodding and smiling at her."Alright, sis, but only for you. I'll stick around and help out." He couldn't help but laugh again at her remark about how the party had kept her up, but refrained from saying anything about it.
"You know, Kay, you could really use a day off... As much as it' s hard for you to believe, this whole place won't come crumbling down if Kayla Grace Smith is not here for a few hours. You should go out, do something. Have you even talked to anyone from back in the day? We've been in town for months now." Neil turned back to look at her while he said it, giving her an actually concerned look and probably the only serious remark since he walked into the room. Neil was very aware that he acted like a irresponsible child most of the time, but she was still his little sis - he was older by a few minutes and he loved bragging to her about that, just like a kid - and he worried about her.
As Kayla went over to open the door for the maid, Neil turned back to the window, enjoying the view of the beach artificially lit. He stood still as she walked back and frooze when he heard her comment. Neil frowned, but stayed quiet for a few seconds, before turning to look at her, a bit upset, speaking now in a defeated tone. "Don't. You know, just... don't. I mean, if you wanna see the kid, go talk to Silver.... but just..." Neil shook his head, not really sure of what to say. He'd been avoiding this situation for the last few months and he had only seen his son a handful of times. Kayla knew him too well to not realize that he was terrified by all of this, but he was obviously too proud to admit that. Not finishing his sentence, he turned around and walked back to the chair he was sitting on before, plopping down, closing his eyes and sighing. "We're supposed to talk tomorrow. I don't even know what to say."
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Post by misstami on Sept 27, 2010 23:42:50 GMT -5
Kayla rolled her eyes as he called her his little sister. 3 minutes. That was the only difference in their age. She liked to think the only reason he was born first was that Neil had been as impatient about that as he was about everything else. She raised a disbelieving eyebrow at his lament about not having enough money, not fooled by his sad expression for a moment. "Lets see, you live in the hotel for free. You don't pay any bills, not even your cell phone which is billed to the hotel. You don't have to pay for food or alcohol unless you go out, unless dad finds out about it first. And you get paid whether you show up for your job or not. And you don't have enough money?"
She went back to her desk, sorting through folders full of work orders, assembling task for him for the next day. Returning to the window, she handed it to him. "Thank you. This is all easy stuff, you just have to make sure the maintenance crew knows what needs to be done. You don't have to do any actual work yourself, just oversee them. And if you don't stick around this time, I swear I will never cover for you again. You'll be on your own from now on when you get in trouble." She turned away from him, knowing the smirk that would be crossing his face said the he knew she was bluffing. She'd threatened it to many times for him to actually take her seriously.
"Theres been too much work to do around here, with the summer season. I haven't had time to do anything besides work. Maybe if someone had stuck around to help more often..." She turned away to her desk again, pretending to shuffle through papers. She didn't want him to see the lonely, sad look on her face at his comment about friends. "Anyone I was really friends with is gone, moved away. Those that are still here were never my friends, Neil, they were your friends. They simply tolerated my presence because of you."
She gave him a concerned look of her own at his comments about Michael. Putting the papers back down on her desk, she walked quietly over to his chair and sat on the arm of it, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "He's your son, Neil, you can't run away from that. You've already missed so much of his life. Do you really want to miss more? I know Silver wants you to be a part of his life." She secretly thought that if he maybe took more of a role in his sons life, that maybe it would force him to grow up a little.
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Post by zerog07 on Sept 28, 2010 11:51:21 GMT -5
He seemed disappointed that his poor boy act didn't work on his sister. He just shrugged, turning his palms up. "What can I say, sis? It's expensive being me. And I don't like the way you put it, it makes me sound whiny... This is a very serious issue." Neil half-smiled at her, incapable of being serious for more than a few moments, even when he was upset about something. Especially then. He nodded as Kay explained what had to be done in the following day, quiet, trying to look like he was paying attention. Indeed, at her threat, a small smirked appeared on the corner of his lips, but he didn't say anything. He knew she wouldn't stop covering for him, but she probably needed to say that just to feel she was doing well in the responsible role. Whatever helped her sleep.
Neil watched her from the chair, carefully. He was usually sensitive as a doorknob when it came to most things, but he knew his sister well enough to know she wasn't all work. Deciding to come back home after several years, leaving a lot of friends behind in New York was probably tough on her. He hadn't really felt that, too busy feeling shocked by the news Scarlet had dropped on him a few months ago, but he certainly was starting to feel restless in Cape May. Neil looked at her gently. "I'm sorry, sis. If you'll get out of the hotel, I promise to stick around, then. How does that sound? Maybe I'll even do some work." He smiled more warmly, but shook his head, serious, at her next comment. "It's not like that. Everybody liked you, Kay. You're great. And it's not like I still have a ton of friends, considering the people who hate me now. I mean, I'm pretty sure Silver does, or she'd at least have told me that I had a kid... and don't get me started on that girl that's always attached to her, that annoying blonde who can't keep her mouth shut." Neil sighed, a bit sadly, pondering on what he'd just said and wondering how did Silver really feel about him. "Heck, go out with Silver then, she always liked you. Maybe you gals can bond over coffee and talk about what a jackass I am." He smiled again, but a bit sadly now, as she walked to him.
He sighed, looking up at his sister, confused. "I know, Kay... But what do you want me to do? What does everyone want me to do? I come home... I wasn't even going to stay here, you know that, I was gonna head back to NY... And then Silver just drops this on my lap. I mean, how am I supposed to react...? Now she wants me to be a father? I... can't do that, Kay." Neil gave her a sad look, finally putting the jokes aside for a moment and showing how he really felt about it. He was clearly scared, no doubt about that. He rested his head against Kayla's arm, silent for a moment.
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Post by misstami on Sept 28, 2010 12:23:01 GMT -5
Kayla smiled ruefully, knowing he didn't really mean to stick around to help with the work, despite his promises. "If the work gets done tomorrow, I might go out on the boat for a sail the next day. I've not had a chance to since we've gotten back. I miss it." She and Neil both had a love for the ocean they had grown up next to. But while he preferred the wild, reckless thrill of surfing, she adored the quiet of being out on the open ocean, flying along before the wind on her catamaran. Their father had offered to buy her a bigger boat, and hire a crew for her, but she'd refused. She treasured the alone time she had on her small boat by herself. It gave her time to think and escape from the pressures of what everyone wanted from her. She shook herself out of her thoughts as he talked about their friends. "Everyone liked me because I was your sister. Other than that, they all thought I was a drag most of the time." Hestitating, she wasn't sure how to bring up the fact that she'd seen Scartlet a couple of times since they'd been back. "Actually, I've had lunch with her a few times. Just so I could meet my nephew. He looks so much like you when you were that age." She gave him a sad look as he talked about Scarlet, his son, and the plans he'd had before he found everything out. Everyone else might have looked at him now and thought he was being selfish and immature, but she knew her twin better than that. She knew that while he did tend to be rather irresponsible, the fact that he had a kid he'd never been told about scared him to death. "You just have to get to know him, Neil. You never know, you might be a great dad."She got up from the arm of his chair and moved to sit back down in the other one. Giving him a serious look, she took a deep breath before she told him what she'd talked to Scarlet about. "I don't want you to get mad, but when I saw Scarlet last, I offered to give her a monthly stipend for Michael. Just money to help take care of him, get him anything he needs. But she refused. Told me I needed to stop trying to fix your messes and let you grow up and do it yourself. That if you wanted to pay child support, then it should come from you, not from me." |
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Post by zerog07 on Sept 28, 2010 20:31:59 GMT -5
"See, that's progress, already. But you should think about doing something that involved, you know... other people." Neil smirked at his sister. He knew Kayla loved the peace of being out in the open sea with her boat, which Neil really found incredibly boring. When he used to sail, in high school, he'd usually take Scarlet with him and not to think about life or meditate or whatever Kayla did out there. But he understood it in some level; as much as he had a lot of fun surfing, it was something that he did to relax, too. That's why he usually hated surfing during the summer season, the beaches were so crowded it was hard to find some peace. Neil shook his head disapprovingly at her comment. "You're not a drag, Kay. You just need to get out there, have some fun. Meet new people." He paused for a moment, grinning like he usually did when he had an idea what would only give her stress. "You know what we could do...? Convince the old man to let us throw a party in his boat. Like an "welcome back" party or some crap like that. Invite everybody from the old days.. heck, everybody who's everybody in this town. And I'm sure he wouldn't say no to you." Neil really thought that she needed to get out of her shell, but if that was also an excuse to party, it was a win-win. It's not like she would ever go out with him, even on the rare occasions he asked her to. When she mentioned she'd been talking to Scarlet, Neil just nodded, shrugging. "Well, alright... I mean, he's your nephew... I guess. Things have not been good with us. I still can't believe she didn't tell me." When Kayla said could become a great father, he just shrugged, quietly. Neil really didn't think so, but there was no point in talking about this further and he wasn't in the mood for a pep talk, so maybe she would just drop it. He watched her taking a deep breath, as if getting ready to say something that would upset him. And it did. "You.. what? Kayla, I really don't need Silver thinking that I'd... God, why did you..." He didn't finish his sentence, stopping for a second to actually think about what she said. After a moment, Neil continued, speaking slowly. "I really hadn't thought of that... I mean, I know she's running her mom's spa now, but... Do you think she needs money? I should.. do something about it. You think the old man would say no? He's still not entirely sure that Silver doesn't want his money." Neil rolled his eyes as he said the last sentence. He was sure Silver would never pull something like that, no matter how mad at her or confused he was right now. But of course the thought of actually working to provide for his child on his own wasn't the first one to occur to Neil. Neil's outfit
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Post by misstami on Sept 28, 2010 21:03:14 GMT -5
She thinks for a moment about his suggestion for a party. It might be the way to rekindle some friendships in town, maybe meet some new people. It wasn't like she was meeting anyone here at work, even if dad's assistant manager interested her. "I could talk to him, it might be fun. Just...I don't want Noah invited, please?" She still hurt sometimes when she thought about her past relationship with him. They'd run into each other in town, a few weeks after she'd returned from college, and it had been a really awkward encounter. "I'll talk to dad when he returns from his trip. There should be time to plan it before the fall season here at the hotel kicks into full swing."
She felt a bit sorry for her brother over his his insecurity about his son. Kayla felt that he was capable of being a good dad, if he'd just give himself a chance and tried. "You don't have to jump right in and be super dad, Neil. But you could...I don't know...maybe at least see him once in awhile. Get to know him. Scarlet was wrong to never tell you about him, but you know now. Thats all that matters." She flinched as he exploded angrily about her offering Scarlet money. "I don't know if she needs the money, but...Michael is family. I don't share dad's view that she's just after money from us. That child is part of our family, whether he likes it or not. I was trying to do the right thing." Stands back up, going to the window again, staring out the falling night and the stars appearing in the sky out over the water. "If dad won't help you with money for Michael, I'll take it from my personal accounts. He doesn't have to know about it."
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Post by zerog07 on Sept 28, 2010 21:51:43 GMT -5
He grinned, nodding vigorously, a bit surprised she was going for it. Neil would make up any excuse for a party every chance he got, while his sister was rarely up for it. But this was promising. It could be a real party, if she'd convince their father to pay for it. "Of course it will be fun. Trust me. And... Noah who? Forget the loser." Neil gave her a gentle smile, shrugging. He didn't really want the guy there either, after what had happened between him and Kayla. He refrained himself from saying something about how things like that were the reason he was always bugging Kayla about the guys who approached her. He knew she didn't need that. "You know, maybe you can even... Meet someone new. Who knows, right? It would do you some good. Of course, if I approve." He shot her a forced smile as he said the first sentence. As much as he could be jealous of his sister, he wanted her to find someone that could get her to stop obsessing so much about work or the family. Of, course, a half decent guy, which excluded pretty much all of Neil's friends, which were far from that, much like him.
Neil sighed, nodding, really wishing she'd just drop the subject. "Okay... I guess.. I should. I think Silver wants me to get to know him. Well, honestly, who knows what the hell she wants... but... I guess I can try, but I'm so not cut out for this, Kay." He stayed silent, wondering how his life had become so complicated all of a sudden, but smiled at what she said. "I'm glad. I'll talk to her about it when we meet. If she needs anything, I'll let you know and we can talk about it." Money problems were easy to solve. He was used to writing more checks than he could keep track. Of course, all of it using his father's money, but still. And the thought that maybe Scarlet needed money for the kid was much less scaring than thinking that she actually wanted him to face his reponsibilities, so he decided to go with that.
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Post by misstami on Sept 29, 2010 19:56:09 GMT -5
She smiled at his attempt to hide his protectiveness from her. But truthfully, she was glad he was there to watch over her. Despite all his immaturity and wild ways, she knew when it was really important, he'd be there for her when she needed him. "Theres not really anyone in town that I know well enough to say I'd want to date them anyways, Neil. So you don't have to worry about doing your job as my brother and keeping all the bad guys away." The truth was that there were a couple of guys in town she was interested in, but they didn't know she existed beyond saying hello in passing to her. "But a party would be nice to see some of the old gang again."
"Lets forget about the issues with Scarlet and Michael for tonight. You'll see them soon, and you can talk to her. You know I'll support you whatever you choose to do, though I have faith you'll do the right thing." Walks back over near his chair and ruffles his hair affectionately. "Go get cleaned up & changed. Dinner is on me tonight." Heads into the bedroom of her suite to change her own clothes for something more casual to go out in, still thinking about Neil's problems.
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Post by zerog07 on Sept 30, 2010 9:14:13 GMT -5
"I'm not saying you should get a boyfriend... just go out and meet people. And worried, me? I'm never worried, sis." Neil smiled and shrugged, leaning back on the chair, like he had no idea what she was talking about. As much as he could act like a teenager sometimes, a lot of times, Kayla was pretty much the one person Neil really cared about and would always try to protect. It was a rare mature attitude coming from him. That's why, of course, he didn't like to admit it very much. In truth, he was just proud of sister, for not becoming a screw up like him, and didn't want nothing bad to happen to her, since she could be a little on the naive side.
"I'm up for forgetting about that for now... and thanks." He smiled a little shyly. Despite all the lectures from their parents, his sister was the only person that would, eventually, make him feel a little embarrassed about himself and wish that he'd do better. Those moments didn't last very long, though, and he'd try to hide them as best as possdible. But Neil was glad to know that Kayla was on his side.
He smiled, as he pushed Kayla's hands away from his hair and got up. "Damn right it's on you, sis. You think my words of wisdom come for free?" Neil laughed cheerfully, already trying to push the thoughts about Scarlet and Michael away from his head. As she walked to the bathroom, he looked down at his own clothes. "Oh, what? Is my outfit not fancy enough to be seen with you, KG?" Neil rushed out of her suite, laughing, knowing Kayla hated to be called that, to go into his and take a shower to wash the smell of the beach away.
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