1|A Trailer Girl

“I need you to sign this.” Carter’s voice was gruff as he dropped a paper on the bed.

“What? Is that our prenup?” I cajoled, eyes glued on the ceiling. We had just finished making love. The bed was still warm, the sheets tangled, and my center was still sore.

I received no reply from Carter. The bathroom door opened, the water in the shower pelted down, so I decided to entertain whatever it was that he wanted. My face pruned as I pushed off from the bed, pulling the sheets over my chest, squinting my eyes, trying to make out what was written on the paper.

There were two documents: Non-disclosure Agreement and Deed of Waiver.

“Is this some kind of joke? It’s not funny, Carter,” I say with a chuckle, clearing my throat when it felt like sandpaper from all the screaming and moaning I had just done under him.

I heard the shower turn off. Carter walked back into the room, wearing nothing but a towel that hung low on his hips. Pellets of water glistened on his skin, rolling down his Apollo’s belt and disappearing into the towel. Heat blossomed in my center as I caressed his body with my gaze. He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. Clean-cut hair complements his sharp jawline, and his blue eyes mirror the deepest sea. I always get lost in them whenever he looks at me.

I tossed the paper on the bed, frowning when a light yellow paper peeked out from under it. A check. Five hundred thousand dollars under my name with Carter’s signature.

“What is this?” The playfulness in my voice was no more, sliding a frown at Carter and back at the check.

His face was stoic as he discarded the towel at the foot of the bed, pulling on his jeans.

“You can read, right?” he said without throwing a glance at me.

My heartbeat slowly gained speed, realizing that Carter was dead serious. I picked up the documents and scanned them again, this time with focus and blazing attention. My hands were shaking, my lips trembling as I went over the NDA and the waiver simultaneously.

It clearly says here that I can’t tell a soul about Carter’s involvement with me. He’d make me pay him an amount I can’t earn even if I work twenty-four seven. He gave me options. How generous of him. If I can’t pay, then I will go to jail for breaching this contract. And the waiver says that if I am carrying his child, he has nothing to do with the child, nor will the child ever have a claim on him.

I can read alright, but every word I just read made me question my comprehension skills.

“NDA really?” I huffed. Carter was now sporting his jeans and shirt. He sat on the couch and shoved his feet into his sneakers. “Don’t you think it’s a little too late for an NDA?”

A flash of irritation crossed his devilishly handsome face.

“Just sign the fucking paper, Andi,” he said with a glacier-crisp voice. He was uneasy, as if he had somewhere more important to be than talking to me right now. The coldness in his tone was like ice daggers piercing my heart.

“Where is this coming from, Carter? We just had sex a minute ago. You were inside me, for fuck’s sake.”

I agreed to keep our relationship low-key, but Carter had never been this cold to me. We might appear estranged outside hotel rooms, but he was passionate and caring when we were alone.

Carter and I met in a bar where I was waiting tables last year. He said he was just aiming to get drafted back then, so having a relationship in public would hurt his image. ‘Women would flock over a hot single major league rookie,’ was what he said, and honestly, I didn’t care if we went public or not. I could barely make ends meet, juggling between two jobs, so caring about what others think was not really a priority.

He has been good to me. He treated me well; he was great in bed, and he didn’t punch me in the face. But I guess I should have cared; I should have given a fuck about going public. It would have saved me a year of my life with someone who thought I was a gold digger.

“We had our fun. It’s time to get back into the real world,” iciness dripped from his voice.

“Ca… carter,” my voice quivered as I felt tears prickling my eyes. They were threatening to fall, my heart clenching painfully. “You’re… you’re breaking up with me?”

He released a heavy breath. “Breaking up? We were just fucking, Andi. We don’t have a relationship.”

I recoiled. The truth was a sucker punch to my face. Did I just assume everything? We didn’t share I love yous, but we were exclusive.

My throat was too tight to produce any sound. I just stared at him, dumbfounded, my hands shaking as I clutched the check.

“What is it? Do you need more?” His patience was wearing thin.

Five hundred thousand dollars. I could clear every debt under my name with this, pay Mom’s medical bills, buy a new car, and probably get us a leakproof and rat-free place. But Carter’s question made my heart drop. He was dead serious about buying my silence. My chest felt like it would explode at any moment.

He grunted and pulled his wallet out, tossing another check in my face. “There? Is that enough? Lara was right. You were a problem I shouldn’t have fucked in the first place.”

Lara, his handler. Carter introduced us last week, and she made sure I knew that Carter was way out of my league. She even warned me to stay away from Carter, or she’ll make me. She clearly succeeded.

I should lash out at him. I should slap him in the face because he’s blatantly insulting me. But I know that if I say another word, the dam I am holding in will shatter. I will break down in front of him. So I quietly got out of bed and got dressed, laughing at myself for thinking Carter would really fall for someone like me.

I had seen him on TV once or twice. The stadium would go ballistic just seeing him walk out onto the field. The people at the bar said he was the greatest rookie of this generation.

‘You’re so stupid, Andi. You thought the greatest rookie would settle for a girl who only buys clothes from thrift shops and only has one pair of shoes? You can’t even go to the salon to get a proper haircut, and the rookie will love you? Stupid, stupid, freaking stupid!’

When I was done dressing up in my worn-out clothes, I snatched the pen from the bedside table and quietly signed the documents. It’s not like I would ever tell a soul about how this rookie played like his pupper on a string.

“Here,” I said and slapped the papers on his chest along with the checks.

Carter’s big hands wrapped around my wrist as I skirted past him. He tugged me back and stared down at me through the tip of his nose. “The money is yours, take it.”

He raised the two checks to my face. I clenched my fist and snatched my hand from his grip, holding the dam together as I leveled Carter with a stare. “You want me out of your life, right? You got it. This is the last time you’ll see me.”

“You need it. I know what kind of life you have, Andi. Your mom is sick, and you’re the only one working for your family,” he said with disgust. “And you live in a fucking trailer. I should’ve known…”

“Known what?” I cut him off, simmering. “You didn’t care where I lived when you were fucking me, remember? If you’re breaking up with me, you've got it already. What else is your problem?”

“My problem is that I need you to get this money and get out of this city before the press gets a whiff of our situation. It would ruin my career!”

His response made me speechless. Pain rippled through my chest like a tornado wrecking everything in its path. He was ashamed of me, of the kind of life I have. I was a dirty little secret that could ruin his blossoming career. My life was tough, but I fought back with every punch life threw at me. But this? The rejection, the shame at being poor. I stepped back, rubbing my arms up and down. I can’t even look Carter in the face.

“And we’ve been fucking without protection. I don’t need a bastard claiming to be my son, Andi.”

I let out a humorless laugh as tears rolled down my cheeks. His words shattered the dam I was holding in. A painful lump materialized in my throat, growing bigger by the second.

“I love you,” I said — the words that I’d been holding in for some time now. I turn around because I can’t let him see me like this, like a piece of trash crying because he has no use for me anymore.

“I love you, Carter, and I get it now. Fuck you, your money, and your career. Don’t show your face to me again, or I swear I will break your leg with your precious bat!” With a knife-cutting gaze, I stared at him over my shoulder and added. “Don’t worry, the world will never know you enjoyed fucking a trailer girl.”

I didn’t let him punch in another word and got out of the hotel. As I walked down the long corridor, I realized how small I am. It’s such a pity to think that once upon a time, I thought I belonged in this lavish place. This was Carter’s world. I’m so foolish to believe that I could dip my toes in here and come out unscathed.

2|Golden Boy

I wiped my tears and squared my shoulders as I stepped out into the street. The morning was slowly breaking in Hawthorne Bay; the noise and bustle in the city were shadowing my pain. It was Monday morning, and a broke girl like me had no time to wallow over my broken heart. My bills won’t understand that it takes all my strength to keep moving. I have to show up, or else I will lose this job.

There’s a war between my heart and my mind as I toy with my phone inside my hoodie pocket. My heart refuses to accept that Carter would just take a sudden turn in our relationship. Everything was going well for us. I knew in my heart that he loved me. It was in his gentle touch, his kisses, and his voice as he spoke to me, but my mind knew better. Lara knocked some sense into him. She made him realize I didn’t belong in his life, and my mind begs my heart to understand that.

I reached Tessa’s place thirty minutes earlier than usual. I was waiting tables at night and cleaning houses in the morning. A girl’s gotta hustle if she wants to put food on the table.

“Andi, you’re early,” Tessa chimed in as she opened the door for me, frowning as she stared at my face. “Are you okay?”

Was it obvious that I’m nursing a broken heart? It must be my bed hair or my pale lips. I don’t have any lipstick on, and my blush was already retired last Friday night. The compact makeup had been with me for five years.

I forced a smile and combed my hair. “Oh, I wasn’t able to catch the bus, so I walked.”

‘Lame… can’t you make a more acceptable reason, Andi? You’re thirty minutes early, for crying out loud!’

Tessa looked unconvinced, but she was kind enough to let me be. “We were just having breakfast. Have some before you start cleaning.”

“Thanks.” I followed her inside the house. Her two-year-old daughter, Mason, was in the high chair, ladling the green liquid from her baby table.

“Mason!” Tessa gasped. “What did you do?” She giggled, playfully berating the toddler and wiping the green mess on her face.

Mason giggled, raising her spoon up and down, painting the table and floor green.

“Goodness, I’m sorry for the mess, Andi,” Tessa looked at me apologetically.

“It’s fine,” I said and neared Mason, ruffling her wild blond hair. “Aren’t you hyped up this morning, Mason?”

“Yay… yay… yandi!” The toddler giggled and raised her spoon to paint my white hoodie green.

“Oh… Andi, I almost forgot,” she murmured and pulled a calling card from the counter. “Remember the house-help gig from one of my customers? It’s open again.”

Tessa owns a flower shop downtown. I stared at the black card with a name and number on it. ‘Siobhan Montgomery.’ This was the fourth time Tessa had handed me her card.

“Isn’t this the same house-help gig you gave me two weeks ago?” I frowned.

Tessa’s face fell as she nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know what’s going on, but no one seemed to last two weeks in that job.”

“Must be a psycho,” I murmured.

Tessa giggled. “I don’t think so. I know Siobhan, and she would never be friends with a psycho. She’s a good person.”

You can never tell someone’s true colors. Just look at Carter. I thought we were on the same page, and now he dumped me like trash and looked at me like I was a pebble beneath his shoe.

I shook that thought out of my head and slid the card into my jeans pocket. Taking a mental note to pull it out before washing my jeans.

I have no intention of accepting this job. One, no one will be looking over Mom and Caleb, and second, Tessa has mentioned this four times already, with only a one to two week interval. That employer sounds troubled. But just out of curiosity, I asked Tessa. “How much are they paying?”

“Five thousand dollars,” Tessa said as she finished cleaning Mason’s face. She sat on the chair and continued feeding Mason.

My eyes almost bulge out of the socket. “Five thousand?”

Tessa hummed. “That’s the basic pay. If I didn’t have Mason, I would’ve applied for that job, you know,” she said with a sigh.

“Basic?” Now I’m listening.

“There’s another thousand dollars as an allowance, and everything you need is free. You know, the basics.”

“That means I can take home six grand… clean?”

“Yup,” she made the P pop.

All day, Tessa's job offer was on my mind. That money could be the saving grace that we needed. Heaven knows how long I’d been hoping for a gig that could get me out of my neck-deep debt. But what could be the problem? Why would anyone leave such a good-paying job?

I cleaned two more houses before I could get home and get at least four hours of sleep before my shift at the Old Town Tavern. The bar was busy, even on a Monday, because a baseball game was on TV. The locals were on a hype because for the first time in two decades, the Hawthorne Bay Mariners were doing well in the playoffs. Their team was playing on the opposing city’s turf, and this is how the locals support the Mariners.

The people were loud. The TV was on full volume, and I kept hearing Carter’s name in and out of the ballpark. The locals were happy to see him play. Some even wore his jersey. If this morning at the hotel hadn’t happened, I would still be one of his fans.

“What’s so good about baseball?” I grumbled as I slapped the order list onto the counter. Greg, the bartender, heard me over the buzz, shaking his head as he chuckled.

“I thought you loved baseball,” he commented, checking the list of orders. He worked behind the bar, lifting bottles, stirring and shaking drinks, and placing them neatly on my tray.

“Nope,” I said. “I hate it. Why can’t they just give all the players a ball and a bat?”

The men around the bar laughed at me.

“That wouldn’t be fun now, would it?” One guy commented.

“There would be no game if that happens.” Another said.

“Aren’t you with the golden boy?” Greg said. His comment sounded more than just a point in the conversation.

I stared at him, eyes slanted. Does he know? Greg had invited me for coffee a few times now, and I had declined. And when Carter and I started seeing each other, he stopped. I never told anyone about us, and Carter and his team had only been in the Old Tavern a handful of times since the season started, but it looked to me like Greg knew I was having an affair with the Mariners’ golden boy.

“I mean, everyone in town is with him, right?” Greg drew back when I offered no response.

“Not everyone,” I murmured as I picked up my tray and started serving the tables.

Being busy gave me no time to think about Carter. This is probably the only time I’d be grateful that I’m broke. I have no time to feel sorry, because I have to keep grinding, but the moment the Mariners won the game I was reminded of how Carter Bennette crushed my heart with a smash of his bat.

Carter scored the home run that resulted in the team’s win. 7-6. It was a close call, and the Old Town Tavern’s roof went flying when Carter hit the ball so hard that it went over the stadium fence.

Then the interviews happened, and Carter’s face was on the TV. I didn’t want to look at him, but I could not shut out his voice that filtered through the bar. The sports anchor asked him about the game, but his last question left me stunned.

“You were playing away from home, but I heard there’s someone in the crowd who’s been your home for a while now,” the anchor said.

Carter chuckled. At this moment, I can’t look away. I stood by the bar and watched Carter’s familiar smile on TV. Sweat glistened on his forehead; his shirt was dirty and wet, but his smile was blinding as he answered.

“Yeah… I have someone with me right now,” he said, gazing at the bleachers. The camera followed his gaze, and a woman with soft blond hair, a pageant smile, wearing his jersey, smiled back at him. She made a figure heart with her hand, winking at Carter as she mouthed, ‘I Love You.’

“Ohhh,” the anchor teased, the camera sliding back to them. “Isn’t that the daughter of the Mariners manager?”

Carter scratched the back of his neck. “Yes. I’m probably gonna be unemployed after this interview.”

The anchor chuckled, “I don’t think so. Tom Willis loves you. And I think Sarah just said I love you.”

Sarah… so that’s her name. “And I love her too,” Carter said, then he looked back at Sarah. “I love you, Sarah.”

My chest was heavy, and my throat was tight. I was clutching the edge of the bar too tightly; my fingernails were carving into the wood. No wonder he wanted an NDA and waiver. It’s because of this. He’s going public with his girlfriend, and I was just a notch on his bed.

The bar was still buzzing with the team’s win and the newfound love of their golden boy.

My vision became blurry, and my legs were turning into jelly as bile rose in my throat. I had to step out and lock myself in the bathroom, emptying my stomach, which only contained bitter coffee to keep me functioning the whole day.

I was wiping my mouth with the back of my hand when my phone buzzed in my pocket. It’s Caleb. My little brother knew not to call me on my shift if it’s not an emergency.

I cleared my throat before I answered his call, stepping out of the cubicle. My face was a mess. My eyes were watery, circled by dark bags. There’s a frown on my cheeks that I can’t hide with my smile.

“Hello?”

“Andi…” Caleb’s voice was shaking.

Anxiety instantly vibrated through my system. “Caleb, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Mom…”

3|I’ll Figure Something Out

Caleb was a big kid. He’s already standing five foot seven at fourteen, and unlike most teenagers who’d have their noses buried in their phones, Caleb would rather read books and study. Our life is tough, but every time I see Caleb, it makes giving up a trivial idea. If I give up, who’d take care of this sweet boy? He was the fuel that kept me going, even if my life is cluster fucked.

My little brother sat solemnly on the hospital bench. His huge frame made him look five years older than his actual age. With shoulders fallen, my heart ached for him. He didn’t have to go through this again. His eyes lit up as soon as he saw me enter the hospital.

“Andi!” he jumped on his heels, hovering over me, crushing me with his brawny arms in a tight embrace. He might look big, but he was still just a kid. “It’s Mom. She was blue when I saw her on the couch.” Raw emotions made his voice tremble.

“Shhh, Caleb, calm down,” I said, betraying the rapid punch of my heart in my breastbone. But I have to be tough. I can’t show that I’m shit scared because Caleb looks like he’s one string away from falling apart. “Where is Mom now?”

“She’s still in the ER. The doctors won’t let me see her. They want you here,” he fired like an automatic rifle.

I stepped away from him and pulled out my wallet. “Here, get us something to drink from the cafeteria. I want coffee.”

“Coffee again?” His forehead creased, berating me like I would usually do to him when he was little. “Coffee is not water, Andi. You’ll get sick.”

He’s such a sweet soul. If only he knew that coffee has been the only thing that has fueled me since yesterday. I pinched his nose. He was already two inches taller than I. “Tomorrow, I’ll stop, promise.”

He pursed his lips, unconvinced, but he walked away and let me be. I removed my black server apron and tossed it on the bench as I slumped onto it.

I hate hospitals. They try to mask the scent of death and mountain high bills with alcohol and lavender cleaning agents. Every time I step into this place, it’s another bill tossed over my head, threatening to pull me under. We’re already neck-deep in drowning; this night would only submerge my entire body.

Caleb came back with my coffee, nothing for him. He sat beside me, and we both got lost in our thoughts. It was one in the morning. The hospital was eerie, and the lights were too bright for my tired eyes.

“I asked Ronnie for a gig at his shop,” Caleb murmured.

“What?!” I chimed, frowning at my brother. Ronnie was our neighbor who owned a car shop in town. Caleb has been pitching the idea of working and helping me with bills instead of going to school. “We talked about this, Caleb.”

“Andi,” he sighed. “The doctors warned us about this. This was the third time this month.” His voice was so calm and raw that it shattered me inside. He’s already worrying about how hard our life is and how he can help when he should be dreaming about his future. College, baseball, having a crush… that’s what I wanted for him. He’s the only baseball player whom I would cheer for.

“I’ll figure it out. I’ll find another job,” I said. “Don’t worry about this and focus on school.”

Caleb was a bright kid, and I would do everything in my power to get him through school, so he wouldn’t turn up like me.

“You’re already working too much,” he said. “It’s only part-time. I can juggle work and school.”

“No-” Doctor Owen stepped out of the emergency room, cutting off my next words.

Caleb and I stood from our seats. Our backs were as stiff as poles as dread spiralled down my spine. Doctor Owen’s stoic face doesn’t hide the gravity of Mom’s situation. He’s only in his late twenties, but he’s probably seen a lot worse cases than my mother’s, so it doesn’t affect him anymore.

“How is she?” I asked, masking the tremble in my voice with a shaky smile as I set my coffee down on the bench. I feared the cup would slip from my hand when he whisked the dreaded news in our faces.

Doctor Owen sighed. “She’s stable for now, and you already know what I’m about to say.”

“Her last episode was a wake-up call,” he started. I traced the inside of my cheeks with my tongue. I really need that coffee right now, so I reached for it and took a sip. The bitter taste and warmth slithered down my throat.

“She can’t miss her inhaler again,” he added.

He spoke as if inhalers weren’t cheap. Before I left for work earlier, I asked Mom if she still had inhalers. She said yes. I should’ve known better.

“She’ll be needing steroids if this happens again, and I suggest oxygen therapy,” he murmured.

Oxygen? My knees nearly buckled. We will need oxygen for emergencies now? I could barely keep up with the inhalers, much less a portable oxygen tank.

“How…” I swallowed hard, moistening my parched throat. “How much will that cost?”

Pity blanketed the young doctor’s face. “Without insurance?” His question sounded more like a death sentence.

We could barely afford the four hundred dollars a month for Mom’s inhalers, much less therapy.

“This is overwhelming,” Doctor Owen sighed. “But your mother’s case is curable.”

COPD is not like cancer, sure, but for someone who could barely put food on the table, keep the roof over their heads, send Caleb to school, and without insurance, that’s way worse than cancer. Poverty had been eating us alive since I could walk.

He sighed, wishing he had better news to share. “Your mother is a fighter, and you’re a fighter too, Andi. I know you can figure something out, because she cannot miss her meds again.”

He was too kind to omit that the next attack would kill Mom.

I looked anywhere but at Doctor Owen. I don’t want him to see how this news has rattled me. But when my gaze slid onto Caleb, my facade shattered. His blue terrified eyes were my undoing.

I tipped my chin up and toughened my voice, shoving aside all the fear roiling in my head. “I will figure something out,” I echoed the doctor’s words.

Usually, my words would calm Caleb’s worry, but I think my words had lost their magic. My brother lowered his head, and he hadn’t said a word until we brought Mom home. He forced a smile as we helped Mom out of the cab.

“I can walk,” Mom berated Caleb, swatting his arms. She was skin and bones under her loose sweater and pants. Her cheeks were hollow, the bags around her eyes darkened by sleepless nights.

Our humble trailer abode looked a tad smaller when the three of us were inside. Mom took her spot on the couch, pressing a smile at us as we walked inside.

“See? We don’t need all those hospital dramas. I’m as healthy as a horse,” Mom cajoled.

“Mom,” I sighed. “You should have told me you ran out of meds-”

“I told you I’m fine,” she cut in. “I told Caleb it was nothing. You shouldn’t have brought me to the hospital. They only want money from us, so don’t believe anything they say.”

“Mom,” Caleb sighed this time.

“Don’t you spend another dime on me, Andrea,” she pointed at me. “I know my body, and I know I’m fine. Those pretty faces in scrubs are only making you think I’m sick. They don’t know my body like I do,” her body betrayed her. She started coughing so hard that her back caved. The echo of her illness filled the small space of our trailer home. The thin walls reverberated with my mom’s impending risk if she keeps her stubbornness up.

Caleb helped Mom drink a glass of water, pulling the sheets from the couch as she rested on her back. My little brother threw me a weary glance.

His blue eyes wanted to say a lot of things. Worries that he shouldn’t even be thinking about at his age. I nodded at him, knowing well we can’t talk about Mom’s unhealthy situation in this confined space.

“Get some rest, Mom,” I say. “We’ll figure something out.”

I don’t know how many times I will repeat those words again. But the more I say it, the more I feel that I am the one who needs convincing that I can figure something out.

Mom shook her head, as if she could hear the doubts swirling in my head. She turned to her side, dismissing my concern. One wrong move and she’d fall on the floor. She insisted on sleeping on the couch, complaining that the mattress was too soft; it hurt her back.

I sighed and took this as a cue to pause the conversation for now. We were all tired and in dire need of sleep. Caleb has school tomorrow, and I’ve got houses to clean.

Caleb and I were deep in our thoughts as we went to the only room in the trailer. Caleb immediately slipped under his blanket on the bottom bunk. Three more years and he won’t fit in in that bed.

I turned the lights off and climbed into the upper bunk, digging for my phone in my pocket to set the alarm when my fingers touched on the card Tessa gave me.

Siobhan Montgomery. I traced her name printed in silver fonts, seeing bills, debt, insurance, and medical care for Mom being solved.

Six grand, clean. I can imagine how far that money would go. It’s enough for Mom’s medication, Caleb’s books, and food in the fridge and pantry, but that work comes with alarming whispers. No one lasted two weeks. What could it be? Was the employer abusive? Sure, I can take all the physical pain. I experienced that growing up in my own father’s hands, but was I willing to risk my life? If anything happens to me, Caleb and Mom… I can’t even think about it.

I turned to my side, the calling card and phone clutched in my hand.

Tomorrow, I’ll make a decision.

Then Caleb moved onto the bunk beneath me. The entire frame shook, and Mom’s stomach-wrenching cough echoed from outside the room.

I turned my back and started typing a message to Siobhan Montgomery.

4|Impossible? Difficult?

My palms were sweaty, my knees bobbing up and down as I kept looking at the chipped leather watch circling my wrist. I had been to offices before—as a cleaning girl—but I’d never entered one aiming to land a job.

I pulled my white blouse from the bottom pile of my clothes this morning, paired it with a floral knee-high skirt, then I borrowed Mom’s red Mary Janes. They were a size smaller than my feet, and my toes were already hurting from being curled for too long. I pulled my hair into a neat ponytail, stealing a few dollops of Caleb’s gel so the stray strands wouldn’t go flying over my face, then I picked at the last of my red lipstick to put color on my face. This was the best I could pull off. I had been gripping my resume, trapped inside the folder, for about twenty minutes now.

The metal chair in the waiting area of Siobhan Montgomery’s office was already warm against my ass. Her office smelled of faint lemon polish, fresh coffee, and freshly picked flowers. The white walls and shiny floor were oddly intimidating. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest when the receptionist called my name.

“Yes, I’m Andrea Wilson,” I shot to my feet, smoothing a hand over my skirt.

The receptionist, Lena, smirked at me and shook her head. She wore the sharpest pencil skirt and suit jacket I had ever seen. Her scrutinizing gaze, from the moment I entered the building, was still there—sizing me up, the question ‘what the hell is she doing here’ glowing in neon lights on her forehead.

She forced a smile as she stood from her office chair, rounded the front desk, and walked past me.

“Follow me,” she murmured. Her skyscraper stilettos clicked against the marble floor as she sashayed through the hallway.

Squaring my shoulders, I followed her, the folder trapped in my hands in front of me. I nearly bumped into Lena when she paused at the door at the end of the hallway.

She knocked before opening the door, announcing that I was with her, and swung it wide.

I smoothed my palms down the front of my skirt for the hundredth time, my eyes flying to the frosted name on the door: Siobhan Montgomery – Agency Director, etched in silver across it. The office looked like something out of a magazine—polished floors, white walls, and shelves stacked with neat black binders that probably cost more than my entire one-month salary.

A woman in her late thirties sat behind the desk, her blazer so sharp I was afraid it could cut glass. Her dark hair fell in soft waves down her shoulders. Her timid smile and nod at Lena screamed authority. She looked up at me with eyes that didn’t miss a single detail, and suddenly I felt like I was standing in front of a judge.

“Andrea Wilson?” she said, her voice clipped as soon as I was inside the office. Suddenly, I preferred being under Lena’s scrutinizing gaze than under Siobhan’s.

“Yes,” I cleared my throat. “Andi. Most people call me Andi.”

“Sit.” She gestured to the leather chair across from her. I had to drag my feet across the elegant carpet between the door and her desk. I sank into the chair, careful not to squeak against the seat.

Her gaze swept over me, searing into my skin, perusing all the secrets hiding under my skin. I resisted the urge to shoot to my feet, tell her this was a mistake, and bolt out of the office.

“You’ve done housekeeping before?” She asked, flipping through the resume Caleb had cobbled together for me on his phone.

“Yes. I clean homes during the day. And I wait tables at night.” My voice came out steadier than I expected, even though my stomach was tighter than tension cords.

Her brow arched. “Two jobs?”

I nodded. “I’ve got bills to pay.”

“You’re twenty-one.” Her eyebrows raised, as if my age should dictate that I wasn’t supposed to work my ass off like I was forty with five kids depending on me.

“I’m the breadwinner. My mom can’t work anymore, and my younger brother is still in middle school.”

She nodded, a ghost of a smirk tugging at her mouth as she scanned my resume again. I wasn’t sure if the smirk meant she respected my answer or pitied me.

“You’ll need to give up both jobs if you’re working for my client,” she said, leaning back in her chair.

I nodded, careful not to blurt out how relieved I was at leaving two jobs for one that paid more than both combined. “I can do that.”

She closed the folder and said, “The client is very particular about privacy. You’ll live on the estate. You’ll cook, clean, and run errands as needed. But more importantly, you’ll stay out of the way. Invisible.”

Invisible? Then the client wasn’t abusive? Why the hell hasn’t anyone lasted two weeks in this job? Hearing this was a relief. I could do invisible. I had been invisible all my life.

“I can do that, as well,” I said.

Her eyes narrowed, as if she were measuring how far desperation would carry me. “Every housekeeper I’ve sent so far has quit within two weeks.”

I was thinking of a nice way to ask her about that. At least she opened the topic. “Why?”

“They couldn’t… handle the client,” she said, choosing her words like she was walking a tightrope. Since I entered this room, that was the first unfiltered expression I had seen on her. “He’s particular. Brooding. Difficult. The last one said, ‘He’s impossible.’”

Impossible? Difficult? They called that difficult? Difficult was seeing Caleb’s face when he saw me outside the ER, listening to Mom’s cough rattling through the trailer walls, and having bills stacked high enough to drown me alive. I could do this kind of difficult.

“Is he abusive?” I asked quietly. If he was, at least I was prepared for the worst.

Her lips curved into something like disdain, then she shook her head. “If he ever lays hands on you, you come to me, and I will help you file a lawsuit against him.”

I blinked at Siobhan. I wasn’t expecting that kind of help from her. In the bar, I had to swallow my pride every time a customer groped my ass. The manager, Paul, wouldn’t think twice before firing me if I caused a scene. The customers were much more valuable to him than his staff.

“I… I really appreciate that,” I said in a low voice, dropping my gaze to my clammy palms in my lap. “Then what is it? Why has no one lasted two weeks?”

Siobhan looked towards the glass wall of her office. The street was busy at ten in the morning. “He’s been through a lot. This client is important to me, Andi. So, I really hope Tessa is right about how hardworking you are. He needs someone to take care of him, to look after him…” She slid her gaze back to me. “On my behalf.”

I nodded and made sure she knew how seriously I was taking this job. “You can count on me.”

She sighed. “Let’s see how long you’ll last. Report back here tomorrow morning. Seven o’clock sharp. Don’t be late.”

“Here?”

“Yes, I will be driving you up to the estate myself after we are done with the paperwork. The contract and the NDA.”

“NDA?” I echoed, the memory of Carter slapping the NDA and check on my face flooded my head.

“Are you against the NDA?”

I shook my head vigorously. This is not Carter. This is your employer. They won’t hurt you like Carter did. “Yes. I have no problem with signing an NDA.”

“Good. Congratulations, Andi,” she said, standing, already dismissing me with the rustle of papers. “You’re hired.”

I thanked her, though my voice was faint. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it echoed through the office walls.

When I stepped back into the hallway, I was lightheaded. For the first time in a long time, hope bloomed in my chest. Six grand for a housekeeping job. No more customers groping my ass. Mom’s meds—paid. Caleb’s schoolbooks. Food is in the pantry. And probably a new lipstick for me.

All I had to do was survive working for a man who chewed through housekeepers like they were paper.

What could go wrong?

5|The Client

“Andi, are you sure about this?” Caleb asked as we reached Siobhan’s building the next day. He hid behind the pretense of helping me with my bag, though I knew he had an agenda. When I told him about Siobhan’s offer, he blatantly opposed my decision. The too-good-to-be-true salary and the vagueness of this client’s identity didn’t sit well with him. “Ronnie already agreed to allow me a two-hour shift a day, with night differential.”

“Caleb,” I sighed and paused before the entry. “We talked about this. I’ll be fine. And I promise to leave at the first sign of danger.”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Define ‘danger.’”

A solemn wind swept by. Our abusive father had tarnished Caleb’s innocence. He’d already seen the dark side of this life, and I couldn’t blame him for worrying.

“I can handle myself, Caleb,” I assured him. I don’t tell Caleb what happens at the bar. He’s an overprotective brother, and I don’t want this burden on his shoulders. “And you’re on speed dial 1.”

He shook his head, not satisfied with my answer. “Shoot me a message every day.”

“Yes, big bro,” I rolled my eyes as I opened my hand, asking for my bag hanging from his broad shoulders.

My bag wasn’t even that heavy. Five pairs of clothes and a few personal belongings, but he insisted on carrying it for me.

“I want to meet this Siobhan so I know who to hunt down if something happens to you,” he stated firmly. If anyone heard him now, they wouldn’t even think he was on the brink of tears at the hospital just a few days ago. He sounded like a man sending me to work abroad.

“Caleb.”

“Andi.”

“Fine. I’m going to be late,” I grunted.

His grin was blinding. I wanted to wipe it off his face, but it warmed my heart to know how much my brother loved me unconditionally. I wasn’t alone.

Lena was watching me as I entered the building. From the quirk of her eyebrows, there was no doubt she’d been watching me and Caleb this whole time.

“Good morning,” I smiled meekly at her, glad that we might be working for Siobhan, but I didn’t have to be under her scrutinizing gaze every second of the day.

Her lips curled. “She’s waiting for you,” she said, dismissing me by dropping her gaze back down to her computer.

‘What did I ever do to her? Why do I feel like she hates me even if she doesn’t know me?’

“Thanks.” I made my way to Siobhan’s office. My hands were as wet as a riverbed as I entered. I didn’t know why I was so nervous. She had already hired me.

This time, I was wearing jeans, a shirt, and my sneakers. A few strands of my hair slipped out of the ponytail. If she was surprised at the big difference in my look yesterday, she didn’t show it.

“Good morning,” I greeted as I closed the door behind me.

“Good morning. Have a seat,” she said, offering the chair in front of her desk.

“Thanks,” I said, rubbing my palms over my jeans as I sat down.

“You look nervous,” Siobhan commented.

“Just a little,” I admitted honestly.

She tilted her head to the side. “I hope it’s not because you’re having second thoughts.”

I shook my head vigorously, my hair swaying wildly. “Gosh, no. I need this job.”

She sighed with relief, which actually surprised me. Was she afraid I would turn down this job? I would be crazy to do that, but why the relief?

“Then let’s get to the paperwork.” She pushed a blue folder at me, then placed a pen above it.

I reached for the folder and blew out a breath as I opened it. The first paper was a contract. Everything we talked about was in writing now. Then the NDA. As my signature dried on top of my name, I closed the folder and slid it back toward Siobhan.

“Now that it’s final, do you want to know who’s going to be your employer?” she asked as she picked up the folder and tapped it on her desk.

“Who is it?” I leaned back in my seat.

“Do you love baseball?” She threw an odd question.

The mere mention of that game turned my face sour. I pursed my lips and shook my head, surprise registering on Siobhan’s face as I said, “No.”

“Really?”

“I hate baseball.” I couldn’t stop the distaste in my tone. Last night, the game between the Hawthorne Bay Mariners and the Brighton Reapers ended with our hometown team losing. Despite the loss, I still saw Carter throwing a flying kiss to his girlfriend. It made me sick until the end of my shift.

“Oh…” Siobhan seemed torn because of my answer. Was it necessary that I liked that game? “That’s great then,” she said with newfound satisfaction. The quick shift in her expression confused me. “Because you’re going to be working for a very popular MLB legend.”

Legend? So he’s not in the league anymore? That was a relief, but I felt the need to guarantee Siobhan that my dislike for the game wouldn’t affect my job. “I can work for a baseball player, and I assure you, I know how to mind my own business.”

~~

The drive upstate was long, but I enjoyed it. I hadn’t been to this side of Hawthorne Bay, and the winding coastal road plus Siobhan’s love for classic music made the long drive tolerable. Siobhan let down the windows, and I liked the warm air of the coast kissing my cheeks and caressing my skin.

The estate appeared after a winding road lined with palm trees. At first, I thought we had entered a forest reserve until the black iron gates—tall and heavy—revealed themselves. The security station at the gate recognized Siobhan. They exchanged pleasantries while I stared at the name etched in curled script on the arch. Grayson Estate.

The gates unlocked, retreating smoothly to the side and paving the way for Siobhan’s car.

Inside, the driveway lined with palm trees stretched forever, gravel crunching under the tires as manicured hedges rolled past. Then I saw it—the house. No, scratch that, a mansion carved from pale stone, with tall windows that caught the sunlight and a roofline that stretched like a crown. It sat proudly, untouchable, as if it had witnessed countless lifetimes of nobles who had buried their roots into this very ground.

“Oh… wow,” I whispered before I could stop myself.

Siobhan’s gaze flicked to me, amused. “Beautiful, right?”

“That’s an understatement,” I muttered.

She chuckled. “This place is huge. I don’t want you getting lost and wandering around. It happened once, and we had search parties looking for that silly girl.”

I giggled. “I don’t think that would happen to me. My uncle taught me the basics of hunting, so if I ever get lost, I will find my way back.”

“That’s good to know,” she said. “But I still wouldn’t want you wandering around. There are bears in this area.”

“Got it. Can you tell me now who’s gonna be my boss? The suspense is like an itch I can’t scratch.”

“Why don’t we just meet him face to face, yeah?”

She pulled to a complete stop in the large parking area in front of the mansion. I felt so small as I stepped out of the car.

The air outside was clean; I felt my worries calming away just by filling my lungs with this fresh air. I gripped the handle of my bag and inhaled a heavy breath, sighing at the note of birdsong and the faint scent of pine.

“This way,” Siobhan said, walking away from the massive front door. I trailed behind her. The tips of her stilettos dug into the gravel as we reached the paved path.

It was clear she knew her way around this place. We finally reached the garden, and there was a man standing in the middle of the field behind the mansion. He was in the middle of throwing a ball across the field, two golden retrievers and a husky waiting on the other side, sprinting as the ball flew into the air.

We only had the man’s back profile. His black shirt and gray joggers stretched to the maximum to accommodate his toned physique. And when he turned around, I recognized him instantly, even if I said I hated baseball.

Beckett Hale.

The face I’d seen on posters in Caleb’s room, the one on headlines at the grocery store, the one I’d ignored because it wasn’t part of my world.

Siobhan was watching my face as reality sank in. I blinked at her as I felt my cheeks burn. I hated the game, but who didn’t know Beckett Hale? He was still playing, but his Hall of Fame ceremony had been on the lips of every news channel for the last three years. Caleb had been following his career since he was nine years old, and I wouldn’t hear the end of it once he found out I was working for his baseball hero.

He stood in the middle of the field, tall, broad-shouldered, his hair a mess of dark strands that should’ve looked careless but somehow looked intentional. His jaw was hard, shadowed with stubble, and his eyes—God, his eyes—were a storm. Cold, unreadable, like I was already fired before I could even so much as lift the vacuum.

“What the hell is this?” His voice was low, rough, striking like thunder across the field.

I was already on the brink of hiding behind Siobhan as the wolf taunted us with his angry stride. Siobhan didn’t even flinch. “Good morning to you too, Baby Beckett. This is Andrea Wilson. Your new housekeeper.”

His gaze was razor sharp, slow and precise, a blade being unsheathed. He looked me up and down once, setting me under his microscopic lens, and I felt my heart crawling up my throat.

“No,” he said simply. “I told you to stop meddling in my life.”

My stomach dropped at his hostility.

“Are you forgetting its my business to meddle with your life?” Siobhan reminded him with a businesslike sigh.

“You’re fired.”

“You’re not the one who hired me.”

His thick eyebrows knitted together. “I don’t want your strays in my house, Montgomery.” He folded his arms across his chest, thick eyebrows furrowed. “Save us both the headache and take her away with you.”

For a second, I couldn’t breathe. I was right there, not even inside the damn house yet, and already being tossed aside like garbage.

But Siobhan stood her ground. “I already deposited her salary. It’s not refundable.”

I whipped my head toward Siobhan, eyebrows questioning. She winked at me, and my hands itched to pull out my phone and check my balance. Would I really find something more than zero in there?

His jaw ticked, his eyes narrowing. “I’m not paying for this shit.”

“She’s staying, Beckett,” Siobhan sang.

“Not in my damn house.” His response was tight.

I saw it then—the attitude, the reason no one lasted in this job. The client was a dick. I swallowed hard, my heart punching against my ribs. I wanted to shrink, to disappear, but at the same time, something hot flared in my chest. Six grand. Mom’s meds. Caleb’s books. Food on the table.

I couldn’t afford to be tossed out like trash.

So, I squared my shoulders and met Beckett Hale’s turbulent gaze head-on. “Then you’ll have to deal with me,” I said, even though my voice shook. “Because I am not giving back what’s already on my bank account.”

Maybe it was wrong to set down an attitude when he’s already hostile, but it’s too late to take it back. His eyes darkened, something unreadable flashing across them. Then the three huge dogs came running across the field, one golden retriever holding a yellow-green ball in its mouth.

"Beckett.” Siobhan clasped her hands on my shoulder as the said golden came running past Beckett toward Siobhan and me. “Beckett. Stop your dog now!!!” Siobhan shrieked.

I merely stared at the dog as it dropped the ball before me, sitting on its haunches and wagging its tail, waiting for me to play with it.

6|The Welcoming Committee

I feel Siobhan’s fingers digging into my shoulder, loosening when she realizes the dog wasn’t in attack mode, but actually in a playful mode. Her heavy sigh of relief blasted on the back of my neck as she released my shoulder. She stepped out of hiding and glared at Beckett.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Siobhan spat.

“Me?” Beckett’s long stride quickly erased the distance between us, and if I thought he was jaw-droppingly hot when he was in the field, he’s terrifyingly beautiful up close.

Caleb’s posters don’t do justice to how sharp his jaw was and how soft his messy brown hair was. His eyes—goodness, those eyes—they were like two balls of gray fire melting me like butter when he looked my way. His broad shoulders looked endless, and his fit chest and thighs could barely fit inside his shirt and sweats. This man wasn’t human, but an artwork of the gods.

“Did you see me command the dog?” He struck back at Siobhan as the retriever and husky trailed behind him, their tongues lolling out. “Maple, give me the ball,” he commanded the dog sitting before me.

Maple merely wagged her tail; her tongue lolled out as she panted. She wasn’t taking those pretty brown eyes off me.

“Maple,” Beckett murmured, his voice a little sharper now.

Maple looked over her shoulder and whined, then picked up the slobbery tennis ball she had placed in front of my sneakers. She went to Beckett and placed the ball in his open palm, her tail wagging as she waited for him to throw the ball again.

“At least someone is happy you’re here, Andi,” Siobhan teased as Beckett rolled his shoulder, throwing the ball in the field. The three dogs ran towards their yellow-green target again, leaving the three humans to deal with the issue at hand.

Beckett sneered, his nose flaring as he slid a gaze at Siobhan and me. “Stay out of my way,” he ground out.

My palms itched with the urge to snap back, but the six grand Siobhan said was sitting in my bank account clamped my lips shut. I would choose Mom’s meds, Caleb’s tuition over my pride any time of the day.

Beckett skirted past Siobhan towards the mansion just in time for the three dogs to come back, the husky biting the tennis ball as he sped away from the two retrievers.

Maple, the one with the heart pendant on her collar, barreled towards me, but the high-pitched whistle from the house redirected her run. The dogs ran past us and toward Beckett, his eyebrows knitted together in one tight bushy line.

“Don’t take it personally, Andi,” Siobhan murmured as we watched the door of the mansion slam shut.

“I’m not, I assured her, hiding the scratch Beckett’s prickly attitude left on my skin. “I’m here for work, not to make friends.”

Siobhan hummed, as if she could see through my lies. “Let’s go. I’ll show you where you’re staying.”

I walked with her through the side of the mansion. We followed a walkway lined with trimmed hedges and endless fields of flowering plants. Whoever was taking care of the landscape was doing a pretty good job. This mansion was picturesque, and I was in awe the more I saw of it. It’s sad that there were no human beings to enjoy the beauty of this place. We saw only one soul along the way—Basil, the fifty-year-old gardener. He had a warm smile when Siobhan introduced us.

There were now two souls who gave me a warm welcome: Maple and Basil.

Siobhan’s heels tapped against the stone path while I trailed behind her, clutching my bag tight on my shoulders, my sneakers crunching on gravel until the garden gave way to a stretch of an Olympic-sized pool. It was framed with smooth stone tiles that glowed in the late morning sun. Lounge chairs and white umbrellas lined one side, like something out of a glossy magazine. Siobhan led me to the small structure tucked into the corner of the pool area.

“This is where you’ll be staying,” Siobhan said, as though she were a real estate agent giving me a tour of the house.

I couldn’t even begin to think that I would have my space along with this job. As I stepped inside the pool house, my heart was karate-chopping against my ribcage.

The scent of lemon was distinct in the air. It smelled of everything that I couldn’t afford to dream of staying in, not even in my wildest dreams. Our trailer back home smelled of mildew and burnt coffee. This smelled like someone else’s life, one with a silver spoon at birth.

I was biting my lip so hard, reprimanding myself for liking this place so much. This isn’t mine, and I am here to work, not for a vacation.

A small kitchenette sat against one wall, with white cabinets, a little sink, and a counter that looked too pristine ever to cook on. Beside it, a compact fridge hummed quietly. Across the room, a neat sitting area with a cream-colored sofa and a round coffee table waited, as if it had been set up for a magazine shoot.

The bedroom was pinched into the corner—small but warm; the bedspread crisp and gray, the kind you’d be afraid to wrinkle. A window on the side of the bed looked out onto the pool, catching glimmers of light off the water and scattering them across the walls.

My throat went tight. This was more than I had ever had. Our entire trailer could fit inside here twice over.

“It’s cozy, right?” Siobhan said casually, as if she hadn’t just handed me a gift. “Close enough to the house that Beckett can call on you, far enough that you’ll have privacy.”

I nodded quickly, still gawking. “This is… this is really nice.”

Her lips curved into a smile. “I’m glad you like the perks that came with the job, but I hope you’ll stay long enough until Beckett finally decides to return to the city.”

“Uhm…” I chose my next words. “Can I ask why he’s staying here? The postseason will be starting soon, right?”

Siobhan smirked, a teasing smile on her lips. “You don’t like baseball, huh?”

Warmth blanketed my cheeks. Siobhan might have been kind to me, but we were not friends who shared secrets. I can’t share that my hatred of the game just started a week ago.

“Beckett is my brother’s hero,” I said.

“I bet he’d be over the moon when he finds out who you’re working for.”

“I can tell him?”

“I don’t see a reason why not,” Siobhan murmured. “Just don’t tell him about his daily activities and what food he eats,” she cajoled.

Oh… I can’t wait to see Caleb’s reaction once he finds out about this.

“You know, Beckett is not always like this,” she said, a faraway tone in her voice. “He’s just in a tight spot right now, Andi.” Siobhan was speaking from a friend’s point of view, and not as Beckett’s manager. “He’s… dealing with something he doesn’t want the world to see. So please be patient with him?”

I nodded, my shoulder stiff with courage. “I will, Siobhan. Thank you for this opportunity.”

“I’m counting on you.” She clasped her hands together, then looked around the house. “You have everything you need here. If you have questions about the house, ask Basil. You can call me as well.”

I’d been meaning to ask her about the money in my bank account, but I didn’t want to push my luck.

When Siobhan left, I stood another minute to take in the place where I’ll be staying for the rest of my job here. I was in the middle of checking out the contents of the kitchen cabinet when I heard someone scratching at the door.

When I opened it, Maple was sitting on her haunches, the tennis ball wedged in her mouth, tail wagging, eyes bright, as if she’d already volunteered to become the welcoming committee—even if her master doesn’t want me here.