Sweet Little Thing(26)

       

Every girl before her had started expecting gifts. Expensive gifts,  trips, and luxury from me the moment we got together. I wasn't offering  Beulah any of that. Just security for her sister. And this was her  response. Would it always be like this? Would she make me love her more  every day? I was going to be so damn wrapped up in her that I'd have to  make sure she never left me. I had a taste of her and I wanted to hold  on tight.

"Beulah, do you love me?" I asked her although she had already told me she did.

"Yes."

"Then let me do this. Let me give Heidi security. To make us work, we  need to make some changes. You not killing yourself with three jobs is  one of those changes. I will take care of Heidi. You can work with me at  the office and I'm going to get another housekeeper to work here. And  before you say anything, let me finish. You are with me now. We are a  couple. I don't want to see you cleaning my house. I want to sit with  you at night and watch movies, talk, make love. I want to watch you eat  breakfast and enjoy you. If you're waiting on me it's going to kill me. I  love you. Please give us a chance."

She laid her forehead on her knees that were tucked up close to her chin  and closed her eyes. I saw her sigh, and I waited. She needed a moment  to process. I gave it to her.

My heart was pounding in my chest as the seconds ticked by. Beulah was  independent. She was proud. She didn't want to take any help from me.  She wanted to work for what she got. She had a beautiful heart, but if  we were going to make this work, we had to make some changes.

"The job I do at the office isn't enough. I need to do more," she said without looking up at me.

"I have another position I need filled. I want a private secretary. The  one we have now isn't exclusively mine. I've been hesitant to hire one  because I needed someone I could put up with for long hours, and be able  to work with one-on-one. You'd be the perfect answer to that. The  position would come with a salary and benefits."

I had already thought of this. I just hadn't planned on laying it on her this soon. But it seemed like the right moment.

She finally lifted her head and sighed again. Her shoulders rising and  falling in one heavy breath. "Okay. If that will help you. Then okay. I  want us to work too. I just don't want to be a leech. I need to make my  own money. Help pay the bills and for food."

There was no way on earth I was letting her pay the bills or for food,  but we'd deal with that later. I didn't want to argue all morning.  "Good."

"Most people don't start a relationship living together," she said frowning.

"Yes, but we were living in the same house before we started a  relationship. Different rules." I wasn't about to let her get the idea  she needed to move out.

She leaned over and rested her head on my shoulder. Nothing was said. I  held her and we watched the early morning sun through the windows.

This was what I wanted and I finally had it.





Beulah

THE EASIEST THING I'D DONE today was quit my job at the club. I'd barely  been an employee there. I felt guilty about that. However, they hadn't  seemed to care that I wasn't coming back.

The hardest thing I'd done today was move my things upstairs. Jasper had  given me the yellow guest bedroom across from his. He said I wouldn't  be sleeping in there but he wanted me to have my own space. He was  trying to make our relationship easy on me.

Every time I had thought about Heidi and that she was going to be taken  care of for the next ten years, the relief I felt almost brought me to  tears. No more worrying if she was going to have to leave her safe home.  The place she'd come to love. I would have loved Jasper even if I was  still sleeping downstairs and working three jobs to pay for Heidi's  care, but his desire to take care of her made me love him even more.

I would be the best assistant in the world. I'd make it up to him, if  that were even possible. If something happened between us, I would find a  way to pay him back. I wasn't going to tell him that now, but I would  if that time came.

Believing in fairy tales wasn't smart. I'd never lived one and trusting  anyone was hard. It wasn't smart, but he made me want to believe.

I stood in the yellow bedroom, looking at my limited wardrobe that  didn't even take up a tenth of the closet space. I could put a bed in  that closet and still have room. Heidi would think that was the coolest  thing she'd ever seen.

I could visit her more now. Both Saturday and Sunday. Yet another thing  to love Jasper for. He'd gone to the office and told me to stay home to  move my things where I wanted them. Tomorrow I'd start the new job. I  had tried to argue until he said please. So, I agreed and stayed home.  Now that I'd moved everything, I felt lost with nothing left to do.                       
       
           



       

We needed groceries. I would do that and dust. Then I could make dinner.  That should keep me busy. Heading downstairs, I heard voices and I  paused. I was supposed to be the only person here. Had Portia returned? I  listened carefully as I made my way down the stairs. It was a guy and a  girl. No, it was two guys.

"I'll call Jasper and find out what the code to the pool house is," one  of the guys said. I relaxed a little realizing it was just Jasper's  friends.

I followed the voices and found them in the sunroom. I recognized  Sterling and Tate. However, the girl I'd never seen. She was tall,  slender, and gorgeous. Long, dark, almost black hair hung in loose curls  down her back. Her high cheekbones and perfect nose gave her the look  of wealth.

"There she is," Sterling said smiling at me. "I was about to call  Jasper. The pool house is locked and we are starving. Could you tell me  the code and fix us lunch?" His smile was friendly.

"Yes, of course. 49287 is the code," I told him.

"I want to lay out. Bring the lunch outside please. And I'd like a  martini," the girl said as she stared at me the same way Stone did.  Except she seemed more annoyed with my presence than he did.

"Okay," I said. "Can I get either of you a drink too?" I asked.

"Bourbon," Tate said, then winked.

"Whatever good beer Jasper has," Sterling replied.

"I'll have those out shortly," I told them and went to make their  drinks. I wouldn't be going to the grocery today after all. From the  looks of the woman I'd be busy. She reminded me of Portia. She was going  to be hard to please, and would keep me hopping.

I made the drinks, then delivered them. Just before I walked inside I heard Tate call the woman's name. "Maisie."

I paused and my stomach knotted up. That was the girl Jasper had broken  up with before he returned here. Why was she here now? Had he known she  was coming? If he did, why didn't he tell me?

This was what I had been scared of. His world and mine. We didn't fit. I  wasn't anything like her, and I never would be. I tried not to think of  our drastic differences as I made a strawberry avocado salad to serve  them while I made pasta for their main meal. No matter how hard I tried  to push my worries away, the more they plagued me.

Each time I took something out to them, she found something else for me  to do. She needed a towel that was plusher than the ones in the pool  house. She wanted her martini dirtier. She needed tanning oil. Then that  was the wrong kind. She needed one with less SPF. She wanted a  sparkling water. She hated avocados. She wanted a spinach salad with  pine nuts and strawberries. She was driving me crazy.

The more she asked for-or rather demanded-the less time I had to think  about why she was here. The day went by quickly. When I was headed  outside with her third martini order, I saw Jasper before I heard him.  Taking a deep breath and reminding myself to smile. I went outside.

"The hard to get thing isn't attractive, Jasper. You wanted space. We  had space. Don't be ridiculous," Maisie said sounding amused with him.

"There's Beulah," Sterling said with a bright grin. "Bring Jasper a drink. He needs one."

Jasper turned then to see me carrying a tray with Maisie's martini on  it. He looked at the drink, then at me. "Have you been doing that all  day?"

I glanced around to see all their eyes on me. "Yes." I wanted to crawl  to my basement room about now. This was something I hadn't thought  about. Facing his friends about us.

"Fuck," he said walking over to take the tray from me. "She's not your  goddamn servant. He tossed the tray and the drink went flying, glass  shattering everywhere.

"Jesus, Jasper! What is the deal?" Tate asked, climbing out of the pool, his eyes wide.

"My deal is you come into my house. Bring her," he said pointing at  Maisie, "and don't think to fucking ask me. That's the deal. And you  boss my girlfriend around like she's your slave. And because Beulah is  the sweetest person I know she takes it." He looked back at me. "Did you  feed them?"