by Mia Caldwell
“This is Agent Wilson.”
“Hello there sir, it’s Amira Kyle.”
“Ah, Miss Jackson. How’s the French life treating you?”
I snorted. “Busy. I’ve taken on a temp job at the château. Mr. Malveaux hired me on as a housekeeper.”
He spoke to someone in background, laughing loudly in my ear. Did he even hear me?
“Glad to hear that, Miss Jackson. How temporary are we talking here?”
“That I don’t really know. I think he said three months, but I don’t know if that’s just how long she’ll take to come back, or if they’ll need me after that. The point is I’ve given myself a little bit extra time to find something else and I just thought you should know.”
“I appreciate that. I’ll go ahead and update your file then. Was there anything else you needed to let me know?”
“Nope, that was it. So… How are you doing?”
“I’m doing pretty good. I’m actually pretty busy at the moment, so I’m going to have to let you go. If you need anything else don’t hesitate to call.”
“Oh. Okay. No problem. See you in two weeks.”
“See you then,” he replied, the line going dead immediately after.
Geez, I thought. I guess he really does have a life to get back to.
I felt like throwing my phone against the wall, but I refrained, knowing it was my only possible line out. It wasn’t that I was angry with Agent Wilson, it was just my situation was frustrating. I had a life of my own back in New York. It wasn’t much, but it was mine...
On the other hand… I had to admit that I was lucky to have gotten out of it completely unscathed. At least physically, that is. I could be six feet under, but instead I’m lying on this lavish bed far from anyone who could hurt me.
Things could be worse.
I kept repeating a mantra in my head as the days passed by. Be thankful for what you have, Amira. You’ll make a new life for yourself… A better life.
It was a dream, but it made me feel a bit better when I was busting my ass to try and clean a stubborn scuff mark off of the floor.
I was pretty thankful that Marie had finally lightened up on me somewhat. At least she wasn’t barking orders anymore, and I finally got to meet her husband, Alain. He was the sweet to her sour it seemed. When the two of them were together you could still see the love they had for each other…
Alan let me tag along with him for a couple of days, which was almost like a vacation in comparison to his wife and her duties. He was a very chatty old man, telling me stories about his childhood spent playing along the banks of the Rhine River. I knew nothing about fishing, but I was very interested in hearing what he had to say about it. I could see why Marie loved him so; he was utterly charming, and always smiling and winking at you as if he was sharing a secret. Heck, for a seventy-something-year-old man, he was very handsome too. I bet he was a real looker when he was younger.
I was helping him pull some of the weeds in the main garden when my cell phone rang in my pocket. I blushed, not really wanting others know that I had it with me at all times.
“Go ahead and answer it, ma chère.”
I mouthed my apologies to him, flipping open the ancient phone to answer it. “Hello?”
“I do believe it’s time for a little break. I have a small surprise for you in the kitchen,” Julien answered, taking me by surprise.
I bit my lip, trying to hold back from smiling as widely as I wanted to. Get a hold of yourself, woman!
“Oh… Okay. I guess I’ll be on my way then.”
“I’ll be here waiting.”
I took in a deep breath, hanging up the phone and shoving back into my pocket. Did that really just happen?
“Alain? Mr. Malveaux just requested for me to meet him inside. I’m gonna go ahead and take my break right now, if that’s okay.”
He shrugged, gesturing for me to go on. “Go ahead. There will be plenty more for when you come back,” he laughed.
I looked around, realizing just how right he was. “Gardening sure is hard work, isn’t it? It wasn’t something I ever had to do back in my old job.”
He rocked back on his heels, also taking a good look around. “Yes. Gardening is hard work. But good hard work. Good for the soul,” he replied, putting his hand over his heart.
“Yeah. Yeah, I guess it is.”
When I made it to the kitchen, I was surprised to see Julien sitting there at the table in a pair of nice jeans and a dark blue T-shirt. He looked so… normal. Attractive, obviously, but like a hot guy on the street.
He looked up at me and grinned. “There you are. I was wondering if maybe you’d like to go have a walk around the gardens.”
Disappointed, I couldn’t help but laugh. “I actually just came from there. I was working with Alain on pulling the weeds.”
Julien got up and walked over to Gervaise, who was hard at work putting together some sort of meal, before shoving it all into what looked like a picnic basket. I raised my brow.
Julien picked up the basket, thanking Gervaise. He turned towards me and held it up.
“Yes, but I was talking about a different garden. Lunch to go, perhaps?”
(Back to Table of Contents)
Chapter 10
Well, this was highly unexpected.
When Julien pulled out an key that opened a small wooden door along a stone wall not too far from where I had been working I just couldn’t believe my eyes. I felt like Mary, coming across her aunt’s secret garden.
And on the other side of that door, was a very small garden that was exploding with different colored wildflowers. It was similar to what had been growing along the hillsides on our way to the château, but in a more maintained, pristine way. I gasped, trying to let it all sink in.
“So what do you think, Amira?”
“What do I think? Seriously? This place is gorgeous, that’s what I think!”
He smiled, setting the basket down at our feet. “I’m glad you approve.”
I helped him roll out a tattered blanket, surprised to see something so old amongst Julien’s things. I sat down across from him, trying to keep my legs tucked in under my dress. So maybe the maid’s uniform is a little bit too traditional.
“So how are you liking life here? I know it’s probably a big difference from back home,” he asked, pouring us both glasses of juice.
I took the glass from him, sipping at it thoughtfully. “It is a big difference. But that’s kind of a good thing, at least in my situation. There’s just too much chaos going on back home. I’m glad to be rid of it, at least for now. I don’t know what it’ll be like once I actually try and strike on my own, but I imagine it’s not gonna be as peaceful as living in a huge castle and not having to answer to five million different people. I get why you decided to live out here. I mean don’t get me wrong, Marie’s definitely put me through my paces this week. But as Alain so wisely said just a bit ago, it’s good hard work. It’s good for my soul. I guess that’s all I can ask for right now.”
I looked down at the sandwiches that Julien placed on a plate in front of us. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw that my sandwich was an elaborately made BLT. Gervaise. He might not say much, but he definitely earned a spot in my heart.
“You think you’ll have a tough time, once you leave here? I don’t think so. You are a capable woman, I know you’ll be up to handle yourself well out there.”
“Capable is one thing. I mean I know I’m street-smart… You have to be where I grew up. This is different. Moving to a foreign country, having to learn its language, having to take the little bit of what I know and applying it to wherever I end up? That’s on a whole other level... At least it feels that way.”
“I read that you were going to school for nursing. Do you no longer want to do that?”
I snorted. “I’d love to still do that. I was so close to finishing… But witness protection told me that I needed to find something completely different to do from now on
. There is no sense for me to finish my schooling, because they thought it would be an easy way to find me. So I guess there goes that, right?”
It wasn’t an easy subject to broach with me, that much was true. If there was one thing that made me the most bitter about the whole thing, it was that I had to give up my dream job. I hadn’t even started it yet, and I was already slipping through my fingers faster than I could catch it.
“Giving up your life, it must be so hard. That’s essentially what you’ve had to do. I can’t even imagine being put in your situation right now,” he said.
“Can we talk about something else?”
Julien frowned, picking up his sandwich and taking a bite out of it. “I apologize. I had no idea that they had asked you to do that.”
I shrugged my shoulders, taking another sip of my drink. “So this garden. What’s the deal with that? Has it always been here?”
At that, he grinned. I had to look away, because every time he smiled at me something fluttered inside of me. It was kindof nice though… It made me feel normal again.
“Yes, yes it was. I believe it’s one of the original gardens of the château. The main garden was laid down years after the building was put up. This one predates all of that by several hundred years… At least that’s what the realtor told me. It even came with this lovely key. Who doesn’t want to buy a house with a garden that has a key?”
I laughed, nodding. “I see your point.”
We devoured the rest of our food, chatting about the history of the home, along with the history of the local area. I hadn’t taken the time to see any of the surrounding area yet. Julien explained we were close to the city of Arbois, and not too far from the border of France and Switzerland.
“Do you get a lot of snow here?”
Julien laughed out loud, nodding his head. “You could say that. We are in the mountains after all. Not much further up the road is a famous ski resort. It’s always full of celebrities that try to get away. I actually ran into Jordan there once.”
“Jordan? Jordan… As in?”
“Sorry. Michael Jordan. You might’ve heard of him,” he laughed.
My eyes bugged out, and I froze, my mouth open and just inches away from my sandwich. “You lie like a rug! Are you serious? The Michael Jordan? As in the basketball player that my dad had a total man crush on?”
He choked on his food, quit trying to clear his throat. I couldn’t help but grin at him. When he recovered, he promptly began laughing his ass off. It felt nice to know that somebody appreciated my ridiculous humor.
“Yes, that guy. He was there with his family, when was it . . . about 1996? Right around the same time that he came out that awful movie.”
I turned my fork out pointing it at him threateningly. “Hey. Don’t hate on Space Jam.”
Julien threw his hands up in mock self-defense, his eyes wide. “My apologies!” His face broke back out into the crooked smile of his, making me blush again.
As he turned away to wipe something from his face, I couldn’t help but wonder what exactly was going through his mind. He was being awfully nice to me, and while he seemed like a really nice guy and all… I felt myself becoming more suspicious. It was probably just because of my paranoia, but what else would lead someone like him to try and charm someone like me? We were from totally different worlds, with totally different backgrounds.
And let’s face it, I probably wasn’t his type.
He probably fell for the well-educated, wealthy, tiny little white girls that probably flit all over him when he goes back to the states. Somehow that image just popped right into my mind, making me grit my teeth.
I had to figure out what his angle was. Maybe then I would feel little bit more at ease around him.
“So what made you decide to open a halfway house? I mean that just seems so… random, don’t you think?”
That caught his attention. “What do you mean by random?”
“I mean you’re an heir to a billion-dollar company. You’re famous, and… look at you! With everything you have going for you, what makes you decide to open up your enormous home to people on the run?”
His cheeks reddened, but he didn’t look pleased with my observations. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up at all.
“That sounds like something a reporter would ask me. Is it so far-fetched to think of me as someone who wants to help others?” His voice was low, and he looked at me with the kind of intensity that made me swallow against the lump in my throat.
I bit my lip, not wanting to hurt his feelings. Of course he was a good guy. Of course he wanted to help. Maybe I was just turning into a psycho.
“I’m sorry, Julien. I don’t mean that you’re someone who wouldn’t help others. It’s just that, I don’t know, there are so many other things you could be doing with your life I guess. I just don’t see anyone waking up in the morning one day and saying hey, maybe I should open up my house to people who could possibly bring in all sorts of danger along with them.”
Julien just shook his head, a smile making its way back onto his face.
“You know… Growing up, I always wanted to be a detective…” he said wistfully.
I caught myself letting out a squeak of a laugh, forcing it back down quick as Julien stared at me.
“I couldn’t, of course. My family name makes that sort of thing impossible. Everyone treats you differently when money is no object… I can’t live a normal life. I’ve grown up associating with the most powerful people on this planet. And I didn’t like what I saw.”
His body language had changed. He seemed angry, unhappy…
“They treat others terribly, and don’t think about the consequences. I disagree with their actions. When I was given the chance to take part in witness relocation, I jumped on it. It gives me a chance to spend a little time on something outside of myself. I give to charity, I support good causes around the world… But I wanted something more. Something personal. This kind of work grounds me. What is it you say? The work is hard… But it’s good for the soul.”
I nodded. “If I was in a better position myself, I would do something to give back to my community... Especially where I grew up… there are so many people who need help in so many different ways. So I guess it’s nice to see someone like you trying to help out in your own way. You’re a really nice guy, Julien. I just didn’t expect this.”
You are really nice guy Julien? Sometimes I wish I knew how to shut up.
We sat there and talked some more, watching as the sun moved across the sky. I couldn’t help thinking there was something he was still hiding. It made me curious and want to know more about him.
I hated to go, but he had some sort of meeting he had was already running late to.
“We should do this again. I haven’t gone on a picnic since . . . ” his voice trailed off as he was obviously lost in thought.
“I’ve never been on a picnic, now that I think about it.”
He raised a brow at me. “Really? Not even as a child?”
I shook my head no, shrugging. “It just wasn’t something that my parents had time to do. They were always working,” I replied, helping him clean up.
Julien’s face softened as he folded up the ragged blanket into a perfectly neat square. He looked as though he were about to say something but didn’t.
I pointed to the blanket he was holding so carefully in his hands. “That means a lot to you, doesn’t it?”
He looked down at it, his face unreadable. “You don’t miss much, do you? Yes it does mean a lot to me. My father brought it one evening when we were at the beach. It was just some normal night, but it’s one of the only memories I have of him. He died when I was three.”
Even though I already know knew that, it still sucked to see Julien’s face when he admitted it.
“At least the memory is a good one.”
“It must’ve been so hard to leave your parents behind to come here…”
It was just a small cut, bu
t it still hurt. “You didn’t read that in my file? They were killed by a drunk driver… Along with my…”
I couldn’t bring myself to finish the sentence.
“I’m so sorry. You don’t have to continue. People are senseless, and when they operate vehicles they tend to become even more so.”
We walked back up to the château, not saying much. It had been nine years since it happened, but sometimes it felt like it was just yesterday.
We went our separate ways, and I was left to my work once again. After finishing up in the gardens with Alain, I went into the kitchen and mopped the floors until they were sparkling clean.