I left the room the way I had entered. This wasn't my home. It never had been. Portia wasn't family. My sister was my only family now. Allowing myself to think there was a chance Portia cared for us had been a mistake. It made me vulnerable. I couldn't be vulnerable. I had to be strong. Tough. Figure this out. Because Portia was right about one thing: it was my problem. Not hers, and definitely not Jasper's. Telling him my situation would be asking for help, and I wasn't doing that.
The doors that led to the veranda opened. I stopped and turned around to see Jasper and Winston walking inside. Jasper was talking and stopped when he saw me.
"Hello. I hope you enjoyed your day off." He sounded sincere.
"I did. Thank you."
"We're here to find food. Not much of a cook and I'm tired of eating easy things out there just to avoid my mother. Could you make us something to eat? Stone was going to, but you're here and I imagine you could make something tastier than what he can throw together."
Stone? Who was Stone?
"Uh, sure. Any requests? Or do you want me to just make something?"
Jasper looked at Winston. "You were going to make fettucine with alfredo sauce, right? You want that or you want her to make something else?"
Winston was Stone? How had I missed that?
"I'm good with whatever. Provided she can cook," he said not looking at me or acknowledging my presence. Once again, I felt like I'd been transported to the Victorian era and I was the servant around him.
Jasper chuckled. "Ignore him. He's a bit of a dick. You just fix something. I'm so hungry I don't care what it is. Just no grilled cheese. I've made myself sick of those."
I nodded. "I'll get right to it."
"Do you know if my mother has gone up to her room?" Jasper called out as I walked away.
"Yes. I believe so."
He let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Not in the mood to listen to her bitch."
I didn't reply, I just exited. I would talk to Jasper later about my second job. I was going to use my excuse for saving for college as the reason why. For now, Heidi would remain a secret. I didn't want to appear to be asking for his help. That wasn't the case. I just needed his understanding. Money for college sounded believable enough. Besides, only last week, that was what I had been planning to do. It wasn't a complete lie. Not really.
I stood in the kitchen and looked at the pantry. I wanted to make something impressive after Mr. Snooty Pants made that comment about my cooking ability. I decided I'd go with what I knew from home-my favorite meal momma made. Homemade biscuits, bacon, sausage gravy and cheese grits. It was breakfast food, but on special occasions momma made it at night. We loved when she did. Homemade biscuits were always good. Smiling, I reached for the supplies I'd need and got to work.
The smell of the biscuits in the oven and the bacon frying filled the kitchen pretty quickly. I smiled to myself. I was sure there wasn't a Southern boy alive who wouldn't like this meal. I felt confident they'd both enjoy it, and Winston or Stone or whoever would have to eat his words. Jerk.
By the time I finished the cheese grits and was finishing the gravy, the door swung open and Jasper walked inside. "That smells fucking incredible. Are you making breakfast? I know I smell bacon."
I didn't let him see the grin that I was struggling to hide as it spread across my face. "Yep."
"I love bacon," he told me.
"Most people do," I agreed.
He stood watching me, and I finished up without filling the silence with small talk. He was my boss. I didn't figure he expected that from me.
"Look. About our talk earlier today, I didn't mean to sound harsh if I did. I am just trying to fix the things my mother has handled poorly."
I nodded. I didn't need any more explanation. He had every right to question me being paid that much.
"I know today was your day off so thanks for this. I shouldn't have asked you to cook. I'm sure you had something else you wanted to do."
I reached for two plates in the cabinet. "I was going to do laundry and read. I still plan on it. It's early. Do you want me to serve y'all or do you want to just make your own plates and eat in here? Wasn't sure if this was a casual thing or not."
He took the plates from my hand. "We can fix our plates and eat in here. No need for the big ass dining room table in there. We can even use paper towels instead of the monogramed napkins Portia has us use."
Stone walked in then. "Is that bacon?"
I smiled. I couldn't help myself. I'd accomplished what I wanted.
"She made us breakfast," Jasper replied.
Stone didn't look pleased or disappointed. He looked like he always did. No emotion. Dark and closed off. I knew he could smile, though. I'd seen it that one time. It was just when I was around he didn't smile. I wasn't sure why he didn't like me unless he just didn't like any of the hired help.
"If y'all are good, then I'll leave y'all to it," I told Jasper.
"Yeah. This is great. Enjoy your evening. And your book."
I gave him a parting smile, then left. I didn't look at Winston. There was no point. He pretended I didn't exist anyway.
I HAD PLANNED ON TALKING to Jasper about my second job today. But he was gone before I could catch him. When dinner came and went and there was still no sign of him, I was out of time. Dressing in a pair of shorts and T-shirt of my own, I headed upstairs to tell Portia I would be at work tonight, but that I'd be back in time to make breakfast.
She had been gone most of the day with her friends at a tennis match. The farro and kale salad I'd made her for dinner had seemed to please her, but she didn't say much. She used to enjoy bossing me around and complaining. Now she didn't seem to enjoy much of anything.
I finally found her downstairs at the bar pouring herself a drink. "You're leaving. Does he know?" she said without turning around to look at me.
"No. I never got a chance to tell him."
She sighed and took a drink as she turned around. "If he comes home and needs something from you, what do you expect me to say?"
I had no idea what she should say. I didn't expect her to say anything.
"I don't know. I'll explain tomorrow."
"If you still have a job tomorrow," she said flippantly, walking past me out of the room.
I couldn't worry about that right now. Yes, this job paid more but it wouldn't be enough. I had to work another job. The house was clean, the pool house was clean, groceries were stocked in both places. I even left him a warm dinner at the pool house in case he was hungry when he got home. That was all I could do.
I pulled my purse higher on my shoulder and headed out the back door toward the parking spot where I was allowed to keep my car.
"Leaving? You have more off time than I'd expect considering your salary."
I paused and closed my eyes tightly. I couldn't tell Stone off. He was Jasper's friend. I had to deal with him. He'd also tell Jasper I had left, so I needed to give him an explanation. One I hoped would be given to Jasper properly.
"I just got a second job. I've completed all my duties for today. I planned on talking to Jasper about my second job, but he was gone this morning before I had a chance."
Stone looked at me. Which was rare. "A second job? What, they aren't paying you enough now? You have a free place to live, food and a ridiculous sum of money and you think you need to work a second job? That's not exactly believable. Lying to Jasper won't benefit you."
I really hated him. He was a dark, beautiful, cruel man. Why was he always here? Didn't he have a job, or was he just living off his daddy's money?
"It isn't a lie. I can prove it to him if I need to. Now if you'll excuse me, I don't believe I have to discuss my income with you." I walked past him and into the darkness toward my car.
I was not looking forward to tonight. I was nervous and hoped I could do this job. I wasn't even sure what would be expected of me. I hadn't been given much of a job description.
Once I was in my car and driving away, I breathed a sigh of relief. I was almost worried that Stone would follow me out to my car, continuing his intrusive questioning. If Jasper wanted details and proof I'd give it to him. But Stone wasn't my boss. He was nothing.
The drive to the club was only thirteen minutes without much traffic. If it had been two hours earlier, this drive would have taken an hour. But going to work at eight in the evening had a few advantages. I'd cleaned and grocery shopped all day so my feet hurt and I just wanted to take a shower and sit down. Or lie down. That wasn't going to be happening anytime soon, though. I had to work for the next seven hours. The idea made me even more exhausted. I had to picture Heidi's smile to give me the strength to park the car and head into my new work place.