Page 26 of Lust & Lies

NOELLE

AIDEN GUIDED ME INTO the kitchen, hand still clasping mine. Before he even opened the door, the scent of breakfast hit me, and my stomach immediately reminded me that I hadn’t eaten. Inside, Dolores stood at the stove, whisk in hand.

Without looking up, she said, “Your turkey bacon’s crisping just the way you like it, Mrs. Park. The omelet is almost done, and the pancakes are on the griddle. Everything will be ready in five.”

I hesitated, caught off guard by how relaxed she was with me so soon after I’d nearly sliced and diced her. Aiden squeezed my hand. Clearing my throat, I thanked her.

“Thanks. It all smells delicious.”

She looked my way with a bright smile on her face. “You’re welcome. It’ll be ready and plated by the time you meet the others. Sammie is already outback.”

I nodded as Aiden led me through the house and out the back patio door. It was early in the morning, but that Mississippi sun was already heating things up. At least it wasn’t too hot. I stared around me at the beauty that was our backyard.

I couldn’t even call it a yard. It was too massive for that. What had Aiden called it? The grounds. So, this was what it meant to have an estate. I walked alongside my husband, not knowing where he was going but trusting him to lead me in the right direction.

“This is the flower garden,” Aiden told me.

I smiled as I stared at the flowers that bloomed in neat beds, their colors bright against the deep green of the lawn. I inhaled deeply, loving the feel of the sun on my skin and the scent of the rich earth.

We continued forward until we came upon an older Black man who was crouched by the hydrangeas, trimming away a few browned petals. He stared over his shoulder and saw us coming. His smile creased the corners of his eyes as he stood to greet us.

“There’s my girl,” he said warmly, brushing dirt from his hands. “Thought it would be a few more days before I got to see you out here again. It does this old heart good to see you up and about. I’ve kept the garden up for you.”

Something in my chest pulled tight. Emotional memories, or should I call it a sense of Déjà vu, drifted over me. I found myself smiling back at the man.

“This flower garden is beautiful,” I said softly, meaning it.

“Yeah, the layout you gave me made everything look real nice,” he told me. “The color scheme of the flowers really sets the tone back here.”

“I came up with this layout?” I asked.

“Of course,” he said. “I was a bit skeptical at first, wanted to do it my way. But this is much better than I had planned.”

My smile widened.

“This is Samuel,” Aiden told me. “He’s our gardener.”

“It’s nice to meet you... again, Samuel.”

Samuel nodded, his smile wide. “It’s nice to meet you again, too, Noe. I mean... Mrs. Park.” His gaze flicked to Aiden, a nervous look appearing in his eyes before they returned to me. “Mrs. Park,” he said again, though his smile had dimmed.

Did Aiden not like it when this man referred to me by name? My jealous savage. I squeezed Aiden's hand, hoping he’d get my message. Be nice. I looked up at him. His frown morphed into a smile when he stared down at me.

I turned my smile on Samuel. “You’ve done an amazing job. Thank you for your hard work.”

That brightened his smile. “You’re welcome. So welcome. I can’t wait to have you back out here in the gardens with me. I’ve left some space for you in the vegetable garden, so you can plant whatever you like back there.”

“Thank you.”

Before I could ask if I could see the vegetable garden, another man came up from the side yard. He was an older Hispanic man with warm brown skin, and he was wearing a baseball cap pulled low.

“That’s Tomas,” Aiden explained, then added, “Dolores’s husband.”

From the way he was smiling at me, his wife must not have told him what happened earlier.

Tomas tipped his cap to me. “I’m Tomas, Dolores’s husband. She feeds you, and I keep the grass in line. That’s our deal.”

I smiled.

“It’s good to see you up and on your feet, Mrs. Park,” Tomas told me.

“Thank you,” I replied.

“If you don’t need anything else, I’m going to return to the front yard and work on a few things until Dolores is ready to leave. It’s my day off. But I hate to just sit in the car while she’s busy working.”

“Oh, go ahead,” I told him, not wanting to hold him up.

He tipped his hat and was off.

“And there’s my wife,” Samuel said, staring over my shoulder. “I called and told her to come up here when Dolores said Mr. Park wanted you to get acquainted with the staff again.”

I turned to see Samuel’s wife walking toward us.

She was an older, black woman who moved with a quiet grace that made her presence impossible to ignore.

Her hair was cropped close in a chic buzz cut, the silver strands gleaming in the morning light.

It was so pretty. She was slender and much taller than her husband.

“There’s my little hurricane,” she said, her lips curving into a grin that brought a smile to my face and tears to my eyes.

I remembered her. Not really. But kind of. Damn it, memory loss. I didn’t know how to explain it, other than that I felt drawn to this woman. The emotional memories were at work again.

Releasing Aiden’s hand, I strode forward. The woman stretched her hands out and clasped mine once I was near her.

“Look at you. You’ve lost some weight. Dolores' cooking will take care of that,” the woman told me. “Let me look at you some more.”

Still holding my hands, she turned us until her back was to Aiden, and mine was to the house.

“I’m so glad to see you on your feet,” she said before pulling me into a hug. It was then that she whispered in my ear. “We’ll catch up when Aiden’s at work. Remember these numbers: 0301.”

I frowned, my gaze meeting Aiden’s over the woman’s shoulder. His eyes narrowed, and suddenly, he was approaching us. The woman pulled back, smiling at me with tears in her eyes, like she hadn’t just whispered something strange in my ear.

“I’ve been so worried about you,” she told me.

“I’m doing fine,” I answered, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

Aiden was at my side now, arm wrapped around my shoulder.

“Did you introduce yourself to our Noelle?” Aiden said to the woman.

The woman wiped the corners of her eyes before saying, “Look at me. Hugging you and crying, telling you how much I missed you, and I haven’t even done what I came in on my day off to do. Noe...” her gaze flicked to Aiden, then back to me. “Noe, I’m Gertrude. The housekeeper.”

“Oh, I thought Dolores handled that also,” I mused.

“She cleans on the days she cooks,” Gertrude explained. “Which is a couple of times a week. I come in once a week to dust, sweep, vacuum, and polish. I also help out in the garden with my husband. Mr. Park hired Dolores. But it was you who brought me on.”

There was something about the way she said it that made me believe it had a double meaning. Had Aiden hired a housekeeper, but I chose to hire someone else, someone I knew and trusted?

Damn you, memory loss. Aiden smirked, but I could feel his hand tighten slightly around my shoulder.

“It’s been great having both you and Dolores working here,” Aiden stated. “Sorry to have you come in on your day off, Gertrude.”

“No problem, Mr. Park. Whenever my Noe needs me, I’ll be there.”

Yeah, I could sense the tension between these two. There was a story there. And when Aiden wasn’t around, I was sure Gertrude would tell me everything. She may even help me recall things from my past.

In her, I saw an ally who wouldn’t be bound by the doctor’s orders. I definitely needed to get this woman alone. What was that number she’d told me to remember? 0301. What was that code for?

I had so many questions. And maybe, just maybe, I’d found someone who could answer some of them. Aiden’s phone rang. He lowered his hand from my shoulder to reach into his pocket. Pulling his phone out, he answered on the third ring.

The entire time he was on the phone, I kept my gaze on Gertrude, and she kept her gaze on me. Though her smile remained in place, there was a look in her eyes that told me she had something to say.

“That was Dolores,” Aiden told me. “Breakfast is ready.”

“Well,” Gertrude drawled. “You two should go eat. I’ll be back in a few weeks.”

“Weeks?” I asked, not wanting to wait that long to talk to her.

Gertrude nodded. “I’m on vacation. My husband will swing by to check on the garden every now and then. And when you’re up for it, he’ll show you and Aiden a few things in the vegetable garden. But Mr. Park gave us a two-month paid vacation. I only came by today for the reintroduction.”

“You gave them a two-month vacation?” I asked, staring up at my husband.

“I did. Dolores and Tomas are on vacation, too. However, Dolores insisted on making you breakfast and meal prepping this week. After this week, I’ll handle the cooking until Dolores returns. And Tomas will do like Samuel. He’ll come check on things and only do light work if something is needed.”

Aww... that sweet woman wanted to make me breakfast. She’d come in just for me, and how had I thanked her? By shoving her against the wall and putting a knife to her throat. I definitely had to get the entire staff gifts once I was up for going out and shopping.

“Now that you’ve met the staff, we should go eat,” Aiden told me.

“Oh, okay,” I mumbled. “It was so good to meet you, Gertrude. You too, Samuel. Thank you for all that you do and for taking care of us.”

“No problem,” Samuel said, waving.

“It’s our honor to keep you healthy and safe,” Gertrude told me.

My brows narrowed as I pondered over her word choice. Aiden’s hand was once again wrapped around my shoulder, and he was turning me, steering me back toward the house. Unable to resist doing so, I glanced over my shoulder to see both Samuel and Gertrude staring at our retreating forms.