Wil came to a stop by the bed, between Nor and me. “Ladies, to put it bluntly, something is very, very wrong. And Finn, this isn’t just about you. It’s not just about Nor or me either. This won’t make sense to you right now, but the selection process, it’s important for the whole family.”
I glanced at Nor. Her face was dead serious, and she was nodding in agreement.
How could this one job be so important? It was a housekeeper position for crying out loud. Oh man, these people took themselves way too seriously.
Wil said, “In summary, my position is this: I want to help you because my whole career is tied up in this family. I did not work my ass off to get this far and have things fall apart now, when I’m so damn close to a council position. And you, you need help. You’ve needed it since you got here. And now, with things going off the rails so spectacularly, you really need it. I’m offering my considerable expertise. You should take it.”
Nor looked at me and said, “He knows more about the history here than I do. And, for what it’s worth,” she eyed him up and down, “I think he’s a decent guy. I vote yes, let him help you. But it’s up to you Finn.”
I looked at Fuzzy. He hadn’t flinched when Wil came closer, so I guessed that was a good sign. Plus, the house hadn’t tried to prevent Wil, or Nor for that matter, from entering my room, so that was something. A smile tugged at my lips as I wondered if it was a good or bad sign that I was basing decisions on the dispositions of a kitten and a house. I said, “Why don’t you pull up a chair, Wil?”
He snagged a chair and dragged it toward the bed.
Two chairs, two people. It was like the house had known they would be coming.
“Did you guys plan this? Plan on coming to see me together?”
Nor and Wil traded a look.
Wil said, “Not exactly. Nor talked to me this morning, while you were gone—”
“I was trying to convince him that we needed to read you in,” said Nor.
So that’s how the house had known to place the chairs and to make space for them. I was both impressed and a little creeped out.
Nor must’ve noticed my discomfort and thought it was about working with her and Wil because she said, “You need allies, Finn.”
And, there it was again. Allies. I sure felt like I’d been dragged into some weird war. Maybe I should be wearing army fatigues. Certainly a helmet seemed a good idea.
Fuzzy must’ve felt my frustration because he rubbed his head against me. I petted him while I took a moment to organize my thoughts. I weighed my words as I went, saying, “While having friends is always nice, I’m afraid you guys are missing a crucial point. Had anyone bothered to tell me that this was a competition—a selection process, whatever—the point is, I never would have come here. I’ve been very clear about the fact that I’ve already got plans—I’m enrolled, tuition paid, boat literally leaving the dock soon.”
Nor looked grim. “This is one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you. I’ve never heard of anyone going through this process who didn’t know what they were in for. I’d like to think that they’d fill you in before you accepted the job, but let’s just say that what I’ve seen so far doesn’t fill me with confidence. I’m afraid there’s every chance you’re going to enter into a binding contract without realizing it until it’s too late.”
“I’m not stupid. I know how to read a contract,” I said. “And besides, that’s what fancy schmancy lawyers like you are for—to get people out of supposedly ironclad contracts.”
“Not this kind of contract,” said Wil. “It gives a whole new meaning to binding.”
“Look, even if they offered it to me, which I still think is unlikely, I’m not taking this job.” I patted the wall behind me again. “No offense, sweetie.”
The house didn’t respond.
Nor and Wil both looked like they didn’t believe me.
“I should have gotten the t-shirt,” I mumbled.
“What?” asked Wil.
“Nevermind,” I said. I rubbed Fuzzy’s chin for a moment and then asked the question that I’d been pondering pretty much since I’d gotten there. “What if I just leave?”
The house groaned around us. It did not sound happy.
“You can’t,” said Wil.
“What do you mean I can’t? I’ll just grab my bag, grab Fuzzy, and boogie on out of here,” I said.
“The house is under orders not to let any of us leave the property until the final round of the selection process is over,” said Wil. “We were there when Sarah ordered Meg to do it, and we all watched Meg give the instructions to the house.”
“It’s not the house’s fault,” said Nor. “It can’t refuse a direct order from the housekeeper.”
“The house can do that? It controls the property?”
Nor and Wil nodded.
“Well then, how come I got hurt? I thought the house likes me.”
Wil said, “You had your, er, incident, right near the edge of the property. Protection has been weakening at the borders for a long time, but it’s gotten particularly bad in the last few years.”
Nor said, “How many people know that? I didn’t. Most Fosters, in fact, wouldn’t have access to that kind of information, and certainly someone who isn’t a Foster shouldn’t know that there are weak spots, never mind where, exactly, the weak spots are. Finn, my guess is that someone has been surveiling the edges of the property, waiting for an opportunity, and when you happened to stumble into an area that’s weakening, someone took advantage of it.”
I thought back to the part where I was in the forest, when it had started raining. At first, I hadn’t gotten wet because the trees had bent to form an umbrella over me and Fuzzy, protecting us. At the time, I’d thought it had just been the rain weighing them down. Now, I wondered if that hadn’t been the house reaching out, trying to help.
Nor said, “The house should alert the housekeeper if anything is amiss. So either Meg didn’t know or she allowed it to happen.”
Wil was starting to look a little panicked. “You can’t assume Meg was involved with what happened. It might have something to do with her being a temporary housekeeper—maybe she just didn’t know.”
“What if she did?” countered Nor.
I waved my hands, “Regardless, this is a whole other level of crazy. They can’t hold me here against my will. That’s…that’s…kidnapping. Or hostage taking. Or some other kind of messed up -ing.”
“You can try taking it up with Sarah when you meet with her,” said Nor.
“You might fail your test,” said Wil, “in which case, I don’t see why you’d have to stay for the official contract tomorrow.”
“Speaking of which,” Nor said. “We need to prep you for your test this afternoon.”
A knock on the door interrupted whatever she was going to say next.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Who is it?”
“It’s Doug.”
Nor hopped out of her chair and sprawled herself across the foot of the bed. She waved at Wil’s feet until he put them up on the chair where she’d just been sitting.
I raised an eyebrow and called, “Come on in.”
The door opened and Doug stood in the doorway, his gaze sweeping the room. I saw something cold and calculating flit across his face before he smiled. Even with a grin in place, the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Having a little party? How come I wasn’t invited?” His words had his usual teasing tone, but there was a stiffness in his posture that put me on edge. The fact that Fuzzy had sat up in my lap and was giving Doug the evil eye didn’t help.
“Just hanging out, shooting the breeze,” said Nor. I had to applaud her. It sure didn’t look like we were in here plotting, what with her sprawled across my bed, casual as could be, no lawyerness in sight.
“We’re just passing time, waiting for Sarah,” I said. “Want to join us?”
“While I’d normally love the opportunity to climb into bed wit
h two beautiful women, I’m afraid I’ll have to take a raincheck.”
Nor and I both rolled our eyes, which turned his half-smile into a genuine grin. It faded, though, as he added, “Sarah wants to see you.” When we all started to shift to get up, he said, “Just you, Finn.”
Well this sucked. Nor and Wil were just about to get to the good part and give me some answers. Hopefully, meeting Sarah would be quick so they’d still have plenty of time to prep me for whatever was going to happen later this afternoon. If I knew what was coming, maybe I could purposefully tank the test. Then I could leave. That made me smile.
Doug thought I was smiling at him and sent me a grin that made my toes tingle. Too bad he was such a twit. That boy could melt steel with those grins of his.
I stood up and put Fuzzy on the bed. “Just give me one sec,” I said to Doug.
While he, Nor, and Wil made small talk, I grabbed the kitten kibble from the vet bag and put out some crunchies for Fuzzy in the bathroom. I retrieved him from the bed, brought him into the bathroom, and showed him the kibbles.
“These are for you. I know they’re not fish, but you might want to give them a try,” I kissed the top of his head and put him down. I added, “And please, stay in my room while I’m gone” as much for his benefit as for the house’s. Hopefully, the house would make sure Fuzzy stayed put until I returned.
I emerged into my bedroom to find Doug, Nor, and Wil had migrated to the hallway, where they were clustered, waiting for me.
“Have fun,” said Nor. “Come find us later, and we’ll hang out some more.”
“Okay,” I said, closing my door behind us. I gave her and Wil a small wave and followed Doug down the front stairs.
“Where’s Meg?” I asked.
“She’s doing some stuff for Sarah. You can catch up with her later, though.”
I wasn’t in any big hurry to get into it with Meg again, so I hoped she’d stay busy for a while and maybe I could get a nap before I had to deal with her again.
Back downstairs, Shaggy and Scooby were still hulking about in the hallway. They both scanned me thoroughly, but they didn’t make any move toward me, so I must’ve passed muster.
I paused outside the doorway to the dining room. Now that I was close to them, I could see them more clearly. I blinked. They were even bigger than I thought. They looked like they were chiseled from stone. Assistants my pink panties. These guys had to be bodyguards.
Shaggy and Scooby didn’t seem like the right names for them anymore, so I said, “Hey Thor,” with a nod to the one with the shoulder-length blond hair on my right. “Heimdahl,” I nodded to the man with the coffee-colored skin on my left. They both glanced at me and nodded back, but neither cracked a smile.
Doug coughed and I turned to see him trying not to laugh, so at least someone was amused.
“Sarah,” he called out. “Finn’s here.”
“Come in,” Sarah called.
Doug waved me into the room, then headed off down the hallway toward the kitchen.
I stepped into the dining room. Sarah had commandeered the room and set up camp at the head of the table. The heavy furniture and sheer size of the table should have dwarfed her. Instead, she dominated the room.
The laptop, briefcase, and tower of paper next to her all fit with the Commander-in-Chief vibe she projected. The dainty formal tea service laid out near her, not so much. It was kind of like seeing a tank with a circlet of daisies hanging from its gun.
Sarah stood with a smile and gestured me toward her. “Finn, come in, come in. I hear you’ve had quite the morning. Please, sit down.” She motioned me into a chair.
“Hi, uh thanks,” I said as I sat down. Her smile was welcoming, but she radiated authority in a way that made me feel like a kid in the principal’s office. I found myself sitting up really straight in my chair.
“Would you like some tea?”
Sarah started pouring before I could respond so I said, “Sure, thanks.”
She was still smiling. There was nothing hostile in her movements. But there was such a sharp intelligence in her eyes, and the assessing look she gave me was so penetrating, that I got nervous. I blurted out, “Is this the test?”
She smiled wider, eyes twinkling. “Well, I thought first, we could have a little chat. Get to know one another. We can get to the test later, if that’s all right with you.”
“Okay.”
She placed a cup of tea in front of me, then sat down.
“There’s nothing like a good cup of tea. Between you and me, I drink way too much of the stuff. But I can’t seem to help myself.” She sipped her tea, closing her eyes and sighing with pleasure.
I added milk and sugar to my cup and took a sip to be polite. “I feel that way about coffee. But this is really good.”
Sarah took another sip of her tea, peering at me over the brim of her cup. I tried not wiggle and fidget under her gaze.
She said, “Relax, Finn. You’re a Foster. All Fosters are welcome here. But I must admit—and don’t tell the others I said this—I take a particular delight in getting to know some of the more distant branches of the family.” She took a sip of tea. “You’ve really never met any of your relatives before?”
I shook my head.
“How unfortunate. And here you thought this weekend was a reunion, and you’d finally get to meet some Fosters. If I were you, I couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed. By the way, who sent you the invitation?”
“Didn’t you?”
“No. I did not.”
“Oh. Well, I have no idea. There was no name on the invitation or the envelope. It was just a fancy invitation, like you get for a wedding.”
“How interesting.”
I hadn’t thought so before, but she seemed perplexed. I filed it away for later consideration.
“Well, in any event, this weekend is so much more than a simple family party. Though it’s not what you expected, it’s actually much better than a reunion. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, really.”
“Oh?”
“I’m certain by now you’ve realized that our house here is quite special. And I’m sure that by now someone—perhaps your breakfast companions this morning—filled you in on at least the basic purpose of the weekend. I’m here to give you a fuller understanding of the situation.”
“Okay.” She’d said “breakfast companions” in a way that made me think she knew all about the diner this morning. Whether she actually knew anything or was just trying to get me to spill details, I decided it’d be wise to tread very carefully with what I said.
Still, I couldn’t help but ask, “How come you guys didn’t just tell me what’s going on yesterday? Why all the secrecy?”
Sarah nodded, looking as though she’d expected that question. “I apologize for the confusion. No one was prepared for you to turn up to a selection with absolutely no knowledge of the Fosters. Meg didn’t know exactly how to proceed and was waiting for me to get here to clear things up. She was trying to follow the rules, and in the process, made things seem more…complicated than they are.”
“Oh.” I didn’t know if I was buying it, but it seemed like a good idea to hear her out.
“I don’t think it’s a good use of our time to fill you in on the whole Foster history right now. Let’s start with the more immediate issue, the house. You do know it’s special?”
“I do.”
“Excellent. Well, something so special requires special care. Makes sense, right?”
“Sure.”
“So we in the council go to extra effort to ensure that the housekeeper is someone extremely well-suited to the job. That’s where the selection process comes in.”
“Uh huh.” I considered interrupting her to explain that there was no way I was going to be the housekeeper. But I realized I really wanted to hear what she was going to say. I wanted answers. I had the feeling that Sarah had them.
“Part of my duties is to give an orientation of sorts to potential
housekeepers. Actually, it’s required that I fully brief each candidate about being housekeeper. I’d appreciate it if you’d be patient enough to hear me out.”
“Okay.”
“I know that, compared to the other candidates, you’re a bit behind the curve—”
“If by ‘behind the curve’ you mean, ‘have no idea what’s going on,’ then yup, you’re right.” Oops. That sounded more bitter than I’d intended.
“Well we can’t have that,” she said and gave my arm a little pat. “And, again, I apologize. Had I known, I would have come yesterday and given you a proper orientation as soon as you arrived. But I’m here now. And we’ve got a lot to cover.”
I sighed. That did not sound fun.
Sarah looked me over for a moment. “You know what? Why don’t we go for a tour of the house while we talk? Kind of a show and tell, if you will.”
“That’d be great.” I didn’t have to fake my eagerness. I was dying to look around the house. And anything would be better than sitting here getting a lecture.
She topped off her cup of tea, then stood, cup in hand. I rose and stepped back, letting her take the lead as we left the dining room.
I let out a slow breath, and some of my tension left me as I followed behind her. Sitting at that big table with the formal tea set, I’d felt like she was going to grill me or test me.
But now she was strolling along with a teacup in her hand. It made her seem a lot less scary. Which, I had to admit, was probably why she was doing it. Well, it was nice of her to make an effort to put me at ease. I felt the nervous knot in my stomach relax a little.
In the hallway, Sarah spoke to her assistants. “Please make sure we have some privacy,” she said as she strode past them. They nodded.
I followed after her to the front door. The assistants had closed ranks and moved off down the hall, lurking at a discreet distance.
“What’s with Hall and Oates?” I asked.
A House for Keeping Page 14