This seemed easy enough so far. My nerves had eased and I nodded. “Yes, I am good. What else?”
“Fast learner. I like it. Okay, you will look at this chart and decide on what table, section area to seat them. If they have paid for VIP reservations, you will have them stand here away from the crowd, and contact me or whoever is on duty handling the VIP. We will seat them. You don’t handle them—you handle the rest.”
The next few hours went on like this. I followed Neil around and he never stopped talking. He was constantly teaching me something. I even took a few shopping bags and one silk wrap and tagged them in the coat check. When two in the morning rolled around, the place was almost empty and I was told I could leave.
Sinking into the front seat of my car, I slipped off my heels and stretched. I can do this.
I touched the hidden pocket on my skirt. There was fifty dollars in there from customers who had tipped me. The lady with the silk wrap had given me a twenty-dollar bill when I returned her wrap to her. The other thirty dollars came from a group of guys I seated. Neil said if they tipped me, to be thankful and take it. So, I did.
THE THREE AND A HALF hours I slept last night felt like I barely closed my eyes. The alarm went off by my head, and for a moment I thought I was at home in in our single-wide trailer. I was still in bed, it was a school morning and I was going to hit the snooze button. But when I peeled my eyes open to find the blasted noisy alarm, I saw the washing machine and I remembered I wasn’t home. I wasn’t in school anymore.
Yawning, I stretched and my calves burned. My feet ached, and my eyes felt raw as if I had cried all night. But I hadn’t. I laid there and stared at the ceiling. It was a fancy ceiling for a basement. It was white with crown molding. Much like the rest of the house.
I wondered how many mornings Ms. Charlotte had laid here and stared at that ceiling. Had she ever wished to quit? Or had she loved working here? I couldn’t imagine loving working for the Van Allan’s. They weren’t a happy bunch.
I also wondered if her shoes had fit her as I wiggled my toes, dreading putting on my shoes. Lying here wasn’t going to get breakfast cooked nor was it going to give me time to catch Jasper before he left today. I had to talk to him. There was a good chance Stone already had. When I’d gotten in last night and my code for the door still worked, I thought that was a positive sign. At least I hadn’t been kicked out.
With great reluctance, I crawled out of bed and got dressed. I left putting on my shoes for last, just before I went upstairs. The good news was I didn’t have to chase Jasper down this morning. He was already awake and in the kitchen. The bad news was he appeared to be waiting on me to arrive and he wasn’t smiling. The coffee in his hand said he hadn’t just arrived. It was only six-thirty, and I’d never seen him up this early. Another negative.
“Good morning,” I said, stopping after I walked into the room. I didn’t know what to expect but I was prepared. I would be more prepared if I’d had my coffee, but I was prepared enough. This was a conversation I’d gone over in my head several times the past twenty-four hours.
“Late night?” he asked, and then took a sip of his coffee.
“Yes. I’m guessing Winston told you about my second job.”
He frowned. “Second job?”
Oh. So Stone hadn’t told him. Oops. That wasn’t the way I wanted to lead into it.
“You need a second job? I thought you were paid very well here. Surely there isn’t anything that costs so much in your life you need more money.”
This was where I considered telling him about Heidi. It would be easier. It would make sense. But I was scared. I had watched people mistreat her over and over in the past. They didn’t want the hassle, or they didn’t understand. Could I trust Jasper with something this important?
“I’m saving to attend college.” There. That had been the truth once. Didn’t make it the truth now, but I didn’t know Jasper well enough to trust him.
“Really? What do you want to major in?”
“Nursing. I want to go to Nursing school.”
He looked inside his coffee mug, and then set it down on the counter. “That’s why you need a second job? You’re still making two grand a month. You made thirty-six thousand over the past six months. I don’t imagine nursing school costs that much up front.”
“I wanted to be sure I could complete school. Pay for it in full.”
He didn’t seem satisfied. “What nursing school do you want to attend? I would think in just a couple more months you’d have your complete tuition just working here. You have no rent, bills, or food to pay for. I assume you own that car—it’s not anywhere near new. What have you been spending your money on? Do you have some addiction I need to know about? You don’t look the part, but the dark circles under your eyes and the way you were dressed when came home night was questionable.”
He’d seen me come home? I hadn’t seen him. That was why he was up early waiting on me. Stone hadn’t told him anything. Which was odd. I’d expected him to.
“That was my uniform. I don’t get to choose what I wear. As for the circles, I’m tired but I will adjust. I don’t have nor have I ever had any form of addiction.”
Maybe it was my exhaustion. Maybe it was the fear he wouldn’t believe me, but for whatever reason, I decided it was time for the truth. All I could hope was that he would understand and didn’t end up tossing me out, accusing me of mooching off his mother. If I told him about Heidi and he didn’t accept she needed to be taken care at the home, then I’d just leave. I would work three jobs if I had to.
“I have a sister,” I said knowing I couldn’t turn back now. I had to tell him everything. I’d admit it and deal with the outcome. I wasn’t asking for a hand out. I wasn’t hoping to get more money out of Portia. I’d come here simply because my mother had told me to. I had no other choice.
“Okay, I assume you have a family. What has that got to do with this?”
“She’s my only family. All I have left. Our mother died of pneumonia six months ago.” I paused.
“I’m listening,” he said waiting on me to continue.
I took a deep breath and let it out. I was nervous. This could be a mistake. But I was tired of keeping this a secret when it wasn’t something I should have to keep a secret. It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t illegal. It was my life. Simple as that.
“Heidi. That’s her name. She got the better name. She was born second. I’m the oldest by three minutes.”
“You have a twin?” he asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise. “I was expecting you to tell me you had a little sister that you had to support. Wasn’t expecting a twin.”
I bit my bottom lip and looked away. The next part I had to tell him was the most important. It was what made me strong yet vulnerable at the same time. Heidi was my strength, yet taking care of her was where all my fear came from. What if I couldn’t? What if I failed her?
“She’s . . . special. The most special person I’ve ever known. She has been the one person in my life to always bring a smile to my face. To remind me how there is always something in life to be happy about. That joy can come from a single hug. Heidi and I aren’t identical. Not just that, but I was born normal. She wasn’t. Heidi has Down syndrome.”
He didn’t say anything. We stood there in the kitchen in silence and it felt like a massive weight was sitting on my chest as I waited for him to say something. Or maybe I needed to say more? To continue explaining.
“Where is she now?”
“A home your mother put her in when I came here after our mother’s death. It’s called Among the Spanish Moss. I didn’t want to put Heidi in a home but I can’t work and take care of her. She needs constant supervision and our mother did that every day until I got home from school. Then she worked evenings while I took care of Heidi. When I came here your mother gave me a job and put Heidi in a wonderful place. They are good to her there and she has friends. But, it’s not cheap.”
Jasper’s forehead was pinched in a deep frown. “Portia was paying for Heidi’s care? That was where all the money was going?”