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Instead, I walked away frooing to try

"He won’t keep you She hired you, which ht be"

That was a fear I was trying not to focus on, but after hearing what I’d just--as he’d pointed out I eavesdropped on--Winston ht If he fired me, Heidi and I would be on the streets Hoould I keep her fed? I couldn’t afford the home where she lived, or leave her to work a job Not alone She couldn’t be left alone Especially not on the streets

My head began to pound I hurried inside to get away from Winston and his threats I couldn’t lose this job This job was all I had right now Working here was keeping Heidi in a safe home If my , I had no idea what that connection was, but I knew Jasper wouldn’t care He hated hisHeidi or me

"You’re late," Portia said as I walked into the house I was actually early but their talk outside had stalled h

"I’lared at o today The least you could do was return on time I don’t need this from you You’re the help The help Do your dalass down on the table causing the liquid to slosh over and drip down onto the floor "Clean that up Then get to your duties"

I nodded "Yes ma’am"

She stalked from the room and I hurried to clean up herover what her son had said to her The bitterness and anger that often spewed from her came from that hurt She’d had an unhappy life She’d slept with another man After her husband died, she was left to the mercy of her son For a woine the threat of having her lifestyle taken aas tough It didn’t ht, of course But I understood it

"She’s a bitch, isn’t she?" That was Jasper’s voice "You don’t have to answer that I knohat you’re thinking Can’t figure out why you’re here working for her when you could work so et you inup her spilled drink from the floor and stood up to face hiet a job And this job is just fine It covers s aren’t hurt easily" I hoped that was the right thing to say

He studied me That made er than the seconds it took "You want this job then?"

"Yes"

He shrugged and sighed "Fine She’s hard to deal with If you can handle her, then you’ll do You handled last night like a fucking champ I was impressed"

Portia never complimented me I wasn’t sure if a thank you was appropriate or not "I was doing uess you were," was his response, then he walked out the door heading toward the pool house I watched as he said sohed, and I stopped to watch that Winston laugh All I had ever seen was his serious face And the disinterested way he looked down on all around those hi with a scowl becahim and went to the kitchen I hadat Winston wasn’t one of them