Sighing, I sank down on the edge of the bed and kicked off my tennis shoes. My feet hurt every night because the shoes Portia had given me were a size six and I wore an eight. After running around all day and not even getting a break for lunch, my toes were so cramped that the pain from setting them free took my breath away.

My stomach rumbled and I looked toward the stairs knowing there was no way I could get food and go unnoticed. My feet ached more than my stomach did. I’d make sure to eat breakfast before I had to start my day tomorrow.

It was almost midnight. I’d be up again in six hours. The shower was beside the washing machine. It was inside a claw-foot tub that had a wraparound curtain. Standing up, I winced and hobbled over on my sore feet to turn the warm water on. A good cry would make me feel better, and the hot water would feel wonderful on my feet.

When I finally laid down in bed, sleep came fast. Faster than normal.

Luckily, I wasn’t so exhausted that I slept past six, when I was supposed to be up. My stomach was growling when I opened my eyes and I figured that was what had woken me. With a good long stretch, I wiggled my feet. They were still sore but better after rest. The idea of putting the too small shoes back on made me grimace. It was early and no one would be awake until at least nine. I could head upstairs in my socks. My breakfast would be so much more enjoyable if my feet weren’t cramped up.

I dressed quickly, pulled my hair back in a ponytail, brushed my teeth and headed for the stairs. This was my favorite time of day. It was the only time I had to myself that I could enjoy. Now that Jasper and his friends were here for the summer I’d look forward to my early mornings even more. Especially if yesterday was any indication of how he planned on spending his summer.

Portia had bragged about Jasper to her friends that visited, and acted like him being home was a wonderful thing. Then he’d arrived and it all changed. She completely changed. The woman who had been distant and unfeeling seemed scared of her son. That made no sense to me. I was missing something and I wanted to know what.

Before I walked into the kitchen, I heard a cabinet close. Who the heck was in there this early? Portia didn’t stir until after ten o’clock on most days. I doubted she’d ever seen six in the morning. Ever. In her life.

I peeked around the corner to find a girl with messy dark brown hair. A large guys T-shirt was the only thing covering her body. She was on her tiptoes looking in the cabinets. I assumed she was one of Jasper’s guests from last night. Which meant I had to help her. She was ruining my quiet morning.

“Can I get you something?” I asked as I walked all the way into the kitchen.

She dropped to the flats of her feet and spun around to look at me. “Oh. It’s you. Yeah, I need some coffee and food. I’ve got work in an hour. Do you know how to call a cab around here?”

Work? She worked? “Uh, I don’t know about a cab but you could Google it on your phone. I’m sure you could use an app for a car service too. Those come here.”

She sighed. “Yeah, that’d be great if I had a phone with an app, and those car services require bank cards attached to them, and I don’t have one of those either. I have ten bucks. And that ten bucks has to get me to my apartment so I can get dressed.”

This girl didn’t sound like one of Jasper’s friends. At least, not one of the Ivy league, trust fund types I’d met so far. It was interesting that she was here.

Unable to help myself I asked, “Where do you work?”

She walked over to the fridge. “I nanny for Auden Elswood’s younger siblings. His father’s second wife is twenty-seven and they have two-year-old twin terrors. A boy and girl. That’s how I know this crowd since you’re obviously trying to figure me out. Now could you point me to food?”

“Oh, yeah. I was going to make myself some eggs and bacon. You want some?”

She shook her head. “Don’t have time. A muffin maybe? And a cup of coffee to go?”

I walked over to the pantry and found the bakery muffins that Portia sometimes nibbled on with her coffee in the morning. Stepping out, I handed it to her and went over to make the coffee.

“Thank you. I’m so damn hungry.”

“You’re welcome,” I replied.

“I’m Shay by the way. I saw you working last night. Thought it looked about as sucky as my job. But then you get to see Jasper every day, so that’s a perk. I hear he’s an amazing fuck.”

Opening the cabinet where there were less expensive coffee cups, I reached in and took one down. There were no disposable cups here but this one wouldn’t be missed. I didn’t really want to discuss Jasper or his sex life. I preferred to ignore that comment.

“Do you have a name?”

I was being rude and she was the friendliest person I’d met here yet. “Beulah.”

Shay scrunched her nose. “Weird name.”

I nodded. Because I agreed. I’d never much cared for my name. But now my mother was gone and I didn’t complain anymore. It was something no one could take away from me.

“That was rude. Sorry. I just say stuff. I have no filter,” Shay said quietly.

“No, it’s okay. It is an odd name. My mother gave it to me, and now that she’s gone I cherish it.”

Shay winced. “Damn, I really am sorry. I should work on that. I didn’t know my mom. Or my dad. G-maw raised me—that was what we called the older lady in the foster home where I lived for twelve years. She passed away just before I turned eighteen. Cancer got her. She smoked every day.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

Shay grinned. “About my suck life or G-maw passing?”

“Both,” I replied honestly.

“Me too. But don’t sound or look like your life is peaches either. We’re making it fine enough though. Could be worse. Always could be worse. Anyway, I gotta go. I’ll walk until I figure out the cab thing. Someone may give me a ride. Nice talking to you and thanks for the coffee and muffin.”

Then she headed for the door. In a T-shirt. Only a T-shirt.

JASPER’S GUESTS DIDN’T COME INSIDE for breakfast.

People began to wake outside on lounge chairs, and stumbled out of the pool house slowly. Before lunch, the place had cleared out. Portia had drunk two cups of coffee and watched the exodus from the living room with a frown.

She ate a bowl of fruit, then finally gave me the go ahead to leave. I had three hours to see Heidi.

She didn’t want to explain to Jasper where I had gone if he came inside asking for food, or washed clothing or decided on having another party. My mother’s 1998 Honda Civic still ran with almost two hundred thousand miles on it. I kept it parked in the spot that Ms. Charlotte had kept her car. If I hadn’t needed the little bit of gas I had left to see Heidi today I would have offered to give Shay a ride. But my fuel was precious. I was given just enough a month in gas money from Portia to drive back and forth once a week to Among the Spanish Moss, the special needs home where Heidi lived now.

My time to see her was limited today, so I didn’t make my stops to say hello to the other residents I’d come to know. I did stop by the nurse’s desk to drop cupcakes off for all of them. I had made them before Jasper had gotten home and had stashed them away. I normally made cookies every week and brought them. It wasn’t much but I wanted to bring them something as a thank you for being so good to Heidi. They seemed to love their jobs and were good with the residents.

“Beulah, I’m so happy to see you. There is a girl that woke up extra early and has been making her rounds telling everyone you were coming today. She’s excited.”

Heidi was a socializer. She liked to visit all her friends and talk to the nurses. Staying in her room or the activity room wasn’t enough for her. She didn’t sit and watch television much. Although she did enjoy the craft sessions they set up for them every day. She liked anything involving glitter. The shinier she could make something the better. It couldn’t sparkle enough for her.

“Where is she now?” I asked, anxious to see her.

“Oh, she’s in her room. Wearing her purple dress with the glitter flowers on it that she loves so much. She wouldn’t wear it yesterday because she said you weren’t coming so she was too sad to wear it. But don’t worry. She ended up going outside and playing after her sulk was over.”