Page 21 of Miss Trust

“So what will you be doing for Chance Maxwell?”

“He’s remodeling the house, although I don’t see why. It’s beautiful as it is. I guess he wants to make it more to his taste.” I had no idea what his taste consisted of, but I supposed I was about to find out. “Rich people problems. I just hope it all works out.”

Daisy took my hand. “It will. I have a sense good things are in store for your future.”

If only I believed that.

* * *

Penelopeand I settled into the house over the next few days. It wasn’t hard to do, given the beautiful views, luxurious living space—including a movie room—and sheets softer than anything I’d ever had against my skin.

By Wednesday I hadn’t heard anything from Chance. At the same time, I saw a direct deposit had been made to my bank account for more money than I’d ever seen at one time. It made me anxious to start earning it.

I’d managed to find a local marketplace that morning and was happy it wasn’t outrageously expensive—a drawback of Malibu, I supposed. It gave me a rush of satisfaction to be able to shop for food without counting every penny.

Mona came into the kitchen where I was unpacking the few bags I’d brought in. “Penny is down for a nap.” She put the monitor on the counter. “She’s such a bright, delightful little girl.”

“Thank you.” I loved seeing them bond so easily. It was clear Mona adored children and was amazing with them.

She eyed my paper bags. “Chance has a grocery delivery service here for the house. You only need to add your order to it each week.”

“I’m paying for my own groceries.” Especially since he’d been so generous already with the salary. “Do you know where the cleaning supplies are?”

“They’re in the laundry room. Why?”

“Because I’m going to clean the house. I don’t have anything else to do, and I need to keep busy.” I had my paycheck, and I certainly intended to earn it.

“He usually has a cleaning service come in for his residences. I should talk to him about setting it up—”

“No need to have the service. I’ll clean. At least until I’m able to start the remodeling part of this job.” If there was such a thing. I was having my doubts since my boss didn’t seem in a hurry to assign me any duties.

She studied me for a moment. “There are rubber gloves under the sink.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

An hour later I was in the pool house on my knees, jamming out to music from Pandora on my earphones and scrubbing the kitchen floor. Having Penelope on the monitor on the counter gave me peace of mind.

The pool house alone would probably take me the rest of the day as it was twice the size of my one-bedroom apartment. It had its own kitchen and two bathrooms. Though the place had clearly been cleaned when the house was bought, a layer of dust had formed over everything.

I was so engrossed in my task and the music I didn’t notice I had company. A touch on my shoulder startled the hell out of me. I jumped up quickly with a cry of surprise. An imposing figure in a well-tailored suit was staring at me. Jesus. Did the man not own a pair of jeans?

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” were the first words out of his mouth.

Ripping off my headphones, I glared at his tone. “Oh, I’m sorry. Have you never seen this done? This is called cl-ean-ing. It’s where you take something dirty, and you wash it.”

His clenched jaw showed how much he appreciated my sarcasm. “I’m aware of what cleaning is, but what I don’t understand is why you’re doing it.”

I dropped the sponge in the bucket with a satisfying splash. “Because you paid me for work I’m not doing. I came here for a job. And if you don’t have one for me yet, then I will create my own until you do.”

“Your job is not to clean my fucking house. And what is this I hear about you paying Mona? I won’t allow it.”

“You didn’t just use that word with me.”