Tangled Temptations novel Chapter 17

Eloise went back to the restaurant, just in time for her turn on the piano.

Landon didn't hassle her, he waited until she was off work, and then found a place to talk about piano lessons.

Blake was a good kid, so Eloise agreed to teach her. The fee Landon offered was generous, and he paid for two months upfront, which improved Eloise's financial situation a bit.

She knew what was up - Landon was helping her out in his own way. She might have refused in the past, but she just couldn't afford to care about her pride right now.

When she got home, Michelle was not there. She called Michelle who said she would be back soon.

About half an hour later, Michelle came back. Eloise was about to prepare some late-night snacks for her but noticed that Michelle's arm was badly swollen.

"What happened to your arm?" Eloise helped Michelle to sit down.

Michelle played it down. "I'm getting old, and my arm swells up when I do some work."

Eloise got a knot in her stomach. She immediately checked Michelle's palm. Her usually well-kept palm had several shiny blisters.

Eloise just stared at it, shocked. After a while, tears started to fall. She wiped them off hastily but couldn't control her emotions. She treated Michelle's blisters and gave her some cash for living expenses.

She didn't want Michelle to work anymore.

That night, Eloise cried a lot. When she got up, there were obvious dark circles under her eyes. No amount of concealer could hide them.

At breakfast, Michelle advised her, "It’s okay if you can't handle the hard work. If it's really too much, I could sell the apartment."