Salon Secrets · Mesa, AZ
I got tired of being the excuse for my owner
I have worked at the same nail salon in Mesa for four years, and for most of that time, I trusted my owner, Linda. She could be strict about schedules, but she treated me fairly and usually helped when the salon got busy.
About eight months ago, she started asking me to stay late more often.
The requests always came near closing. Linda would say she had an errand, a family problem, or an appointment she forgot about. She would leave me to finish the last customers, count the register, clean the stations, and lock the door.
I did not mind helping once in a while. We all cover for each other in a nail salon. After it became a regular thing, I started feeling used.
The person Linda was meeting was Kevin, her husband’s younger brother.
I knew because Kevin sometimes came through the back entrance after the other employees left. Linda would tell me he was helping with something in the storage room or picking up paperwork. That never made much sense because Kevin did not work at the salon.
One evening, I walked into the break room to get my purse and saw them standing very close together. They moved apart quickly. Linda acted normal, but Kevin left without saying much.
A few days later, Linda told me directly that she and Kevin had feelings for each other. She did not give me every detail, and I did not ask. She said her marriage had been unhappy for a long time and asked me not to judge her.
What bothered me was not only the affair. It was the way she kept making me part of it.
She would ask me to tell her husband that she was still at the salon if he called. Sometimes she changed her schedule and gave me customers she had already promised to take. I was working longer hours while she used the salon as her excuse.
I became nervous every time her husband stopped by. He was always friendly to me, which made it worse. I felt like I was lying even when I said nothing.
The situation finally changed on a Saturday evening. We had been busy all day, and Linda left before the last pedicure was finished. She said Kevin needed help with something and told me to close again.
Her husband showed up about twenty minutes later with dinner for her.
He looked surprised when I said Linda had already left. Then he asked if she had gone with Kevin.
I froze. I did not confirm anything, but I also did not cover for her. I told him he needed to ask Linda directly.
The following Monday, Linda was angry with me. She said I could have protected her and that I had created a problem in her family.
I told her the problem was already there. I was only refusing to lie about it anymore.
Since then, she has stopped asking me to stay late for personal reasons. The salon feels tense, and I know she does not trust me like before. I am still working there because I need the job, but I keep my distance now.
I used to think being a loyal employee meant helping the owner when she needed me. Now I think there has to be a limit.
About eight months ago, she started asking me to stay late more often.
The requests always came near closing. Linda would say she had an errand, a family problem, or an appointment she forgot about. She would leave me to finish the last customers, count the register, clean the stations, and lock the door.
I did not mind helping once in a while. We all cover for each other in a nail salon. After it became a regular thing, I started feeling used.
The person Linda was meeting was Kevin, her husband’s younger brother.
I knew because Kevin sometimes came through the back entrance after the other employees left. Linda would tell me he was helping with something in the storage room or picking up paperwork. That never made much sense because Kevin did not work at the salon.
One evening, I walked into the break room to get my purse and saw them standing very close together. They moved apart quickly. Linda acted normal, but Kevin left without saying much.
A few days later, Linda told me directly that she and Kevin had feelings for each other. She did not give me every detail, and I did not ask. She said her marriage had been unhappy for a long time and asked me not to judge her.
What bothered me was not only the affair. It was the way she kept making me part of it.
She would ask me to tell her husband that she was still at the salon if he called. Sometimes she changed her schedule and gave me customers she had already promised to take. I was working longer hours while she used the salon as her excuse.
I became nervous every time her husband stopped by. He was always friendly to me, which made it worse. I felt like I was lying even when I said nothing.
The situation finally changed on a Saturday evening. We had been busy all day, and Linda left before the last pedicure was finished. She said Kevin needed help with something and told me to close again.
Her husband showed up about twenty minutes later with dinner for her.
He looked surprised when I said Linda had already left. Then he asked if she had gone with Kevin.
I froze. I did not confirm anything, but I also did not cover for her. I told him he needed to ask Linda directly.
The following Monday, Linda was angry with me. She said I could have protected her and that I had created a problem in her family.
I told her the problem was already there. I was only refusing to lie about it anymore.
Since then, she has stopped asking me to stay late for personal reasons. The salon feels tense, and I know she does not trust me like before. I am still working there because I need the job, but I keep my distance now.
I used to think being a loyal employee meant helping the owner when she needed me. Now I think there has to be a limit.
Unbelievable!
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You Got Me!
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