Sweet Little Thing(13)

"Of course," I replied and turned to Stone. "Can I get you coffee?"

He didn't look at me, but nodded. "Juice too. Orange. Fresh squeezed."

I left with Jasper's plate before they began talking. I wondered if he  would tell Jasper about my second job this morning. Maybe he had been  waiting until it was awkward for me. That fit him. To be cruel.

I'd made several waffles, unsure who I would be feeding. So the only  thing that took any time preparing Winston's meal was squeezing the  oranges in the juicer. Once I had his freshly squeezed juice, I carried  his breakfast to the table.

"You're going to have to discuss it with him sooner or later," Jasper was saying as I walked back in.

"I didn't ask you," Stone replied.

Jasper smirked and turned his attention to me. "He's always such a joy. Have you noticed that?"

I didn't say anything. I didn't even smile. I placed his food in front  of him and stood back to see if there was anything else they needed.

"I plan on staying around this morning and speaking with Portia. If you'd like to be present I'm fine with that."

I paused then. He was going to talk to her about Heidi and me? Why she  helped us? That meant he'd possibly get the answers I had been curious  about myself. Not that I wasn't thankful for all she'd done, but because  she knew my mother. She knew her once and I wanted to know how. I  missed my mother and had no one to talk to about her. No friends to  remember her with. Bringing her up when I was with Heidi always confused  her. I had tried that once and it hadn't gone well.

If Portia knew momma and could talk with me about her, I wanted that. I  wanted anything Portia could offer. Any link to her. "I'd like that," I  told him.

Stone stopped mid-bite, his fork almost to his mouth. "What did I miss?"

Jasper looked at me and it was as if unspoken words were exchanged. With  just a look I understood his question and he understood my answer. I'd  never experienced that before. "Just Portia being Portia. I need to lay  down some rules for her to follow regarding Beulah-she also works for  me. Mother isn't remembering that is all."

Stone turned his gaze to me and I saw the accusation in his eyes. He  thought I had lied about my job. That I was hiding it. I had the urge to  defend myself but I didn't. What he thought of me didn't matter.

"Meet me in the great room at ten. She'll be in her whiskey by then I'm sure," he said.

I nodded my head once, then left the room.

"You've got your own shit to deal with. Jesus, the drama. Stay out of mine," I heard Stone say to him.

Jasper chuckled. "But yours is more fun to discuss."                       
       
           



       

"Because you like to pretend your life is fucking peaches."

"My life has never been peaches. But then neither has yours. Now, tell  me. Has your mother picked out the engagement ring she intends for you  to give Margot?"

Whoever Margot was, I felt sympathy for her. No amount of good looks and  money could make living with Stone a pleasant thing. But he hadn't  mentioned my job. That was surprising. I had expected he wanted to get  me in trouble. It seemed to be his way of doing things.

Thinking about that and poor Margot was pointless. I pushed it aside and  thought of other things. Like how many nights I could go without  sleeping only three hours before I crashed. I made myself a thermos of  coffee and carried it with me as I went to the second floor to do the  weekly dusting and changing of linens for beds that no one ever slept  in.

The only real thing needed on that floor was dusting and the floors had  to be swept. Everything else stayed spotless because no one was ever up  there. Portia's master suite was on the third floor. I only went up  there when she was gone for the day. She liked her privacy.

The next three hours passed by swiftly, and I was checking my watch  every ten minutes waiting for ten o'clock to arrive. The idea Portia  might be able to tell me something about my mother might not seem like a  big deal, but to me it meant so much. Anything to understand why she'd  sent us here. A small piece of her past. To hear her talked about again.

At ten, I put the cleaning supplies away and made my way to the great  room. My eyes locked with Jasper's as I entered and he gave me a small  smile. It wasn't much, but it was encouraging. Like I wasn't alone and  he was my friend. I knew that wasn't the case, but it felt like it.

"Why is she here? I assume this is about her other job. Yes, I knew, and  if you have a problem with it then deal with it yourself." Portia  didn't even glance my way. "I need my coffee, Beulah. Where have you  been?"

Jasper cleared his throat and got my attention then motioned for me to take a seat. "Please Beulah, ignore her and sit down."

Portia's head snapped up from the iPad in her lap that she'd been studying. "What?"

"I want to talk to you. I have questions. I feel that Beulah should be  in here for this. Now, let's begin with how you knew Beulah's mother.  You and I both know you don't have a kind bone in your body. So why did  you so willingly help these two girls?"

Portia's gaze swung to me. "You told him?"

"I had to. He needed to understand why I was working a second job."

She sighed dramatically and slung her iPad down on the sofa beside her  with obvious disgust. "I help you and this is the thanks I get. Do you  understand that he could take all that back? Demand a refund? Are you  that dense girl?"

I didn't know how to respond to that. I stilled and waited, dropping my gaze from hers to study my hands.

"Father left me this house, the money, the investments, and the  corporation. His will stated that I was to do with you whatever I  pleased. If I chose to take care of you, fine. If not, you'd find  another man to leech off. So, mother, I'd be more careful how you speak  to Beulah. All she did was tell me what you should have already  explained. Since it was my money that was helping Heidi, I'd like to  know why you did it. What do you owe Beulah and Heidi's mother? Because  you don't do things out of the kindness of your heart. There must be  something you're hiding. I need to know what that is."

Portia glared at me. I could feel it burning through me where I stood.  But I didn't look up. I felt guilty. She'd helped me, and now here I sat  with Jasper who was talking to her in a way I didn't think was  necessary, demanding she answer questions. I wasn't here when he was  growing up. I didn't know the kind of mother that Portia was, but from  the anger and bitterness in her son's tone, I imagined it hadn't been a  happy home.

"I knew Pamela many years ago. She made some bad choices and went a  different way in life. I don't owe her a damn thing. No one does. She  had passed away and I felt a connection and pity for the life she'd  lived. She had so much potential when I knew her. But she," Portia  paused and I lifted my eyes to finally look at her. "She was stupid.  Naïve. It got her nowhere. I was kind to a woman I once knew. That was  all. I feel like I did my duty and whatever you choose to do with  Beulah's employment is fine with me. She's had plenty of time to figure  out a way to take care of Heidi and herself. She's almost twenty. Past  time she grew up."                       
       
           



       

Nothing more than what she'd already said to me before. No explanation.  No real connection to my mother, but my mother had known if we came here  she would help us. Because I knew my mother, I didn't believe what  Portia was saying. She was hiding something. But why?

"Why would I fire Beulah? She's an excellent cook, keeps the house clean  and puts up with your bullshit. I'd say the only smart thing you've  ever done in your life was hire her. I thought for a moment there you  possessed some compassion I had missed when she told me how you helped  her and Heidi. I see I'm wrong. That's disappointing."

Jasper dropped his hands to his sides that had been crossed over his  chest. "I've got things to do. You can continue your pointless routine  of living," he told Portia. Then he turned to me. "I need to speak with  you about a business matter. Please meet me in the pool house in thirty  minutes."

Then he turned and left the room.

I stood slowly. I wanted to apologize to Portia, but I wasn't sure if I  owed her an apology. She was hard to understand. The longer Jasper was  around, the colder she became. Instead of trying to smooth things, I  said, "I'll get your coffee now."

She didn't respond.





PORTIA HAD IGNORED ME COMPLETELY when I brought her coffee and a bowl of  fresh strawberries. She was angry-with me or Jasper I wasn't sure.  Probably both.

I didn't have time to worry about it. Jasper wanted to meet with me  about business which I didn't exactly understand. Unless he meant he had  more chores for me or he wanted more groceries. Although I couldn't  imagine that was the case. I'd stocked his kitchen well in the pool  house.