he had a good explanation about why he was doing her job…but there was something in the air in this house. Something that didn’t quite fit.
Something…
The sauce in the pot bubbled over and Ellie jumped back out of the way with a squeak as she snapped off the gas burner.
She heard the sound of Mac racing down the stairs and quickly placed her body in front of the stove to hide the mess.
“Everything okay?” he asked, walking into the kitchen with Henry on his arm.
“Great.”
“I thought I heard a squeal.”
The odd feeling returned again. He had every right to investigate a squeal, but the tone of his voice just didn’t sit right.
Of course, she might be overanalyzing because she was nervous about having just burned a big part of his dinner!
“I…Um…” She swallowed to gather her courage. “My sauce just boiled over.”
“Oh. Okay, if everything’s under control the kids and I are going to take a short walk.”
He took it so casually that Ellie blinked in surprise as Mac turned away. Sam would have screamed at her for hours for ruining dinner, proving Mac wasn’t a full-fledged grouch or even really a control freak. So what the heck was going on here?
As Mac called, “Lacy!” Ellie noticed Henry had on a straw hat and a lightweight one-piece pajama that covered his entire body to protect him from the sun. Ellie didn’t criticize Mac’s diligence. But it did further the theory that he was very protective of his children and she’d better do the absolute best job she could do when she was alone with them—
Ah! Now she got it.
The parents of the kids she typically babysat for trusted her. This guy didn’t know her. So how could he trust her? He couldn’t! That was why he seemed to be keeping the kids from her. Until he got to know her he’d probably huddle over Henry and Lacy rather than let her alone with them…and probably also question her every move. His distrust could even be the “odd” thing she sensed in the air of this house.
Lacy ran into the room. She also wore a straw hat to protect her from the sun. “I’m ready, Daddy.”
Mac said, “Let’s go.” Then he and the kids trooped out of the kitchen.
Ellie spun around and looked at the milk-covered burner on the stove with a groan. She grabbed her cell phone from her jeans pocket.
“Ava, can you get a jar of store-bought Alfredo sauce here in twenty minutes?”
Ava laughed. “Ellie, you’re going to wear me out.”
“This time I can let you in the gate.”
“Great. I’ll fill you in on the Happy Maids stuff while I’m there.”
Twenty minutes later, Ava arrived with two jars of Alfredo sauce and the maids’ time sheets to be signed for payroll. As Ellie poured the penne pasta, portabella mushrooms and red and yellow peppers into a casserole dish and then covered them with Alfredo sauce and popped them into the oven, Ava briefed her on Happy Maids’ day.
“Nothing out of the ordinary happened. The houses were cleaned as scheduled. The Maids have their jobs for tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Ava.”
“You’re welcome. Now, I have to get home. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon around this time.” Ava headed for the butler’s pantry, but stopped and grinned at Ellie. “Don’t hesitate to call me if you need something.”
Ellie shook her head in dismay. “I’m sorry but this guy is a serious control freak.” She’d finally decided to label him a control freak, if only because distrust was such an ugly word and she didn’t want Ava to realize she was uncomfortable. She might want Ellie to leave and she couldn’t. Cain and Liz needed for her to do a good job. “I didn’t dare risk a mistake.”
Ava laughed. “I was teasing. I don’t mind you calling me for help. You’re doing this as much for my boss as for yours. So we’re in this together.”
With that Ellie scooted out through the butler’s pantry and garage, leaving Ellie to prepare a salad in the twenty minutes it would take to heat the pasta and sauce.
She was just pulling dinner from the oven when Mac and the kids returned.
She greeted them with a smile. “You’re right on time.”
“Great. We’re starving.” He ambled to the door. “You may serve us in the formal dining room.”
Ellie smiled, breathing a silent sigh of relief that he’d told her what to do and quickly set the table. As she did that, Mac grabbed a jar of baby food, a baby dish and a tiny spoon.
She served the food while Mac fed Henry.
“That’ll be all, Ellie.”
Ellie nodded in acknowledgement and scurried back into the kitchen. But she opened the swinging door a crack and peeked into the dining room. Watching the happy little family, she amended her opinion of Mac once again. It seemed wrong to call him a control freak when he was looking out for his kids. In some circles that would make him a good dad.
Still, there was the matter of the missing wife. She couldn’t reconcile herself to thinking that any woman would give full custody of two adorable children to her husband. Had there been a custody battle? Were these two kids scarred for life?
Of course, his wife could be—Ellie swallowed—dead. Oh, dear. That would certainly raise a whole different set of issues! Including the curiosity of why he hadn’t told Ellie, if only to explain whether or not the kids were still dealing with that.
No. He would have told her if his wife were dead. As diligent as he was, he’d want her to be prepared about everything to do with his kids. His wife had to have left.
But where was she? And why had she gone, leaving her kids behind?
Telling herself it was none of her business and that she could handle not knowing for one month if it meant that Liz got the recommendations she needed and Cain got the contracts he wanted, Liz began scrubbing pots and wiping the kitchen counters.
When the Carmichaels were finished eating, Mac leaned into the kitchen. “We’re done. Lacy and I will be upstairs getting Henry ready for bed.”
“Okay.”
“Once you’ve cleaned up, you’re done for the day. You may do whatever you wish. It’s still hot out, so you might want to take a dip in the pool. The kids and I are in for the night, so it’s all yours if you wish. Good night, Ellie.”
He pulled out of the room without waiting for her reply and Ellie leaned against the counter with a sigh of relief.
Day one down!
After clearing the dining room and popping the dishes into the dishwasher, Ellie went to her room.
She
