Page 21 of Until You

Payton: On Facebook. Keep up.

Me: I’m not calling them on their vacation to ask why they hired someone to help around the house. They’re allowed to make their own decisions.

Addison: Are they though?

Henry: Addison.

Addison: What? Pops is 78. Mimz is 76. They’re sharp now, but that doesn’t mean someone can’t take advantage of that. We’ve all read the articles. Elder financial abuse. Companionship scams. These things happen.

Kelsie: She’s not wrong.

Me: She’s not a scammer.

Kelsie: How do you know?

I pause. How do I know? Why am I even defending her?

Because she looked me in the eyes three months ago in a bar and told me the truth about growing up in foster care without flinching. Because the crooked star tattoo on her wrist is the most honest thing I’ve ever seen on another person. Because my grandparents don’t let people in easily, and if they let her in, there’s a reason.

Me: Because Mimz and Pops aren’t stupid.

Addison: No one said they were stupid.

Me: Then trust them.

There’s a pause. A long one.

Henry: Oliver’s right. We don’t have enough information to panic. But we also shouldn’t ignore it. Oliver, you’re there. Can you just… keep an eye on things?

Kelsie: Yes. Observe. Report back. Don’t let her know you’re suspicious.

Payton: This is not a stakeout, Kelsie.

Kelsie: It’s a little bit of a stakeout.

Me: It’s not a stakeout.

Addison: It’s due diligence.

Henry: Just get to know her. See what the arrangement is. We’ll talk to Mimz and Pops when they get back.

Me: Fine.

Payton: Mom and Dad say she’s legit. They hired her about a month ago. Says all of her paperwork and whatnot are in order.

Payton: And Mom says, “She’s a darling girl.”

I think about the way she’d planted her hand on her hip in that towel and told me to stop acting like the villain in a soap opera.

Henry: So what say you, Oliver? Is she a darling girl?

Me: She’s… something.

Kelsie: That’s not an answer.

Payton: Is she pretty?

Me: Irrelevant.