Page 13 of Isabelle and the Beast

“Sadly, no.” She lifts the side of her mouth in a grin. “Mr. Stone’s preferred late-night snack is cereal, as well.”

“Hmph.” That takes the wind out of my sails. A pit forms in my stomach remembering our conversation and the fact that I refused to do the movie with him. That movie was supposed to signal the start of my career. Now it’s over before it even began.

I can’t worry about that now. I look back at all the cereal options and smile again, grabbing the box of Cookie Crisp. “I was never allowed to eat this one at home. My sisters said it had too much sugar. But I’ve always wanted to try it.”

“Sounds perfect.” Brigette motions towards the girls, andthey set a bowl, spoon, and carton of milk on the table. “Come, eat.”

I bring my prized box to the table and pour my cereal. “So, you all live here with Adam?” I ask. I take my first bite of the cereal and let out a little sigh. “Oh, this is good.”

Brigette smiles. “Yes, we do.”

“It’s pretty secluded out here. Don’t you guys have families?”

“We are each other’s family,” she replies. “But when the Stone family isn’t here, we go back to our homes and families to visit.”

“Huh. Interesting.” I take another bite of my cereal, loving the fact that I finally get to enjoy this naughty treat. I guess I could have bought a box back home in LA, but there’s something more fun about eating it here.

Now I notice everyone is staring at me.

“What are your names?” I ask. I might as well make some friends if I’m stuck here.

“This is Mario,” Brigette says, motioning toward the man with the curly mustache and white ensemble. Stereotypes are alive and well here. “He’s our head cook. Sophie and Maisie are his assistants.” The two young women nod at me. “Graham and Greyson are our footmen,” she says, and the two identical men in their twenties smile at me.

Brigette points upward. “Everyone else has gone to bed. Nina, Eva, and Becca are our cleaners, Cassandra is our hairdresser, and Josephine and London are our sewists.”

There’s no way I’m going to remember everyone’s names from this single introduction, but at least I’ve got them stored somewhere in the back of my mind. It’s kind of awkward that everyone is watching me. I’m about to tell them they can do something else, since their job does not include waiting on mehand and foot, but I’m interrupted by the pitter-patter of little feet rushing our way.

“Gramma!” A little boy with sandy blond hair rushes up to Brigette and squeezes her around the legs.

“Theodore! You’re supposed to be in bed!”

He steps back and gestures at his green costume. “I’m not Theodore.”

“Ah. I’m so sorry,” she says with a smile. “Hulk, you’re supposed to be in bed!”

In return, Theodore gives a little growl and flexes his muscles, then hugs Brigette’s legs again.

Ohhh, sothisis Theodore.

Not a dead body.

That’s a relief.

But then it raises another question. “Why does your grandson live here?” I ask Brigette.

“It’s just a visit,” she says. “My son—his father—is on a much-needed vacation.” She lowers her voice. “He’s a single father now.” She mouths the wordsTheo’s mom left.

Poor little Theo.

She ruffles his hair. “So Theo gets to have some fun here with us. But it might turn into a longer stay than we expected, with this turn of the weather.” She looks down at Theodore, who still has his arms wrapped around her legs. “Theo, this is Isabelle. She’s staying here tonight.”

He eyes me carefully. I’m not an expert on kids, but I’m pretty sure he’s around preschool age. “Hi, Theo. It’s nice to meet you.”

“You’re eating candy cereal,” he replies. “Daddy doesn’t let me eat that kind of cereal.”

“Well, my daddy didn’t let me eat this kind of cereal when I was a kid, either.”

He considers this for a moment, then looks back up at Brigette. “Can I have some of that cereal, too?”

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