Chapter 12 - The Woman Who Was No Longer Just a Maid|
By summer, my life had changed in ways I never imagined.
Ethan graduated from nursing school.
My mother cried through the entire ceremony.
I cried too.
And when Ethan walked across the stage to receive his diploma, I stood so quickly that I nearly knocked over my chair.
He laughed when he saw me.
Afterward, he hugged me tightly.
“You did this, Soph.”
I shook my head.
“No. You did.”
He smiled.
“You paid my tuition when I couldn't.”
I felt tears fill my eyes.
“You worked hard.”
He kissed my forehead.
“So did you.”
A week later, I received an unexpected telephone call.
The Moretti Family Assistance Foundation was hiring a community outreach coordinator.
I'd helped review early plans for the program.
It would support families facing education and medical expenses.
The board chair encouraged me to apply.
I hesitated.
I was still a housemaid.
I had no formal experience in nonprofit administration.
But I knew what it was like to choose between rent and tuition.
I knew what it was like to pretend everything was fine while calculating bills in my head.
And I knew how much a little help could change someone's life.
So I applied.
I interviewed with an independent hiring committee.
I completed a short training program.
And three weeks later, I received the offer.
I stared at the letter for almost five minutes.
The salary was higher than anything I'd ever earned.
There were benefits.
Professional development opportunities.
And a job description that made me feel useful in an entirely new way.
I called my mother.
She screamed.
Then cried.
Then screamed again.
Ethan laughed so hard he nearly dropped the phone.
That evening, Adrian invited me to dinner.
Not in the formal dining room.
Not with twenty-eight guests.
Just the two of us in the small family kitchen.
Margaret had gone home early.
Daniel was spending the weekend at an art workshop.
The mansion was quiet.
Adrian stood beside the stove wearing a black shirt with his sleeves rolled up.
His tattoos were visible along his forearms.
He was trying to cook pasta.
Trying was the important word.
I stared at the pot.
“Mr. Moretti, is that supposed to be boiling?”
He looked offended.
“Of course.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“The water isn't moving.”
He looked into the pot.
Then frowned.
“I may have forgotten to turn on the burner.”
I burst out laughing.
For a moment, he stared.
Then he laughed too.
It was a sound I rarely heard during my first two years at the mansion.
Warm.
Uncontrolled.
Almost boyish.
We ordered takeout instead.
And ate at the kitchen table.
Adrian asked about my new position.
I told him everything.
The families I'd be helping.
The outreach programs.
The training.
The nervous excitement.
He listened carefully.
Then smiled.
“I'm proud of you.”
My throat tightened.
“Thank you.”
He hesitated.
Then looked at me.
“Sophie, can I ask you something?”
I nodded.
“Of course.”
“Now that you won't be working in my home anymore…”
My heart began racing.
He looked strangely nervous.
“Would you have dinner with me sometime?”
I laughed softly.
“We're having dinner.”
He smiled.
“A real date.”
I stared.
“Adrian…”
He took a breath.
“I know our circumstances are complicated.”
I nodded.
“And I don't want you to feel any pressure because of my position or my family's involvement with the foundation.”
His voice softened.
“You've earned your new job. That won't change regardless of your answer.”
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
Then I whispered, “Are you sure?”
He smiled faintly.
“About asking you?”
I nodded.
“Yes.”
He reached across the table.
Then stopped.
“May I?”
I smiled.
“Yes.”
He gently took my hand.
“I've wanted to ask for months.”
My eyes filled.
“Then why didn't you?”
“Because you deserved time to build your own future.”
I looked at him.
He continued.
“And because Daniel needed me to be his brother before I tried to become anything else.”
My heart softened.
“That's one of the things I admire about you.”
He smiled.
“Only one?”
I laughed.
“Don't push your luck.”
He laughed too.
Then squeezed my hand gently.
“So?”
I pretended to think.
He raised an eyebrow.
“Sophie.”
I smiled.
“Yes, Adrian.”
His expression changed.
“Yes?”
“I'd love to go on a date with you.”
May you like
He looked so relieved that I laughed again.
And for the first time, the man who could silence a room with one word seemed completely happy sitting at a kitchen table with a woman who used to serve him dinner.
