The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1)

by Freida McFadden

But what was going on in there? Is that really why there’s blood all over her nightgown? And where is Andrew? What if she killed him? What if he’s lying dead in the middle of the bedroom? Or worse, what if he’s bleeding to death right now, and I have a chance to save him? I can’t just walk away. I may have done some bad things in my life, but I’m not going to let Nina get away with murder.

“Millie?” I turn around. Her white dress glows in the moonlight filtering into the hallway, like she’s an angel. Except for the blood. And now I can also see a tiny pool of crimson forming on the floor, under her injured right hand. “Yes?” “Stay up in the attic at night.” She blinks at me. “Do you understand?” She doesn’t have to tell me a second time. I never want to come out of the attic again.

“Si. Molto occupato.”

yes, very busy

“Sei pazzo!”

you're crazy!

“Che cavolo!”

what the hell!

“You… you get out, Millie,” he says in his broken English. “It’s…” He presses his lips together, then manages to get out the word he said to me the first day we met, this time in English: “Dangerous.”

For the first time since Enzo rejected me, I think back to the panic in his eyes as he hurried toward the front door. You get out, Millie. It’s… dangerous. He’s scared for me. He’s scared of Nina Winchester.

I just have to hang in there a little longer. And do my best not to piss off Nina Winchester. My life might depend on it.

“Nina is older than you?” “A little.” He shrugs. “You don’t think about age when you’re in love. And I loved her.” It doesn’t escape me that he used the past tense to refer to his feelings for his wife. He notices it too because his face turns red. “I mean, I love her. I love Nina. And whatever happens, we’ve got each other.”

In spite of his financial success, I feel sorry for Andrew. He’s a really good guy and he deserves to be happy. And I’m beginning to wonder if Nina—with all her issues and wild mood swings—is capable of making him happy. Or if he’s just stuck with her out of obligation.

I put my hand on his—a gesture meant to comfort him. He turns his hand and gives my hand a squeeze. At the touch of his palm against mine, a sensation shoots through me like a lightning bolt. It’s something I’ve never felt before. I look up at Andrew’s brown eyes, and I can tell he feels it, too. For a moment, the two of us just stare at each other, drawn together by some invisible, indescribable connection. Then his face turns red.

oooooooohhhh

He jumps up from the table and darts out of the dining room. But just before he disappears up the stairs, he gives me one last long lingering look.

Andrew strides into the kitchen dining room, pulling off his tie. He stops short when he sees me, but he stifles a reaction. And I stifle my own reaction to how handsome he looks in that suit.

“I can’t believe how badly you screwed this up, Millie.” She shakes her head. “The cost of these tickets and the hotel room is coming right out of your paycheck.” My mouth falls open. The cost of those tickets and a hotel room at The Plaza are more than my paycheck. Hell, it’s more than three paychecks. I’m trying to save up so I can get the hell out of here. I blink back tears at the thought of not getting paid for the foreseeable future.

As I climb the stairs to the attic, I get a dark, heavy sensation in the pit of my stomach. As much as I’m looking forward to tonight, I have a bad feeling about it. I have a feeling that if I go to the show tonight, something terrible will happen. I already have a totally inappropriate crush on Andrew. It seems like spending the entire night with him, just the two of us, is tempting fate. But that’s ridiculous. We’re just going to go to Manhattan to enjoy a show. We are two adults, and we are completely in control of our own actions. This will be fine.

girl you need to listen to your intuition ffs

He looks… God, he looks incredible. Devastatingly handsome. So handsome, I want to grab him by the lapels. But the most amazing thing is the way his eyes fly open when he catches sight of me, and he inhales audibly. And then for a few moments, the two of us are just staring at each other. “Jesus, Millie.” His hand is shaking a bit as he adjusts his tie. “You look…” He doesn’t complete his thought, which is probably a good thing. Because he’s not looking at me in a way you’re supposed to be looking at a woman who is not your wife.

He slows to a stop at a red light. As his fingers drum against the steering wheel, I notice his eyes stray from the windshield. After a moment, I realize where he’s looking. He’s looking at my legs. I lift my eyes, and he realizes he’s been caught. His cheeks color and he looks away.

When I finally tear my eyes away from the sight in front of me, I noticed Andrew has an amused look on his face. “What?” I say. “It’s just cute,” he says. “The look on your face. I’m so used to it, but I love seeing it through your eyes.” “It’s just so big,” I say self-consciously.

that's what she said

“Thank you,” I blurt out. He rotates his head to look at me. His lips curl. He’s so handsome when he smiles. “My pleasure.”

I’m sure as we walk into the restaurant, everybody thinks we’re a couple. I saw our reflection in the glass outside the restaurant, and we look good together. If I’m honest, we look better as a couple than he and Nina do.

“Do you understand this menu?” “Oui,” Andrew says. I raise my eyebrows. “Do you speak French?” “Oui, mademoiselle.” He winks at me. “I’m fluent, actually. I spent my junior year of college studying in Paris.”

boy you’d better stop flirting

“Thank you so much for this,” I tell him as he pays the check. I’m afraid to even look at it. Just the wine alone probably cost a small fortune. “No, thank you.” His face is almost glowing. “I had a great time. I haven’t had this much fun in…” He clears his throat. “Anyway, it was really fun. Just what I needed.”

“I shouldn’t be driving,” he acknowledges. “No,” I say. “Probably not.” He rubs his face. “We still have that reservation at The Plaza. What do you think?” Well, it doesn’t take a genius to know this is a huge mistake. We’re both drunk, his wife is out of town, and he apparently hasn’t had sex in a while. And I haven’t had sex in a much, much longer while. I should say no. This can’t end well. “I don’t think it’s a great idea,” I mumble. Andrew lays a hand on his chest. “I’ll be a perfect gentleman. I swear. It’s a suite. There are two beds.” “I know, but…” “You don’t trust me?” I don’t trust me. That’s the bigger problem.

I’m trying so hard to be good, but this dress won’t let me. I grab at the hem to pull it down again, but before I can, I notice Andrew taking another look. And this time when I catch him, he grins at me. “What?” he says. Boy, he must be really drunk. “You’re looking at my legs!” “So?” His grin widens. “You have great legs. And there’s no harm in looking.”

He deserves so much better. “What are you looking at?” he says in a low voice. I swallow a lump in my throat. “Nothing.” “You look beautiful tonight, Millie,” he breathes. “I’m not sure if I told you that. But you should know.” “Andrew…” “I just…” His Adam’s apple bobs. “Lately, I’ve just felt so…” Before he can get any more words out, the cab jerks us to the right. I never put on my seatbelt and I find my body thrust against his. He catches me before I bash my head against the window. His body presses against me, his breath on my neck. “Millie,” he whispers. And then he kisses me. And God help me, I kiss him back.

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

Needless to say, we don’t get two separate rooms at The Plaza. So yes, I slept with my married boss.

GIRL WHY this is gonna end so badly i can see it now

“Millie?” I still can’t look. “What?” “I’m not sorry,” he says. “I had a great time with you last night, and I’m not sorry for any part of it. And I hope you’re not either.” I venture a look at him. He is still in bed, the covers up to his waist, revealing his bare, muscular chest. “No, I’m not sorry at all.” “But…” He heaves a sigh. “It can’t happen again. You know that, right?” I nod. “Yes, I understand.”

My dress is riding up yet again—this damn dress is what caused all our problems. I tug at it, and even with his shades on, I can’t help but notice Andrew is looking again. I raise my eyebrows at him and he smiles sheepishly. “One more for the road.”

“I don’t like that guy,” Andrew grumbles. “He works on all the houses in the neighborhood, but he spends a third of his time in our yard. He’s always out there. I don’t even know what the hell he’s doing half the time.”

She arches an eyebrow. “Andrew went out at eleven o’clock on a Sunday night? With whom?” I lift my shoulders. “I have no idea. Did you try his cell?” I know she didn’t. I was with Andrew at eleven o’clock. We were in bed together. “I didn’t,” she says, but doesn’t offer any further explanation. I clear my throat. “Well, as I said, I was in my room at that point. I have no idea what he was doing.” “Hmm.” Her pale blue eyes darken as she stares at me across the living room. “Maybe you’re right. I’ll have to ask him.” I nod, relieved she isn’t questioning me further. She doesn’t know what happened. She doesn’t know we drove into the city together, saw the show she was meant to see with him, and then spent the night together at The Plaza. God only knows what she would do to me if she knew. But she doesn’t know.

she may not KNOW but she definitely SUSPECTS you’d better watch your back bitch that woman is insane

I close my eyes and turn away from the tub. I can’t think about this. But I can never forget how emotionally fragile Nina is. She can never know what happened between me and Andrew last night. It would destroy her. And then she would destroy me.

So I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. I punch in a message to Andrew’s cell number: Just a warning: Nina called the house last night. He’ll know what to do. He always does.

Nina’s gonna see it on the phone plan stuff isn’t she

As he takes the broom from me, my fingers brush against his. Our eyes meet again, and this time we can’t ignore the fireworks. It’s physically painful that I can’t be with this man.

“Millie,” he says in a husky whisper. My throat feels really dry. He’s only a foot away from me. If I leaned forward, he would kiss me. I know he would. “Oh no! What happened?” At the sound of Nina’s voice, Andrew and I jump away from each other like we were lit on fire. I grip the broom so tightly my fingers turn white. “I dropped a glass,” I say. “Just, you know… getting it cleaned up.”

wow you guys aren’t being completely obvious to anyone at all

She smiles at me, and that’s when I notice her bright red lipstick looks a little bit off. It’s smeared over the right side of her lips, which gives her almost a demonic clown appearance. “This looks delicious, Millie.” “Thank you.” “Doesn’t it smell wonderful, Andy?” she says. “Mmm.” He picks up his fork. “Very nice.” “I’m sure,” Nina continues, “you never got food like this in prison, did you, Millie?” Mic drop. Nina is smiling up at me pleasantly with those demonic lips. Andrew, sitting across from her, is gawking at me. Obviously, this is new information to him. “Um,” I say. “What sort of food did they serve you there?” she presses me. “I’ve always been curious about that. What’s prison food like?” I don’t know what to say. I can’t deny it. She knows my past. “It’s okay.”

yep. wasn’t expecting that lol

I plop down on my bed, trying to keep the tears from welling up. I wonder how long Nina has known about my past. Did she only recently discover it, or did she do a background check when she hired me after all? Maybe she liked the idea of hiring a convict. Someone she could boss around. Anyone else would have quit months ago.

While I am sitting on the bed, feeling sorry for myself, something on my nightstand catches my eye. It’s a copy of the playbill from Showdown. I pick it up, confused. Why is the playbill on my nightstand? I put it in my purse after the show, and I’ve been keeping it in there as a reminder of that magical night.

I get a sinking feeling in my stomach. I finally understand why Nina blurted out that I had been in prison. She knows that I saw the show with Andrew. She knows we were in Manhattan together, all alone. I’m not sure if she knows we spent the night at The Plaza, but she knows we weren’t home at eleven o’clock at night. And I’m sure if she’s smart enough, she could find out whether or not we checked into the hotel. Nina knows everything.

I have just made a dangerous enemy.

She’s deliberately tormenting me. But to be fair, I did sleep with her husband.

After Nina’s revelation that I had been in prison, Andrew never found me to “talk,” like he said he would. He has been effectively scared off. I can’t blame him.

“I’m sorry to bother you like that, Miss Calloway. But we have a lot of problems with shoplifters, so I had to take it seriously. And I got a phone call alerting me that a customer matching your description might be planning to take something.” A phone call? Who would call the grocery store and describe what I look like, and tell the security guard I was planning to steal something? Who would do such a thing?

fucking NINA

We stare at each other for a moment. There’s still electricity between us. I can see in his eyes that he feels it, too. He glances at the back door, and before I know what’s happening, his lips are on mine. He kisses me for what feels like an eternity, but it’s probably more like sixty seconds. When he pulls away, there’s regret in his eyes. “I can’t…” “I know…”

There is a shadow in the hallway. I squint at it, trying to make out the image in the darkness. And then it moves. I let out a screech and nearly go toppling down the stairs. I grab onto the banister and save myself at the last second. The shadow shifts closer to me, and now I can see what it is. It’s Nina. “Nina,” I gasp. Why is she standing there in the hallway? Was she downstairs? Did she see me and Andrew kissing?

“Hello, Millie.” It’s dark in the hallway, but the whites of her eyes almost seem to be glowing. “What… what are you doing here?” She scowls at me, the light from the moon creating disturbing shadows on her face. “It’s my home. I don’t have to account for my whereabouts.” Of course, it’s not really her home. Andrew owns the house. And if they weren’t married, she couldn’t live here. If he decided to choose me over her, this would be my house. These thoughts are insane. Obviously, that isn’t going to happen. “I’m sorry.”

“Andy wasn’t in bed. Did you see him downstairs anywhere?” “I, uh… I think he was out on the back porch.” “I see.” “But I’m not sure. I didn’t talk to him or anything.” Nina gives me a look like she doesn’t believe one word I’m saying. Which is fair enough, since it’s all lies. “I’ll go check on him.” “And I’ll head up to my room.” She nods and pushes past me, jostling my shoulder. My heart is pounding. I can’t push away the feeling that I’ve made a terrible mistake crossing Nina Winchester. Yet I can’t seem to stop myself.

I notice she’s got a stack of clothing next to her. It’s the same clothing that she insisted I take from her when I first started working here. “What is my clothing doing in your room?” I stare at her as a flash of lightning brightens the room. “What? What are you talking about? You gave me those clothes.” “I gave them to you!” She lets out a barking laugh that echoes through the room, only partially drowned out by the crack of thunder. “Why would I give my maid clothing worth thousands of dollars?” “You”—my legs tremble beneath me—“you said they were too small on you. You insisted that I take them.” “How could you lie like that?” She takes a step toward me, her blue eyes like ice. “You stole my clothing! You’re a thief!”

“Not like you. I don’t even recognize you anymore. You’re not the same person I fell in love with.”

“What are you saying, Andy?” “I’m saying… I don’t think I’m in love with you anymore, Nina. I think we should separate.” “You’re not in love with me anymore?” she bursts out. “How can you say that?” “I’m sorry. I was just going along with things, living our lives, and I didn’t even realize how unhappy I was.”

“This isn’t about Millie,” he finally says. “Really? So are you going to lie to my face and pretend nothing ever happened between you and her?” Damn. She knows. Or at least, she thinks she knows. “I have feelings for Millie,” he says in a voice so quiet, I’m sure I must’ve imagined it. How could this rich, handsome, married man have feelings for me? “But that’s not what this is about. This is about you and me. I don’t love you anymore.”