“I am not your great uncle anything, but my name is Earl, yes. You may call me Tom.” “Tom,” I said, searching his face for a joke. If it was there, it was hidden behind the scowl. “Mr. Tom,” he said. I was pretty sure my eyebrows had gotten lost in my hairline. “Mr. Tom.” I squinted at him. “Are you kidding, or… I can’t tell if you’re kidding.” “I am a butler. I never kid.”
