Joanna frantically rushed around her room, packing up her things as quickly as possible. She had no idea how she was going to carry all her stuff to the curb to wait on a cab to get her. Joanna was thinking about asking Ray for help when someone banged on the door like they were going to knock it down.
“Joanna!” Winifred yelled through the door. “You’ve been gone almost the whole day!”
Joanna stilled, hoping the head housekeeper would think she wasn’t in the room if she remained quiet.
“Joanna, I know you’re in there. One of the guards told me they saw a cab drop you off at the gate five minutes ago!”
&n
Joanna lye on the twin size bed on her back. Courtney sat on the edge of it. She had finished telling Courtney everything that had happened today fifteen minutes ago. The girls sat in silence as they held each other’s hands. Joanna could tell Courtney felt sorry for her, but Joanna didn’t want her pity. She wanted the ability to turn back time to July fourth when she had told Trevor the truth about her background. She wanted a second chance to tell Trevor the rest of her story. But, that was never going to happen. There was a tapping on the door. Courtney let go of Joanna’s hand and walked to the door and opened it. 
For the last thirty-six hours Trevor had been on the go. Early yesterday, he got a call from a man named Eric St Charles. He was a developer who had got caught holding the bag on a sky rise project in L.A. He was frantically calling every real estate developer he could find to see if they wanted to come in for the half he got stuck with. Trevor wasn’t sure if Hudson should get involved, but the guy sounded desperate and he didn’t have anything scheduled until next week. So Trevor had decided he would meet with the guy in person and take a look at the property that was halfway developed. But, time was of the essence, if Eric didn’t find a new partner within forty-eight hours the bank was going to take the property and he’d be bankrupt. Trevor had taken off on the Hudson jet around three o’clock yesterday.&nb
The flight to Maine was only an hour and twenty minutes long. Joanna had gotten nervous when the plane was taking off. Once they got into the air and straightened out, she had relaxed. The stewardess in first class rushed back to her to check on her. She had seen how Joanna trembled when the seatbelt light came on. William had sprung for her to have a first class seat. Joanna knew enough about flying to know first class cost extra. All in all in was a pleasant experience.Per William’s instructions, which he had written down for her, she had to take a taxi to Wiscasset. It was fifty miles away from the airport she had landed in, Portland International Jetport.The cab driver was friendly and chatty. He had lived in Portland for fifteen years with his second wife. He had one son who was in college. He had also driven many people to Wiscasset from the airport. Apparently, a lot of people go
Whitney had gotten off the phone with Eric St. Charles an hour ago. He was an old lover of hers. Eric had moved to California to expand his construction business. The move had really paid off for him. He was worth over five hundred million dollars and it looked like he would be worth more than that in the years to come. She had called Eric for a favor; to call Trevor Hudson personally to get him out of New York for at least twenty-four hours so she could work her magic on Joanna Yoder. In return, he wanted to get laid the next time he was in New York. Whitney had agreed without second guessing the request. Eric was top notch in bed. That’s why she had kept him on as a lover for four years – until he had moved. Eric had told her to leave it to him to come up with a plan to get Trevor out of town for a day. She had – and w
Per usual Johnson’s Soul Food was having a hopping Friday night. Rain, sleet or snow, the restaurant was always busy on the weekends. That’s why they stayed open until midnight on the weekends. Keyonna was busting her ass taking orders and serving food along with her sister, Laquisha. Their parents let them keep the tips, but they didn’t get paid hourly. Staying in the upstairs apartments was their base pay. “Who in the name of hell is that?” Junbug, one of the regulars, slurred loudly. Half the customers and the all the employees out front turned to look out the glass windows to see a black stretch limousine. 
Keyonna Johnson walked out of the steel door under the overhang behind the building after she kept Trevor waiting for nearly five minutes. She wore jean shorts and a black T-Shirt that said Johnson’s Soul Food in yellow letters. She was holding a lighter and a cigarette in her hands. “I smoke from time to time. It helps me think clearly. I usually just bum a couple off my brother. You don’t mind, do you?” “You can light a crack pipe right now for all I care as long as you tell me what I want to know,” Trevor said as he threw his arms up in the air. “What is going on? Where is Clarice?” “Yeah, Clarice,” Keyonna said and put the ciga
Trevor strode into the foyer with a purpose with Ray in toe. Bruce was crossing the foyer, going to the other side of the mansion. He had the vodka bottle from the limo in his right hand. “Just the man I wanted to see,” Trevor said to his brother. “I need you to get William and . . . however many maids we got left and tell them to meet me in the study.” “Why?” Bruce asked and glanced down at the bottle in Trevor’s hand. “I need to talk them – now. You can stay for it or not. It’s your choice, but I want to see them immediately in the study.” “All right,&rd
Trevor got a refill as Courtney began her story. It started off innocently enough. Joanna wanted a taste of life outside of being the help. Courtney had come up with the phony name that coincidently was the same last name of a powerful and rich family. “It was uncanny how we came up with the same idea – about going to the ball. And it seemed like . . . fate was telling Joanna something when Mrs. Hudson decided not to wear the dress Joanna had already made for her,” Courtney said. “So, Joanna took a chance. I even did her hair and make-up that night. You did a damn good job that was for sure, Trevor thought as he walked away from the bar with a fresh drink. “At