Maid for Me by Kat Lieu, Eve Lieu Page A

goof, as if she had a crush on the handsome, older gentleman. She left the office, following Jaiden. In the elevator, Jaiden let out a sigh of relief.

    “That went relatively well,” he said. He raised his palm. “High five?”

    Mina obliged, smacking his palm soundly with hers.

    The ride down thirty floors would have taken less than a minute if the elevator didn’t jolt its brakes and black out. The sudden stop launched Mina toward Jaiden, slamming her body against his. The closed, dark space reminded Mina of the grave she had fallen into. If she were alone, she would think about her daddy and sink into sorrow. Jaiden, warm and breathing, reminded her how great it was to be alive, even when one was stuck in a busted elevator.

    “Don’t worry, we’ll be okay,” Jaiden said, reassuring Mina by not pushing her away. A flashback of a five year old Jaiden played before his eyes. The child huddled in the corner of his dark bedroom. Crying, he covered his ears to keep out the sounds of his parents screaming at each other. Vases and fists flew, the walls almost shattered, and the child wondered what he had done wrong to make Mommy and Daddy mad.

    Amelia, a young and beautiful maid, wrapped her arms around Jaiden, the same way Mina hugged her arms around him now. Amelia sang him a lullaby, wiped away his tears, and kissed his forehead.

    “I love you,” Jaiden said, his voice soft and sad. Amelia was his favorite maid-she resigned two years ago for no apparent reason.

    Mina pushed herself away from Jaiden. She could feel her heart beating against her chest.

    Did he just say he loves me?

     

     

     

     

    *EIGHT*

     

     

    The lights flickered before they lit up again. The elevator resumed its journey downward, as if nothing had happened. Likewise, Jaiden smoothed his shirt out with his hands and stretched his neck. Mina planted herself at least a leg’s length away from Jaiden.

    “You okay?” Jaiden grinned, snapping out of his sad reverie. “What’s wrong with your face? It’s tomato red.”

    Mina gulped. I must have heard him wrong. He probably said olive-juice or something like that. “Nothing. I have thin capillaries and whenever I get scared or excited, they spill blood,” she blurted.

    “I see.” He grinned. The elevator door opened and Jaiden walked out, leaving Mina in the elevator with her heartbeats calming. He turned around and faced her. “I’ll have Driver take you home. You can take the rest of the day off.”

    “Sounds good to me. Thanks, Boss.”

    After Mina changed into a pair of jeans and a yellow t-shirt-the dress felt too unnatural on her-they entered the limo parked outside the D.L.P. building.

    Twenty minutes later, they arrived in front of Mina’s house. Jaiden exited the limo with Mina. He scrutinized the two-floored house and said, “It’s quaint.” He wondered if Mina ever felt claustrophobic in the tiny house. The front lawn was too small. Even a tiny bichon frise wouldn’t be happy running around here.

    “Behold, my humble abode. I won’t invite you inside. Your precious feet might explode on contact with our dirty carpets. Rich Boys don’t belong in this part of town,” she drawled, noticing the earlier look of disgust on Jaiden’s face when they arrived.

    Ignoring Mina’s comment, Jaiden said, “This is the house you’re trying to save, right?”

    “It’s my Daddy’s house,” Mina said. “He worked hard to buy it. He had a lot of dreams for this place.”

    Had? “So your Dad’s no longer here?”

    Mina shook her head. She squinted, noticing gray smoke from the second floor window-Kaila’s bedroom.

    “My god.”

    The debt collectors must have set the house on fire!

    Mina launched herself out the limo and ran into her house. Jaiden, spotting the smoke, followed Mina inside her house, taking out his new cell phone to call for help.

    Mina ran up the flight of stairs and kicked her mother’s bedroom door open. Kaila, sprawled on the