Kings of Linwood Academy - The Complete Box Set: A Dark High School Romance Series by Callie Rose (sight word books .TXT) 📕

I slip back into my room and shut the door. Poor Bri must be running around like a chicken with her head cut off trying to greet all the guests and coordinate the food and hired wait staff. The Blacks were lucky that me and my mom came as a package deal—two for the price of one, even though I was technically just her assistant.

The soft murmur of voices and the intermittent ringing of the doorbell fill the next few minutes. I had planned to study more, but now that it comes down to it, I really don’t have the focus for that. I’m antsy, and I’m hungry. And ever since Bri moved in, I haven’t been able to sneak over to Mom’s old apartment and scrounge through her kitchen.

Maybe I can sneak downstairs and steal some of whatever hors d’oeuvres are being served. Gwen might give me a little shit for it, but I don’t think she’ll really mind.

My stomach growls loudly at the thought, and I decide it’s worth the risk of getting busted. I doubt Mr. or Mrs. Black would care very much anyway. They’ve never really tried to restrict my movements in the house, and it’s not like they ordered me to stay upstairs during the party.

Just to be on the safe side though, I throw on a long-sleeved black dress and some black flats. It’ll make me stand out less downstairs, and it’s sort of reminiscent of the maid outfit I used to wear when I was on the clock. If any guests see me, hopefully they’ll just think I’m one of the staff.

I grab my phone, then slip out of my room and pad down the hall, peering over the railing into the grand foyer as I near the stairs. Bri is welcoming an elegantly dressed couple into the house, and although her smile shines like a megawatt bulb, I can practically see the gears grinding in her head, already focusing on the million other little things she needs to attend to.

It makes me miss the fuck out of my mom. She made this stuff look so easy.

Bri disappears through an arched doorway with the couple behind her, and I walk quickly down the stairs while the foyer is empty. I’m about to head toward the kitchen when the doorbell rings again, making me pause in my tracks.

To be honest, I feel like kind of an asshole letting Bri work her butt off while I traipse around the house like I’m an actual resident here and not just the daughter of the previous maid. I shoot a glance in the direction she disappeared, then turn and head for the door, opening it as I slip on my bland “house staff” smile.

A lone man stands on the front steps rather than a couple, and my brows furrow as I take him in. He’s probably in his early forties and has a sort of George Clooney vibe, with deep lines in his forehead, full lips, and a little dimple in his chin.

Alexander Hollowell. The guy my mom went out with twice.

The guy she thought might be able to help her if her case goes to trial.

Fuck. Should I say something?

I have no earthly idea what to say. My mom was probably just grasping at straws, hoping that having a connection to a respected judge in Fox Hill would help her somehow. But wouldn’t asking him for help be unethical or illegal? The last thing I want to do is make things worse for Mom by crossing some line I didn’t know existed.

The man cocks his head, squinting slightly as he takes me in. I see the moment when he realizes why he recognizes me, and my cheeks flame. He was at the party where Mom got arrested—so the last time he saw me, I was chasing after a bunch of cops who’d just handcuffed my mom.

We stare at each other for a second, and I’m not sure either of us know what to say.

Finally, I jerk myself into motion, opening the door wider and stepping back. “Please, come in.”

“Thank you.” He steps forward, brows still furrowed. “You’re… Penelope’s daughter, right?”

“Yeah,” I mutter. “Harlow.”

He nods, sympathy crossing his features.

It makes my heart jump in my chest. If he’s sympathetic, maybe he doesn’t think mom did it. Maybe he’d believe she’s innocent.

Ask him for help, Harlow. Just fucking ask him. Say something.

I lick my lips and am about to open my mouth Bri comes back into the room. She shoots me a look that’s both panicked and slightly annoyed as she hustles over, probably worried I’m making her look bad or something. Not that anyone’s here to see it.

“Judge Hollowell. Please, come in. May I take your coat?”

He nods and shrugs out of his overcoat, handing it to her before following her toward the ballroom. He glances back at me as they leave the foyer, and I give him a limp smile.

Well, fuck. So much for that chance.

Although if he’s friends with Samuel Black, maybe I shouldn’t trust him after all.

That’s a long fucking list though. The Black family is extremely well connected in Fox Hill, so if I’m looking for help from someone who has no ties to this family, it’s gonna be hard to find. And who knows. Just because these people come to the Blacks’ cocktail parties, I’m not sure that makes them all friends.

Deciding that Bri clearly doesn’t want my help, I hightail it to the kitchen before any other guests can arrive. I wonder if the Bettencourt and Lauder families have been invited.

Most likely. They’ve come to every other party hosted here.

“Oh, hey, Harlow. Cute dress.”

Gwen looks up from the large island in the middle of the kitchen, where she’s putting garnish on a couple trays full of hors d’oeuvres that are ready to go out.

“Hey, Gwen.” I peer around at the food, trying not