Chapter 1 #2
The thought makes me uncomfortable, so I force myself to stop looking and focus on getting out of here.
I need to shower, eat something that isn’t a granola bar, and figure out what to wear to whatever meeting awaits me in the morning.
My phone buzzes as I’m pulling out of the estate gates.
Nina’s name appears on the screen, so I pull over and answer.
“How did it go?” Her voice is bright with curiosity. “Are you rich yet?”
Despite everything, I laugh. “Not exactly. It was complicated.”
“Complicated how? Good complicated or bad complicated?”
“I honestly don’t know. I flooded part of the pool deck, got rescued by some guy who might be my new boss, and now I have to report to the main house tomorrow morning for reasons unknown.” I let out a heavy breath, worry suddenly gnawing at me again.
“Wait, back up.” I can practically hear Nina sitting up straighter. “Rescued how? What do you mean ‘might be’ your boss? Don’t you know who you’re working for?”
“I slipped on wet stone after I accidentally created a small flood.” I can still remember the warmth of his hands, and the solid strength of his chest against my back. “He caught me before I could fall and crack my skull open on the flagstones.”
“Okay, that’s actually really sweet. Was he cute?”
“Nina.” I don’t bother to mask my exasperation.
“What? I’m asking the important questions here. You said he might be your boss, which means he has authority over you, which means he’s probably loaded, which means?—”
“Which means nothing,” I interrupt, though I can’t quite keep the smile out of my voice. “He was completely professional. Cold, even.”
“Cold how? Like rude cold, or like mysteriously aloof cold? Because there’s a difference.”
I consider this distinction more seriously than I probably should. “Mysteriously aloof, I guess. He didn’t talk much, but when he did, it was like he expected to be obeyed without question. He had this way of looking at me that made me feel...”
“What?”
“Exposed. Like he could see things I didn’t want him to see.” I cross my arms over my chest, suddenly self-conscious about how much I’m revealing. “It was probably nothing. I’m overthinking because I need this job to work out.”
Nina huffs, clearly suspecting there’s more to the story. “What did this mystery man look like?”
“Tall, dark hair, and blue eyes. He wore casually deceptive expensive clothes that looked natural on him.” I pause, remembering the way he moved with such elegance. “There was something about him that suggested he’s used to getting what he wants.”
“And what do you think he wants from you?”
The question catches me by surprise, though I’ve been wondering the same thing since the encounter.
“I have no idea. Maybe he needs someone to fix the irrigation system properly, and he’s overestimated my abilities.
Maybe he’s transferring me to indoor work, or he’s firing me and wants to do it in person. ”
“Or maybe,” Nina says with a grin in her voice, “He was impressed by your gardening skills and wants to get to know you better.”
“Nina, no. Absolutely not.” I shake my head firmly. “Even if that were true, which it isn’t, I can’t afford to think about my boss that way. I need this job.”
“I’m not saying you should seduce him. I’m just saying that rich, powerful men don’t usually personally handle employee issues unless there’s a reason.” She giggles slightly, telling me she absolutely is suggesting I seduce him.
I nip her fantasies in the bud for her sake and mine. “The reason is probably that I flooded his pool deck on my first day.”
“Maybe.” Her tone indicates she doesn’t believe this for a second. “What kind of vibe does the place give you? Gut instinct.”
I consider the question seriously, thinking back over the day’s strange encounters. The estate is beautiful, immaculately maintained, and clearly expensive, but underneath the perfect landscaping and gleaming surfaces, there’s something else. A sense of watchfulness, maybe, or secrets.
“Intense,” I say finally. “Like everyone there is playing a game I don’t understand the rules to.
The blonde woman who walked past me acted like I was invisible, but not in a normal snobbish way.
It was more like she was deliberately not acknowledging my existence.
The man who caught me… There was something about the way he moved and spoke, like he’s used to people being afraid of him. ”
She sounds concerned now. “Afraid how?”
“Not physically afraid. More like...respectfully afraid. Like he’s someone you don’t want to cross.” I pause, trying to put the feeling into words. “You know how some people just radiate authority? He was like that, but more. Like authority was bred into his bones.”
She goes silent for a second while considering this. “Maybe that’s just how rich people live when they’re really rich. Like, obscenely wealthy. Everything has to be perfect.”
“Maybe.” Even as I say it, I don’t entirely believe it. There was something about the man who caught me that went beyond simple wealth. He moved like someone used to danger and spoke like someone accustomed to being obeyed without question.
“Whatever’s going on there, just remember that you deserve to be there as much as anyone else.” Nina’s voice takes on the fierce protectiveness that makes her such a good friend. “Don’t let some fancy house and mysterious rich people make you forget you’re smart, capable, and good at what you do.”
“Thanks.” I smile, feeling some of the tension leave my shoulders. “I should probably get home and figure out what one wears to mysterious morning meetings with mysterious wealthy people.”
“Something that says, ‘professional but not intimidated by your obvious wealth and power.’” She laughs. “Basically, anything that isn’t covered in mud, I guess. I’m guessing you got muddied up when you almost fell. You often come home like that.”
“Well before that, actually.” I look down at my work clothes, which are indeed generously decorated with soil, mud, and grass stains. “Right. Noted.”
Nina’s voice turns serious. “Trust your instincts about this place. If something feels off, it probably is.”
I frown though she can’t see it. “What do you mean?”
“Rich people with big estates and mysterious authority don’t usually live quiet, normal lives. There’s probably more going on there than landscaping and pool maintenance.”
“Like what?”
She hesitates before answering. “I don’t know. Business deals, family drama, or secret affairs? Or maybe a secret assassination plot over the winning racehorse or the ‘49 Burgundy.”
I arch a brow. “Is that a good year?”
She snorts. “How would I know? Two Buck Chuck is my budget, and it isn’t two bucks anymore. It just sounds like something fancy for rich people immersed in rich people problems. I’m just advising you to keep your head down and your eyes open.”
We say goodbye, and I drive home through the winding roads of Greenwich, trying to shake off the lingering strangeness of the day.
The town is beautiful in that carefully maintained way that money makes possible, with perfect lawns, pristine sidewalks, and houses that look like they belong in architectural magazines.
My apartment is a studio in an older building that’s seen better days, but it’s clean, safe, and mine, along with Nina’s, since she’s my roommate.
I’ve lived here for eight months now, ever since I decided New York was too expensive and too full of memories I wanted to leave behind.
Connecticut seemed like a good place to start over, being far enough from my old life but close enough to civilization.
I shower off the day’s grime and make myself a simple dinner of pasta and vegetables.
Nina is at a catering gig tonight, so I won’t see her before I go to bed.
I eat while I try to plan for tomorrow’s meeting without knowing what kind of meeting it will be.
Am I being fired for flooding the deck? Promoted to different duties?
Transferred to work directly for the main house instead of the grounds?
The uncertainty gnaws at me as I try to fall asleep that night.
I’ve been living paycheck to paycheck for too long, and this job is supposed to be my chance to build some stability.
The pay is better than anything else I’ve been able to find, and the work itself isn’t difficult.
I can’t afford to lose it over one flooded pool deck.
More than the practical concerns, I can’t stop thinking about the man who caught me, and the way he looked at me, like he was memorizing my face. I tremble even now remembering the authority in his voice when he gave me orders, and the careful distance he maintained even while helping me.
I replay the moment when his hands steadied my waist, and my skin warms at the memory.
There had been something electric in that brief contact that made me acutely aware of him as a man rather than just an employer or a stranger, which is exactly the kind of thinking that gets people like me into trouble with people like him.
I force myself to focus on practical matters.
I’m just the hired help, and the hired help doesn’t get to have romantic thoughts about the boss.
I finally drift off to sleep around midnight, dreaming of flooded pool decks and designer heels and a man with storm-colored eyes, who catches me when I fall but never lets me see his face clearly.
When my alarm goes off at six-thirty, I wake with the strange certainty that today will change everything.
I tell myself it’s just nerves and normal anxiety that comes with uncertainty about work and money and the future, but as I get dressed and prepare to return to the estate, I worry I’m walking into something much bigger than a simple gardening job.
Something that might be dangerous.
Something that might be exactly what I’ve been running from.
Or maybe, something I’ve been running toward all along.