Sweet Little Thing

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter

Thirty-Eight

Beulah

“We’ll take both cars in case Geraldine decides you’re a good fit and hires you. You’ll need your car to get back here this evening.” He announced meeting me at the door after I’d gone to put my things back in the closet.

“Okay,” I agreed determined to get this job. I was good with older people. I enjoyed their company and conversation.

I followed Stone out the door but before the door closed behind me, the sound of heels clicking echoed through the front foyer that sounded more like a run than a walk.

“Have a good day, baby!” she called out grabbing the door and charging out to throw herself against his chest.

The stepsister thing was all I could see. It was disturbing, but I forced myself not to think about it. I didn’t know the whole story. He didn’t return her hug, and that only seemed to make her more desperate for his attention. She began kissing his face.

He took both her arms in his hands and set her back from him. “Presley, please.”

She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. “When will you be back?”

“When I’m done with my day.” He didn’t look at her or in my direction as he turned to leave. “Let’s go, Beulah.”

I quickly followed behind him anxious to get away from the awkwardness of that entire situation. It was a little sad. Seeing someone so completely desperate for another’s affection and getting none. Stone wasn’t cruel to Presley. He treated her as a burden more than anything. But for her to cling to him like she did wanting something more from him it seemed as if he must have given her more once.

We walked silently down the stairs and out the doors to the parking lot. Only one other car was outside—the red Porsche. It looked like something Presley would drive.

“Follow me,” he said. His voice was a harsh command that I was more accustomed to. It fit what I knew and expected of the man. Ordering me pastries and lying about it wasn’t.

I climbed into my car and exhaled a long breath. I’d been on edge since I opened my eyes. A moment alone in the car was a relief. Yesterday had been a difficult twenty-four hours that would mark me for the rest of my life. I wanted to feel sorry for myself and use that as a reason to fall apart but I knew I wouldn’t.

I thought of my mother and how she must have felt when Portia came to her with Heidi. My mother would never have turned Heidi away, even without the money. But how exhausted and scared she had to have been at times. With two little girls, no help, and one who needed the extra care that Heidi required. Heidi’s medical bills must have taken all the money Portia claimed to have given momma. I knew she hadn’t used the money she’d been given on herself. Momma had often gone without to make sure we were clothed and fed properly.

All the times when Momma would kiss my head at bedtime—she’d tell me to get in bed and that she’d be in shortly. I’d fall asleep before she could get there because Heidi wouldn’t rest until Mom had rocked her. It took hours some nights but if she didn’t do it, Heidi would cry. The dark scared her, even with me in the same room.

Momma would bend down and whisper in my ear, “I couldn’t live this life without you, my Beulah beauty. You’re my source of strength. Heidi is my joy, but you, sweet girl, are my heart. Never forget how dearly I love you. Even when I can’t always hold you as long as you want or tuck you in at night.”

Those words made more sense now. I understood what she never told me. It was something I didn’t need to know though. I had never held resentment over Heidi needing Momma in ways that took more of her time. She always told me I was her strength and it had made me proud. As if I played an important role in our family.

My thoughts snapped back to the present when Stone switched on his blinker and turned right. There was a massive stone wall with a wrought iron gate that had the letter M in the center of it. Stone leaned out his window and said something to a small black box, and the gate opened slowly. I followed him inside the fortress, or whatever this was. Magnolia trees lined the driveway until it opened up, and a small castle appeared. My jaw dropped at the sight of all the grandeur. I’d never seen anything like it.

Stone pulled around to park right in front of the steps leading to the impressive doors where two marble lions sat on either side as if standing guard. I parked behind him still trying to take it in. Did someone actually build this to look like a castle? That had to be the case. It was a replica of something from a storybook.

Stone stepped in front of my car blocking my view, and I shifted my eyes to meet his. He was waiting on me, and I was too busy gawking. I turned the car off and grabbed my keys before getting out.

“What in the world?” I asked. My words were laden with awe. I couldn’t act as if I wasn’t completely fascinated.

“She’s a bit eccentric. Her husband indulged her when he was alive. This house was one of those indulgences.”

“Uh, this is more than an indulgence,” I replied, walking to meet him on the stairs.

“Not to Victor Mayweather.”

I started to ask more when one of the doors opened, and a tiny lady with snow-white hair pulled up in piggy tails appeared. “Stone! I thought the milkman was here. He’s late,” she said, throwing her hands up.

“The milkman won’t be coming today, Gerry love. He retired about sixty-five years ago.”

She frowned and placed a finger on her puckered lips. “That’s right. I’d forgotten about that. Bill was a fine man. Always brought the best milk. It was cold, too. That wasn’t always the case you know.”

Stone bent down to press a kiss to her weathered cheek. “Good morning.”

She beamed up at him in a way that made my chest feel warm. “Good morning to you, too, dear. Did you decide to get married after all? She’s lovely. I can see why you changed your mind,” Geraldine said as she smiled at me. “I had no idea she was such a beauty.”

“I didn’t change my mind. I’m still not getting married. This is Beulah, the girl I told you about. The one that I think you would enjoy having here to help you with things during the day. Like your hairstyle choices.” He added the last bit with a smile. My breath momentarily halted. Stuck in my throat, as I stared at him. That was a smile I’d never seen on his chiseled face. It was completely genuine and well on that man- insanely powerful.

He was making a joke I realized for me alone. She wouldn’t understand the comment. His eyes shifted to me and they sparkled with amusement. The affect had me sucking in air before my lungs exploded.

“Oh yes, yes! I remember. I was just thinking I’d like to color my hair red. Can she do hair color?”

He chuckled then. A deep, full laugh.

“I like your hair the beautiful shade of platinum it is. Let’s not change that.”

She sighed. “Very well. I’ll leave it like this just for you.”

“Thank you,” he replied with complete sincerity.

“Do you think you could find where my chickens went? I was going to scramble some eggs for breakfast,” she asked looking directly at me now as if I should have the answer for her.

“I—” had no idea what to say.

“There are no chickens here. That was at your cottage in Bath. You no longer live in England,” Stone said to her, stopping me before I agreed to find the chickens.

She waved her hand and laughed. “That’s right. Moved last week,” she replied. “Come on inside. We’ll all catch a cold out here.”

She hurried back inside, and I noticed one of her shoes was a red house slipper and the other was a white tennis shoe.

Working here would never get boring, and it would definitely be distracting. Something I needed desperately.

Geraldine led us into a sitting room with two sofas that looked like expensive antiques no one should be sitting on and two high-back chairs. There was a fireplace made entirely of marble. Over it hung a painting of a tall, handsome man with black hair and a square jaw.

“There are five guest bedrooms, each with an en suite. I have them named and you’ll need to memorize them. We will cover that today. The master suite has two en suites and two sitting rooms. The kitchen is down the hall to the left. The dining room I use daily is across from it. The formal dining room for entertaining or parties is in the right wing further down. As you know, it’s not proper to have it too close to the kitchen. There is a library, office, bathroom, powder room, sunroom, and this room needs daily dusting, sweeping, and the like. I can’t keep up with it all anymore. I let the help go after Victor passed because they got in my way.” She paused and smiled. “I didn’t even offer you tea before I started the job description. I’m terribly sorry. I promise I’m not normally so rude.”

“We’d love a cup,” Stone replied.

She beamed at us both. “I’ll be right back.”

I watched as she walked gracefully from the room, baffled by her complete change in character.

“She has her moments. We arrived during one. For the most part, she pretty with it. But the spells, as she calls them, come along, and she gets lost, confused, forgets, and often thinks it’s the nineteen fifties and she’s living in England. You’ll learn to spot the switch.”

“Oh, dear heavens! What have I put on my feet?” we heard her horrified voice from the kitchen. Stone chuckled.

“She’ll have to fix that before she comes back.”

I laughed. “This is going to be the most interesting job I’ve ever had.”

“Yes, it probably will be.”

“How do you know her?” I asked.

He sighed and glanced up at the photo over her mantle. “Gerry’s husband Victor was a business associate of my father’s. My mother used to drop me off at my dad’s office because I was teething, and my crying was too much for her. Granted, she had nannies, but they always quit because my mother drove them crazy. Gerry was there one day with Victor when my mother dropped me off. Dad was upset because he had work, and she’d run off another nanny. Gerry took me with her that day. Throughout the years, they often left me with her. She was the only constant woman in my life from the time I was a baby. The memories I have of my mother are sparse. She came and went, as did my dad’s many wives. But Gerry baked cookies with me, took me to the zoo, read to me, taught me how to ride a bike, and stayed by my side at the hospital after my appendix ruptured when I was ten years old. My mother was in Italy with a friend.” He stopped speaking as Gerry’s footsteps neared.

She was carrying a silver tray with a pretty tea set. “Now, let’s drink a spot of tea and discuss your pay.”

I watched as Stone smiled at her. There was a gentle affection in his eyes that was so out of character. This woman meant more to him than anyone else I’d seen him around, and he trusted me to care for her. This wasn’t a position he chose just anyone to fill. Oddly I realized that his trust in me by bringing me here was an honor.

“There will be times I’m a case, I tell you. Be prepared for that,” she said as she sat up straight with her legs crossed. I noticed she now had matching black flats on her feet.

“I think she witnessed that already, Gerry,” Stone said in an amused drawl.

Geraldine frowned. Then her eyes went wide, and she looked down at her shoes. “Yes, my shoes were a disaster, weren’t they?”

“I have meetings today, Gerry. Why don’t you and Beulah work things out? You can show her around. Let her get the feel of how you like your day to go. I’m a phone call away if either of you need me,” he glanced at me.

“We will be just fine. Don’t you worry about her. I won’t scare her away,” Geraldine told him, winking at me.

Stone stood up, set his cup on the tray, and then kissed her on the cheek again. “I’ll leave her in your care then.” Who was this man and where had he put Stone?

“What meetings do you have? Still handling all Jasper’s affairs for the boy? It’s time you make him figure it out. You’ve got your empire to run. And Victor’s.”

Stone gave a hard shake of his head as if to stop her from saying any more. “Everything’s under control, Gerry,” he said, giving me a tight smile before quickly leaving. I watched him go confused by what she had just said.

Handling Jasper’s affairs?

“That boy works too much,” she said with a sigh. “Do you like to garden? I have a vegetable garden out back. It gives me something to do instead of sitting in this big house all alone every day.” The switch in topics was swift, and then she was up out of her chair, walking over to the window. “He’s a good kid. I often wonder how that’s possible with parents like his. He made it out okay, though.” She glanced back at me. “Can’t say the same for Jasper. That one was stuck with Portia. I fear it ruined him.”

Stone wouldn’t want her saying any of this to me, but I was clinging to every word. It felt as if I’d been living in a haze unaware of all the truths around me but the fog was clearing more and more with each passing hour I was away from Jasper. He had charmed me, given me attention I hadn’t thought I needed but clearly had craved, and I’d been na?ve. Hearing Geraldine talk about the two of them, I realized there was no question or doubt. She knew them. Their past. The men they had become.

“Now, tell me about yourself, Beulah. Beginning with where you got that name. It’s Hebrew, you know. It means married.”

I was impressed that she knew the meaning and origin of my name without looking it up. She was a well-educated woman who had lived what appeared to be an elaborate life. And she was kind. She had been a mother to a little boy whose mother neglected him. That alone made me respect her and feel a connection to her. My mother had done the same with my sister.

“My mother heard the name on a television show when she was pregnant with me. She was young, and she thought the name was unique and special. She wanted me to be those things, so she said she named me accordingly.”

Geraldine smiled. “Well, that sounds nice. She was a good mother then? Even though she was young?”

“The very best in the world,” I replied without pause. No matter how many lies revolved in and out of my life, my mother’s love would always remain a solid truth.

I understood that she hadn’t lied to me about Heidi to hurt me. She’d lied to protect Heidi. And because Heidi was her daughter. She hadn’t given her life but she’d given Heidi the other piece of her heart. My sister and I had been Momma’s world. Nothing in life would take that from us.