Chapter 1 : Begin Again

“Did you ever even love me at all?”

Mia bolts upright in her seat, her head pounding as she regains her bearings. Her fingers dig into the cheap blue vinyl armrests at her side as she turns to see the man next to her opening the shutter to peer out the window.

As Mia sees the stretch of gray concrete rushing past, she knows that they landed. She lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and looks away. The bleak landscape does nothing to clear her mind from the clouds that hang heavily over her head. She is so far from her home, her life…everything that she left behind.

This is only her second time in Boston… and her second time flying at all, now that she thinks about it. The first was for her father’s funeral, and she oddly felt the same as she did back then: disoriented, cold, and waiting for someone to hold her hand and tell her that she was going to be all right.

But there was nobody in her reach. If Mia wants to get through this, she just has to pick herself up and move on, and that’s exactly what she plans on doing.

She smooths her long dark hair with one hand and swiftly pulls it back into a loose ponytail. Her eyes set in a determined gaze as she watches the plane roll to a complete stop.

As she steps through the gate and into the bustling airport, Mia has a new concern. Will her grandfather even recognize her? It has been years, and so much has changed.

He had seemed thrilled when she reached out, but she is beginning to worry that this was all too soon.

Mia's rapidly derailing train of thought is brought to a sudden halt when she spots a hunched-over man in his mid-seventies holding a poster board that reads, "Welcome home, Mia Bia!" in large bubble letters covered in bright pink glitter. The text is accompanied by a picture of Mia at seven years old with a wide grin, clearly showing off two missing front teeth.

The man looks down at his board with a grimace and adjusts his grip on it before looking up and making eye contact with Mia.

Mia speeds up to meet him, breaking into a jog as she watches him set down the poster board and open his arms wide.

She collides into her grandfather's arms with a smile, any fear instantly draining away as she hears him whisper, "Hello, baby girl," while rubbing a hand on her back.

Mia pulls back slightly, blinking her eyes rapidly. "I like the poster, Grandpa. Where did you get that picture?"

"Ah," he waves his hand dismissively, "that was all Rose. She's always been really good with the arts and crafts stuff. And your mom sent it to us." He clears his throat. "She was a wonderful woman, who always wanted us to feel included. Even after—" his eyes flick away, "–you know."

Mia feels a twinge of guilt. Her father, after leaving her mother, left their home in Bogotá and moved back to Boston with his parents. She was young when it happened, almost too young to hold any meaningful memories of them together as a family.

She knew they ended their relationship on friendly enough terms, but it didn't change the fact that for half of her life, she could count on one hand the number of times she had seen her father.

Then, right after she turned eleven, he passed away. It took everyone by surprise, a sudden cardiac arrest. He was gone before Mia could say goodbye.

She doesn't remember much from that year, but she does remember her mother telling her that Mia had her father's eyes.

She can tell from the look on her grandfather's face that he is thinking the same thing.

Mia looks down. "So, where’s Granny?"

"Ah, she's got a bad hip. It'd be too hard on her to walk all this way with the crowds. She'll be happy to see you though. Let's head home. Is this all you brought with you?"

Mia looks down at her two suitcases. "Yup, that's everything."

Her grandpa gives her a strange look but says nothing. Mia appreciates the gesture more than she could say.

There was nothing left for her in Colombia, she made sure of that. She got rid of everything she had ever owned. It was the only way she could think of to ensure she never went back.

Mia and her grandpa drive in silence back to his house.

She doesn't know much about him, but she knows this is a comfortable type of silence. The kind of quiet that says he knows she is going through something and offers to be an ear if she needs one, or just a rock for her to lean on.

He didn't hesitate when Mia called him at a god-forsaken hour at night, voice hoarse from crying, and quietly asked if she could come stay with them until she got back up on her feet.

All he told her was, "That's what family is for."

As his car pulls into the driveway, her grandpa shoots her a look. "Now…if Rose asks too many questions, just say 'Nantucket' and I'll distract her, all right?" He flashes her a kind smile before opening the driver’s door.

Mia laughs and takes his hand. "Thank you, Grandpa. For everything."

"You don't have to thank us for anything. We've been wanting to know you for a long time now, so of course we'd jump at any chance to have you here."

Mia looks out at their home with a smile. It feels exactly how she imagined it would; a one-story brick house smack in the middle of the suburbs, light gray in color with an indigo trim, white rose bushes lined the ground in front of every window and ivy crept up a single wall.

The screen door flies open and a petite older woman with wispy white hair yells out, "Is that my beautiful granddaughter? Mia Bia!"

Mia rushes up the stairs to embrace her. "Hi, Granny."

Rose pulls away to look up at Mia. "You really do get more stunning with every passing year. Spitting image of both of your parents." She reaches out a hand to cup Mia's face kindly.

Mia leans into the touch, feeling as if she can finally have a safe harbor with both of them. "You think so?"

"I know so. Your dad would be so proud of you, dear."

Mia laughs grimly. "Yeah, I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, huh?"

Rose gives her a scolding look. "Now…I don't know why you broke off your engagement with that boy, but at least you had the good sense to leave before there were children involved…"

Mia smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Yeah, I guess.”

The image of Mateo and Isabel, her now ex-best friend, is permanently burned behind her eyes.

Rose's eyebrows furrow with worry and she reaches out a hand to grasp Mia's shoulder.

"We don't have to talk about this anymore. Let's get you settled in. Nick, grab a suitcase, will you?"

Mia follows Rose into the house, carefully admiring the glass tchotchkes on shelves and walls lined with photos.

Both of her parents were only children, so Mia never had much experience with big families before. The most she had experience with was going to barbecues with Mateo's extended family.

They were always loud and overcrowded, but they always made her feel like she was part of the group.

Of all the things she is going to miss, that might rank the top. Or, at least tie with the way Mateo used to sing to her while he helped her wash her hair when she had sprained her shoulder.

Mia closes her eyes as she hears her phone vibrating quietly in her pocket. She hasn't been able to muster up the courage to block his number yet, but that doesn't mean she should answer his calls either.

Rose leads her to a room and all three crowd around the full-sized bed.

"It isn't much…but it's all we got." Nick leans a suitcase against the bed and pats the top of Mia's head before walking out.

Rose grasps Mia's hands and smiles widely. "I think this is going to be a good fresh start, dear. Clean slate and all that. I'll make you a snack, okay?"

Mia nods and sits on the foot of the bed as the door shuts, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Well, she made it here. Now what?

She had left her dream job in human relations, sold her condo, and lost all the deposits she had for the wedding.

Mia had worked for years to get herself into the most stable position that she could. She was by no means wealthy. Her job wasn't high-paying, but she had been making her way up the ladder step by step.

And now?

Even if she hadn't burned all her bridges by quitting with days' notice, every connection she had made was useless in Boston.

She was starting from the bottom all over again.

Mia digs her laptop out of a bag to pull up as many job sites as she can find. After tweaking her resume, she promptly applies for just about any job that she can see.

After a few fervent hours, she decides to give it a rest for the night when she notices a notification.

"Thank you for reaching out to Housekeeping Deluxe. Our hiring manager has an availability first thing in the morning tomorrow, if you’ve got a minute for an interview."

Mia looks at the message for a while before realizing that she has nothing to lose and begins to type out her reply.

***

“Please, take a seat. Thank you for taking the time to come in so early.”

Mia takes a seat, looking back at the young blonde woman sitting across from her. As soon as she settles in, the woman crosses her legs, intensely staring down Mia, and then launches into a speech.

“I’ll be brief here. With a resume like this, I can’t see why you wouldn’t try to find something more suitable for your degree." She flashes a smile and continues. "But that’s not my problem. I can only hope that my pitch is enough to sell you.”

“Here’s the deal: we specialize in finding the most capable people for our very influential and powerful clientele. These aren’t the kind of people that can trust any stranger off the street to maintain the state of affluence to which they are accustomed.”

“Simply put, you’ll be a maid for the rich and famous. Discretion and professionalism are the two key tenets of this job, Ms. Rodriguez. These people don't settle for mediocrity. What they need are employees who are as determined as you are to handle what they cannot. Does that sound like something you're up for?"

Mia needs a job, now. She needs to pay her bills and also help her grandparents, especially if she’s staying with them.

“Yes, I can assure you that I’m willing to work hard for this position.”

“Perfect.” The woman holds out an envelope between two manicured fingers. “It’s against policy for our employees to know the identities of their assignments beforehand. It’s a preventative measure, but you'll get familiar with everything once you get there. That being said…brace yourself.”

***

As Mia pulls her grandparents' old car around the back of the largest mansion she's ever seen in the richest part of Boston, her heart plummets into her stomach.

She was already nervous before getting scolded by the valet for daring to pull her busted-up "commoner's car" into the front driveway and commanded to drive around to the servant's entrance.

As she looks around for a place to park, she notices yet another valet waving her over as a garage door opens behind him.

She pulls into the closest spot she can find and steps out of the car, a wave of embarrassment hitting her as she catches a glance of herself in her window's reflection.

She is given a garment bag beforehand and told to be ready to start the moment she steps through the doors.

The uniform is clearly what appears to be a standard maid uniform. It is black, with short sleeves and a well-pressed white trim around the neck and hem of the skirt.

Mia has no issues with this before she puts it on. Her mother was a maid when she was young, and while it wasn't exactly where she saw herself at twenty-nine years old, it is only a temporary placement.

She has to admit though, there is something about this uniform that feels distinctly more flattering on her than she remembered it being on her mother.

She makes her way through the garage and into the kitchen where a few similarly dressed women are waiting for her.

"Fifteen minutes early…perfectly on time." A young woman with long chestnut-colored hair and impossibly dark eyes checks her watch before smiling up at Mia widely. "My name is Sabrina. I'm the head maid here, nice to meet you."

Mia holds out her hand, momentarily taken aback by how beautiful the woman is. "Hello, I’m Mia. It's nice to meet you too."

"Come with me, I'll show you the lay of the land." Sabrina begins walking confidently toward the front entrance as if she had lived in the house all her life.

As Mia trails behind her, she finally is able to really take in the scenery.

While the outside of the house seems grand and imposing, it is nothing compared to the inside. Rich mahogany wood stretched out on the walls before her, and intricate baseboard carvings meet with the dark marble flooring underneath her feet.

It is beautiful, but Mia had to confess…she is more than a little intimidated.

"So…who even lives here anyway?" Mia attempts a whisper as she catches up to Sabrina.

Sabrina stops abruptly, causing Mia to almost slam into her back. "You don't know?"

Mia shakes her head. “I wasn’t told beforehand.”

The look on Sabrina's face shifts, almost imperceptibly. "This is the Dahan estate. It's moved through their family for a few generations, but now it belongs to Elon Dahan."

There is a pause as Mia waits for more, but Sabrina only looks at her expectantly.

"Am I supposed to know who that is?" Mia's voice is flat but brazen enough that Sabrina's eyes go wide.

"I must admit, not quite the response I was expecting." A low, husky voice fills Mia's right ear as she feels the presence of someone leaning in toward her.

A sharp shock runs up her spine as she spins around, stepping back as she takes in the form of a breathtakingly handsome man filling her field of vision.

His slate gray eyes have a hint of a twinkle in them as his mouth seems to twitch between bemused and serious. He cocks his head to the side ever so slightly.

"Well? You know my name. It only seems fair that you introduce yourself."