Page 10 of Maid For Each Other

“Clearly.”

I rubbed my forehead and knew I needed to bail. I needed to get as far away from Abi the Maid and the ridiculous situation my lying had somehow created before it blew up in my face.

So it didn’t make a damn bit of sense when I said, “Okay—here’s the plan.”

5

The Delivery

Abi

This is insane.

I paced through the fancy living room as I waited for my delivery, wondering if I’d completely lost my mind. I still wasn’t sure how it’d all happened, other than the fact that his smug rich-guy face had pissed me off and somehow inspired me to behave as if I had a leg to stand on.

I mean, I definitely needed somewhere to stay since my place was off-limits, so making a deal wasn’t the insane part. He needed a favor, I needed somewhere to sleep; that had been some solid quick thinking on my part.

But his bossiness had somehow made me forget that not only had I been in the wrong to begin with, but I had no leverage. If I actuallydidgo to his parents and tell them he didn’t have a girlfriend named Abi (which I would never do), he could just call me an unhinged maid who was trying to milk him for a weeklong stay in his lavish condo.

Because that’s literally what I was.

Yet somehow here I was, freshly showered and wearing a luxuriously thick bathrobe, wandering around my favorite unitwithouta duster in my hand, waiting for a dress to be dropped off.

For me.

To wear to a fancy party.

With a wealthy stranger.

It was definitely the setup to something that ended with a body being buried. I considered myself to be an intelligent person, so my current situation made zero sense.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard the knock.

Calm down, everything is going to be fine, I told myself as I pushed my wet hair behind my ears.

I took a deep breath, cleared my throat, and walked over to the door. Channeling my inner wealthy person, I pushed my mouth into a smile and pulled open the door.

“Hello,” I said, my hands shaking just a little as three people—and a luggage cart heaped with boxes and bags—stood in the hallway. There was a tall blond woman, a taller blond man, and a very petite redhead with a long beard that might’ve given him leprechaun vibes if he didn’t have, like, ten piercings on his face and a strong neck that was covered in tattoos.

They were dressed in black, staring like they’d been expecting me.

They looked like a kill squad.

“Are you ready for us, Abi?” asked the blond man, his voice soft and polite.

For what, exactly?I tightened the tie on my robe, pulled it closed a little tighter, and said, “Yes. Of course. Thank you so much for bringing me a dress.”

“Oh, we didn’t bring you a dress,” the woman said, not smiling. “We brought you a look.”

What do I say to that?

Thank you?

And what did that actually even mean?

“Come in.” I stepped back, and they moved through the door as a single three-humans-and-a-luggage-cart unit.

The blond man looked around before pointing toward the huge dining table. “Can we set up there?”

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