Page 42

Tonight, I wonder about all of the things my father has never told me. I wonder about the things I’ve never been allowed to know. Perhaps most of all, I want to know what it is exactly that Ian wants with my dad. Maybe Georgetta knows.

“It was a nice party.” My words come out a whisper.

“Very nice.”

“You did a good job with the food.” She always arranges the best caterers and makes sure there’s a nice spread of food. If there are alcohol options – which there always are – she makes sure that we have something for everyone.

“Thank you, Rose.”

“Georgetta?”

She turns and looks at me but doesn’t speak. She’s going to let me ask what I want. Of course, that’s no guarantee. I can’t force her to actually answer my question. Still, this is my opportunity to ask.

My dad has disappeared. I don’t know if he’s off with Patricia – whowasat the party – or if he’s dealing with some of his goons. All I know is that he’s not here to interfere. The two of us are completely alone.

“What does Ian have on my dad?”

My words hang in the air between us. I know she knows who Ian is. She’d never call him by his first name. Aside from me, Georgetta never uses first names. She’s much too polite for that. Instead, she calls peoplesiror by their last names. She still knows them, though.

For a minute, I think Georgetta is going to leave me hanging. For just a moment, I don’t think she’s going to actually tell me who he is to my dad or why the two of them are suddenly working together. I have a really bad feeling about their arrangement, though, and I can’t put my finger on it.

Georgetta glances around, silently making sure that nobody is hiding nearby. There’s no one who can interfere or overhear. Although there are many cameras throughout the house, we’re hidden in this spot on the stairs. We’re protected by the shadows and the little statue that sits on the landing.

“They go way back,” she finally says.

“How far back?”

“A long way.”

“But Ian is close to my age.” How could the two of them have known each other for so long? Ian only recently started running the companies he does. He only recently started carrying weight in his family or running the show. I think he had an uncle who died, maybe. I’m not really sure how he came into power.

“He had a brother,” Georgetta tells me. I’m very silent because I know that this is probably the only time Georgetta will ever be able to speak so freely to me. Something is changing in our world. I can’t tell what, but I know that some sort of force is coming. Some sort of power shift.

“A younger brother?”

“Older.”

“Had?” Past tense.

“Your father hated him.”

“Why?” My dad hates a lot of people, but there’s usually some sort of reason. Whether that reason is good or bad, I can’t say. All I know is that with these types of situations, things very quickly get complicated and messy.

“Ian’s brother was headstrong. Determined.” Georgetta shoots me a sly smile. “Like you.”

“I’m not headstrong.”

“Darling, you’re the most headstrong child I’ve ever nannied for.”

“I’m the only child you’ve ever nannied for,” I point out.

“That may be true. That doesn’t change what I mean.”

“So, what? Ian’s brother pissed off my dad?” That doesn’t seem like such a big thing. Well, unless he caught my dad on a particularly bad day. Still, why would Ian want to go into business with my father if Dad did something to his brother?

“Ivan was a very outspoken man. He was also very much in charge of his family.”

“So, what? He died? Did he die and now Ian runs things?”