Chapter 7

SEVEN

The next morning,I woke up peacefully. Not with an aching back or dizziness from blood loss, not with trepidation and dread. I woke up because the sunlight was trickling in through the curtains and shining blissfully against my face, warming my cheeks.

I didn't want to move. I was under the most comfortable goose-down comforter and laying on sheets that had to be three-thousand thread count. Was that even a count for sheets?

I didn't have a phone, so I had no clue what time it was. My interview was promptly at noon, and I needed to do some damage control, considering I looked like well, a girl who had lived in a motel, under bridges, on park benches and city buses. I was sure after last night's nervous breakdown, my eyes had to be swollen.

Quickly peeling myself out of bed, the plush carpet felt luscious against my rough feet.

I was wearing silk, navy blue pajamas that Raina had given me. I had only been to hell before, so I was positive this had to be heaven. What most people don't understand is that poverty and fear are two of the worst things a human has to live with. When combined that means they are in the lowest and darkest parts of a valley that is killing them every single day.

I brushed my teeth, washed my face with some fancy dermatology skin care line, and changed into the black leggings and oversized sweater that was folded inside of the bathroom.

Everything felt like butter against my skin as I went back into the bedroom. My goodwill bag was sitting on the small corner desk. I could just wear what I bought and not take Raina's clothes, or…

I could embrace this once-in-a-lifetime kindness and just pray the outfit from a rich doctor could persuade another rich doctor to hire me to scrub his toilets.

Leaving the guest room, I looked from side-to-side. The hallway seemed never-ending, and I figured no one was awake yet.

Tiptoeing down the stairs, I froze mid-way.

Jax was wearing a white painter-style jumpsuit with the same strange white sandals, and he was on his hands and knees, slowly painting the banister with white paint.

Clearing my throat, I stood awkwardly.

"Demi, good morning." He was taken aback, and quickly began cleaning up his paint supplies.

"Good morning. Please don't stop; I'll just go back to my room." I felt flustered and immediately uncomfortable.

"No, no. I'm done. Kai loves to take crayons…" He pointed to a spot. What's strange is that the banister was black, but he had begun to repaint it white.

It didn't even match with the aesthetic of the home, which was mostly jewel tones and deeper colors.

I forced out a small laugh, as if I knew what a toddler was like, though I had no experience with children at all.

Honestly, I actually couldn't stand them. I didn't find them cute, cuddly, or sweet; I just thought they were kind of annoying and perhaps the thought of their guiltlessness frightened me.

"I grabbed your stuff from the… motel." Jax stood and smiled at me. He was probably six foot four, buff, with dark brown hair and deep green eyes.

I felt embarrassment build inside me as I pictured this really handsome man walking into the Super 7 motel where my Twinkie wrappers and wine bottles were lingering shamelessly. And the blood. I cringed as I thought of the blood stains all over my sheets.

"Thanks." I looked down and walked behind him down the stairs.

"No problem," he replied and quietly disappeared. I made my way to the kitchen and glanced at the time.

It was 7:10 a.m. A moment later, Jax reappeared but again, I noted how I didn't hear him coming with those thick-padded shoes. He began washing his hands, the white paint dripping off into the sink, pooling into a milky mess until the water ran clear. He obsessively cleaned under his nails with a sponge before turning the water off.

"I ordered everyone some egg white sandwiches. I hope that's fine with you; it's usually our go-to."

Yep, they never cooked.

"That sounds good." I tapped my fingers nervously against the marble countertop and looked around, feeling awkward.

As if he could sense my uneasiness, he said, "Raina will be back soon. She's dropping Kai off at his grandparents for a visit, but she said she'll come help you get ready for your interview before heading to work."

Nodding, I rolled my lips. I wondered what Jax did for work.

"You really want to work for the Ivory family?" He came around and sunk into the kitchen island stool farthest from the one I stood by.

"I really need a job and a live-in position… beggars can't be choosers and all that. Truth be told, I don't really know anything about them." I pulled the chair out and took a seat.

"They are…"

"Good morning!" Raina appeared with a bright smile on her face. "DoorDash left this." She lifted the bag of food and placed it on the counter before she hurried to the other side for plates.

"How'd you sleep, Demi?" She slid a plate toward me and looked back at her husband. I couldn't tell what that look was, but it was something that had me feeling guilty even when nothing had happened.

"I slept better than I have in my life. Thank you so much." I lifted the egg white sandwich with avocado and spinach.

"So glad to hear that." Raina handed me a cup of coffee and took a sip of her own. "So, what were you both talking about?" she asked curiously.

"About the Ivor—" I began, but Jax cut me off quickly.

"Kai," he filled in.

That was strange. Why couldn't Raina know we were about to talk about the family she knew I had an interview with?

"Aw, Demi, I wish you could have spent more time with him. He'd have loved you." Raina continued to drink her coffee. "So, I took the morning off to help you get ready for your interview."

"Oh, you didn't need to do that." I looked up at her after eating my entire sandwich. Raina passed me her untouched meal and nodded.

"I'm full." She lifted her coffee up. "And, Demi, I know I didn't need to, but I really wanted to." She smiled and walked toward her husband. Leaning down, she kissed him before coming toward me.

"After you finish up, we can go to my office. We have a medi-spa, so you can get a facial, and I'll have my wax and nail lady meet us there to do the works."

I didn't know how to react, so instead, as usual, I just said what was on my mind without thinking. "Do you think that's all necessary for a housekeeper interview?" I added an awkward laugh.

"Demi, you have to dress for the job you eventually want, not the job you're qualified for." Raina's face shifted.

"Don't let anyone put a barrier on you. Who knows, maybe you start there as a housekeeper and could land a significantly better job, eventually. Dr. Ivory has multiple practices and businesses, so he could easily promote you. Just for the record, you didn't have to lie about interviewing for an assistant role."

My cheeks warmed with embarrassment as I realized my own mistake.

"Okay," I replied under my breath. I mean, she was right, but I highly doubted a girl like me, with zero education beyond high school, could magically break out and become like Raina.

Successful and rich people always assumed poor, unsuccessful people were unmotivated or not driven, but that wasn't the truth. The majority of us would never have the same resources they did. That's why the rags-to-riches stories are special; if it was the common occurrence, we'd never see it as a headline.

They didn't get it, because they never lived it and would never have to. But damn, did they love acting as motivational speakers to the lowlives like me.

Loosening my shoulders, I finished my meal and drank two giant cups of water.

Raina didn't know what it was like to drink water out of a dropper for days. Raina didn't know what it was like to cut up a Twinkie into fourths to make enough meals to last you two days.

But I wasn't going to say that; instead, I was going to smile and take her up on her fairy godmother role.

Because I desperately needed this job, and just like everything else in my life, all odds were stacked against me.