Page 20 of Hotel Mallois

"Good afternoon," the cleaner greets while closing the door.

"Hello, Jodie," Katherine responds, looking up over her laptop screen.

For an instant, their gazes lock and Jodie feels everything spinning around them, but then Katherine returns her attention to what she was doing and Jodie's lungs start getting air again. Taking her friend's advice, she decides to get to work while wondering if Katherine isthinking about that moment of tension they lived yesterday or if she has completely erased it from her mind.

"Tomorrow I'll need you to come with me to the Magnolis again," the businesswoman says when Jodie has barely taken two steps.

"Sure, whatever you need."

"Good," Katherine responds without lifting her gaze from the screen.

She doesn't understand why, but Katherine's coldness bothers her. Jodie leaves her things and after cleaning and tidying the room, she goes into the kitchen to collect her boss's lunch remains, which from the plates and several coffee cups she finds, suggests she hasn't left her penthouse today.

She finishes rinsing the last plate and when she turns to put it in the dishwasher, she finds Katherine standing by the kitchen island. It's not that Jodie gets scared, but she feels such a jolt through her body seeing her there, in a basic t-shirt, casual pants, and her famous blonde hair pulled back in an informal ponytail, that the plate slips between her fingers and crashes to the floor.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," she apologizes nervously, looking from side to side, unable to remember where the broom is that she herself put away just minutes ago.

"It's okay, it's just a plate, Jodie," Katherine says, approaching.

"I'm so clumsy," Jodie berates herself, increasingly agitated, moving erratically around the ceramic pieces scattered on the floor.

Suddenly, she feels the burning heat of Katherine's hand closing over her left hand. Jodie freezes, paralyzed.

"I said it's okay," Katherine whispers, looking into her eyes, "I'll clean it up. Okay? Stay there."

It's not really a question but an order, because Katherine, with her other free hand, motions for Jodie to step aside, and a couple of minutes later, she's throwing the remains of the plate she just swept into the trash.

"Done, nothing happened here," she resolves, turning to Jodie, who has remained hypnotized watching her boss do something she should have done.

"I really am sorry, I'll pay for the plate."

Katherine lowers her head and sighs before raising it again and piercing Jodie with her gaze.

"Stop talking nonsense, will you? You think I've never dropped a plate?"

"I don't know," Jodie hesitates, scratching her head.

Katherine lets out a sudden laugh that calms the cleaner a bit.

"Well, truth is I don't remember ever breaking a plate," Katherine admits, "but glasses yes, many. In any case, I didn't come to talk about broken plates."

Jodie swallows. Suddenly she feels an uncontrollable insecurity and becomes terrified contemplating something she hadn't thought about, that Katherine might fire her to avoid having to see her after what happened the day before.

"I wanted to apologize for yesterday," the businesswoman says, leaving Jodie disoriented at first and relieved afterward.

"There's no need, it's fine," the cleaner responds, trying to end the topic as quickly as possible.

"Yes, there is, Jodie, I crossed a line. I'd had a shitty day, I was stressed, I drank too much and I was comfortable with you, and I don't know, I got carried away."

Jodie looks at her with a clenched jaw. She appreciates the apology because it only confirms what her intuition has told her from the beginning, that Katherine isn't one of those people who think their power gives them the right to take whatever they want at will, but it really bothers her that she's using drinking as an excuse, because that means if she hadn't been drinking, Katherine would never have approached her, and that hurts a lot.

"I promise it won't happen again," Katherine adds, unaware of that strange anger beginning to invade Jodie without her being able to control it.

"It's forgotten, Mrs. Taylor, there's no need to keep apologizing," Jodie spits out, taking the broom and dustpan her boss just used.

"Back to Mrs. Taylor?" Katherine asks, not understanding anything, but Jodie doesn't answer and walks away from the kitchen to put away the cleaning supplies.

Chapter 13

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