CHAPTER 6

I went back to his room and cleaned the spill. 'Oh, and when you're finished, come and change the sheets and lay fresh ones,' the lady instructed me, as if she was the one who hired me. 'Yes ma'am,' I replied. She turned to Mr. Hollen and gave him a passionate kiss, like I wasn't even there. My heart twisted in my chest, squeezing the blood away. I shouldn't be feeling this way, I reminded myself. He would never look at someone like me. His fiancee looked like a supermodel with her olive skin, while I was a light caramel. He was way out of my league. I wiped the tears from my over-sized glasses. __________ I made my breakfast and waited for Agnes and Halley to come in. 'Good morning, Emma. Well, today is the day that the real work begins. Mr. Hollen instructed me last night to let you know how we do things around here,'  Agnes said as she moved to make her breakfast. 'Every maid has her own room and should keep it tidy at all times. He doesn't invade our personal space, but we must remember this isn't our house. It's his. Mr. Hollen has us assigned for special things. For instance, I'm the chef and in charge of the kitchen. If anything goes wrong with his food, it's my behind the grill. Halley is responsible for the cleaning and tidying, and you're assigned to his coffee and assisting Halley with the cleaning. We each have a role to play, but we're a team and must act as such. 'You work a 6:00 a.m to 2:00 p.m shift. You're off on weekends, and get a half day once a week. Under no circumstances do you clean his study unless he tells you to do so.' She was flowing as if she'd been saying this all her life. 'I understand.' 'Did he get his coffee?' 'No, I spilled it in his room.' A single tear started to fall. 'Well serve up another cup.' I began to remake the coffee. He entered the kitchen, dressed in a sharp black suit with a light blue shirt. 'Good morning, sir,' Agnes greeted. 'Morning, Aggie.' 'Here's your breakfast.' 'My apologies, I should have informed you that I'm going out for breakfast with Sharon.' 'That's alright.' He looked at the fresh cup of coffee I'd made but ignored it and just walked out, leaving his manly scent in the kitchen to taunt me. I went about my duties that day with Halley by my side. She was still rude just tolerating me because she had to. I dusted, mopped, swept, shined and varnished furniture and picture frames. I changed the sheets and laid fresh ones; Halley did the laundry and folding while showing me how to use his high tech washers and dryers. 'It's easy once you get use to it,' was the only nice thing she said to me. Soon, it was lunchtime. Agnes prepared lunch for us. We ate in the kitchen, not the dinning room. Her cooking skills were amazing. 'That was delicious,' I complimented. 'Agnes, can I do the shopping today? There isn't much to do,' said Halley. Agnes looked grateful. 'Thanks dear, let Luis take you.' 'Who's Luis?' I asked, wondering if there was someone else around the house. 'He's one of Mr. Hollen's personal drivers,' Halley answered as she took a paper that was pinned on the fridge. Agnes handed Halley a card and she skipped cheerfully through the kitchen door. Agnes laughed. _______________ The next morning I woke up and prepared his coffee again. The kitchen phone rang just as I finished. 'Bring it up to my room,' he ordered. 'And don't spill it again.' I walked carefully up the stairs then entered his room. I rest the tray down successfully on one of his nightstands. He appeared in a white vest and pants. As I was walking out the door, I suddenly felt coffee spat all over my back. 'EMMA! What the hell? Are you trying to kill me?!' His tongue was hanging out of his mouth and he was coughing profusely. 'What's wrong?' 'Taste... this!' I tasted the coffee and spat it out too. The damn thing was salty-- pure salt, like someone had poured a pound of salt into it. I was baffled. How could this happen? 'Mr. Hollen, I don't understand. I did what I always do when I make coffee.' 'Get... this... away from me, before I lose... my... mind!' 'I'm sorry, I'll sort this out.' I took the cup away and hurried back to the kitchen, racking my brain for the answers as to what could have caused the coffee to become a salt mine. I tasted the coffee beans; they were fine. I tasted the water I'd used, salt free. I checked the sugar jar to make sure it was sugar and not salt. It was sugar. I was lost. What the hell happened to the coffee? I remade a cup for myself, tasted it and spat it out too. Then it dawned on me that there was salt in the milk. Ethan Hollen's POV Who puts salt in coffee? Should I regret ever hiring Miss Cole? My heart had felt her pain when she came to my office for the interview. For a young woman she had already experienced a very difficult life. My grandmother had taught me when someone is down in life it is not wise to throw more bricks at them, but, instead, it would be wise to help them up. Growing up, I rarely saw both of my parents. They were usually busy traveling on business deals, vacations, and having holiday celebrations without me. I'd been forlorn, but my grandmother took me under her wing and grew me up as the man she felt I ought to be. I had been looking at Emma in the kitchen while she made my coffee. She was very slim and all she wore were big clothes that looked like rags. Her face was always the same, no makeup or lipstick to pop her facial features. Yesterday she'd spilled the coffee all over the floor in my bedroom. I noticed she had remade it, but I wasn't in the mood anymore. That was the start of a crappy day-- I was angry with everyone in the office.