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Her words make me smile. I like this woman and I’m glad she’s the one Luke pulled to be my driver. Not that I need a driver any time soon.
“Would you like to have a cup of coffee with me? I saw a fancy machine in the kitchen earlier,” I say.
Jeanie shakes her head. “No, thank you. Wouldn’t want to get fired the first day on the job. These people already fired me once.”
I raise a quizzical eyebrow. “And you came back to work for them?”
Jeanie grins. “What can I say? I really didn’t want to move back to Los Angeles. Before Skylar moved there, I worked for her family and was her driver for many years. She talked me into going to LA with her and it was never a good fit for me. Vegas has always been my home, so I’m glad to be back.”
I won’t press any further. But I am curious about why she got fired and why they rehired her.
“I guess I’m being a little misleading. My previous employment wasn’t directly for Mr. Bennett or Mr. Bowden. I worked for Skylar Cameron, and her boyfriend fired me after a misunderstanding.”
My mouth forms an O. “You’re who she was talking about. We went shopping my first day here, and she mentioned a driver she liked that Matteo wasn’t happy with.”
Jeanie snorted. “Not happy with was an understatement. For a minute, when he was firing me, I thought he might kill me and dump me in Lake Mead. But I figure with all the bodies being found down there these days he would have to find a better hiding spot for me, so he let me live.”
I chuckle. She’s funny.
“Well. I won’t let anyone else fire you, Jeanie. I’m glad to have you here. And if you want some coffee, I’m making a pot anyway.”
Jeanie smiles and follows me into the kitchen where I flip on the coffee maker and start making it.
I rarely drink a lot of coffee, but today I just feel like I need a little jolt to get me through the day. It’s going to be a long one, I just have that feeling.
Jeanie joins me for coffee after all, and we sit on barstools in the kitchen chatting. As I’m contemplating a second cup because I’m enjoying our conversation, the front door opens, and I go stiff for a second before I recognize Skylar’s voice.
“I already said I was sorry, sheesh.”
I smirk at the bratty tone to her words but sober quickly when I hear Matteo’s voice. He’s clearly in a lovely mood today.
“We both know you didn’t mean it Princess, so go to the bedroom and wait for me. You’ll mean it when I’m done with you.”
“I’m getting water first,” she says defiantly. Her face is a storm cloud of emotion when she stalks into the kitchen.
She freezes when she spies me, then a slow smile spreads across her face when her eyes land on Jeanie.
“Jeanie! What are you doing here? It’s so good to see you.” She rushes over and offers the driver a hug. At first, she’s reluctant, throwing a wary stare at Matteo but relaxes and hugs Skylar after an awkward beat of silence.
“Jeanie,” Matteo says tersely, offering his hand.
“Mr. Bennett. Thanks for the reference.”
His face remains impassive as he turns his attention from Jeanie to me.
“Zara, where would you like your things?”
“We’re in the guest room at the opposite end of the hall from yours. Thank you for opening your home to us, by the way.”
His expression softens, and he nods. “Of course. Anything for Luke.”
Skylar makes a face, and I fight the urge to chuckle. She still clearly has issues with Luke. Not that I blame her. But they’re on the path to being friends again, I can tell.
Matteo heads back to the foyer where he picks up suitcases.
“Skylar, I’ll see you upstairs in five minutes.”
His expression as they stare at each other dares her to argue, and she just nods. “Yes, Sir.”
