False Pretenses

Part 2

Chapter 1

I stepped out of the limo, and chastised myself for not waiting for the driver to run around and open the door first.  Sending him a disgusted look, I took a step away from him.  “You smell.  I would have thought that opening my door would be enough to let you know that I did not want you near me.”

The old man’s face dropped, and I had to stop myself from reaching out and pulling him into a hug while whispering that this was all an act.  This wasn’t who I truly was, only who I pretended to be.  “Yes, Miss Herring.”

Letting a small smile slip onto my face, I made my second mistake on the job.  “Call me Dorothy.”

The crows feet around his eyes deepened as he smiled at me.  “Hodge, you can call me Hodge.”

The way his eyes lit up, the way he straightened, I knew that the real Dorothy was just as nasty as I had thought she was.  If she wasn’t, why would the man state his name as if it was the first time I would have heard it?  I leaned towards him, making sure to keep the nasty look on my face.  If anyone were to look at the exchange, it would look as if I were reprimanding him, and by the look on Hodge’s face, he was waiting for me to lash out also.

“If I’m mean to you, you’ll understand, right?  It is not who I am, but what I have to do.”

Understanding flashed in the man’s eyes, and I knew he was smarter than he let on.  Was I naïve in thinking I could have a friend at this massive place, should I have kept my secret to myself?  It didn’t matter, because the fact of the matter was that it was too late.  I had already let the driver know I wasn’t who I seemed.

“Now, grab my bags,” I said, pulling away from him while rolling my eyes.  “The days in Fiji were amazing.”

“Gave you a nice tan, Miss.”

This time, I kept the smile off my face.  Hodge was a smart man indeed, noticing my small hints.  I had needed a way to explain why I was darker than the prissy heiress was, and a small trip to Fiji explained it. 

Walking behind Hodge, I scanned the area, trying to keep the fact that I was cataloging everything in my head a secret.  He went up the stairs, rolling my two bags behind him.  The heels clanked on the stone walkway, up the stairs, and paused while Hodge opened the door for me. 

“Your mother won’t touch you,” he mumbled, “but your father still loves you, no matter how mean spirited you are.”

I blinked at him, but didn’t say another word.  Putting my trust in the driver was a smart choice; I could see that now.  The man knew a lot, most likely more than all my people combined did.

A tall woman stepped out of a room to the left.  The sitting room, I acknowledged, remembering the floor plans I had studied before I came.  She was tall, and the saying cold flashed through my mind as I looked at her platinum blonde hair and blue eyes.  She looked at me, hesitance in her eyes and body language.  She didn’t know what to do with me, didn’t know how to handle my being here.

“Hello, Dorothy.”

“Hello, Mother.”

Her eyes widened, and Hodge coughed behind me.  Damn, why hadn’t Mitch briefed me better, told me the things Dorothy wouldn’t have said, wouldn’t have done? 

Before we could say another word, a man came from the same room.  This must be where Dorothy got her black hair from, because the man's hair was pitch black with lines of grey at his temples.  The smile on his face was genuine, the warmth in his eyes for me.  “You were gone for a week, but it felt like years,” he said while taking a step towards me.  His hand jerked out, and I placed mine in his.  He shook it before dropping it with a sad smile.  “The sun did wonders for you; you look more healthy, does she not, Lisa?”