Page 42 of Deserving Maisy
“Now I’ve freaked you out. Come on, you said you wanted to talk to Paige before we headed out. I’ll walk you to the kitchen, then head upstairs to change. You sure you want to have a picnic in the park for lunch? We can go out somewhere.”
“I’m sure.”
For the last week, Maisy had tried really hard to act the way she always had while on drugs. Spacey, as if she didn’t notice anything going on around her. But she hadn’t taken a single pill. She needed her head to be as clear as possible if she was going to figure out a way out of the shithole her life had become. And to get Jack away from her brother. It was hard to keep the neutral mask in place when Jason started in on her. When he reminded her what would happen to Jack if she defied him.
Jack stood and held out his hand. Neither of them had eaten much for breakfast, but Maisy wasn’t hungry. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen in the next few days, but with Jack’s determination to leave and Jason’s equal desire for them to stay so he could keep control over her, something had to break. She just hoped it wasn’t her.
Jack opened the door to the kitchen, and Paige and the other two women who helped with the meals turned to look at them. Satisfied that Jason wasn’t around, Jack took Maisy in his arms. He stared at her for a long moment,before leaning down and kissing her forehead. “I’ll be upstairs waiting.”
The moment he was gone, Maisy walked toward Paige. She didn’t have much time, and she needed to tell the older woman something important.
“Maisy, what’s wrong? Was something off with your breakfast?” she asked with a furrowed brow.
“No, it was great, as usual. But I need to talk to you,” she blurted. “Alone.”
Bless Paige, she didn’t miss a beat. She turned to her assistants. “Can you give us a moment, please?”
Without hesitation, the two women nodded and headed for the door. When it was just Paige and Maisy in the kitchen, the cook turned to her. “Now, what’s going on? What did you want to tell me?”
Maisy looked around, not sure what she was looking for. Cameras? Audio recorders? She wouldn’t know what they looked like if they were there. But she couldn’t risk being overheard. She gestured with her head toward the large walk-in pantry and headed that way.
Paige followed with a confused look on her face, but she didn’t protest. Maisy closed the door behind them, then turned to the woman she’d known practically her entire life and took a deep breath. “I need you to do something for me. Something huge. And maybe dangerous. But I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think it was important.”
The woman studied her for a long moment. Then surprised the hell out of her.
“When I first started working for your parents, I was twenty-five. It was supposed to be a bridge-job. Something I did until I found a ‘real’ career. I’m now sixty-one, and I’m still here. I loved your mom and dad, and when youwere born, they truly felt their family was complete. Some of my best memories are with you, Maisy. Baking cookies, watching you and your friends squeal in joy over the birthday cakes I made for you. And some of my worst memories are here too. Crying with you after hearing about the carjacking, worrying about you when you were so depressed you couldn’t get out of bed…and watching that brother of yours abuse you so horribly.”
Maisy’s mouth dropped open in shock.
“I see it all,” Paige said fiercely. “I would’ve left years ago, but I couldn’t leave you alone in this house. So whatever you have to tell me stays between the two of us. You’re the daughter I never had. I love you, child, so whatever you need to say, just say it.”
The desire to tell Paige about Jack was difficult to tamp down. It was bad enough she was going to do what she was going to do. She was putting Paige in as much danger as her and Jack, but she had to dosomething. It wasn’t enough, but it was the only thing she felt she could do at this point.
“I have a diary. It’s not actually a diary, but a confession. I’ve written it all in the last week. I included as much as I could remember, all the details that will hopefully help. It’s in my room. There’s a loose board directly under the window. I don’t think Jason knows about it. If anything…” She swallowed hard then forced herself to continue. “If anything happens to me or Jack…I need you to get it. And the other things I’ve hidden there with it. Give it all to the police.”
“Maisy,” Paige whispered in a tortured tone.
“Not that I think anything will happen,” Maisy lied quickly. “But if it does…”
Paige reached out and grabbed her hand. “I understand. And don’t worry, I’ll take care of it. But I need you to hear me. Are you listening?”
Maisy looked into the face of the woman who’d always been there for her. It was full of lines and wrinkles, and she looked like she’d lived an extremely difficult life, but she’d shown up day after day without fail. Making soups, delicious bread, desserts, and filling Maisy’s belly when she didn’t feel like eating. She was putting her in great danger by not fully explaining, but as she stared into Paige’s hazel eyes, Maisy had a feeling the woman already knew the dark and dangerous secrets that filled this house.
“Maisy? Look at me. Fight through the fog of those damn drugs he’s been giving you and concentrate.”
She felt bad that Paige thought she was distracted because of the medication she was supposedly taking. Jason had probably warned her she was depressed and back on the meds. Setting the stage, so to speak. “I’m listening,” she told her old friend.
“I know,” Paige said softly but firmly. “I’ll take care of that diary for you. I give you my word. But if the chance presents itself, get out. Away from this house and the ghosts that live here. You deserve to fly, and you’ve always been tethered to the ground here. Take that husband of yours and get out. You hear me?Get out.”
“I will.”
“Good,” Paige said with such satisfaction and relief, it made Maisy blink away tears.
“And take care of that man of yours. He’s a good one,” Paige added with a nod. “He’ll look after you.”
Maisy wanted to say so much, but she didn’t have the time, and she wasn’t sure what she’d say anyway. Paigeknew that Jack wasn’t her husband before he’d appeared a few weeks ago. She wasn’t stupid. But she hadn’t said a word. Had kept quiet, just like everyone did around her brother.
A small part of her felt a teensy bit better at that knowledge, as awful as that was. That she wasn’t the only one who was afraid of Jason. It didn’t absolve her of her wrongdoings toward Jack, but at least she didn’t feel so alone anymore.
