Page 9 of The Billionaire and His Driver
Ronny knew better than that. “And from where did you come from?”
He made her sound like an alien. But she knew what he meant. “I’m from Housekeeping, sir. I work in Housekeeping. But Mrs. Dash, she’s the housekeeping supervisor--.”
“I know who she is.”
“Yes sir.” What an asshole, she thought. “Mrs. Dash asked me to take over your driver’s duties for the day, sir.”
“Why you?”
Why was he asking her all these questions?! Wasn’t it enough that he had a driver? Dang! “Because I was small enough to fit his outfit, sir,” she admitted.
Although outwardly Ronny’s exterior was as gruff as it had been when he first walked up to her, inwardly he was smiling. He remembered her honesty too. But it still smacked of suspiciousness. A girl he’d only met briefly, who shared her biscuit with him, and then took off across the street after the rain, who still on occasion haunted his dreams, was now working in his home? For how long, he wondered. And how did an ex-con like her get to be working in his household? He didn’t believe in serendipity in any way, shape, or form. But here it was? Right smack in front of him?
But he didn’t question it. At least not then and there. He got in his car, she closed the door and got behind the wheel as Tex, his bodyguard and the man Brina only knew as Burly Guy, got in on the front passenger seat.
“Home, sir?” Brina asked, looking at Ronny through the rearview mirror.
“No,” Tex said to her. “He’s going to his country club.” Tex knew the boss had a breakfast meeting at the club, but that wasn’t her business.
“Yes, sir,” Brina said. But to her dismay, she needed more. “Where is this club exactly?”
Tex rolled his eyes, which only made her feel worse. Mr. Bradshaw, she noticed through the mirror, just stared at her as if he found her disdainful too. Then Tex finally told her to just drive, he’d show her the way.
She drove. But if that first encounter was any indication, she was certain her days in Mr. Bradshaw’s employ wereextremely limited. Which was a terrifying thought for her to digest. The good news: the driving gig was just for one day.
Or so she thought.
CHAPTER SEVEN
He stared at her during the entire ride to his club. She thought it was just a fluke at first. She was a new driver to him, and she assumed he wanted to make sure she knew what she was doing. But every single time she glanced over at the rearview mirror, she could see thatstill-wearing-his-sunglassesface staring back at her. Every single time. And when she wasn’t glancing in the mirror at him, she could still feel his stares. It was so unnerving. But she kept it together. This was the only game in town for her, and she had to make certain she did nothing to cause him to terminate her from his housekeeping staff. This driving gig was for one day. She didn’t have to be perfect at it: just competent. Just get through the day. She could take anything for a day.
“How long have you been working at the Manor?” Ronny finally asked her.
Brina looked through the mirror at him. “Six months, sir. Just got off probation.”
“From prison?”
It was such an odd thing to say that even Tex turned around and looked at the boss. Brina was floored that he would even mention such a thing. How did he know she once went to prison? Did Mrs. Dash tell him? “No, sir,” she said. “For the job. I was on six-months’ probation for the job in Housekeeping.”
“Oh.” Ronny realized he had revealed too much. He also realized she didn’t remember him, or their conversation seven months ago, at all. He looked different on that day: unshaven, muddy, in well-worn clothing, but still. She had a direct effect on him. But she didn’t even remember him? It felt odd toRonny. It was usually the women who remembered him easily and he would remember them not so much. Everything about her seemed upside down to him.
He eased up on the questions, but he couldn’t stop altogether. Her appearance in his life had thrown him. It just seemed too coincidental for him to ignore. He needed more from her. He needed to know more. “Is Housekeeping your life’s work?” he asked her.
“No, sir. I used to work at not-for-profit organizations my whole life.”
“Turn right at the light,” Ronny said to her as Tex was caught answering a text message rather than guiding the driver to the club. “Why aren’t you still in that line of work?”
Brina shrugged her shoulder. “Didn’t work out,” she said as she turned right. “I wish it would have, but it didn’t.”
Ronny stared at her. He somehow knew back then it wasn’t going to work out for her. A non-profit that relied on government grants and tax exemptions hiring an ex-convict? Unless their organizational mission was to help ex-cons, he didn’t see it even back then. Didn’t see how Elvira would have hired her into his household either.
Tex, realizing he had failed to tell her about the turn, put his phone away and gave her the remaining driving instructions until they arrived at the gated club. The guard at the booth waited for Brina to press down the window of the Mercedes. When she did, he glanced in and saw Tex. “Hey Tex, how you doing?”
“What’s up?”
“Nothing new,” said the guard as he looked in the backseat and saw Warren Bradshaw. Which seemed to surprise him. “Mr. Bradshaw, sir. Good morning!” He then quickly opened the gate. But what Brina noticed, when she lookedthrough the rearview, was that Mr. Bradshaw didn’t even bother to tell the man hello. He was too busy still staring at her!
“Have a nice day,” the guard said, Brina saidyou too, and then drove through the open gate.
