Massie by Lisi Harrison Read Free Book Online

afraid you don’t have a choice, Massie.” Kendra headed for the door. “We’re not
asking
you to get a job. We’re
telling
you to.”
    “What if I refuse?”
    “
Hasta la
Visa, baby!”
    Massie’s stomach lurched.
    The image of Kimmi sweating in the SAT hut while her friends read magazines by the pool popped into Massie’s mind. It was more depressing than fur coats.
    If Massie was going to do this, she needed something glamorous. Enviable. Alpha-worthy. Something that
earned
    like a job but
looked
like a hobby.
    She needed a
jobby
.
    “Can I at least find my
own
summer career?” Massie insisted.
    Kendra pressed one shaky finger to her temple. Massie could almost see the veins bulging. “You have one week. Otherwise, I’m calling the club and telling them you accept.” She shuffled toward the open door.
    “Can I think about it by the pool?” Massie called.
    “Whatever works.” Kendra shut the door behind her, the word
works
echoing in Massie’s brain like a bad J.Lo remix.
    THE BLOCKS’ SOUTHAMPTON ESTATE
    POOLSIDE
    Monday, June 15
10:47 A.M.
    When life gave Massie lemons, she made lemon-mint spritzers. Or at least, she sipped them.
    After a long, brain-numbing swig, she set the tall glass in the cup holder of the portable pedicure chair, powered off her white iPod, and wiggled her toes. It was a subtle “hurry up” hint, aimed at Rita, the famed “poolside polisher,” who, after an hour, was
just
starting to apply the first coat of Chanel’s Black Satin. With exactly five hours left to find a jobby before her mom forced her to work at the beach club, Massie was starting to panic.
    Rita quickly lifted the tiny black brush off Massie’s big toe. “Stop squirming!”
    Massie rolled her eyes at the drugstore blonde’s dark roots and then sighed.
    “Gawd, you’re so lucky.”
    Rita lifted her blue-colored-contact eyes. “How am
I
lucky?”
    “You have a job you
love
.” Massie adjusted her white Tom Ford wrap sunglasses. “Did you always dream of doing people’s nails?”
    “Oh yeah, sure. It’s a real
dream
job.” The chubby older woman clipped a stray cuticle from Massie’s toe, then snickered, revealing an uneven row of top teeth.
    “Well, I need to find mine.” Massie checked the time on her iPhone.
    “Any leads?” Rita dipped the brush in the square glass bottle.
    “I don’t know where to look.” Massie pulled a black hardcover sketchbook and purple glitter pen from her white leather beach tote.
    “Why don’t you make a list of things you enjoy, and then you can think of jobs that fit those things?”
    “I did,” Massie opened her book and read her list to Rita.
THINGS I ♥
JOBBYS
PROS
CONS
Animals
• Vet
• Dog clothing designer
• Dog walker
• Save animals
• A doggie fashion show would be ah-dorable
• Toned legs
• Need education
• Must wear lab coat
• Sewing is boring
• Scooping poop for a paycheck is highly un-alpha.
The Pretty Committee
Social-life planner
Comes naturally
They are away
Fashion
Wardrobe Stylist
Get to shop all day . . .
. . . for other people
Parties
Party planner
Get paid to go to parties
Have to work while I’m at parties
Being in charge
President
Private jet
Pantsuits
    “Rita?” Massie reapplied her clear Glossip Girl SPF 30 lip conditioner and peered across the lawn. The gardener was driving some tractor-style lawn mower that filled the air with the earthy smell of fresh-cut grass. It seemed like everyone was tapping into their dream job but her. “Can I ask you something?”
    “Of course,” Rita said, applying a second coat of Black Satin. “Anything.”
    Massie surveyed the list with a critical eye. “Can you grab my
Teen Vogue
? It’s right next to you on my chaise. I need a break.”
    Rita’s knees cracked when she stood.
    Massie began flipping through the glossy pages. Models, leaping through the surf dressed in bikinis and long chain necklaces, mocked her with their berry-stained smiles. Toward the back there was a