Read Online Steamed (A Maid in LA Mystery) by Holly Jacobs - Free Book Online Page A

honey . I’m pretty sure he called all women honey, just so he mixed them up—there were a lot of them.  But still, it was almost a pet-name.”
      In a creepy sort of way, I thought, but wisely didn’t say out loud.  “Used to?”
      “He’s dead.  I’m in mourning.  And I’m pretty sure that if my mom hadn’t had this party planned, she’d have thrown one to celebrate.”
      “Not fond of each other?”
      Shaley laughed.  It was a hard brittle sound of someone much older.  “That’s an understatement.  They’re recently divorced.”
      “I’m sorry.”
      “Don’t be.  They never should have married.  I think my father married her to keep her from suing for child support.  It also got her to sign a pre-nup.  I think he did a cost analysis and decided it was cheaper that way.” 
      I must have looked surprised that she was so to-the-point.
      “I realize he was a bastard.  He cheated on Mom my whole life.  He pretty much ignored me.  I got into Yale, but only made it through a term.  He didn’t pay the spring tuition because Mom was giving him grief.  So here I am, back in LA, reapplying to less expensive schools.  I was so mad at him.  And now he’s dead.”
      “You have every right to be angry.”
      “Maybe.  But right now…” She shrugged her shoulders, as if she wasn’t sure what else to say. 
      And I hugged her.  I hugged her because she had a lousy mother who’d been so wrapped up in herself that she didn’t see how traumatized her daughter was and went through with her party anyway.  I hugged her for her dead father, who’d been a less than marvelous father when he was alive.  I even added an extra squeeze because when Shaley started to feel better and looked in a mirror, she was going to be horrified by her hair.
      “I’m so sorry, sweetie.”
      “You’re the nicest cater-waiter I’ve ever met.”
      “No.  I’m the first cater-waiter that doesn’t really care if I lose my job and let you see that I’m nice.  See, Auggie over there?”  I pointed to a kid who wasn’t much older than she was.  “He works these things for Honey because he’s paying his way through school and the money’s good.  He lives in a two bedroom apartment with three other guys, and Honey sends home leftover food because she doesn’t think any of them eat well.”
      “The other guys are struggling students, too?”
      “Worse.  They’re struggling actors.”
      That made her laugh. 
      “Everyone has a story, sweetie,” I said.  “Some just hide it better than others.  Maybe your father had a story you don’t know about.”
      She looked thoughtful a moment. “He does—did—have a new girlfriend who seems—seemed—different than some of the other ones.  Maybe my dad had a story and wasn’t the jerk I thought he was?” 
      I was pretty sure that Steve Banning was exactly the jerk both Shaley and I thought he was. I felt a stab of sympathy for his new girlfriend, but I didn’t say so.  If the new girlfriend had discovered he was a big jerk, that might give her motive.  But right now I couldn’t think about suspects, I had to think about the young woman in front of me. 
      “Maybe, honey.  He was your dad, and no matter what, he loved you in his own way.”
      She sniffed again.  “Thank you.  No one else has had one nice thing to say about him.”
      “I’m glad I could help.”
      She looked over at Auggie.  “Do you think this Honey might consider giving me a job?  My mom is more worried about keeping up appearances in order to catch a new husband.  She’s not going to help me with college costs.”
      Gossip had it that Shaley was going to inherit whatever money her father had left.  I hoped it was enough for her to go back to Yale.  But even if it was, working for something is a great life lesson.  “I’ll put in a good word for you.  Honey’s back in the kitchen.  Why don’t you sneak back there