That was why he was thrown aback when Helen suddenly stopped.
“What, that’s it? What did he do next? What happened to my aunt?”
Now it was Helen’s turn to look stunned.
“Janette is your aunt?”
Nate hung his head and nodded slowly. “She went missing about five years ago and the last words I heard from her came from here, Clover East.”
Helen squinted. “Wait. So you came here because your aunt disappeared?”
“Yes.”
“And you think my family has something to do with it so you came to me pretending to look for a job?”
Nate gasped. His chest hurt as if someone had stomped on it.
“Why do you say that? I didn’t know about your family before I got here, and I wasn’t pretending I needed a job. I did and still do. I don’t have money.”
“Then why did you never ask me if I know your aunt?”
“I asked around.” Nate hesitated. No, he hadn’t asked Helen about Janette. He wasn’t sure why. “I…I didn’t want to trouble you with my problems. I did talk to Lucian—”