the apartment out. When that is done, I lug all my suitcases inside and unpack what little I’ve brought with me.
Clothes and shoes. A handful of important books. Some knickknacks. My chocolate stash.
I have a piece of chocolate now, nibbling it, sighing as the bittersweet flavor melts on my tongue. That’s better.
I go back to unpacking.
A few framed photos of Grayson and I as kids. An old photo of my mom, grinning at the camera like a girl without a care in the world. That was back before she got into drugs, and long before she had us.
There’s also a picture of my college friends all dolled up, smiling at the camera. A porcelain bell with Dollywood written on the side, from an impromptu road trip with my best friend Chloe when we were in college.
When a knock sounds at the door, I assume that it’s just Aiden. I shout, “Come in!”
A strange woman’s voice calls out. “Hello?”
I stand and hustle myself to the front door, where a very smartly dressed blonde in a pink power blazer looks in. She smiles broadly when I see her, which only increases her beauty. She has a dazzling smile.
“Hi! I’m Megan,” she says. I rush to open the screen door, taking the hand she thrusts at me.
“Hi. I’m Olivia.” I glance down at my own rumpled white dress, feeling unprepared even though I didn’t know she was coming. “Um, come in. I’m sorry it’s still such a mess. I am just getting settled.”
I back away from the door, ushering her inside. Megan grins, wielding a chic white briefcase.
“Don’t worry! I’m actually here because I’m one of Mrs. Morgan’s attorneys. She called this morning and said that she’d hired you. I just have a little paperwork for you to fill out. You know, a W-2 and some basic information.”
“Oh!” I say, a little surprised. “Of course.”
She withdraws a little sheaf of paper and a fancy pen from her briefcase. “Do you mind doing it right now? I’m sorry to intrude, but this estate is way outside of town. It would be amazing if you could complete it while I’m here.”
Aiden pops his head in, his arms full of cut firewood. “Hey Olivia, I brought this—”
He spots Megan, his eyes drinking her in like a man dying of thirst. As my heart sinks, I can see him trying to figure her out.
She’s blonde. She’s pretty. She’s well-dressed. She’s perky.
She’s exactly Aiden’s type.
Aiden’s eyes light up as he looks at her and his smile widens. He sets the stack of wood down, dusting his hands off. Then he holds his hand out to her. “Hi. I’m Aiden.”
She smiles and shakes his hand. “Hey! I was on my way to you next. I have some forms for you to fill out. I’m the chief errand runner for my law firm these days.”
For all intents and purposes, I might as well not even exist. I look between them, trying my best not to look as desperate as I feel.
This is my nightmare, though. For someone like me, a former foster kid, I need to feel seen. That’s why I acted in plays when I was in college, because it’s hard as hell for someone like me to speak up unless I can recede into being a character. Then I can be something more than just myself; I can be a queen or a runaway, a dowager or Joan of Arc.
There is nothing harder than to be seen when someone else in the room is as magnetic as Megan. Luckily she breaks off eye contact and returns her attention to the papers before her.
“Let me just hand these to you, Olivia,” she says, waving them in my direction.
I slink across to her and take them, retreating to the table to fill them out. All the while, I am silently rebuking myself.
Say something cutting. Or do something funny. You can't recite a monologue right now, but maybe you can sing?
Draw attention to yourself. Be as magnetic as Megan.
But no. I’m too much a wallflower and too big of a wuss. That’s why girls like Megan get hot guys like Aiden. Feeling like a failure, I avert my eyes and begin filling out the paperwork.
Megan rustles around in her briefcase, producing an identical sheaf of papers for Aiden. “I’m sorry, I don’t have a pen. You’ll have to wait until Olivia is done.”
He plucks the papers out of her hand with a grin. “I’ll have to spend my time getting to