Chapter 4
Evelyn’s society lunch was the worst day of my first month there.
She’d invited twelve of her richest friends, all women in their sixties, all wearing enough jewelry to fund a small country.
I’d thought I was there to eat with the family.
I was wrong.
“Put this on,” Evelyn said, throwing a frayed maid’s uniform at my feet ten minutes before the guests arrived. “You’re serving today. Don’t speak unless spoken to. Don’t look anyone in the eye. And don’t you dare embarrass this family.”
I bit my tongue and put it on.
For two hours, I poured tea, passed sandwiches, stood against the wall while they talked about me like I wasn’t even there.
“Did you hear, Daniel let the cleaning lady move in?”
“Poor Ethan, he’s so confused after losing his mother.”
“Evelyn, darling, how do you stand it? I’d have thrown her out on the street.”
Evelyn smiled, sipping her tea, looking right at me.
“Well, you know how boys are,” she said, her voice sweet as poison. “They get these little fixations. It’ll pass. She’ll be gone by summer. Back to scrubbing floors where she belongs.”
The women tittered, raising their teacups to their lips.
I stared at the floor, my hands shaking so bad I almost spilled the pot.
Then the dining room door slammed open.
Ethan stood there, in his dinosaur pajamas, holding his favorite stuffed T-Rex under his arm.
He’d skipped his nap, I knew, because he’d wanted to show me the drawing he’d made of us at the zoo.
He looked at the women.
Looked at me in the uniform.
His little face crumpled.
He marched straight across the room, his bare feet slapping against the hardwood, and stood right in front of me, blocking me from Evelyn’s view.
“Stop being mean to my mama!” he yelled, so loud the teacups rattled on the table.
The room went dead silent.
Evelyn’s face turned bright red.
“Ethan, go to your room this instant—”
“No!” he screamed, turning on her, his little fists clenched at his sides. “She’s not the maid! She’s my mama! You have to be nice to her! If you’re not nice, I’ll tell Daddy! And he’ll be really mad!”
The front door opened.
Daniel walked in, suit jacket slung over his shoulder, home three hours early.
He stopped in the doorway, taking in the scene.
Ethan, red-faced and angry, standing in front of me.
Me, in the frayed uniform, eyes burning with unshed tears.
Evelyn, frozen, her teacup halfway to her mouth.
The twelve society women, staring like they were watching their favorite soap opera.
“What is going on here?” Daniel said, his voice low, dangerous.
No one spoke.
Ethan ran to his dad, clinging to his leg.
“Grandma was being mean to Mama,” he said, his voice wobbly. “She made her wear that ugly dress and pour tea and all the ladies were laughing at her.”
Daniel looked at his mother.
His face was like stone.
“Office,” he said. “Now.”
Evelyn stood up, her chair scraping loud against the floor, and stormed out without a word.
The women left quickly after that, muttering excuses, tripping over themselves to get away from the tension.
Daniel came back an hour later, his jaw tight.
He found me in the kitchen, making hot chocolate for Ethan.
“It won’t happen again,” he said, leaning against the counter. “I told her if she ever humiliates you like that again, she’s out of the house. No exceptions.”
I nodded, stirring the milk.
“Thank you.”
He was quiet for a second.
“Clara used to make hot chocolate for him like that,” he said, soft. “With extra marshmallows.”
I looked up at him.
He was staring at the mug, his eyes far away.
“Did she ever… seem scared to you?” I asked, before I could stop myself.
He blinked, looking at me.
“Scared?”
I thought of the letters I’d found two days before, tucked in the back of an old book in the library.
Letters Clara had written to her best friend, three years before.
Talking about Evelyn.
About how Evelyn was stealing money from the Hale family foundation, hundreds of thousands of dollars.
About how Clara had found out, had told Evelyn she was going to tell Daniel.
About how Evelyn had threatened her.
If you tell anyone, I’ll make sure you never see Ethan again.
I’d hidden the letters under my mattress, too scared to show them to anyone.
“Never mind,” I said, forcing a smile. “It’s nothing.”
He looked at me like he knew I was lying.
May you like
But he didn’t push.
Just took the mug of hot chocolate from my hand, and walked down the hall to find his son.
