Whispers of Refuge Box Set

CHAPTER 31-2

Juliette wouldn’t entrust this morning’s cooking to anyone else. She ordered Eve to take the day off and forced the girl outside to take a walk. Sometimes Juliette forgot Eve could go days — maybe even weeks — without leaving the house if nobody was paying attention. Juliette liked to do her own shopping in the marketplace where all the Korean-Chinese vendors congregated. It kept her language skills sharp when her ears were bombarded with dozens of conversations going on at once, and frankly, she hated being cooped up in that huge empty house all the time. She didn’t always remember her housekeeper had the same needs for fresh air and time alone, and she couldn’t even guess the last time Eve went out.

Juliette thought about the way her husband would tease her if he knew how high in her chest her heart was fluttering this morning. At least, she hoped he would tease her. When he came back from the hotel district, Roger seemed jovial enough, but for weeks Juliette had acted like a spoiled, pampered toddler, throwing fits until everyone around her caved in to her wishes. Could she blame him if he was still perturbed?

At least God had answered her prayers, though. If God really wanted them to get back into hotel district rescues, then that refugee who came to their door last night really was a sign from heaven. Which meant the girl in Kennedy’s old room upstairs was sent directly from the Almighty himself. So why was Juliette in such a panic?

“What have you gotten into now?” she muttered to herself, cracking an egg into a pan along with half the shell. She didn’t know if she should smile or cry. What had she been thinking? She and Roger weren’t young anymore. They were middle-aged by every definition of the term. Their friends back in the States were going on vacation cruises and golfing five times a week. Some were just a year or two away from retirement. Why couldn’t Juliette have picked some other charitable passion — like donating collections to local libraries or something?

The front door opened. Juliette wondered if Roger had decided to stop by the house. It would certainly help her know where things stood between them. Last night, they had both fallen asleep almost immediately after getting the rescued girl settled in her room, but Juliette wasn’t sure if it was because they were both so tired or if they were avoiding each other. He left before she woke up in the morning, which didn’t bode well. She strained her ears. “That you, honey?”

“It’s just me.” Eve peered around the kitchen corner, and Juliette forced her lips upward.

“I’m glad you’re back. Did you have a nice walk?”

Eve nodded and looked around. “Everything smells good.”

“Well, I hope our guest likes it.” Juliette stopped and studied her housekeeper. “You know, I never really asked you how you feel about ... well, I mean ... last night, we were just so overwhelmed that we kind of forgot ... I guess I’m just wondering ...”

“How I feel with a former brothel girl living here?” Eve finished. Juliette nodded, flustered. Eve shrugged. “I guess I’ll know once I meet her.”

***