Page 4 of Sweet Little Thing

I had never imagined this would be our future, my dreams of working on a pediatric ward now gone. Something I doubted I could ever return to. The real world had come fast, and I had responsibilities. Without mom, I was all Heidi had, and I would make sure she was taken care of, happy, and safe.

I didn’t French press their coffees because they didn’t ask. I used the fancy machine that collected dust while I pressed and doctored Portia’s daily, the only way she would drink it. I took a frozen mug from the freezer that Portia told me about. They were for Jasper’s milk. I thought that sounded nice, ice cold milk, and I almost used one for the water that “Mr. I’m Bored With Everyone’s Existence” had requested, but then decided against it. He didn’t deserve any special treatment. He already thought too highly of himself.

I removed a wheeled cart from the pantry, placing each of their drinks on it. I should’ve used this contraption for their meals. I could’ve taken all four at one time. But I hadn’t thought of that until I went into the pantry to get the coffee cups and saw it waiting there. Walking back into the dining room, I heard Portia say, “All summer? But why, you normally travel in the summer? Jasper, why stay here?”

My stomach dropped, surely she didn’t mean he was planningon staying till fall? A few days of this I could take, but a whole summer’s worth would defeat me. I tightly closed my eyes, picturing Heidi’s sweet smile. I could do this. I had no other choice.

Chapter

Three

Beulah

Once a week, Portia would give me the day off to visit with Heidi. Among the Spanish Moss, the place where Portia paid for Heidi to stay, had family day every Sunday, and I looked forward to it all week.

We would eat outside under the oak trees with the picnic I would make and bring with me. There was also May, Heidi’s friend. May also had Down Syndrome, and they were always together. May didn’t have family that came to see her, and when I realized this, I began to take May special treats, just like I did Heidi, and included her in all that we did. I loved Sundays and being with both of them.

However, today, I wouldn’t be able to go. I would miss visiting for the first time since Portia had moved Heidi into the special care home. When I called Heidi to explain, she’d been sad and didn’t understand. She didn’t voice this, but her responses were quieter, which hurt my heart. I hated letting her down.

It made me loathe the people outside at the pool keeping me from visiting my sister. The four guys had multiplied. As the music got louder, the pool area, in general, became busy with Jasper’s guests.

I’d been running in and out, keeping the ice buckets full, the booze dwindling where I’d fully stocked it, when a blonde girl asked me to “fetch” her a sparkling water but make sure the bubbles were tiny. She didn’t drink water with “large bubbles.” I almost shoved her into the pool. How was one supposed to make bubbles tiny? Do I blow on it a specific way? Maybe I could spit in the glass? I liked the idea of that.

Hurrying back inside, I almost collided with Portia, who once again had a whiskey in her hand. It was just after two in the afternoon, and although I wasn’t judging, I did wonder if this was going to drive the woman past alcoholism straight into alcohol poisoning.

“You can go in the morning,” she said. “Not all day, of course. I will tell you when.”

I hadn’t expected her to even remember that I was missing my Sunday with Heidi.

“Thank you,” I replied.

She grimaced as if my words were distasteful. “Don’t. . .I’m just saying. . .you can go for a couple of hours. They’ll call if you don’t, and personally, I’d rather not deal with the drama.” With a flouncing spin of her skirt, she then walked away. The way her blonde hair hung suspended in the air, floating then twisting with her spinning, reminded me of my mother. I missed her, she was nothing like Portia, though that singular movement made me remember a happier time in my life. Even if it was attached to a woman like Portia, that didn’t matter to me. The memory would suffice.

The ache in my chest then eased somewhat, knowing that tomorrow, I would get to see Heidi and take her cupcakesbecause she adored them. It wouldn’t make up for today, but at least she’d feel special and loved. I never wanted her to feel forgotten. Momma never made Heidi feel different. Never set her apart. I had worried this home she lived in now would make her feel different, but her bright smile eased that fear every time I visited. Portia hadn’t wanted her in the house, so I’d had no other choice. Thankfully it had been a good thing for Heidi.

“Do you know the difference in sparkling waters?” a deep voice asked from behind me. Startled, I turned to see Winston standing there. He was only wearing a pair of shorts. They hung on his hips below a muscular V cut. His defined chest was also very appealing, but I disliked him enough to ignore it.

“Why?” I asked, walking away as I said it. He wasn’t my boss, he was just the rude friend, I didn’t feel the need to be advised, nor to listen to him, make fun of my lack of sparkling water knowledge or a subject I didn’t care about.

I could feel him following behind me. I wished he wouldn’t, but other than turning to tell him to go the hell away, I didn’t have a choice. Jasper didn’t much care for me—at least, that was my guess. He wanted Ms. Charlotte, but she was gone, and I was here. If I was rude to his friends he’d only dislike me more.

The fridge contained ridiculous amounts of water. Opening the doors, I found sparkling, mineral, spring, etc. I reached for the Perrier. Bubble size made no sense. Why would someone care?

“La Croix, not the Perrier,” Winston said, firmly fixed behind me. “Smaller bubbles. It’s a fresher taste. Not that I actually think Isla knows the difference.”

I wanted to act like he wasn’t there, but I didn’t want to deal with this Isla if I got her order wrong. I put the Perrier back and grabbed the La Croix, saying “thanks,” begrudgingly responding, acid in my mouth as I closed the fridge and started to leave.

“You’ll need a glass of ice with that.”

He was right, but his presence was annoying me, so I hadn’tthought of that. Without looking at him, I grabbed the glass and ice while he stood there and watched me. Was he waiting to see if there was something else that needed to be corrected?

“He’ll begin flirting but it won’t mean anything. It’s Jasper. That’s what he does. If you flirt back, you’ll be gone. You’re the help. He understands that,” he told me.

There were a lot of things I wanted to say at that moment. After I threw ice in his face. For example, tell him that I didn’t flirt but if I did it wouldn’t be with guys like them. But I bit my tongue because tomorrow I had plans with Heidi. I would take whatever they hit me with, if that meant I got to go see her.

I began to walk away again, hoping to avoid hearing his deep southern drawl, packed tight with demeaning words, annihilating what otherwise would’ve been an attractive sound.

“I didn’t mean to offend you. But girls like you get that look in your eyes. You see a fairytale. One that won’t be given to you. A thing that will use you up. Spit you out and leave you lost. Thought I’d stop it before you made a mistake.”

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