“Life is subjective, Miss Hailey. From the moment you wake up in the morning to the moment you close your eyes at night, you interpret what happens to you through the lens you choose to use. The challenge is realizing the way you experience any event is not necessarily how the people around you do. The older I get, the more I realize what I once considered lies are really someone else’s truths.”
Hailey’s eyes rounded at his unexpectedly deep response. “Are you saying that it would be a waste of time to ask Delinda anything?”
He gave her arm a pat. “I’m saying that Mrs. Westerly loves her family very much. What is her relationship with them beyond that? I’m not sure you could get two Westerlys to agree, but that doesn’t change what I know.” He chuckled and started walking. “Did I ever tell you that I studied philosophy in college?”
Hailey almost asked him how he’d gone from college to working as a butler, but she didn’t. How did I go from college to being a paid companion? Life happens.
As they moved forward, he said, “I’ve worked for Mrs. Westerly for over thirty years, and I hope to work here twenty years more. When I first started here, I was fresh from a divorce. My son had health problems I couldn’t afford. I was desperate. Mrs. Westerly covered his medical bills and never said a word to anyone about it. She paid for him to go to college without him ever knowing the money came from her. He’s healthy now, with an impressive job as a broker in New York City. Beautiful wife. Two children I spoil as much as I’m allowed. My son has offered to let me live with them or buy me a place of my own. He doesn’t see my employment here the way I do. I wouldn’t have a son if it weren’t for the generosity of Mrs. Westerly. To her, I’m a butler. To me, she’s an angel. A lonely angel. How could I ever leave her?”
Hailey waved a hand at her suddenly misty eyes. With a choked laugh, she said, “Her generosity scares me a little. My biggest concern is Skye and how she’d handle it if we had to leave.”
“Then don’t leave,” Michael said as they arrived at the door of the solarium.
Delinda noticed her and waved her over. “Well, it’s about time you returned. How was your lunch?”
Hailey took a seat in one of the overstuffed chairs next to her. “It was nice.”
Delinda leaned forward. “Just nice?”
She couldn’t know where I was, could she? I didn’t tell anyone. I made sure not to use the driver. No, of course she doesn’t know. Spencer said they aren’t close. “Very nice?”
“Humph.” Delinda called out, “Michael, could you bring some tea?”
“Of course,” Michael answered from the door.
“Skye wants to know if you’d like to go with us to the barn tonight.”
A smile lit Delinda’s face. “I would love to. I’ve ordered a helmet for her along with boots and breeches. She doesn’t need a show jacket yet, but when she does, I’ll have my tailor fit one to her. I’m not sold on the barn’s in-house trainer. A friend of mine works with Olympians—”
“Skye may not want to compete. She may simply want to ride for fun.”
“Winning ribbons is fun.”
“Competition is good, but that’s not what’s most important.”
Delinda pursed her lips, then said, “So you don’t believe she could win.”
“I didn’t say that. I just don’t want you to pressure Skye to be someone she isn’t.”
“So you want me to lower my standards for her? Perhaps if you weren’t so willing to expect nothing from her she might have started speaking sooner.”
Hailey gasped. “That was cruel, Delinda.”
Delinda folded her hands on her lap unapologetically. Michael rolled in a tray of tea and scones, assessed the mood of the room, and made a hasty retreat. “Life is cruel. Step up to the plate, Hailey, and start preparing your niece for it.”
Michael’s angel also had horns.
Breathe. She throws barbs when she’s hurting. “Are you upset with me, Delinda?”
“No. I’m angry with myself. I forgot that I’m not supposed to do anything nice for you or Skye anymore. Should I return the helmet and attire? What about the tea and scones? Too much? Throw them at me if it makes you feel better.”
Delinda and Skye actually are a lot alike. The corners of her mouth twitched at the thought. Delinda’s expression darkened, and all humor left Hailey. Working for Delinda was as confusing as seeing Spencer had been, but on a totally different level.
They both made her ask the same question: How do I make you happy without putting aside what I know is important?
“I want to be able to argue with you,” Hailey blurted.
Delinda’s eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”
Right. Wrong. This is my truth. “I don’t want to be afraid that you’ll fire me if I don’t make you happy every second of the day. I love it here. Skye does, too. But you could let me go at any time. I stay up at night afraid that you’ll ask us to leave if I say or do the wrong thing. I don’t know what you want from us, but I know what I need from you.”
“And that is?”
She needs to hear this. Maybe a little honesty will help her. It worked with Skye. “I need to know that we’re on the same team. My father always started our family talks by telling us that he loved us. It made whatever our issues were feel not as bad because our foundation was stable. I like you. I’m grateful for all you’ve done, but I don’t always like the way you talk to me. I don’t always agree with what you want to do for Skye. I want to be able to say that. If you’re paying me to sit and agree with everything you say, then please stay out of our personal business. But if you want to be part of our lives, then we have to be able to disagree and still be on the same team.”
Delinda pursed her lips. “Is this how your generation speaks to their employers?”
There it was, the little dig. I’m wasting my breath. “This isn’t exactly a conventional job, and maybe that’s the problem. If you want to be part of our lives, I need to be able to trust you.”
Delinda stood and walked to a bookshelf. She returned with a photo of a handsome man in his forties. She handed the photo to Hailey. “This was my Oliver. He had a big heart just like yours. He loved everyone, and there wasn’t a mean bone in his body. He couldn’t walk by a person in need and not help them.”
Hailey accepted the photo and looked down at the man with dark hair and laughter in his eyes. The profound sadness in Delinda’s voice left Hailey unsure of what to say.
Delinda gripped the back of the chair beside her, determined to stand even though she was clearly in pain. “My parents didn’t approve of him at first, but I married him anyway. I was so proud of him when he took over my father’s company.” She took the photo back and seemed to get lost in the past as she looked down at her deceased husband’s face. “He wasn’t very good at business. It was all new to him. He was a good man, but he wasn’t ready for the responsibilities he was given.”
“I can’t imagine anyone would be ready for such a responsibility.”