My family had been living on borrowed time after my dad left, and when my mom had lost her job last year, we’d all known that something would have to change. My mom had only come out West for my dad. Her family was on the East Coast, and so was any hope of her getting back on her feet. So that was where she’d gone, my brothers along with her. And I’d follow soon enough with our belongings and hopefully enough cash saved up to tide us over until I could get a full-time job that my uncle was hoping to line up for me.
As I headed down the mansion’s long, thickly carpeted hallway, I heard the chaos well before I saw it. One shriek and then another. For a second, it was hard to say if those blood-curdling screams were of the horror or laughter variety. A quick glance inside the room made the answer clear.
Laughter. Definitely laughter. The only person who looked horrified was Isla.
Callie was smiling as she chased her dwarves around a sofa. Willow was kneeling before two toddlers and patiently asking a girl with jelly around her mouth why she wasn’t sharing the glitter with the boy with the runny nose. Mrs. Messner was laughing as she led an older group through a pantomime of sorts. She had them decked out in pirate and mermaid costumes.
But Isla…?
Isla was looking on from the sidelines with a pained look in her eyes and a sneer of disgust on her face.
“Is it...Is it always like this?” I heard her ask Willow when the long-haired princess got to her feet and brushed off her skirt.
“Insanity? Yeah. Pretty much. But it’s easier when it’s a kid’s birthday party and the kids are allowed to be seen and heard.” She eyed the large high-ceilinged room with a critical eye. “Although, as far as kid prisons go, this is a nice one.”
“Kid prisons?” Isla had gone pale at some point since I’d last seen her.
Willow didn’t seem to notice. “Yeah. That’s basically what these events are. The parents hire us to keep the kids safe and contained.”
“Oh.” Isla looked like she might throw up. Or faint. The girl was too skinny, and that sundress was hot as hell, but it also looked like she was wearing a corset. I edged closer in case she was about to go down.
“But don’t worry,” Willow continued. “Most of the events we do are birthday parties, where we’re expected to be the center of attention.”
Isla nodded as if processing all this. I glanced around at the crazy. Admittedly, it was a lot to take in.
“Next week’s party will be worse, though,” Willow continued, not seeming to notice Isla’s distress. Which was not surprising. Willow wasn’t always quick on the uptake when it came to picking up on others’ feelings.
“Worse?” Isla said quietly.
“Oh, yeah. It’s the Garners’ annual back-to-school party,” she said, pointing to two of the kids currently dueling with fake swords in the far corner. “Their parents go all out, and they expect us to throw an amazing performance, all while keeping their little beasts disciplined and happy.”
“That’s the Wizard of Oz party?” Isla asked.
“Yup. You’ll be Dorothy. It’s kind of the worst, to be honest.” She moved around the kids doing arts and crafts as she spoke. “The kids are not into it. Like, at all. But Mrs. Garner loved the movie so she insists on it every year.”
Isla had gone from pale to ashen, and her bright green eyes were round as saucers. Callie noticed even if Willow didn’t.
“Don’t listen to Willow,” Callie said. “She doesn’t always realize when she’s being…”
I arched my brows and Willow tilted her head as she waited for Callie to finish. Even Isla seemed to hold her breath in anticipation.
“Insensitive,” Callie finally finished with a shrug.
Willow laughed, her grin totally unapologetic. The girl had a huge brain and was typically the calmest of the bunch, but she was definitely not the most emotionally attuned of the group. She lived her life by a laundry list of rules. A code she’d come up with for herself. And while she was kind as kind could be, and was generous to a fault—Callie was right. She wasn’t particularly sensitive or empathetic. Which was why, despite being undeniably pretty, she’d never gone on a date. She had a reputation for being cold and standoffish, maybe even heartless. But, of course, we all knew better.
Willow spotted me and rushed over for the club soda. When I glanced over at Isla, I caught her staring at me. Gone was her horror. Gone was her earlier embarrassment. The way she looked at me, it was unnerving.
Calculating.
But when she turned toward Callie, I got the feeling I’d been dismissed.
I gave a little snort of amusement. Of course I’d been dismissed. I was the help, after all.
“Thanks for this, Flynn,” Willow said beside me.
“Yeah, no problem. How’s it going in here?”
“We’re surviving.” She cast a wry glance over in Isla’s direction, and we both watched with amusement as she pressed her back against the wall to avoid being run over by the Gunderson twins. “With no help from the new girl.”
“Give her time,” Callie chided sweetly as she joined us. “It’s her first day. Poor thing just got off the plane this morning.”
“Yeah, but jet-lagged or not, I don’t get the sense she has a lot of experience with kids,” Willow said.
I watched with a grimace as Isla sneered down at a toddler who’d taken an interest in her pink dress like the little girl might have rabies.
Even Callie was wincing when she turned back to us. “Yeah, but Mrs. Messner says she has experience with acting and singing.” She shrugged. “She’ll learn how to deal with the kids.”
“Uh huh.” Willow didn’t sound convinced. “But I still hope Mrs. Messner is going to hire some more people. We’re so short-staffed, it’s ridiculous.”
“Actually,” I said, glancing over at Mrs.
