Page 5 of Sweet Little Thing

It seemed each time he opened his mouth, his words were more offensive. Yet he doesn’t mean to offend me? Seriously?

Walking away quietly was what I should’ve done. But my temper flared. Unfortunately, it did that time to time. “You don’t know me,” I snapped. I then stopped myself. Heidi. I had to remember Heidi. Holding my head high, I left him there.

The music was almost deafening. I had no idea how these people were talking. I couldn’t hear myself think. Two girls had decided to go topless and were sitting on the edge of the pool, splashing with a new guy and Tate. I scanned the crowd to find Isla, who had moved from her spot and was now wrapped around Jasper. She was still in her tiny bikini, but I figured she’d drop her top soon. Especially if Jasper’s attention remained on the topless blonde.

“Your sparkling water,” I said, not wanting Jasper to see meand think I was there to ask him anything else.

“Oh,” she replied, taking it from me, not appearing thrilled about unhanding Jasper, his gaze now frozen on me, though I didn’t look his way.

“Thank you, Beulah.” His words surprised me.

I glanced at him and quickly nodded before turning away from the pair. He wasn’t flirting. He was just being nice. Winston’s words rang in my head. I’d be careful in case there was truth to them. I didn’t want to be accused of anything.

“We need more ice on the beer!” someone called. I hurried to do just that. I then made a grilled cheese sandwich for some guy and added some chips on the side. When I delivered that, more orders were barked, and others placed similar requests. The day went on, and a caterer suddenly appeared at four to handle dinner. I served with them and prayed this party ended soon; very few girls had tops on now, and some were missing bottoms. Three guys were going bare. I’d never seen so many naked bodies in my life.

“I wanna see that one’s tits,” a drunk guy yelled out as I placed another tray of shrimp and sauce on crackers near the cabana. I glanced up to see him pointing at me.

“She’s the help, dumbass,” a girl responded.

“I wanna know where the fuck Jasper hired help that looks like that,” he said. “I’ll take a dozen!”

“Auden, you’re cut off!” Jasper’s voice came from my left. Much closer than I expected. He was lounging with Isla at his side. Like I predicted, she was topless. They both had drinks, and his hand was slid inside her bottoms, covering and squeezing her butt.

“Don’t tell me you don’t want to see her tits,” Auden said, laughing then winking at me.

“Beulah, that’ll be all for tonight. Go to your room.” Jasper sounded as if he were talking to a child. I, however, noddedmy agreement, trying to maintain some self-respect as I walked back into the house, my back straight, shoulders squared, chin up, and head held high. I’d cry a little, but I’d do it in the shower. Alone, where they couldn’t see.

Chapter

Four

Beulah

The noise was muffled inside the house. The closer I got to the back stairs, the quieter the sound became. My things were downstairs in the laundry room, near the wine cellar and storage. The bed I slept on was full size but was rammed into the corner of the same room where the washer and dryer were. It was convenient for doing the laundry at night. Before Jasper and his friends invaded, there’d been very little laundry to do. Now the piles would be endless.

I opened the door that led downstairs, but the clicking of heels stopped me from going any further. Portia appeared from around the corner. Another glass of whiskey in her hand. She looked annoyed and concerned all at once.

“Make yourself less attractive,” she said. “He’ll get rid of you, and I won’t be able to do anything about it. If you want your sister taken care of, then don’t draw his attention.” Her last word was spit out with an angry hiss. “And don’t leave tomorrow untilI tell you that you can.” Portia then walked away, her clicking heels on the marble floor slowly drowned by the sound of the party.

I frowned, frustrated, as I descended the stairs. Since coming here, I’d been worried that my luck would finally end. That Portia would get angry, terminate our agreement, and Heidi and I would be tossed out. Just as I had started to trust that our situation was secure, then, Jasper showed up and threatened it. Why did Jasper get to make that decision? Who was he to tell his own mother what to do and how to do it? And what exactly should I do to make myself less attractive? I wasn’t trying to fix up for him. I didn’t wear makeup or style my hair any special way.

I had no mirror down here, but I could see clearly that the knee-length khaki shorts and white polo shirt Portia considered “uniform” wasn’t attractive. It wasn’t meant to be. I reached to touch my hair. My tight ponytail swung when I flicked it. I wasn’t standing out in a crowd like this, not in a positive sense. It was clear that I was the help.

Sighing, I sank down on the edge of the bed and kicked off my tennis shoes. My feet hurt every night because the shoes Portia gave me were a six, and I wore an eight. After running around all day, not even taking a minor lunch break, my toes were so cramped it took my breath whenever I set them free.

My stomach rumbled. I looked at the stairs. There was no way I could walk back up there to get food from the kitchen and return. My feet ached more than my stomach. I’d make sure to eat breakfast in the morning before I began my day. It was almost midnight. I’d be awake in six hours. The shower was in a claw-footed tub with a wraparound curtain beside the washing machine. Standing, I winced and hobbled to it, turning the water on.

A good cry would make me feel better, and the hot water wouldsoothe my feet. Mom always said to look for the positive. That was as good as it got tonight.

Luckily, I wasn’t so exhausted that I slept past six a.m. My stomach was growling when I opened my eyes, and I figured that was what had awakened me. With a good long stretch, I wiggled my feet. They were sore but somewhat better. The idea of putting those shoes back on made me grimace and briefly hate Portia. It was early, and no one would be awake. I could go upstairs in my socks. My breakfast would taste so much better if my feet weren’t crammed in those shoes.

I dressed, pulled my hair back, brushed my teeth, and headed for the stairs. This was my favorite time of the day. I had it to myself and could enjoy it. Now that Jasper and his friends were here for the summer, I’d look forward to my early mornings even more than before with just Portia. If yesterday was any indication of how he planned on spending his summer, I would and should enjoy these moments before the day’s hailstorm cut loose.

Portia bragged about Jasper to her visiting friends, making them believe his presence was a wonderful thing. Then he arrived, and that all changed. Portia completely changed. The woman who’d been distant, egomaniacal, and cold now cowered and seemed scared of her son, which made no sense to me. I was missing something and wanted to know what because my life and Heidi’s were at stake.

Just before I walked into the kitchen, I heard a cabinet close. Who the heck was in there this early? Portia didn’t stir till after ten. I doubted she’d ever seen six in the morning. Ever, like not in her life.

I peeked around the corner to see a girl with messy dark brown hair. A large t-shirt was the only thing on her body. She was onher tiptoes, looking in the cabinets. I assumed she was one of Jasper’s guests. Which meant I had to help her. She was ruining my quiet, peaceful morning.

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