The Man In The Mirror

"I will,” I assured. “It will help him loosen up a bit. He is a bit wound up most of the time."

"He is? How so?"

"Um," I hesitated. This was not the reason why I had called and I really didn’t want to seem to be complaining or telling tales all the time, but now that I had said it, I had to follow through. "It’s not anything serious. After he spends a bit of time with me he’ll probably stop being so anal about his hair and clothes and shoes."

He was silent for a while. "I know he will learn to loosen up as time goes on, especially with you in charge of his care. I just want it to happen before he starts school. I don’t want him to be different than the other kids or get bullied because he doesn’t know how to behave."

"I think he will do very well at school. He is incredibly well mannered.”

“I hope so.”

“Hey, I wanted to thank you for sending the photos.”

“That’s okay. He had a really good time.”

“I could see that. There was a photo of you too.”

I could feel the fire rush up my throat. “Yeah, I wasn’t going to send it, but he looked so happy there I thought you might want to see it.”

“It was a great photo. I’m glad you sent it. Now I can put a face to your voice.”

Something happened between us. The energy changed. We were no longer employer and employee. I swallowed hard. I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing would come out. I don’t know whether the heavens took pity on me and saved me, decided to punish me because at that moment, the door to my room burst open and Zackary's mother walked in, an expensive dressing robe tied around her tiny waist.

"What the fuck is going on outside?"

"It's just a little playground for Zackary—”

She folded her arms across her chest, her gaze full of disbelief. "How dare you do something like this without asking my permission?”

“His father—”

“Don’t pretend that butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth,” she snarled. “I know it’s you. You instigated this.”

I straightened my spine, determined to get a word in edgewise. “Madam—”

But she cut me off again. “I told you to give my son a little time off yesterday in the garden, and you turn his whole life into a circus show?”

"A circus—”

"They praised you as being the best at the agency, however your actions so far have served only to irritate me and make me think you are not the right person for this job." She looked at me as if I disgusted her.

“Could you please let me explain, Madam?”

"No,” she said, her voice was cold and hard. “I think you’ve done enough damage. I’ve had enough of you trying to undermine me behind my back. You think you can take my place. Hmmm? Well, I’ve got news for you. You’re fired. Pack your things right now and get out of my house. Barnaby will call a taxi for you. Needless to say, I won’t be giving you any glowing references."

I felt my own temper rise to the surface. What did this selfish bitch think? That I was desperate for a ride from her? I made my voice cool and uncaring. "I’ll be packed and gone in an hour. I don’t need a reference from you, glowing or otherwise, and I can get my own taxi."

“We understand each other then. I’ll send Mrs. Blackmore to check your luggage before you leave in case you accidentally pack anything that is not yours.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you. You are classy to the very end.”

Her eyes flashed and she was about to say something else when her phone began to ring. When she lifted it up to check the ID, her eyes almost rolled into the back of her head. "Of course," she muttered and with a last glare at me, stormed out of the room.

A barrage of emotions and sensations flooded into me. The first of which was a strange sense of loss which sapped me of all my strength. I had been here less than a week, but it felt like a year. I was just starting to get attached to Zackary ... I had hoped to make a difference and I could already see changes in him. And his father ... I don’t know what I wanted or expected from him. It was all getting too complicated. Maybe this was for the best.

I sank on the bed and looked at the wall blankly. It was stupid but my eyes stung with unshed tears. No crying here, Charlotte. You walk out of this place with your head held high. You can cry all you want when you get home, okay. I swallowed the lump in my throat and had just taken a deep calming breath when the intercom crackled.

“Charlotte.”

Startled I jumped to my feet. The intercom had been on the whole time. "Brett!"

"Don't do a thing," he said, his voice not warm and friendly but so cold and hard I almost didn’t recognize it. "I'll handle this."

The intercom clicked and became silent as he disconnected the line.

Chapter 21

Brett

"Why are you ignoring my calls?" I demanded from the door.

Jillian looked up from her dressing table and regarded me with narrowed eyes. “You came all the way here? I can’t wait to hear what can be so important."

I leaned against the door frame and watched her. With a sigh she turned back to her mirror and continued applying her makeup, but her movements were jerky. She was not as calm as she was pretending to be.

"Why did you fire Charlotte?” I asked, walking into her room. Her cloying perfume made specially for her filled my nostrils, reminding me of a time I wanted to forget.

She snorted in disbelief and whirled around on her stool to face me. "She already came running to you? What the hell is going on? Are you fucking her or something?”

"Take your mind out of the gutter. I am not fucking her. She is our son’s nanny. I was speaking to her on the intercom when you came into her room. What exactly is her offense?"

"When did you become her advocate? And when did it start to matter to you whom I hired or fired?”

“I feel very comfortable having her handle Zackary’s care.”

“You didn’t even want a nanny,” she hurled at me.

“That’s true, but since you've insisted on one, I now acknowledge that you were right. A nanny is a good idea and I can see Zackary has benefited a lot from Charlotte being here."

She glared at me for a moment and then turned her back on me and gazed at her reflection in the mirror. "She was over stepping her authority, I'll get someone else."

My temper began to rise. "I was the one who bought all the equipment and permitted Zackary to play outside. Come to think of it why would you place all these restrictions on him without informing me about it?"

"When did you suddenly start to care so much about Zackary’s welfare? You've left him to me all this while."

"Do you want me to retract that basic right as his mother from you as well? You don't seem very interested in it any longer."

She shot to her feet, her eyes ablaze. "How dare you question my love for my son?"

"Don't test me," I said. "I've allowed you to go whichever way you chose these past years. I won't take such liberties when it comes to Zackary. Either Charlotte stays, or you leave."

Her mouth dropped open. “You would choose a woman who walked into our lives a few days ago over me?”

“Yes.”

For a second she stared at me in horror as it became clear to her that I was serious. Then I saw the gears in her brain shift and tears that I had not only no patience for, but found infuriating, began to fill her eyes.” Brett, how did we get here? We grew up together. How did I come to mean so little to you? We are a family. She is the outsider. I know what she has been doing. She’s been poisoning you against me."

I couldn't believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. Never had I met someone that was as dishonest with herself as she was to everyone else around.

"Jillian, what exactly do I mean to you?”

“I love you, Brett,” she cried passionately.

“You sure about that?" I asked as I stripped away my mask.

Her true reaction shone through becau

se she didn’t have enough time to hide it. She flinched ... she actually flinched, right before my eyes. Her eyes traced the deep, unbearably ugly scars that lined the right portion of my face. It was a lot better than it had been at the beginning, but the shriveled, disfigured flesh torn from by being flung through the window of a somersaulting vehicle then being dragged so hard on gravel that it sandpapered my face right down to the bone in some places, was one she still couldn’t stomach.

"Is everything clear now?" I asked, putting the mask back on.

To my surprise, she began to move towards me, lifting her hand up to touch me.

I slapped the hands away before they could connect with my flesh.