Where does Melinda have to work over the holidays

Melinda's parents don't think she should be spending the Christmas holidays just sitting around the house doing nothing. They think she'd be much better off getting some work experience. As a result, Melinda is required to work at her mom's clothes store. But things don't go very well. She soon gets bored refolding all the shirts in the storeroom. To make matters worse, she becomes the object of suspicion among the other employees, who resent her for being the boss's daughter. Melinda ends up doing more reading than actual work, which makes her feel kind of guilty when she finds out that her mom's store didn't do much business over the holidays.
Things don't work out for Melinda at her dad's insurance office, either. For one thing, she's annoyed at how much easier her dad's working life seems to be in comparison to her mom's. Melinda's dad gives her some menial chores to do, such as licking envelopes. Unfortunately, she cuts her tongue on one of the envelope's flaps. There's blood everywhere, and Melinda's dad is not very happy about all the calendars that have now been ruined by bloody envelopes.
Melinda's experience of the world of work may not have gone according to plan, but at least it has made her actually look forward to going back to school. That's a first.