Page 15 of Maid in America

Maybe.

“Barrett! How are you?” Maggie’s voice was soft and comforting, but there was something disingenuous about it that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Erikson,” Barrett kept his tone reverent and shook her hand.

Pastor Erikson straightened his bulky frame and shook Barrett’s hand next, squeezing it so hard that Barrett nearly yelped.

“Pastor. Good to see you again. Heck of a grip you got there.”

“That Bible ain’tlight,you know!” The pastor laughed. “Good to see you, son. It’s been a while. How’d you like the sermon?”

Susan’s eyes drifted to the pastor’s wrist, stuck on the wrinkled cuff of his suit jacket.

“Great. Felt like just what I needed to hear today,” Barrett lied.

“Glad to hear it. We could all use a little more patience these days.”

Susan leaned closer to Maggie and whispered loud enough for the others to hear. “Your husband is all wrinkled. You need to borrow my iron? It wouldn’t be any trouble. It has the steam bit and everything.”

Maggie flashed a look of embarrassment. “I… have an iron.”

The pastor looked at the crinkled fabric and rocked on his feet. “More pressing things in life have been occupying our time as of late, I’m afraid.”

Maggie jumped in. “I’ve been so busy leading the women’s Bible study groups and working on the new children’s Sunday school sermons. Plus, I’ve been coordinating a drive to collect meals and coats for the less fortunate.”

“Well, Barrett could help with all of your ironing.” Susan grinned. “He’s amaidnow. Can you believe it?”

Barrett swallowed hard, his ugly tie suddenly seeming far too tight. “My job is more janitorial than anything.”

Last week, he’d told his grandmother about quitting his old job hauling furniture to start a new job atMan Maid, Jackson Hole’s all-male cleaning service. Of course, he did so in thebroadestof strokes. He told her that they catered to a very particular niche clientele. He told her about the Halloween costumes and said that most of his clients would be rich, bored housewives who wanted botha cheap thrill and a clean grill.

Stella was open-minded and no stranger to Barrett’s antics through the years. She loved him for exactly the man he was, and her acceptance of his wild shenanigans through the years only strengthened their bond. Hearing that he had joined a nearly nude cleaning service only shocked Stella because her grandson seemed painfullyunderqualified for the cleaning part, having seen the condition of his bachelor pad worsen over the last decade.

But hearing this news from Susan’s lips made Barrett wonder how much Stella had actually told the old chatterbox. Did she think he was just a regular run-of-the-mill house cleaner? Or had Gam-Gam divulgedallof the dirty details?

“Really? I’ve never actually heard of a man being a maid, funny enough.” Maggie chuckled. “That’s so…interesting.”

“Yep.” Barrett pursed his lips for a moment. “I clean homes, do laundry, power-wash concrete… you name it.” He waved her off. “But I’m sure you have everything under control. Asking a maid to come in… seems like overkill.”

“No! Actually, this is perfect timing,” the pastor said.

“Maybe we could use your services now that I’m trying to juggle all of this stuff. Plus, our daughter just moved back home, and she’s a bit of a… adisaster.” The last word soured Maggie’s face, and she stared at the carpet.

Pastor Erikson scoffed. “She’s a tornado. Gets it from her mother.”

Maggie flashed an irritated glare at him.

“I’m kidding, of course.” The pastor threw a beefy arm around his wife’s shoulder. “You’re an angel, off sharing your light withas many people as you can. There’s nothing wrong with that. I could just as easily pick up the iron if I wasn’t doing the same.”

Maggie forced her mouth up into a weak smile. “I’m not sure we could afford your services, unfortunately.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’d do it free of charge,” Susan offered, nudging Barrett. “Anything for the Lord. Right, Barrett?”

“Oh, gosh, no. We’d pay you, of course,” Maggie said quietly.

“Nonsense,” Stella crowed, her kind eyes suddenly pleading with Barrett to do it as a favor to her.

Barrett sighed, “Of course. Anything for the Lord.”

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