A Christmas Homecoming

by Johnson, Kimberly Rose

  “Will do.” He dipped his chin and followed Bailey out to her car. “Great job in there. She really liked what you did. My mom said this was your first solo job from start to finish.”

  Bailey’s eyes sparkled behind her dark-rimmed glasses. “Yes. I’ve given a lot of input on other projects and even took over various aspects, but this is the first time I was given the freedom to take a project from concept to fruition. I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.”

  “I’m glad.” And he was. It was almost as if she stood an inch taller after hearing Mrs. Gladstone’s praise. “I should probably head home. The CNA agreed to prepare extra meals for my mom, but I don’t want to take advantage of her time. She said something about wanting me to taste test the meals before freezing them.” He’d expressed his concern about his mother’s eating habits, and she’d seemed very anxious to help.

  “Must be your good looks because she refused to stay longer to cook when I asked for help.” She hopped into her car and slammed the door.

  Now that she mentioned it, maybe the nurse assistant had been flirting with him, but it hadn’t occurred to him until Bailey’s comment. He shook off the thought and slid into his mother’s car. What was he going to do about Bailey? His mother’s demand that he find and hire a replacement ate at him. He liked his mom’s assistant. She lightened the mood in a room, even when she was being serious. Obviously the woman had talent, so what was the problem? And could he fix it before his mother took matters into her own hands?

  Chapter Three

  A week later Bailey pulled off her glasses and rubbed her aching eyes. At this rate she’d never find the style of dresser their client demanded. Why did everyone want vintage lately? Buying new would be so much simpler.

  “Bailey!” Mona called from the room next door.

  “I’ll be right there.” She tried to keep her voice cheerful, but it was becoming more of a challenge. With a click on the mouse, she closed the internet and put her computer to sleep, suspecting this would take a while. Grabbing a notepad and pen she ambled into her boss’s bedroom. “Oh.” A tingle zipped through her as she stopped mid-step. Get it together girl. No way would a man like Stephen give her more than a passing glance. She needed to turn off this attraction before her heart got involved. “Hi, Stephen. I didn’t realize you were here.” The black eye he’d gotten from his accident last week had turned colors and was now an odd shade of yellow.

  “Good afternoon, Bailey,” Stephen said. “Mrs. Gladstone called a while ago. She was still ecstatic over the job you did for her and told Mother how pleased she was with your work.”

  Bailey grinned as she walked to the empty wingback chair on the other side of Mona’s four-poster bed. “Thanks for letting me know. I’m really pleased she liked it so much.”

  “Well, that’s the point of hiring a professional,” Mona snapped from her bed.

  The euphoria of a moment ago fizzled. Her boss sure knew how to make herself understood. It seemed her speech had improved slightly since Stephen’s arrival. Then again, Mona was still talking slower than normal.

  “If she wasn’t happy, there’d be a problem.” Mona crossed her arms.

  Stephen cleared his throat. “That’s true, Mom, but I believe when a job is well done it should be acknowledged.”

  Bailey’s gaze shot to Stephen’s. He winked. Stephen was different from his brothers. None of them ever winked—period. She had imagined Stephen would be stuffy and disagreeable, considering that he’d chosen to work in France—a location decidedly more aristocratic than Central Oregon. Plus, he’d gone there on his own; it wasn’t even the family business he was working for. Maybe she’d judged him wrong. His shortness with her last week could easily be attributed to his accident and jetlag.

  Stephen cleared his throat. “My mother and I have decided to hire a companion for her. Someone who will fix meals, keep the house tidy, and tend to her needs. I hope to have her in place soon after Thanksgiving. Then maybe Mom will be more willing to venture outside this room.”

  Bailey’s gaze shot to Mona’s. Her boss frowned, but a resigned look filled her eyes. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.” In fact it was the best news she’d received since Mona’s stroke. Not that she didn’t feel for her boss, but life would be so much easier with help. She had to believe that if Mona would get out of that bed and try a little harder to gain back her mobility, her overall health would improve.

  Mona pressed her lips into a tight frown.

  Bailey’s eye’s widened. Uh-oh. Mona was unhappy, and that never bode well for anyone. Clearly her son had played a huge role in getting his mother to agree to hire someone. Hopefully she’d warm up to the idea and turn that frown upside down, as her mom liked to say. Bailey had never thought of using an old fashioned companion who could do it all. He’d found the perfect solution.

  Mona’s hurtful words from a moment ago tickled the back of her mind, but she pushed them aside. She would not dwell on words spoken out of anger, frustration, or perhaps pain. She did a good job and would keep this job by continuing to be excellent at designing and pleasing their clients. “What can I do for you, Mona?” Her boss had called her in here for a reason, but they’d gotten sidetracked.

  “I want to go over the design for the Davis’s en-suite remodel. Rick wants the plans firmed up so they can begin work on Monday.”

  “Okay. It’s on my computer. I’ll be right back.” She placed the pad and pen on the chair and dashed to the next room to retrieve her laptop. A moment later she settled in the wingback again and pulled up the file. “I’ve already received approval from the homeowner and planned to send this over to Rick today.” She passed her computer to Mona.

  Mona raised a brow. She scrolled down and nodded. “This is fine. Thank you.”

  Bailey grinned. “If there’s nothing else you need from me, I’ll get back to work.”

  “How are the plans for our Thanksgiving feast coming along? Do you have the decorations?” Mona asked.

  “Yes. Everything will be exactly as you requested on Thanksgiving.” That was, almost everything. She’d much rather be with friends or family, but if Mona needed her to make this holiday special, she’d do it. The Belafontes were a decent bunch—at least most of the time—and she adored Rick’s children, Lacy and Collin. She’d spent a good deal of time with the kids, since as Mona’s assistant, retrieving her grandchildren from school and entertaining them fit into her job description. She was glad that Mona now trusted her with creating and implementing designs. After all, that was the reason she’d sought the job.

  “Good.” Mona passed back the computer and closed her eyes. “I think I’ll take a nap.”

  Stephen stood. “Okay, Mother. Rest well.” He followed Bailey from the room, closing the door behind them. “I’m really sorry about Mom. I believe her condition is getting on her nerves, and you appear to be her kicking post.”

  Her heart warmed toward this man, who was turning out to be nothing like she expected. “Thank you, Stephen. There’s no need to apologize for her, though. She’s a grown woman and responsible for her own behavior. I appreciate you talking her into hiring a companion. It’s a better idea than getting a cook, and I believe the help will free up my time so I can do my job.”

  “That’s the plan. And you won’t need to worry about the companion at all. My mother and I will train her. She’ll occupy the room across the hall from Mom’s.”

  “Sounds great. Well, I should get back to work.” She spun around and marched downstairs to the office. The phone rang, and she raced to grab it. “Belafonte Designs, Bailey speaking.”

  “Bailey, I need you down at the site pronto. We have a problem,” Rick, the oldest Belafonte brother said.

  “Okay. Care to give me a hint?”

  “It’s best if you see for yourself.”

  Concern gripped her. It wasn’t like Rick to overreact about things, so this must be serious. “I’m on my way.” She grabbed what she needed and raced for the d
oor. She’d been to the site of the new house last week and everything had been running smoothly. What had gone wrong? The last thing she needed was a major problem when she had so little time to spare.

  “What’s the rush?” Stephen asked from his position at the window facing the front of the house.

  “Rick needs me at the site.” She didn’t have time to explain nor did she want to. Without waiting for a reply, she darted to her car and prayed for safety. She really disliked driving in snow, and a fresh coating covered the road.

  Once on US 97 she noticed a silver car behind her. Was it the same vehicle that had been tailgating her on Century Drive? She moved into the right lane. Why didn’t the driver pass her? The car moved behind her. Unease gripped her. Why was this person so intent on staying close to her?

  The highway had been cleared of snow, so she increased her speed. The silver car kept pace with her. Her chest pounded, and the car suddenly felt too warm. She cracked a window and kept going. Maybe if she slowed he would also. Several cars whizzed by, but not the silver one.

  What should she do? Maybe he wasn’t really following her. Maybe he was simply following by coincidence. That had to be it. She signaled and made a right. The silver car did too. Fear like she’d never known before gripped her. The probability of that driver heading to someplace on this street was low. The build site loomed ahead. Several trucks were parked out in front. All she had to do was pull up behind one of them, grab her purse, then race inside. The elevation here was quite a bit lower than Sunriver, so there was no ice or snow on the ground to impede her.

  Without signaling, she braked hard, slammed the gear to park and bolted inside. She peeked through the window, but the silver car was gone. Whew! Okay, so maybe she’d overreacted. It wasn’t like there were no other homes on this road, but still the likelihood of that driver coming from Sunriver to here was slim.

  Her pulse slowed, and she realized her hands shook. She needed to get a grip before Rick noticed and thought she’d lost it. Speaking of Rick, he stood at his truck talking on his cell phone wearing a grim look. She took a bracing breath, went back outside, and approached him.

  He pocketed his phone. “Thanks for getting here so quickly. Is everything okay? You pulled in pretty fast. I called out to you, but I guess you didn’t hear.”

  She shook her head. “Sorry. I was distracted. What’s the emergency?”

  “You need to see this.”

  She followed him into the kitchen and gasped. “What happened?” Graffiti covered the custom walnut cabinets. “How?”

  “We had the place secured, but whoever did this busted in the back door. Thankfully the cabinets for the rest of the house weren’t installed yet. What do you want to do?”

  “Can we order new ones?”

  He shook his head. “No time. It would take months to get them. We can do stock cabinets. I know the owners want to move in as soon as possible.”

  “We’ll need to clean these up. Sand and re-stain them. Let’s get the custom cabinet company in here to clean these up, unless you’d rather do it yourself. The homeowner was very specific about what she wanted.”

  “I’ll contact them today. Sorry to bother you with this.”

  “It’s fine. I’m glad it wasn’t something worse. You had me scared. As long as I’m here, I’ll check the overall progress.” She was in no rush to leave. Her nerves were shot after the drive here.

  Rick trailed her through the place, taking notes as she pointed out things that still needed attention. “How’s it going with my mom and Stephen?”

  She glanced in his direction before climbing the stairs to the second level. “Fine. Your brother seems to be settling in, and your mom is mostly the same.” She stopped mid-step. “Mona is getting a personal companion to see to her needs, including cooking her meals and housekeeping. Isn’t that great?”

  “I’ll say! We should have done that to begin with.”

  “Agreed.” She continued through the house.

  “Never thought I’d see the day when Steve would come back, but I guess he can’t hide from the past forever.”

  She shot him a look over her shoulder. “His past?” She knew Stephen’s wife had died, but was there more?

  “He was a mess after Rebecca died. When the opportunity to leave the country came, he snagged it so fast he left us in his dust.”

  Bailey strolled into the guest bath at the top of the stairs—the plumbing still needed to be installed. It looked like they were a little behind schedule, but in this case it was a good thing, since the vandals hadn’t been able to ruin anything in here. She turned to face Rick. “Your brother sounds like he went through a rough patch.”

  Rick snorted. “I suppose you could call it that. Are we good on everything here?”

  “Yes.” They talked shop a little longer, then the conversation shifted. “I’m going to stop by the bakery before I head back to Sunriver. What are your family’s favorite kind of pie for Thanksgiving?”

  “Pecan, chocolate cream, and pumpkin. The chocolate is for the kids.”

  “Perfect. I’ll order one of each. Anything else I should plan to have on the menu?” She’d never been in charge of a holiday meal and having to prepare one for the boss’s family was more than a little daunting. What if it was a disaster?

  Rick picked up a scrap piece of wood and pulled a squarish shaped pencil from his tool belt. He wrote on the wood, then handed it to her. “Make sure the meal includes all of those things and you’re golden. I’ll catch you later, Bailey.” He strode down the stairs.

  She stared at the list. Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, cranberry relish, and homemade dinner rolls. She’d order the rolls from the bakery, along with the pies. Hopefully they’d taste homemade enough.

  “Bailey?”

  She turned at the sound of Judy’s voice. Rick’s wife didn’t usually come to the job sites. “This is a surprise.”

  “I’ll bet.” Judy raised her chin and narrowed her eyes. “I was about to say the same to you. What are you doing here?”

  “Rick needed me for something.” Unease gripped her. What was up with Judy? She looked ready to attack. “I need to order pies for Thanksgiving. I’ll see you Thursday.”

  “Right. You sure that’s the only reason you’re here?” Judy asked.

  “I think so. There was some vandalism, and Rick had a design question. Oh, and to get a list of the kind of pies your family likes.”

  Judy smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Aren’t you the sweetest? You’d better get a move on if you’re going to get the order placed. I came to visit my husband.”

  “Okay then. See you.” Bailey went outside. A knot formed in her stomach. Judy seemed to be suggesting she was up to no good, but that didn’t make sense. They’d always gotten along fine.

  Bailey looked around for the silver car and breathed a little easier when she couldn’t find it. She was being paranoid and probably imagined the tension with Judy. Sunshine made her squint, and she wished she’d remembered her sunglasses. At least the sun had decided to come out. She’d missed it the past few days. A car parked across the street grabbed her attention. She shielded her eyes and a tingle shot through her. What was Stephen doing here?

  He stepped out and waved. “Glad I caught you.” He strode over to her.

  “What’s up? I ran into Judy a moment ago, too.”

  He frowned. “Really? I didn’t think she liked to come around the job sites. She’s always said they’re too dusty and dirty.”

  So that’s why she’d never seen the woman visiting her husband before. What had changed? Why had she come today? “Hmm. I hope everything is okay.”

  He frowned. “You think something’s wrong?”

  “I didn’t say that. But it is strange that she’d be here.”

  “I agree. I’ll ask my brother about it later.”

  “Why not ask Judy?”

  “We’ve never been close, and somehow I don’t think she’d appreciate me questio
ning her.”

  His explanation made sense. Judy wasn’t the friendliest woman. “What brings you here?”

  “I wanted to see what Rick’s working on. Plus . . .” He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket “My Mom asked me to make sure you got this.” He held it out to her.

  “What is it?” She took the paper he handed her.

  “A recipe for cranberry relish.” He looked at her with uncertainty on his face. “I know my mom can be demanding, but I hope you don’t mind using her recipe.”

  “Not at all. Thanks for bringing it by. It’s helpful. I should be going. I have several stops to make before I head back to Sunriver.” She hesitated. “Who’s with Mona?”

  “No one. Why?”

  “You left her alone?” Her voice hitched. “She can’t be alone, Stephen. What if she has a problem, or the house catches fire, or any other number of things? She’s weak from getting very little exercise.”

  “She can walk, can’t she?”

  Bailey nodded. “Technically, yes, but not well and not far. I thought you understood your mother’s situation.”

  “Apparently not well enough. I’d hoped to visit with my brother and take care of a few things while I was out, but I’ll go back there right now. Run your errands.” Sincerity filled his eyes. “I’m sorry about this. It won’t happen again.”

  She nodded, more than a little surprised he was willing to alter his plans. Then again, Mona was his mother, and she thought the world of him. He must pamper her, because Mona only adored people who catered to her.

  Bailey left the house more curious than ever about the youngest Belafonte brother. There was so much she didn’t know about Stephen, but one thing she did know—sadness seemed to surround him. She wanted to help, but there was only so much she could do. Mona was her top priority, at least until they found a companion. She probably shouldn’t worry about either of them, since she had a strong feeling Mona was trying to find her replacement and using Stephen to help her, but she couldn’t help herself.