10 Mia

"Do you know where I might be able to freshen up?" I asked, giving her a lovely grin again, hoping she was able to help me.

She nodded. "Follow me."

"Are you sure?" I asked, wondering if I was overstepping the boundaries. I was a stranger, after all, and requesting a little girl to aid me without her parents' permission wasn't something one usually did. It was frowned upon.

"About what?"

"Your helping me," I said. "I'm a stranger. I could be a bad guy."

She cocked her head to one side, her Prussian-blue eyes large as she gazed at me. I found myself remembering the other Prussian-blue eyes, the ones that belonged to the gorgeous man. The one that made my heart flutter with both excitement and trepidation.

The girl laughed. I realized she was laughing at me.

When she managed to calm down, she said, "You don't look like the bad guys."

I sighed and thought, Kids.

"Bad guys don't run from friendly dogs," she said, nodding her head. "And we're not strangers. I know your name. Your name is Mia. And you know my name. My name is Aria. And if we become friends, that means you're not a stranger."

I had to admit the beautiful child was very smart for a six-ish-year-old.

"Come on. You're getting a little smelly," she said, taking my mud-covered hand.

I couldn't help myself. The child was adorable and very kind. I let her lead me toward the house.

Aria took me back to where I'd been before, the front double doors. This time, though, two females stood there. One was dressed in an immaculate black suit with short, neatly styled blond hair. Her posture was straight, and she had a stern, no-nonsense expression on her face that scared me. The other one was a beauty, with long brunette hair, warm tan skin, hazel eyes, and, well, a not-so-lovely expression on her face. She was glaring at me, of course. She didn't bother to hide the look of disgust she had for me. I couldn't blame her. She looked like she was the mistress of this massive house, and I was a girl covered in stinky mud.

The two superior women didn't seem to intimidate little Aria at all, which confused me a great deal.

"Ms. Lane," Aria said to the one in the black suit. "She's my new friend, and she needs to shower."

"Yes, of course, Miss Aria," Ms. Lane replied with a bow of her head. "Which bathroom will your friend be using?"

Aria thought about this for a moment. "The first floor."

"I shall tell the maid to prepare the necessities right away," Ms. Lane said and headed up the stairs.

Aria turned to the pretty one. "Sophie, where's Alfie?"

"He's in your room, Aria," Sophie said, her sharp eyes on me.

"Oh, okay," Aria said, pulling my hand to step into the house. I saw Sophie was about to protest Aria holding my dirty hand. But she held herself in check and took a few steps back, allowing us in.

"Follow me," Aria said, marching up into the grand foyer. Sammy and I followed her like obedient soldiers.

I glanced over my shoulder at Sophie and saw the woman narrowing her eyes at me. A sense of unease rushed through me, and I shivered. That woman didn't like me. I knew it in my gut.

On the way to the bathroom, I didn't take much notice of the grandness of the house, as I was too worried about the meeting with Mr. Maxwell. My body suddenly became tenser as we climbed the stairs. Glancing back at Aria, I wondered if the child was Mr. Maxwell's granddaughter. If she was, then I wanted to ask her what the old billionaire was like. I was so tempted to but kept my mouth shut because Aria was talking nonstop about this and that and piano lessons, and of all things, a rabbit on the road.

"You know, Daddy should have brought the rabbit home anyway." She grinned at me. "I like rabbits. They're so cute and fluffy."

I laughed. "I agree," I said. I'd always wanted a rabbit for a pet. But having a pet meant having another mouth to feed, and I couldn't afford that, even a rabbit who only ate cabbage and carrots. Of course, there was still the cost of a pet license, as well as vaccines for diseases, etc. There was just too much money involved.

On the second floor, Aria stopped at a door and opened it. "You can use this shower. It's for guests," she said.

I peeked inside, and sure enough, saw it was a bathroom. A very large and flashy one. Marble floor. Marble basin bench. Multihead shower. The stuff in a five-star hotel.

"Thanks, Aria," I said, feeling a bit overwhelmed. I was actually thinking I'd get a quick wash with the hose in the backyard. And Sammy beside me, who was suddenly very friendly to me, snuggling at my legs, would join me.

"That's okay," she replied. "You can come to my sitting room when you're done."

"Actually, I have a meeting with your grandfather," I said.

"Oh?" she cocked her head to one side. "Okay. But you can come to see me in my sitting room anyway. We can have dinner together. The housekeeper is making us spag—" She paused and tried again. "Spaghetti Bolognese."

The word dinner and spaghetti Bolognese caught my attention, and my eyes brightened immediately. I couldn't really turn down a meal offer, now could I? After all, Aria looked like she needed company.

"Okay," I said, walking into the bathroom. "See you later then."

She nodded at me with a big grin. "Have a nice shower," she said. Then to Sammy, she encouraged, "Come on, boy."