Maid for My Nemesis novel · Chapter 4 of 24

Chapter 4: The Pantry

I did not go in through the front door.

I cut across the wet lawn and came around to the kitchen entrance, where the key was under a flowerpot, as Julian had told me.

Through the window over the sink, I saw him walking into the kitchen with Presley two steps behind.

I ducked below the glass.

My heart was going like a rabbit.

I could have walked away, and nobody would have known I had been there.

But the bucket and the mop were inside, and so was my envelope for the week.

Also, I was curious, and curiosity has always been my biggest weakness.

I crept to the back door and eased the key into the lock.

It turned without a sound.

The door opened onto a narrow hall, and on my left was a pantry with the door standing open.

"Julian, you're being impossible," Presley's voice said from the kitchen.

I slid inside the pantry, pulled the door almost shut, and pressed my back against the shelves.

The shelves were bare, except for the instant noodles and a box of crackers.

Then the door opened wider, and Julian stepped in.

He had come to fetch a glass, or a plate, or an excuse.

He saw me, and his whole body went still.

I put one finger against my lips.

He stared at me, and then, very slowly, he stepped all the way in and pulled the door shut behind him.

The pantry was the size of a coat closet.

There was a string hanging from the ceiling, and I had pulled it without thinking.

A small yellow bulb was lit above our heads, and a line of light showed under the door.

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