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?”
I nodded, almost nervous to say yes. He winced. “God. I’m so sorry,” he said to me before turning back to them.
“Did you call the help your girlfriend?” Maisie asked, her tone had gone from amused to angry. She was sitting up straight now from her lounged position. There was fire in her eyes.
“Holy shit,” Tate said in a whisper loud enough for us all to hear him.
“Wow. Wasn’t expecting that,” Sterling added.
“You need to leave. Pack your shit and get the hell out of here. We broke up, Maisie. Do you not remember that? I thought it was very clear. You coming into my home uninvited and acting like you own the place is typical of you. One of the many reasons I’d never want to try that again. Go.”
He turned around and walked toward me. His arm went around my shoulders. “I’m so fucking sorry,” he said as he walked us back inside the house.
“You threw the drink.” That was all I could think to say.
He chuckled. “Yeah. I might have lost my shit for a minute.”
“I didn’t mind serving them.”
He shook his head. “You might not have, but I did. She shouldn’t be here. You live here, you do not work here. I wish you’d called me. “
“I thought you knew.”
“If anyone ever comes in this house and I haven’t spoken to you about it, I don’t know. I’ve not had time to talk to anyone. No one knows about us yet. But they will now. Which is good. They all need to know.”
“She’s beautiful, but she’s not nice.” I told him.
“She was in the beginning. I had been searching, hoping she was different. She wasn’t. She was a fantastic actress.”
I could see that.
“I’ll deal with them. You don’t have to see them again. If you want, just head upstairs. Take a bath, relax.”
Other than Maisie, these were his friends. If I had any hope of fitting into his world I had to fit in with his friends. Running from them wasn’t fitting in. “I’d like to stay. They’re your friends. I need to get to know them.”
He studied me a moment. He looked unsure. Concerned. I couldn’t have him protecting me all the time. He’d get tired of that. Finally, “Okay. Let me make sure Maisie is gone. Then you can come out and join us. I won’t run them all off. Just her.”
“Thank you.”
His frown increased. “Why are you thanking me?”
“For allowing me to find my place in your world.”
He chuckled then. It was soft and the look in his eyes said so much. “You are my world, Beulah.”
I didn’t have any words that seemed adequate to respond to that. Instead, I managed a nod and a smile. One I felt deep inside.
“Let me go out there and deal with Maisie. Then I’ll come get you. Sterling and Tate can get to know you as my girlfriend. Not the help.”
“Okay,” I agreed. I started to clean the kitchen from earlier when I had cooked dinner.
“Don’t do that,” Jasper said walking up and wrapping his arms around me.
“Why?”
“Because you aren’t the help.”
I leaned back into him. “If we were normal. If you were a regular guy and this was your apartment, would you argue with me about cleaning up after entertaining your friends?”
He was quiet as he held me. I gave him time to think it through. He’d never been a regular guy. It was something I wondered if he could comprehend. Did he know how normal people lived at all? Had he ever been around it?
“I think I understand what you’re saying. If this makes you feel good, then do it. I won’t dictate what you do. I just don’t want you to do things because you think you’re supposed to.”
I nodded. Because I understood. Even if deep down he didn’t.
Jasper
TATE AND MAISIE WERE BOTH gone when I stepped back outside. Sterling remained. He was sitting on the lounger with a beer in his hands and lifted his head to meet my gaze when I returned.
“Tate helped her take her things to her car. She drove. We’ll need a ride when we leave.”
I didn’t care what they needed if that meant she was gone. I just needed her to be gone.
“We thought you’d be happy she wanted to get back together. Didn’t know. Sorry.”
I nodded. I hadn’t told them or anyone about my catching her coming onto Stone. I’d let them all believe she ended things with me. My funk had been about returning here. Facing my life, the one I had no choice in. The one that was always empty. The void I had countless parties to try and fill. They had all assumed I was in a mood over Maisie. They knew now.