“I’m not following,” I admitted.

“A couple years ago, Dr. Houston, one of the many silly shrinks my dad hired to listen to my problems, advised me to find an outlet for my frustrations.” She crinkled her nose. “The man always smelled like peppermint, and he was constantly smoothing down the ends of his moustache. Anyhow, he told me to sketch things that angered me, so I could deal with all my problems. I wasn’t really into drawing but I loved to sew. I got out my sewing machine and started making voodoo dolls. But instead of the dolls representing one person, they represented certain human traits that I really despised. Like this one.” She held up the doll again. “This doll represents all those awful people who don’t take decent care of their pets, people who leave their dogs out in the rain, or people who forget to feed their hamsters. It represents all the people who are selfish enough to have a pet but not decent enough to care for them.” She lifted the piece of plastic poop. “Instead of pins in the doll, I decided to be more creative with my hexes. All bad pet owners are cursed so that unless they change their ways, everything they eat smells like dog poop.”

“Okay, that is clever but also very twisted.”

She tossed the doll back into the box. “They deserve it. And strangely enough it made me feel better after I’d created the doll. Of course, when I showed it to Dr. Houston, he told my dad that he wasn’t sure how to proceed with my treatment.” She laughed. “I guess he thought I was too nuts to be saved.”

“Obviously the man had no imagination. Or maybe he was a bad pet owner.” I reached into the box and pulled out another doll. This one wore a t-shirt that read ignoramus. I held it up. “Let me guess. Ignorant people?”

“Yep. Can’t stand close-minded, stupid people, like Dr. Houston,” she added. “Anyhow, I’ve cursed them all to a never-ending ride on a roller coaster.”

I reached in and plucked out another doll. “You really are great at sewing. The stitching on these dolls looks professional.” I rubbed my thumb over the embroidered letters that spelled out the word virus. “I see your anger moved on from humans and on to microscopic organisms.”

She nodded but didn’t elaborate at first. I sensed a mood change and wondered what had triggered it. I was definitely going to have to learn which subjects to avoid. She’d brought out the voodoo dolls, so I’d assumed they were harmless. She scooped up the dolls and took the one I was holding from my hand and dropped them in the box.

“It was a silly exercise, and in the end, it was worthless, just like Dr. Houston and all the other psychiatrists.”

Her expression grew grim as she carried the box back to the closet. “Your sister died of a virus, didn’t she?” I asked the question knowing full well it might be a grave mistake. But at the same time, I sensed that she wanted to talk about it.

Finley shut the closet door and stared at it for a moment. She still faced the door as she spoke. “I came home with the flu one day. It was a bad one, but I got over it in a few days. Chloe had been born prematurely like me. My mom’s doctor had told her she cooked babies too fast.”  She turned around and faced me. “Chloe caught the flu from me, but she just couldn’t seem to kick it. She ended up in the hospital. Dad took me to see her, but she didn’t even look like my sister. There were all kinds of tubes coming out of her.” Finley sat on the bed, and Some Pig trotted over as if he sensed her distress. She played absently with the pig’s ear as she continued. “She didn’t make it. I brought the flu home, and my sister died from it.”

I reached down to touch the pig. “And that’s what all this is about. Your anxiety all has to do with the fact that you think you caused your sister’s death.”

She scooted back and flopped against her pillows. I joined her.

“Yep. Nothing too deep or complex in my psyche. Just major guilt. And by the way, it took Dr. Houston eight two-hour sessions to figure out that little plain as day mystery.”

“I suppose he was the inspiration for the ignoramus doll?”

“You got it.”

Some Pig snorted mildly as he rooted around in Finley’s shoes. I stared at the long shelf of trophies for a moment. “Have you ever tried walking past it?” I asked.

“Past what?”

“The invisible perimeter.”

“Not for a long time.”

“Well, then that will be our first goal.” I propped up on my elbow and looked down at her. “After lunch today, we’re going to take three steps past the perimeter.”

“I don’t know, Eden. It’s already been a crummy day.”

“Today, when Cole was talking about his party, he mentioned his friend Max. You like this guy don’t you?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Well, how are you ever going to go on a date with Max if you can’t get past the barrier?”

“It’s hopeless. I’m nuts.”

I sat up. “Finley Tate King, you are not nuts. Fucking eccentric, yes, but you’re not nuts. And if I can walk out to that pool area in the ugliest bathing suit ever sewn, then you can take three friggin’ steps out of your comfort zone.”

She seemed to be mulling over my pep talk. Then she laughed. “Oh my god, that suit really is hideous.”

“Yes, thank you. I know.”

She sat up. “Three steps and no more.”

“Just three.”

A knock on her door was followed by Jude’s voice. A slight tremble returned to my hands upon hearing it, and I wondered what the hell that was about.

Jude opened the door and poked his dark head inside. “I need to borrow Eden for a second. William is here.”

I looked questioningly at Finley, but she avoided direct eye contact with me. She slid off the bed, walked over to her computer, and sat down. “Don’t keep her long. We’re going to shop online for a bathing suit.”

Hesitantly, I slid off the bed and walked to the door. I had no idea what was going on or who William was, but I followed Jude down the stairs. We ended up in the kitchen where a middle-aged man in an expensive suit sat at the counter sipping a soda. His briefcase leaned up against the legs of the stool he sat on. He stood as I stepped into the kitchen behind Jude.

“Hello, Miss Saxon. I’m William Shuster, lawyer for Nicky King.”

“Lawyer?” A pile of legal looking papers sat on the counter next to a pen.

“Yes, Mr. King has all of his employees sign a contract.”

He motioned for me to sit on the stool next to him. Jude did not join us, but he stood nearby to watch. I wondered if this was all his doing. Obviously, he still didn’t trust me, and that thought tightened a knot in my stomach.

The lawyer flipped the pages through his fingers once as if I could magically read them.

“I’m an excellent reader, Mr. Shuster, but I’m afraid my reading skills don’t allow me read at the speed of light.”

A small laugh came from Jude’s direction, but I was too angry to even look his way.

“It’s all basic legal terms releasing my client from liability if you’re injured or killed on his premises. There is also a clause that prohibits you from relaying anything of a personal nature that occurs here at the King residence. As you can understand, Miss Saxon, my client is very well-known, and the tabloids are constantly looking for stories to exploit.”

I pulled the papers from him and skimmed through them, but the legal language was foreign and difficult to understand.

“Everyone employed in this household signs this exact agreement.” He cleared his throat. “Different names and positions, of course, but the same clauses are listed.”

My eyes drifted to the line below my name. The words companion to Miss Finley King were typed on the line. I thought back to Finley’s reaction when Jude had asked to see me. She knew about this whole thing. I was hurt that she hadn’t clued me into it first. A warning would have been nice. I had to trust that Mrs. Vickers would not have sent me into a shady situation.