The next three hours passed by swiftly, and I was checking my watch every ten minutes waiting for ten o’clock to arrive. The idea Portia might be able to tell me something about my mother might not seem like a big deal, but to me it meant so much. Anything to understand why she’d sent us here. A small piece of her past. To hear her talked about again.
At ten, I put the cleaning supplies away and made my way to the great room. My eyes locked with Jasper’s as I entered and he gave me a small smile. It wasn’t much, but it was encouraging. Like I wasn’t alone and he was my friend. I knew that wasn’t the case, but it felt like it.
“Why is she here? I assume this is about her other job. Yes, I knew, and if you have a problem with it then deal with it yourself.” Portia didn’t even glance my way. “I need my coffee, Beulah. Where have you been?”
Jasper cleared his throat and got my attention then motioned for me to take a seat. “Please Beulah, ignore her and sit down.”
Portia’s head snapped up from the iPad in her lap that she’d been studying. “What?”
“I want to talk to you. I have questions. I feel that Beulah should be in here for this. Now, let’s begin with how you knew Beulah’s mother. You and I both know you don’t have a kind bone in your body. So why did you so willingly help these two girls?”
Portia’s gaze swung to me. “You told him?”
“I had to. He needed to understand why I was working a second job.”
She sighed dramatically and slung her iPad down on the sofa beside her with obvious disgust. “I help you and this is the thanks I get. Do you understand that he could take all that back? Demand a refund? Are you that dense girl?”
I didn’t know how to respond to that. I stilled and waited, dropping my gaze from hers to study my hands.
“Father left me this house, the money, the investments, and the corporation. His will stated that I was to do with you whatever I pleased. If I chose to take care of you, fine. If not, you’d find another man to leech off. So, mother, I’d be more careful how you speak to Beulah. All she did was tell me what you should have already explained. Since it was my money that was helping Heidi, I’d like to know why you did it. What do you owe Beulah and Heidi’s mother? Because you don’t do things out of the kindness of your heart. There must be something you’re hiding. I need to know what that is.”
Portia glared at me. I could feel it burning through me where I stood. But I didn’t look up. I felt guilty. She’d helped me, and now here I sat with Jasper who was talking to her in a way I didn’t think was necessary, demanding she answer questions. I wasn’t here when he was growing up. I didn’t know the kind of mother that Portia was, but from the anger and bitterness in her son’s tone, I imagined it hadn’t been a happy home.
“I knew Pamela many years ago. She made some bad choices and went a different way in life. I don’t owe her a damn thing. No one does. She had passed away and I felt a connection and pity for the life she’d lived. She had so much potential when I knew her. But she,” Portia paused and I lifted my eyes to finally look at her. “She was stupid. Naïve. It got her nowhere. I was kind to a woman I once knew. That was all. I feel like I did my duty and whatever you choose to do with Beulah’s employment is fine with me. She’s had plenty of time to figure out a way to take care of Heidi and herself. She’s almost twenty. Past time she grew up.”
Nothing more than what she’d already said to me before. No explanation. No real connection to my mother, but my mother had known if we came here she would help us. Because I knew my mother, I didn’t believe what Portia was saying. She was hiding something. But why?
“Why would I fire Beulah? She’s an excellent cook, keeps the house clean and puts up with your bullshit. I’d say the only smart thing you’ve ever done in your life was hire her. I thought for a moment there you possessed some compassion I had missed when she told me how you helped her and Heidi. I see I’m wrong. That’s disappointing.”
Jasper dropped his hands to his sides that had been crossed over his chest. “I’ve got things to do. You can continue your pointless routine of living,” he told Portia. Then he turned to me. “I need to speak with you about a business matter. Please meet me in the pool house in thirty minutes.”
Then he turned and left the room.
I stood slowly. I wanted to apologize to Portia, but I wasn’t sure if I owed her an apology. She was hard to understand. The longer Jasper was around, the colder she became. Instead of trying to smooth things, I said, “I’ll get your coffee now.”
She didn’t respond.
PORTIA HAD IGNORED ME COMPLETELY when I brought her coffee and a bowl of fresh strawberries. She was angry—with me or Jasper I wasn’t sure. Probably both.
I didn’t have time to worry about it. Jasper wanted to meet with me about business which I didn’t exactly understand. Unless he meant he had more chores for me or he wanted more groceries. Although I couldn’t imagine that was the case. I’d stocked his kitchen well in the pool house.
When the time came to meet with Jasper, he was inside the pool house, so I knocked instead of walking inside.
“Come in,” he called.
I opened the door to see him on the sectional leather sofa with a computer on his lap, his right ankle resting on his left knee to prop up the computer and a cup of coffee in his hand.
He smiled. “Punctual. Good. Please have a seat.”
I walked over and sat on the chair that faced the sofa. There was a large wooden barrel that was once filled with Makers Mark Whiskey according to the black labeling on its side. Now it was a coffee table.
“This morning with Portia went about as smoothly as I had imagined. I know you were hoping for a more definitive answer. But if there is one, I’m afraid we will never know it. That isn’t why I asked you to meet me out here, however.
After breakfast, I was out here going through emails and the endless bills, investment, and correspondence with Van Allan Industries that have come through just this week. It’s a lot of paper filing I don’t have time for. Jed Bankhead has been handling everything since my father’s death. My father’s personal secretary became Jed’s. She was to become mine when I was ready to completely take over next year but two days ago his wife walked in on Jed and Bethany, the secretary, naked on Jed’s desk in the Chicago office,” he paused and took a drink of coffee. “Gotta love marriage and happily ever after’s, huh? Anyway, I can’t run Van Allan industries yet. I am still learning; working in the Savannah offices now to learn, which are the smallest of the three and the newest. There will be sexual harassment filed by Bethany I am sure when Jed let’s her go. More bullshit that he has to handle. But here in Savannah I need help.
The actual building was serving as a meeting location when personnel from the other officers came into town to meet with my father after he relocated here. After his passing, it hasn’t been used much. That’s what I’ve been doing. Moving people here to make it a functioning office. An office so Van Allen Industries can expand into the southern states and have a central location. I need some help with organizing all the piles of paperwork that have been ignored at the office here. I am looking for a qualified administrative assistant, of course, but for now I just need some extra hands. I know you need another job. Working nights isn’t going to be enough for you if you want to keep Heidi in the home she’s currently in. I’d like you to work in the offices for three hours a day Monday through Friday. You’d continue your duties here of course. I’m willing to pay you fifty dollars an hour which will average about $750 a week. This would help me and fix my current problem as well as help you.”
Seven hundred and fifty dollars a week was a lot. It would be more than I needed to take care of Heidi when added to my income from cleaning. If I kept my night job then I could put money away for college. “Are you offering this intending for me to quit my evening job?” I asked.
He frowned. “I’d hoped you would. You looked exhausted this morning. But I’m not demanding you do anything. That’s up to you.”