I sighed, sinking deeper into the couch. “I figured you’d ask eventually. But I haven’t figured out how to answer that question yet.”
“It’s a simple question, Memphis.”
“Then the simple answer is New York.”
“What’s the complicated answer?”
“The truth makes my family seem . . . ugly.” As frustrated as I was with them, I didn’t want strangers to think they were bad people. They were who they were. Distant. Self-absorbed. Proud. They were the product of their surroundings and extreme, selfish wealth.
Once, I hadn’t been all that different. Maybe they were ugly. But their awful actions had been the catalyst to my change. Because of them, I would be a better person. Despite them.
Knox walked to the door, pausing beside his discarded tennis shoes. “Better let me be the judge.”
I glanced to the clock on the microwave. “This isn’t really a conversation for two oh seven in the morning.”
He crossed the room, taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch with my son asleep on his chest. “Are they less ugly during the day?”
“No,” I whispered. “My father never held Drake. You’re the only man to ever carry him in your arms.”
A crease formed between his eyebrows. “Did he . . .”
“Die? No. He’s very much alive. My parents, my dad in particular, doesn’t approve of my choices. He sets the tone for our family, and when I refused to do things his way, he disowned me. My mother, my sister and my brother followed suit. Though it doesn’t really matter because I disowned them too.”
Knox studied my face. “What do you mean, they disowned you?”
“I worked for my dad. He fired me. I was living in one of their Manhattan townhouses. Drake was four weeks old when his attorney served me my thirty-day eviction notice. My grandparents set up trust funds for each of their grandchildren but required my father be the conservator until we turned thirty. I went in to take out some money so I could move and Dad denied the bank from granting me any withdrawals. He left me with nothing but the money I had in my own bank account and my final paycheck.”
“Are you fucking serious? Why?”
“He wants to know who Drake’s father is. I refuse to tell him. I refuse to tell anyone.” There was a hidden warning in my tone, that if Knox asked, I’d deny him an answer. “Dad didn’t like being told that it was none of his business. But there’s a reason why no one knows who Drake’s father is. I plan to keep it that way.”
Knox leaned forward, his hold on Drake tightening. “Is there something I need to know?”
“No. He’s gone from my life.”
“Are you sure?”
“Quite.” I had a signed document to prove it. “My dad thought he’d call my bluff. That if he made my life hard enough, I’d tell him everything he wanted to know. That he could continue to pull my strings and I’d dance as one of his little puppets. I’m twenty-five, not sixteen. My decisions are my own. My secrets are my own.”
Knox leaned into the couch, shaking his head. “You’re right. I’m not really liking your family at the moment.”
“My father isn’t used to being told no. He owns a hotel conglomerate. And he runs his family as heavy-handedly as he does his business.”
“A hotel?” Knox’s eyebrows arched. “Which one?”
“Ward Hotels.”
“No shit?” He huffed a laugh. “After culinary school, I worked in San Francisco. The restaurant was in a Ward Hotel.”
I blinked. “Really?”
“Small world.”
“That it is.” And I knew exactly which restaurant he was talking about too.
I’d been to San Francisco numerous times, always staying at the hotel. Had Knox been the one to cook my meals? It wouldn’t surprise me. It had been a favorite place to eat.
“I’m named after Dad’s favorite hotel in Memphis. My sister is named Raleigh. My brother is Houston.”
Knox studied my profile. “Ward Hotels is not a small company.”
“No, it is not.”
It was a privately owned multimillion-dollar business. The real estate holdings alone were worth a fortune.
And I’d traded my thirty-million-dollar trust fund for a fourteen-dollar-per-hour housekeeping job.
Maybe it had been a reckless decision driven by betrayal. We didn’t have much in Quincy.
But we were free.
“You’re cleaning toilets,” Knox said.
I raised my chin. “There’s nothing wrong with cleaning toilets.”
“No, there isn’t.” He gave me a small nod. “What did you do before you came here? You worked for Ward?”
“I was a marketing executive for the company. My brother is being groomed to take over for my father, but my sister and I grew up knowing we’d always have jobs with the company. We were expected to work there. I started the day after I graduated from college.”
“Where did you go to school?”
“I have a degree in sociology from Princeton. Not exactly useful, but it was interesting.”
Knox was silent for a long moment, then he laughed. “Princeton. Why did you choose to work at The Eloise? Why not find something that paid more?”
“Hotels are what I’ve always known.” And though I probably could have found a cushy resort and worked my way into a general manager position, Dad had required his executives, including his daughters, to sign a ten-year noncompete.
“It seemed like the easy choice,” I said. “Not that the work is easy. It’s the hardest job I’ve ever had. But with so many other changes, I wanted the familiarity of a hotel. Even if I’ve never cleaned a room in my life.”
He blinked. “Seriously? You’ve never cleaned before this?”
“I had a maid,” I admitted. “I watched a lot of videos on YouTube before I started.”
“Well . . . according to Eloise, you’re doing a hell of a job.”
“Thank you.” I was glad it was dark so he wouldn’t see me blush. “I won’t be a housekeeper forever, but I was never given the chance to choose my own path. When I’m ready, I’ll find something that pays more. That leans on my education. There aren’t a ton of opportunities in a small town, but I’ll keep my eye out. For now, I like where I’m at.”
“You could have picked any other town.”
I shook my head. “I chose Quincy.”
This town was mine.
It was hard to explain how I’d become so attached to this place in such a short time. But every time I drove down Main, it felt more and more like home. Every time I went to the grocery store and my favorite cashier—Maxine—complimented me on having such an adorable baby, I felt my heart settle. Every time I walked into The Eloise, I felt like I belonged.
“My parents would hate it here.” I smiled.
“Part of its appeal?”
“At first.” I dropped my gaze to my lap. “I know how all of this sounds. It’s part of the reason why I haven’t told anyone. Poor little rich girl gives up her fortune, moves to Montana, and lives paycheck to paycheck all because she was sick and tired of her father ordering her around.”