The Billionaire's Maid

2. Galen

2

Galen

The girl had sounded so frail over the phone that morning. My heart ached for the poor thing, and I’d known right away I had to help her.

Jeffery and I had become friends while working together on a medical project some years back. When he called to ask me if I had some kind of a job for a poor, homeless young woman—who was also about to lose the only parent she had left—I’d felt my heart breaking for the stranger.

As I sat in the office, my personal cell rang, and I saw it was Jeffery calling. “Hello, Jeffery. I asked you to give me a call because I’ve got a favor to ask you.”

“Ask away, my friend,” he said, sounding chipper.

“I need you to purchase Miss Pendragon a cell phone. It can be one of those throwaway, pay-as-you-go things. She’ll only need it until she arrives here. I don’t want her without a means of communication while traveling.” I thought about all the terrible things that could happen to the young woman and didn’t want any other misfortunes to happen to the poor creature.

Jeffery was very helpful. “I’ll get her one in the gift shop here at the hospital. She’s in the room with her mother right now. Her mother was overjoyed when Ariel told her the news. Mrs. Pendragon is very thankful for you, Galen. She’s gone on at least a hundred times since Ariel gave her the great news that you’re a true blessing to her and her daughter.”

Although happy they were so appreciative, I felt saddened by their situation. “I’m the one who’s blessed to even be able to help them. Tell me, Jeffery, do you think Ariel will be okay, leaving her mother behind?” I’d been thinking about that a lot since we’d talked. “I don’t need her to leave her mother to come to me so quickly. I don’t want to take any time away from what she has left with her mother.”

“To be honest, leaving now might be best for Ariel and her mother,” he told me. “Her mother is about to be taken to hospice, and she’ll only get worse from that point on. It’s not a process that’s appealing, and her daughter will have better memories of her mother if she leaves now. And sometimes it’s easier for people who are that sick to pass on if they’re not worried about holding on for their loved ones. I’ve already spoken to them both, and Mrs. Pendragon has told me what she wants done after she dies. I’ve promised Ariel that I’ll personally take care of fulfilling her mother’s wishes to be cremated and for her ashes to be spread over her husband’s grave.”

“That’s very kind of you, Jeffery.” I thought his actions bode well for both the mother’s and daughter’s integrity. “I would guess these two women have affected you because they have pure hearts. It’s a shame what’s happened to them.”

He sighed. “They’re as kind as they come, Galen. They’ve told me how things got so bad for them. Mrs. Pendragon got married when she was very young—right out of high school—and her husband pampered his girls a bit too much. He never let them raise a finger to help when it came to meeting the bills, nor did he allow his wife to even purchase groceries. She never had a bank account, never even learned to drive until they had their only child. Only then did Mrs. Pendragon learn so she could take Ariel to school.”

“It sounds like he truly loved them, but he did his family a disservice by not encouraging their independence.” I found it a bit archaic in this day and age, but guessed it still happened from time to time.

Jeffery agreed, “Yes, he loved them, but failed to teach them much about how to get on in life. Ariel seems sharp enough. I think she can learn. Hopefully, she’ll take the opportunity you’re giving her and run with it—make a real life for herself. I hope you can get someone to teach her the basics like how to pay bills, to budget, and things like that.”

“I’ll make sure she gets the help she needs.” I’d never before felt such sympathy for a person without even knowing them. “Once you give her the cell, remind her to text me. Since you think it best for her to leave her mother and she seems to agree, I’ll charter a private jet now. How long do you think she needs before leaving?”

“Give her a few more hours. Her mother will be settled in by then, and she won’t have a place to stay anyway.” He laughed. “You know, they both were the happiest I’ve ever seen them with this news. This is a huge relief to Mrs. Pendragon. I can see she feels at peace now. You really are doing a heroic deed, Galen.”

“Well, you’re the one who thought of it.” I thought that made him a hero, too. “I guess that’s why we’re such good friends. Great men think alike.”

“I suppose so.” I heard some odd beeping in the background. “Got to go. I’ll get her the cell as soon as I have a moment to do so. Bye now.”

I ended the call then looked at my resort manager, who had been listening to my end of the call the entire time. “So, we’ve got a new girl coming, Nova. Can I count on you to get everything she’ll need and get it over to staff housing?”

Nova tapped a pencil on her desktop. “When she texts you, can you ask her for her clothing and shoe sizes? And this might seem a little forward, but you did say the girl is homeless, so ask her for b*a and panty sizes, too.”

Running my hand over my face, I nodded. “I could do that. Or better yet, I’ll just give you her number, and you can text her those questions. I don’t want her to think I’m some kind of a pervert.”

“You’re right.” Nova laughed. “I can get the room ready for now. The flight to Aruba from London is about thirteen hours, right? I guess she’ll be here sometime tomorrow. I’ve got plenty of time to get everything she’ll need.”

I wanted Ariel Pendragon to have more than just the basics. “I want you to go to the boutiques here on the island and get her some nice things to wear. Throw in some jewelry and perfumes, too, why don’t you? I want her to feel like she’s special. I’m sure sleeping on the streets of London for the last few years has made her feel anything but that.”

Nova smiled at me. “What a big heart you have, Galen. I had no idea.” She blushed. “I mean, not that you’re a tyrant or anything like that. I just mean that I’ve never seen this side of you is all.”

“To be perfectly honest, I’ve never been in this position before, so I’ve never really seen this side of me, either.” It might be new territory, but it felt right—natural, even. “When I got the call from Jeffery last night, it did something to me. I dreamt all night long about this poor girl and her mother, imagining them out on the streets for years. It made me sick, quite frankly. Thinking that humanity could allow something like that to happen to innocent people…it did something to my heart. All I know is that I’m going to change that young woman’s life for the better, and that’s that.”

“How honorable of you, Galen.” Nova got up to leave her office. “I’m going over to staff housing. I want to take care of this myself. Your feelings about this must be contagious, and I want to make sure she get more than the bare minimum. Let’s give her a real welcome to our little slice of paradise, shall we?”

I loved Nova’s spirit. “I’m glad you took this job. Camilla was my right hand at this resort, and I wasn’t sure how her leaving would affect the place. But she’s trained you so well, and you’ve got such a natural gift for caring for others that you’ve only enhanced our world.”

She looked at me over her shoulder just before leaving the office. “Thanks, boss. It’s always nice to know I’m making a difference.”

From the very first moment I started thinking about opening the resort, I knew I wanted to create the kind of work environment that not only worked to serve others, but also made the employees feel at home. I was so pleased that I’d been able to make that vision a reality, and now we would add another person to our little island paradise. I just prayed that she would find peace here, the way all of us had. It would be my personal mission to help her find it.

I couldn’t imagine not having any family to turn to—that sounded so terrible to me. I had such a big, loving family and had no idea what it would feel like to be alone in the world, nor did I want to know how that felt.

When a text came in, I looked at the number and saved it to my contacts under Ariel Pendragon. Then I sent the number to Nova before calling the girl once more. “Hello?” Ariel answered.

“It’s nice to hear your voice, Miss Pendragon. I just wanted to let you know that I’ve set up the jet at Heathrow airport. You can go whenever you’re ready. There’s absolutely no rush at all.” I didn’t want her to feel compelled to leave her mother before she had to.

She sniffled a little. “They just took my mother from the hospital. She and I have said our goodbyes, sir. I’ll leave for the airport now. Everyone I had here is gone or will be gone soon, so I don’t have a reason to stay in London any longer. Doctor Ferguson has assured me that my mother will be kept out of pain and kept comfortable. I thank you for this opportunity to move on with my life, Mr. Dunne. It has been such a help not only to me, but to my mum, too. Now she can move on in peace, not having to worry about what will happen to me.”

The way my throat was closing up surprised me. Emotion nearly took me over as I felt the backs of my eyes burning. “This will be your home now, Miss Pendragon. Safe travels, my dear girl. Check in with me when you get on the plane, please. I want to know where you are and that you’re safe.”

“Thank you. I’ll keep you informed, sir. And please, call me Ariel. Goodbye,” her voice cracked as she said the last word. I knew she’d broken down then.

Putting the phone down on the desk, I put my face in my hands as I allowed the sorrow to take me over. Giving in to such emotions wasn’t like me, but it seemed I’d already formed a connection with the young Ariel Pendragon.