Page 71 of Lust & Lies
“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. WhenevermyNoe 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 wasthat 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 keepyouhealthy 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.
They wore differing expressions. Samuel was smiling, but his brow was furrowed, like he was worried about me. Was he worried about the lingering effects of the accident, or was it something else bothering him?
