“To meet me.”
“Yes.” He crossed his arms and sat back, rolling his eyes as if examining the ceiling. “She said she’s looking forward to becoming fast friends with my wife-to-be.”
“Oh god.”
“Don’t worry, she’s usually very nice…at first.”
“So all I need to worry about is when she’s going to stick the knife in my back.”
“Don’t be melodramatic, babe.” He rose from his chair and came to stand behind her. And then his strong hands were rubbing her shoulders and the back of her neck, spreading that familiar heat up and down her entire body.
“I’m not trying to be overdramatic, Red. But those stories you told me about her—they scared me a little.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t let her hurt you.”
“What about you?” Nicole said. “That’s what I’m really worried about.”
“I can take care of myself.”
But Nicole wasn’t so sure.
***
The rest of the day was spent in preparation for Red’s mother’s visit. He had his cleaning crew come for an emergency visit to the house, and they went through everything from top to bottom.
Nicole tried to help out around the house as well, and the cleaners seemed to find that rather odd. They watched her curiously as she cleaned smudges off the windows and got down on her hands and knees and scrubbed the bathroom tiles.
Often she would be in different rooms from the workers, but when they walked by and saw her sweating and working, a strange look would cross their faces. Nicole didn’t understand just what the issue was.
One of the housekeepers was a young girl that had to be around Nicole’s age. Dark haired and dark skinned, she had a beautiful oval face with almond eyes. She was thin and petite, but something about her was instantly charming, Nicole thought.
When the dark haired girl was passing by Nicole with some linen from one of the many guest rooms, Nicole waved. “Hey,” she said. “I’m Nicole.”
“Hello,” the girl said. She didn’t have much of an accent, although most of her co-workers seemed to be from Brazil. “I’m Juliana.”
“Have you been working here long?”
The girl shook her head. “About a month. My mother and father work here, and they decided it was time for me to start coming along to help.”
“Are you a student?”
“I just graduated high school.” Juliana smiled shyly and shrugged. “I’m not sure what to do next.”
“Is there anything else you need help with around the house?” Nicole asked. “I finished with the master bathroom.”
The girl’s hesitant smile turned into a slight frown. “It’s not my business to say.”
“No, I’m asking you. Feel free to tell me what you think. Is there something wrong with my helping?”
“It’s just—this is my family’s work. When they see you doing so much cleaning, they get scared you’re going to take it away from them. They need this job.”
“Me? Take care of this entire house?” she laughed. “I was just trying to chip in.”
Juliana’s eyes were still somber. “I know it seems silly to you. But a job like this, with such good pay—it’s very, very rare. And Mister Jameson treats my family well. They’re afraid of change.”
“Of course,” Nicole said, feeling horrible that she’d offended them while trying to help. “I’m just not used to standing around while other people work.”
Juliana smiled, but it wasn’t an altogether pleasant smile. “This is how it is,” she told her. “You’re rich.”
Nicole smiled sadly in return and walked downstairs, where she found Red on the veranda, on his cell phone. He had his back to her and didn’t notice she’d come out, so he continued talking without interruption.
“How could this happen? How?” Pause. “I don’t fucking believe it. You’re killing me, John. You told me that buying AK was a golden opportunity. You showed me the due diligence, so how did this fucking happen?”
Nicole stood at the entrance to the veranda, her hands twisting against each other as she nervously eavesdropped on his call. She knew this Germany thing was a much bigger deal than he’d let on, and this was the proof.
Red nodded, listening to whomever he was speaking to. She assumed it was John Peterson, the CFO of Jameson International.
“Well, now I need to fly to Germany and clean up your goddamn mess, John. Okay? Is that okay with you? Is that what you’re asking me to do?” He listened for just a moment later before exploding. “You’re fired, John. Fired. Understand? Get on a plane and come back to the U.S. I’m going to fly out first thing Monday morning and try and fix the absolute mess you’ve made of my company.”
Red hung up his cell phone and made as if to throw it across the room, but didn’t. Nicole had a quick, horrifying flashback to her first night at the house, when Red had gone nuts and started throwing plates and dishes, shattering them all over the dining room.