Page 23 of Strangely Normal

Hesitantly, I slid off the bed and walked to the door. I had no idea what was going on or who William was, but I followed Jude down the stairs. We ended up in the kitchen where a middle-aged man in an expensive suit sat at the counter sipping a soda. His briefcase leaned up against the legs of the stool he sat on. He stood as I stepped into the kitchen behind Jude.

“Hello, Miss Saxon. I’m William Shuster, lawyer for Nicky King.”

“Lawyer?” A pile of legal looking papers sat on the counter next to a pen.

“Yes, Mr. King has all of his employees sign a contract.”

He motioned for me to sit on the stool next to him. Jude did not join us, but he stood nearby to watch. I wondered if this was all his doing. Obviously, he still didn’t trust me, and that thought tightened a knot in my stomach.

The lawyer flipped the pages through his fingers once as if I could magically read them.

“I’m an excellent reader, Mr. Shuster, but I’m afraid my reading skills don’t allow me read at the speed of light.”

A small laugh came from Jude’s direction, but I was too angry to even look his way.

“It’s all basic legal terms releasing my client from liability if you’re injured or killed on his premises. There is also a clause that prohibits you from relaying anything of a personal nature that occurs here at the King residence. As you can understand, Miss Saxon, my client is very well-known, and the tabloids are constantly looking for stories to exploit.”

I pulled the papers from him and skimmed through them, but the legal language was foreign and difficult to understand.

“Everyone employed in this household signs this exact agreement.” He cleared his throat. “Different names and positions, of course, but the same clauses are listed.”

My eyes drifted to the line below my name. The wordscompanion to Miss Finley Kingwere typed on the line. I thought back to Finley’s reaction when Jude had asked to see me. She knew about this whole thing. I was hurt that she hadn’t clued me into it first. A warning would have been nice. I had to trust that Mrs. Vickers would not have sent me into a shady situation.

I picked up the pen and signed my name. “Is that all you need?”

The lawyer checked the signature and nodded. “That’s all. Thank you.”

I hopped off the stool and brushed past Jude without looking at him. I heard the man say something, and Jude followed with the words, “excuse me for a minute, Will.”

Heavy footsteps pounded behind me. “Eden.”

I ignored Jude and picked up my pace down the long hallway.

“Eden.” His calloused, paint-stained fingers wrapped around my arm, and he spun me around to face him. I still hadn’t learned to steel myself against the impact of his gaze. “This is something my dad has everyone sign. He has to protect himself from lawsuits and slander. This had nothing to do with me.”

An angry laugh escaped me. “That’s funny. All of a sudden, you’re concerned about my opinion of you.” I tried to pull from his grasp, but his grip was too strong. “Can I go back upstairs?” My traitorous confidence had vanished and my voice wavered.

“Eden, I do want you to stay. Finley likes you. She doesn’t put trust in many people.” His grasp on my arm loosened, and he dropped his hand. Strangely enough, the heat from his fingers lingered on my skin as if he still touched me.

“You’re as changeable as your sister.”

“I know. You were right last night—” He smiled down at the floor and then lifted his face. “—when you basically laid me flat for my ignorance.”

I looked at him. “You know, Finley has a voodoo doll for people like you.”

“Yeah. I guess I’m destined to spend eternity on a roller coaster.”

I continued to the staircase but was acutely aware of the fact that he watched me walk away. I got to Finley’s door and knocked but didn’t wait to be invited inside.

She was staring at the monitor. “Come see this one, Eden. I think the color would be great on your olive skin.”

“I have no money for a suit and you’re a coward.”

She didn’t respond at first but then swiveled her chair around. “I’m sorry. I wanted to warn you, but I was afraid you’d pack up and leave.”

“I’m not fickle like that. And it would have been a lot easier to swallow coming from you.”

“I really am sorry, Eden. I won’t betray your trust again. Now, let me make it up to you by buying you a swimsuit.”

---