“Was he expecting you?” I asked.
“No.” She looked behind her toward a Town Car parking at the far end of the lane, with a driver in it.
“Um, would you like to call him or come in?” I asked. She looked like she needed a moment to gather herself.
“I tried calling, but he’s not available, so I … Maybe for a moment,” she said, turning again to look at the car.
I moved back and let her in. A flowery perfume filled my nostrils. It was expensive, light, and perfect, like everything about her.
“Are you the housekeeper?” she asked with a kind smile, her gaze seeming confused by my scrubs.
“Not exactly.” I smiled back. I had to look up, as she was three inches taller than me. “Would you like something to drink?”
“Just water, thank you.” She surveyed the living hall and the tall ceiling, then brought her beautiful blue eyes back to me. You could cut paper on those sculpted cheekbones. “Are you a nurse?” She sounded somewhat concerned.
I began making my way to the kitchen, and she followed me. “No, I’m an aide in a retirement home.”
“Oh.” She still sounded confused.
“I rent the unit outside,” I decided to say in lieu of explanation and a half-lie. We had just reached the kitchen, and I turned toward the fridge. “Rented. I was just packing to leave.”
“Oh,” she repeated.
I turned my head from the fridge toward her. That “Oh” reminded me of my sister.
She smiled. “I’m just surprised Oliver has a tenant.”
That made sense to me, actually. People who lived in these big houses in Wayford usually didn’t need the extra income of tenants, even if they had rooms and units to spare.
“I’m supposed to meet Oliver in San Jose tomorrow, and I thought I’d surprise him and offer we’d take a private flight together from San Luis.” She sounded hesitant, like she was pondering her plan out loud for the first time.
All those R’s made it sound like a rendezvous in a James Bond movie.
“He has a private jet?” I never actually thought about it. These things were so out of my realm.
She let out a little scoff, taking the cold water I handed her. Her manicure was as perfect as the rest of her. The thing was that she didn’t look artificial. She looked effortlessly elegant. It wasn’t so muchwhatshe wore, buthowshe wore it.
I stood there in my roundish figure, the pale blue scrubs, and the white sneakers that squeaked on the marble floor when I crossed it and thought of Vi’s constant nagging that we’d be allowed to wear normal clothes to work.
After taking a little sip off the glass, she said, “Oh, no,jamais! Oliver insists on flying commercial.”
I nodded like an idiot. I hadn’t had much experience with flights, commercial or otherwise. At least I knew thatjamaismeantnever.
She placed the glass on the counter and reached out her bejeweled hand, as if she were forgetting something. “I’m sorry, I’m Blanche LaPointe. I work with Oliver. I manage Designal—it’s a company he invests in, and we have a meeting tomorrow. An important meeting. I thought … we could discuss it beforehand, that we could … Ah, I shouldn’t have dropped by like this.”
Just as with her clothes, it wasn’t so muchwhatshe said buthowshe said it that immediately verified my suspicion that she didn’t know Oliver just as a business associate. SheknewOliver.
As fucked up as it was, I felt jealous of her and sorry for her at the same time.
I put on the smile I usually reserved for the families of my declining patients. “I’m January Raine,” I said, shaking the outstretched hand.
“Nice to meet you. Beautiful name. I’m so sorry I disturbed your privacy.” She shook her head.
“No, no, it’s okay. You didn’t.” As tall and as beautiful an amazon as she was, she looked like she needed a hug.
Her gaze strayed toward the large window in the kitchen that overlooked the garden. The afternoon outside was cloudy, and the ocean breeze whispered through the bougainvillea.
“He saved my company. I owe him a lot.” She suddenly brought her eyes back to me. They were like overcast skies. “He’s helping me merge with another company, and then he’s out.” An absentminded smile appeared on her face. “Do you know that’s what he does? Saves companies?”
