She was still standing in the doorway to the dining room, staring at the massive table with its ornately carved legs and the antique chandelier hanging above it. She glanced at him and might have blushed. “I’m sorry, you’re probably very busy. We should discuss this job.”
“I guess we should. Come on back to the sitting room.” When they walked in he realized he had spent so long just trying to get Annabelle out of the house that he hadn’t cleaned up from her interview. He grabbed the half-full glass of lemonade and said, “Excuse me; I’ll just get rid of this. Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, thank-you. Julie overdosed me on coffee this morning. I’m honestly surprised I’m not shaking from the amount of caffeine in my system right now.”
“I appreciate someone who can handle their caffeine, there are days when that’s all I have to keep me going.”
“Sounds like you need a cook too.”
He smiled and disappeared into the kitchen. He dumped the lemonade and rinsed the glass before tucking it in the already full-to-capacity dishwasher. He considered starting it, but that meant finding the soap and he didn’t want to keep Lillian waiting.
“So you’re from the city,” he said as he came back in. “What do you do?”
“I work seventy-two hours per week waiting tables at a diner. I brought my resume. You can call Buddy if you want but he’ll probably say nasty things about me just so I won’t be able to quit my job with him.”
“Sounds like a really great place to work.” And it explains why she’s so pale.
“It’s a job, and it pays money. Sometimes you can’t be picky.”
“I know what that’s like. Not all the jobs here are pleasant ones, but they still need doing.”
Lillian considered that for a moment and shuddered.
He laughed. “That’s my reaction every time. Do you have experience keeping a house?”
“I moved out at eighteen and I haven’t had a landlord kick me out yet.”
“So no bedbugs, no mold, and no mice?”
“And I do all my own laundry without breaking the machines.” They were grinning at each other. “I can cook too, I mean I don’t know a lot of recipes but I know a few and I know how to read a recipe from a book so I can learn to make more. I don’t really bake but I could learn.”
“I’m used to eating simple; as long as it’s hearty and hot I’m happy with it.”
Her smile changed, subtly. “I’ve been told my Sloppy Joes are quite tasty, if you like things spicy.”
Is she flirting? He gave his head a shake. “Spicy is right up my alley,” he said. “You know you’ll have to live here, right?”
“That will be easier than living with Julie Milton and her family. They’re nice people but that woman is a force of nature.”
“You hit the nail on the head with that one. Julie is not a woman I would ever willingly cross. When you’re on her good side she’s a sweet old dear.”
“Unless she’s trying to set you up with a job,” Lillian muttered.
“If you get the job you’ll be required to keep up the laundry. Well, I can do my own socks and underwear if you’re not comfortable with that, but bed sheets, towels, and everything else would be your responsibility. I eat four times a day because I’m up so early, but you don’t have to worry about that first meal, I just have toast and coffee. It would be nice to have something hot for breakfast when I come in from chores, then lunch and dinner of course. You’d be doing all the dishes as well. The men do their own cooking and their own dishes. Sweeping and washing floors, vacuuming carpets, dusting, we get a lot of dust out here, keeping the plants in the window boxes watered, uh …”
“If you forget something you can always add it to the list later.”
He nodded. “I do the outdoor work with the men, and I take care of the paperwork. Oh! Groceries. You’ll need to run into town once each week for groceries. You’ll have access to a monthly household account for the food and cleaning supplies. You’ll also get a weekly wage so you can buy anything you need for you.”
“That all sounds easy enough.”
“You’re free to schedule your day any way you like as long as all the work gets done and the meals are ready on time. I understand that you might not be able to make lunch on the shopping days …”
“Are you okay with sandwiches?”
“Of course.”
“I can always pre-make them and leave them wrapped in the fridge for you.”
“You are a godsend. I was afraid I would never find someone competent. And you’re easy to talk to too.” He actually took her hand in his, bringing them closer on the couch.
“Does that mean I get the job? Because I’m willing to try to talk you into it.” Her voice had turned a little breathless and she was staring right into his eyes. Of course they’re brown, what other colour could they be?
“I don’t need much talking at this point but you can give it a go.” He was staring back and leaning into her.
“There is one thing,” she said. “Does the school bus run by here?”
“It did when I was a kid. I don’t watch for it anymore. Why?”
“I have a ten-year-old daughter.”
He sat back and let go of her hand. “Oh.”
“Is that going to be a problem? We’re used to a one bedroom apartment so we’d only need one room between us. And she’ll be at school all day so she won’t interfere with me getting my work done.” The words were tumbling out now and her eyes were very wide.
“What does her father think of you moving her all the way to Wheaton?”
Her eyes narrowed and her face hardened. “He didn’t give a rat’s ass that I was pregnant and hasn’t lifted a finger to help me raise her so I don’t really care what he thinks.”
He realized he’d stirred up an old anger in her and mentally took a step back. I don’t even like all of those close-minded fools in town, why am I acting like one now? He took a deep breath. “I guess you’ll want to start in July then?”
“What?”
“So your daughter can finish the year in her current school.”
“Oh. I could start right away, I could move her.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s only a week or so. That will give you time to get everything in the city settled, and it will give me time to get settled here as well. You can have the two rooms downstairs; I have a television in the office so I almost never go down there. She’ll have space to play and do her homework and you’ll have the bathroom down there as well.”
“That’s really very generous of you.”
“Julie’s daughter should have all the phone numbers for the school so you can get in touch with them and get your daughter registered for the fall.”
“All right.”
“Can you find your way out? I have phone calls to make, and I have to change before chores.”
“Yes, of course. Is there some way I can contact you?”
“Of course. Hold on.” He returned with a notepad and pen. “Here’s the house number, and my cell number.” He handed her the paper. “I will see you July first.”
“Thank-you.”
She watched him leave and then let the confusion overwhelm her professional mask. We were getting along so well, what happened? I hope taking this job isn’t a mistake.
Chapter 3
Wendy was at the table working on multiplication tables when Lillian got home Saturday evening. “Hey sweetie, how was your weekend?”
“Boring. It rained and Zoey wasn’t home.”
“Did you want to go out for breakfast tomorrow?”
“Yeah, right. You’ll probably be working again.”
“Nope. Buddy thinks I’m out of town until tomorrow afternoon. Let’s go out for once.”
Mrs. Jameson came out of the bathroom. “Oh, you’re home early. I’ll go pack my things.”
“You don’t have to rush away,” Lillian said.
“No, no. I’ll catch up with you later. I
have soaps on the PVR, and someone said there was going to be some skin!”
Lillian shook her head. “All right. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
The next morning Lillian and Wendy put on their nice clothes and painted their nails and took the bus to a nice family restaurant.
“You haven’t talked about your trip at all,” Wendy said after they had ordered.
“Mrs. Jameson’s friend was very nice, but if you thought she was pushy, her friend is even worse.”
“Oh boy,” Wendy said. “And you survived?”
“I needed a little pushing. There was a job interview, you see, and I was pretty nervous about it.”
“Job interview? But Wheaton is hours away.”
“I know that, but it’s really good money, and regular hours so I would have more time to spend with you.”
“You mean more time to drive back and forth and more money for fuel. We don’t even own a car!”
“Wendy, it means moving to Wheaton.”
“What? But my whole life is here! I have friends and school!”
“I know that, but we would have moved eventually anyways. This job would mean we’d get to see each other more, you wouldn’t have to stay with neighbours all the time. You would go to school in Wheaton and you could make new friends. Besides, this is the age of technology. You can e-mail and video chat with your friends here all the time, as long as your homework still gets done.”
“So I’ll be stuck living in a little town?”
“Not exactly. I’ve been hired as a live in housekeeper for one of the ranchers. We’d be living out on the ranch. You’ll take the school bus every day, but you’re used to that. It’s a beautiful house and we’ll have the whole basement to ourselves. You’ll have your own bedroom, and …”
“But I want to stay here with my friends! I don’t care if we live in a crappy apartment, I don’t care if I have to share a room with you. And I like Mrs. Jameson.”
“I know, but I miss you honey. I miss watching you grow up. This will be good for us and it will only be for one school year, at the most. As soon as I’m done this degree …”
“I know. No more waitressing, no more housekeeping. We’ll be moving up to bigger and better things.”
Their food arrived and Wendy smothered her pancakes in syrup. For a long time they sat in silence. Finally Wendy said, “Does this rancher have any kids?”
Lillian remembered Gavin’s icy reaction to the news that she had a daughter and said, “No, he doesn’t have kids. But there will be other kids in town, and we’ll have use of a car so you can visit the kids on the other ranches too.” And hopefully Gavin doesn’t treat her cruelly.
The next week was full of hectic, exciting activity. At least it was exciting for Lillian. Wendy just moped around, doing her homework and helping her mother pack. They didn’t need to take the furniture since they could use what was at the Asher Ranch and Lillian didn’t want to store it. Most of it was second hand anyways. The only thing she kept was the coffee table which she had been a moving out gift from her grandparents. Everything else, right down to the dishes, they sold. By the last day of school they were eating off of paper plates and were sleeping on mattresses on the floor.
The apartment was bare except for the boxes of clothes and books and Lillian’s laptop and towels and bedding.
Over and over Lillian said, “This is a good step for us, this will really help us get ahead. You’ll see; this is a great opportunity.” She wasn’t sure if she was saying it to reassure Wendy or herself but she kept saying it anyway.
Gavin spent the last week of June clearing clutter out of the basement guestrooms and thinking about Lillian. The woman was different from every other woman who had come to interview for the job. She was honest and open instead of being a game-player. He liked her easy smile and her enthusiasm and the way he couldn’t be sure if she was flirting or not.
He was guessing, and secretly hoping, that her presence here would set the whole town on its ear. And it would serve those old busy bodies right. If they won’t keep their noses out of my business I’ll give them something to talk about.
His parents, who still lived in the guest house on the property and still ran the convenience store in town, were just happy that he wouldn’t have to stress over the house anymore. They didn’t care about the daughter she was bringing with her, and that was a good sign.
Maybe Lillian will be comfortable here, comfortable enough to stay for a long time. I never want to go through that interview process again. It was a hell of a lot easier to hiring men to work in the barn, that’s for damn sure.
Chapter 4
Gavin sat at a red light, his temper fraying a little with every passing city block. He’d been to the city before but each visit just reinforced his first impression: he preferred the ranch. He was only here because Lillian had called looking for his physical address so she would have something to tell the movers. The sound of her voice had caused a severe case of temporary insanity, he was sure of it, because before he knew what he was saying he was offering to take the truck down and pick her up. Not even her reassurances that it wasn’t necessary could deter him.
He got rerouted down a one-way by an unexpected patch of construction and it took him ten minutes of side-streets to find his way back to the route he needed. Should have brought the GPS, he thought when he finally turned back onto the proper street. After that there were no further delays and he pulled up to the loading zone in front of her apartment to find her waiting with a miniature version of her, an elderly lady, and a pile of boxes.
He wasn’t sure how to enquire if the old woman was coming with them without sounding rude but as he came around the front of the truck she saved him the trouble. “Mrs. Jameson, this is Gavin Asher. Gavin, this is my neighbor, and Mrs. Milton’s pen pal, Mrs. Jameson.”
Mrs. Jameson grinned, “You can call me Midge,” she said, holding out her hand.
He laughed and shook her hand. “It’s a pleasure, Midge.”
“Well you’ve sure brightened my day.”
He wasn’t sure how to respond to flirting from a grey-haired old lady but once again Lillian rescued him.
“And this is my daughter, Wendy.”
It wasn’t much of a rescue. “That’s a beautiful name,” he said. He started to offer her his hand but took in her crossed arms and deep scowl and tucked his hands in his pockets instead.
When she didn’t reply her mother nudged her and she said, “Thanks.”
“Let me help you get these boxes loaded.”
“Thanks. Leave that one there, with Wendy’s name on it. That’s the stuff she wants in the back seat with her.”
He nodded and set to work. Most of the boxes were light, probably full of clothes, but there were a few bigger ones labelled “electronics” and “breakable” too. He even loaded the worn-looking coffee table without comment while the two women hugged each other.
“Thank you for everything,” Lillian said. “And I will write you so you don’t have to rely on Julie Milton for news.”
Mrs. Jameson held out her arms and Wendy sulked over for a hug. “I’m going to miss you dearie. I know this is an unwelcome change for you but look at it as an adventure.”
“I don’t want to go on an adventure.”
“You have that in common with some of the greatest heroes of all time. You’ll be fine, you’ll see, and I’m only a phone call away if you need me.”
“I know.”
“This isn’t the forever sort of good-bye, you’ll see. Take care of your mom, okay, and don’t be too hard on her.”
Wendy nodded and stepped away. She scooped up her box and said, “I’m ready.”
Gavin opened both passenger side doors and said, “Then climb on up and we’ll get a move on.”
While Wendy climbed into the truck Lillian looked back at the apartment building. It had been their home for six, almost seven, years. It was safe and comfortable and familiar and despite what Mrs. Jameso
n had said she felt that she might never see the building again.
She sighed and climbed into the truck.
Gavin handed her a cellphone and she stared at it, not taking it from him. “You’ll need one. I’m often in the pasture or the barn and you might have questions for me. And I might need to ask you to pick something up after you’ve left for town.”
“So this is a business phone and part of my job?”
“Yes and no. Yes, that’s why I picked it up. It’s on my plan so it’s hardly costing me a thing. No, I won’t be checking to make sure you’re not calling other people. You can give that number to the school, and to Mrs. Jameson, if you’re more comfortable not using the ranch number as your personal number.”
She took the phone and he started the truck. Once they were clear of the city limits he glanced back at Wendy. She had headphones on and her eyes were closed.
“I can get a phone for Wendy too,” he said. “I didn’t want to do it without asking you first. I know she’s only ten but she might feel more comfortable if she can call you or text you whenever she needs to.”
“That’s very generous of you, I don’t think …”
“Don’t worry about the money.”
“I didn’t take this job so I could beg borrow and steal from you,” she snapped.
“I know that, that’s not what I meant. I meant, adding a phone to the plan is an extra five bucks a month for me. We’ll call it part of your board and room.”
She almost said no again but she remembered the way Wendy had been acting these last few days, all closed in and defensive, and she nodded. “Okay, that might be good. I don’t know how well she’ll adjust to this move.”
“Give her some time,” Gavin offered, not really knowing what else to say.
“I know. I just hope she’ll be okay.”
“Look, I never moved, not once. I have lived my entire live on that ranch, so I don’t know what she’s feeling. But I do know that when my grandfather died I was terrified that he had left the place to one of my aunts or cousins and that I would be forced to move, and I don’t have any school friends or anything like that to leave behind.”
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