Anna came back into the kitchen a half hour later, freshly showered and with her hair blown dry and piled up in a French twist. She was wearing a pretty pink sweater and a long, cream-colored skirt and her caramel-colored cowboy boots.
“You look nice. Where are you off to?”
“Sunday service at the little church at River’s End Ranch. It’s a nice, intimate service and always puts me in a good mood to start the week off fresh.” She smiled and Ben was tempted to join her, to bundle Taylor up and head to church, too. But, he knew that was too optimistic. Taylor was still teething and unpredictable. He didn’t want to be a disruption.
“Maybe we’ll join you sometime, when Taylor’s teething settles down.”
Anna smiled. “I’d like that.”
After Anna left and Taylor went down for a nap, Ben was feeling restless. He had plenty of work he could do, but he felt like trying to cook. One thing he’d always loved when he lived at home was Sunday roast dinners after church. He wasn’t much of a cook, but he thought he could manage cooking a chicken. He’d seen one in the fridge earlier. After googling instructions online, he heated the oven, stuck the chicken on a half sheet cooking pan, stuffed a cut lemon in its cavity and sprinkled some rosemary and thyme over the top and a smear of butter. A dash of salt and pepper and it was ready to go in the oven. He added a few big baking potatoes, too, and then slid the tray into the oven. He set the timer for a little over an hour and then went into his office for a bit. The timer was essential because it was too easy for him to lose track of time.
As it turned out, Taylor got his attention just before the timer went off. He put her in her high chair with some cut up pieces of fruit and then took the chicken out of the oven. The whole house smelled pretty amazing, if he said so himself. When the chicken cooled enough, he cut a little up for Taylor and she gave it the thumb’s up. When she was just about done, Anna walked through the door and stopped short and sniffed.
“Was Betty here?”
He laughed. “I think that’s a compliment. No, I cooked a roast chicken. Smells like it came out okay. Want to try some? I was just about to fix a plate.”
“Sure.”
Anna gave his cooking the thumb’s up, too, and after they ate, she insisted on cleaning up while he changed Taylor’s diaper. When she was all fresh and clean, he brought her into the living room to let her crawl around and play with some of her toys. Anna was sprawled out on the sofa, reading a magazine.
A few minutes later, his cell phone rang, but he’d left it in his office.
“I’ll be right back.” He ran to his office and as he suspected, it was Adiel, letting him know that he’d just landed and would be there in a little over an hour. He ended the call and as he was walking back to the living room, Anna called for him to hurry up.
“Ben, get in here!” There was something about her tone that made him move faster and when he reached the living room, he understood why.
“I think she’s about to walk!” Anna said.
They both watched in wonder. Taylor swayed back and forth as she held onto the side of the coffee table, then took a step away, let go, walked two steps and fell down.
“Taylor, that was amazing!”
He turned to Anna. “I can’t believe she just walked!”
Anna looked thrilled, too. “I know.”
They spent the rest of the afternoon encouraging Taylor to do it again and again and she laughed as she tried to walk and then fell. She thought it was the funniest thing ever. And then she blew Ben’s mind when she fell into Anna who was sitting cross-legged on the floor. She laughed delightedly and then pulled on Anna’s hair and said, “Mama!” The only other world she’d mastered thus far was “No,” which she did enjoy using. Her calling Anna ‘Mama’ both amused him and made him feel something else entirely. Something confusing that he couldn’t quite figure out.
Taylor started to rub her eyes, a sign that she was about ready for a nap and Ben suspected she might be down for a while after her walking lessons. He put her down and tucked her in and headed back to the living room. Anna was in the kitchen getting a glass of water.
“That was really something special,” she said softly.
Ben nodded. “It was. Walking and another word in the same afternoon.”
“Felt kind of weird and nice, to be called ‘Mama’,” Anna said with a smile. She was leaning against the island and Ben felt drawn to her. She was looking at him in a way that he hadn’t seen before. There was something in her eyes—interest, maybe an invitation? He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t stop to think about it. He pulled her close to him and he kissed her, softly at first, but then she leaned into him and he pulled his arms more tightly around her. They kissed like that, for a long time and then, finally, he leaned back and smiled.
“I kind of got caught up in the moment. I hope you don’t mind?”
“Mind? No, I…” Anna was interrupted by a knock at the door. Ben realized it must be Adiel. He went to the door and let him in.
Anna stood there in shock. She couldn’t believe Ben had just kissed her and that she’d kissed him back, quite thoroughly. And now his friend was here, and they had to act as though everything was perfectly normal, like nothing had just happened. That her world hadn’t just been tilted on its axis. Adiel was going to be staying with them for a few days, so Anna knew it wasn’t likely that she and Ben would even have a chance to talk about the kiss, or what it meant until after he left.
“Anna, this is Adiel. He’s a good friend of mine.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Anna.” Adiel held out his hand and Anna shook it. She instantly liked him. As they chatted, she discovered a calm friendliness and curiosity about him that she found engaging. He was a handsome man, but he had a very different look. Adiel was a little shorter, maybe five foot ten or so and had unruly hair that was a little too long and a little too wavy, but it suited him. He had big, dark eyes and Anna got the sense that he was always taking note of everything, absorbing the conversations and images around him. He wore big, black glasses that gave him a studious, creative look. She knew that he was very good at what he did. Ben had told her that he’d created and written films and TV shows that she’d watched and enjoyed immensely.
She visited with him for a little bit before excusing herself to let the two of them catch up. She went to her room to lay down for a bit and read, but after a few pages, she fell asleep and to her surprise, dozed for a few hours. She checked the time when she woke and realized she had just enough time to freshen up before they were due to leave for dinner and the show. She splashed water on her face, added a touch of mascara and a bit of blush and fixed her hair. She added a silk floral scarf in tones of pink and blue to match her sweater and dress her outfit up a bit.
Ben smiled when she joined them in the living room. Betty was already with Taylor, and Ben and Adiel looked ready to go.
“You look nice,” Ben said. “Are you all set?”
“I’m ready.”
The performance was at four so they decided to see the show and then grab dinner after.
“Have you seen A Streetcar named Desire, Anna?” Adiel asked.
“No. I’ve always wanted to, though.”
He smiled. “You are in for a treat. It’s one of my all-time favorite plays. And Stella is a big part.”
“I have a good feeling about Rachel,” Ben said.
Anna didn’t think she knew who Rachel was but when the show started and she saw the woman playing the part of Stella, she recognized her as the waitress from the cafe. She hadn’t ever had a real conversation with her, though, and had no idea she was interested in acting. She quickly forgot that it was Rachel playing the part and got lost in the story. And when it ended, she was exhausted in a good way. It was an incredible story and there was something really special about Rachel.
Ben looked impressed, too. “So what did you think?” he asked them both as they walked into the main lobby.
“I loved it,” Anna
said.
“It was good. Rachel was great. Good find, Ben.” Adiel looked pleased, as if he’d just discovered something that no one else knew about. Anna supposed that he had.
They waited in the lobby until the cast members came out and mingled in the crowd. When Rachel saw Ben, her eyes widened, and she walked over to them.
“You came!” She sounded pleased and surprised.
“I did. And I brought a few friends. Anna Kelley and Adiel Bozeman, this is Rachel.”
“Rachel McIntyre,” she said with a smile. “Thank you all so much for coming. I hope you enjoyed it.”
“We did,” Ben assured her. “We’ll keep our fingers crossed for the opportunity you mentioned.”
“Thank you! My agent hasn’t heard anything yet, but he said the new show runner should be coming soon and then auditions would start.”
“Good luck,” Anna said.
Adiel winked. “If I have any say in it, the job is yours.”
Rachel laughed. “Thank you.”
As they walked away, Anna asked. “How come you didn’t tell her who you are?”
“It’s a little premature,” Ben explained.
“Until I’m actually on board and have discussed budgets and actual casting needs with Steven, I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up," Adiel said. "But I’d say there’s an excellent chance that there will be a place for Rachel.”
They decided to go to Figs for dinner. It had an eclectic menu and was right in the middle of Main Street. There was also a great blues band playing in the back of the restaurant and from where they sat, they could hear the music but it wasn’t too loud and they could still hear each other talk, too.
Adiel was easy to talk to, and funny. He had them laughing with comical stories of things that happened on the set of his last TV show. They decided to just order a bunch of appetizers and stayed for several hours, drinking wine and sharing stories. Before she knew it, Anna had shared the whole sorry story of her evil stepmother, Elise, and the Amazon stock that was preventing her from getting financial aid.
“Do you know how many shares he had?” Adiel looked curious.
“Not that many, only about five hundred or so are left. I haven’t looked at the share price in a few years, but I know Elise said the price had dropped and he’d sold some. He had almost 1000 before that.”
Ben and Adiel exchanged glances.
“I only know this because I own some Amazon stock, too, but it’s gone way up in recent years. It always bounces around, but Anna, it’s over $1200 a share now. If your father held on to 500 shares that’s worth over $600,000.”
“More than enough money for law school,” Ben said. Anna could tell that he was furious on her behalf. She was stunned. And felt a bit foolish. It had never occurred to her to look up the price of that stock. She’d simply believed Elise when she’d said there wasn’t much money left. She felt gullible and disgusted at Elise.
“Anna, will you please let me talk to her? I have an idea that won’t cause a big fuss, but I think should straighten this out,” Ben said.
Anna nodded, feeling hopeful and nervous at the same time. She still had a lot at stake, if Elise told Ben the truth about what she'd done. But as long as he didn’t share that Anna was working for him as a nanny, it might not come up. She crossed her fingers.
Chapter 10
Ben called the law firm where Elise Cummings worked first thing Monday. As he expected, she took his call eagerly.
“It’s so nice to hear from you. How can I help you?”
“I have a matter I’d like to speak with you about. It shouldn’t take long. Do you have a few minutes around lunch time today? I’m happy to come to your office, as I’ll be in the area.”
“Oh, of course, that would be wonderful. Did you want to talk to Ray, too?” She sounded excited and a little flustered, and Ben was counting on her not asking why he wanted to meet with her.
“No need to bother Ray. As I said, this should just take a few minutes. I’d like to talk with you.”
“Oh, well, that’s fine. Shall we say one o’clock?”
“I’ll see you at one.” Ben hung up and smiled. Elise wouldn’t expect the topic of the conversation to be Anna, which was exactly the way he wanted it. So she would be slightly off-guard.
He pulled into the lot at one sharp and saw her Mercedes parked right in front. When he walked into the law firm, the friendly young receptionist smiled and told Ben that Elise would be right out. He didn’t even have a chance to sit before she was in the lobby to greet him and was all smiles.
“Let’s go into the conference room. Can I get you coffee or tea?”
“No, thank you.”
Once they were in the room with the door shut behind them, Elise leaned forward, radiating curiosity. “What can I help you with, Ben?”
“Well, first I’d like to thank you for meeting with me on such short notice,” he said and smiled in a way that he’d been told women often found charming.
“I’m here on behalf of Anna Kelley.” He let that sink in for a moment and it was like a shade was drawn and the welcoming smile was instantly with drawn.
“I don’t understand?” There was ice in her tone and wariness.
“Anna has become…a good friend,” he began. “She shared with me that she’d been accepted to law school but was having some issues financially. She said that you declined to help her with her financial aid application. Is that true?”
“Yes, well—yes, it is. I’m afraid that Anna won’t qualify for financial aid, so there’s no point to filling out that application.”
“I see. So, does that mean you’ll just be writing a check for her tuition, then?”
Elise gasped. “No, of course not!”
Ben made a show of scratching his chin. “Well, I’m a little confused, then. If there’s too much money for financial aid, then why isn’t Anna seeing any of it?”
“Well,” Elise stammered, clearly flustered. “It’s just that there’s no cash, you see. It’s tied up in stock and 401ks, that kind of thing. Her father had a stock he loved, and I promised not to sell it.”
“I see. Well, the 401k is irrelevant, that doesn’t affect financial aid. The stock might, though, so I can see your dilemma.”
Elise relaxed a bit, and then Ben went in for the kill.
“See, here’s the thing. It’s my understanding that Anna’s father’s will clearly left her a certain percentage of that stock and she was intending to use that for her education. Is that correct?”
“Yes, but—well, he made some changes to his will. So, that is no longer the case.”
“Are you saying he cut his daughter out of the will? Why would he have done that?”
Elise stayed silent and looked away.
“You lied to him, didn’t you? You told him that Anna got scholarships and didn’t need the money and he was confused, his brain wasn’t working the way it normally did anymore. And you took advantage of that?”
Elise sat up straight and stuck her chin in the air, a final attempt to bluff her way out of it. “You can’t prove that!”
Ben sighed. “Elise. Before, I used to be a very good lawyer. I still am. If we were to take this to trial, you will lose. I can assure you of that. I have unlimited resources and you could burn through all the money you were left. I’m sure you don’t want to do that, especially when you have zero chance of winning. It’s a fairly simple matter to prove when your husband’s cognitive skills began to decline and when I show that you cut his daughter out of the will then, based on lies—well, I think you know what will happen.”
Elise said nothing. She just sat there fuming.
“Are you aware, Elise, of the current price of the Amazon stock?”
“No, I never paid much attention to that. Frank always handled his brokerage accounts.”
“What was it the last time you checked?” he persisted.
“Around two hundred a share, maybe? I know he sold half of his stock. There’
s only about 500 shares left now.”
“The stock has gone up a bit since then. It’s worth an extra thousand dollars a share.” He let that sink in and watched her mentally do the math.
“It’s worth over $600,000?”
“It is. So, it won’t be so painful now to give Anna her fair share, will it? I’ve taken the liberty of drafting an agreement letter for you to sign. If I can get your signature here, I’ll drop this off at the bank today.”
Elise sighed. “I suppose I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
“Not from where I’m sitting, you don’t.” Ben smiled and handed her the pen.
She signed it and slid the paper over to him.
“How do you know Anna?” she asked.
“She’s working as my live-in nanny,” he said.
Elise crossed her arms and stared at him. “She’s working as your nanny? I don’t suppose she told you what she did to my son? A nanny is the last thing Anna should be.”
A chill ran up Ben’s spine.
“What are you talking about?”
“She almost killed my Tommy. It’s a miracle he’s alive today. She dropped him on his head!”
Ben stared at her in disbelief.
“Yes, it’s true. Ask her yourself. I’m sure that didn’t come up when she interviewed with you.”
“I’m sure, if that is true, that she didn’t mean to do it.” He couldn’t imagine Anna hurting a child.
“She was careless, in a hurry. Yes, of course it was an accident, but it never should have happened at all. It was completely preventable. I’d think long and hard about keeping her on if it were my child.”
Ben stood. “Well, thank you for your time.”
“Good day. I hope not to see you again any time soon.”
Ben left, stopped by Anna’s bank and dropped off the paperwork for Elise to transfer funds into Anna’s account. He was glad he’d gotten Elise to agree to give Anna the money she deserved, but he was concerned about what she’d said about Anna.
Anna was feeding Taylor in the kitchen when Ben walked in. She couldn’t read his expression at all and couldn’t explain why but she had a sense of foreboding that something had gone very wrong.
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