Читать книгу Redemption at Mirabelle - Helen Brenna - Страница 12

“FREE TRADE GOODS. MADE BY women in the U.S.A.” Marin analyzed the Whimsy business files on Missy’s home computer. “I hate to tell you this, sis, but you’re spending way too much for the inventory at your gift shop.”

“And I hate to tell you this,” Missy said as she continued folding laundry at her kitchen table. “But that’s exactly the point.”

Frustrated, Marin flipped through month after month of profit and loss statements. Some months, her sister was barely making any money and others she was losing her shirt. “Who does your accounting?”

“I do my monthly stuff and an accountant in Ashland does my taxes. A payroll company pays Gaia and any other summer help I need.”

“Speaking of which, you’re paying your employees too much.”

“College is expensive these days. I’m doing what I can to help my staff.”

Marin pulled up several more files on Missy’s computer and continued poring through one spreadsheet after another. Her sister was the worst businesswoman Marin had ever run across. “Your profit margins suck. In some cases, you’re actually losing money on the stuff you sell.”

Missy smiled. “I know.”

“You need to raise your prices and start buying cheaper goods from China.”

“Next thing I’ll be outsourcing everything.” Her sister laughed. “Marin, my gift shop isn’t about making money. I’m lucky enough to have a balance in my trust fund that lets me do whatever I want. And part of what I want is to give back. My gift shop helps me do that by buying goods from people all over the world who are struggling so that they can put food in their mouths. And help to support single, working moms here in the U.S. so they can feel good about getting a fresh start.”

Marin sighed. “Okay, I get it.”

“Do you?”

“Kind of.” Marin shrugged. “But I guess it’s hard to slough off the whole bottom line thing.”

“Tell me something,” Missy said, snapping out a T-shirt. “Do you really like all that business stuff? I mean really, really love it.”

“Well, I—”

“Just think about it for a minute.”

“There are parts of it I enjoy. Like the fact that it feels vital and in the moment. But I have to admit that there are days I’m not crazy about what I’m doing.”

“So do something else.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Why don’t you take this time on Mirabelle to get all that finance mumbo jumbo out of your head so you can recharge. Get some perspective on life.”

“And how do I manage that?”

“I don’t know. Paint your nails. Daydream. Read a book.”

Snorting, Marin returned to analyzing the spreadsheets.

Missy stalked over to her then and flipped a switch on the computer, shutting it down.

“What did you do that for?”

“When’s the last time you read something other than the Wall Street Journal? Something purely for entertainment?”

“High school.”

“Then you’re long past due.” She grabbed a book down from the stack on her desk hutch and held it out toward Marin. “Here.”

The book cover depicted a bare-chested man and a woman in a flowing gown in what looked like a desperate embrace. Marin laughed out loud. “A romance? Seriously?”

“Try it. You might like it.”

“HIGHER, GAMMA!”

“Higher!”

“Okay, here we go!” Angelica announced as she pushed the two boys in their swings, one part of an elaborate backyard play system that Jonas had built.

A picture-perfect late summer day, like all the others had been since they’d arrived on Mirabelle, the sun was shining, a light breeze was blowing and the scent of petunias was in the air. Marin was bent over weeding Missy’s vegetable garden when Missy came outside with a pitcher of iced tea and several glasses. “Time for a break, Marin.”

Marin slipped off the gardening gloves she’d borrowed from Missy, sat beside her on the patio and took a long drink of cold sweet tea.

Missy sat on one of the other chairs and watched their mother with her two boys. “What do you suppose is the crux of the issue between her and Dad?”

“He’s a self-absorbed ass and she’s fed up.”

“It’s never that simple.” Missy sighed. “She’s such a good grandma.”

“Not surprising, considering how devoted she’s always been as a mother.”

Suddenly, Michael started fussing for no apparent reason. A moment later, Nate followed suit.

“Time to go read, boys.” Missy stood. “Aka, naptime,” she whispered to Marin.

Their mother lifted the boys out of their swings and walked them across the yard. “I’ll see you boys later.”

“Bye, Gamma,” they both called together. “Bye, Mairn.”

“It’s so cute the way they say your name.”

“Yeah. Cute.”

The minute the door closed, Angelica sat in the chair next to Marin and sipped her iced tea. “I love the city,” she said. “But I might be able to get used to this.”

“We’ve only been here a few days,” Marin said. “Wait a few weeks. I have a feeling you’ll be bored out of your mind.”

“Oh, I’m already a bit bored, but I’m sure I could find plenty to do here.”

“Do you mean you’re thinking of, like, living here?” Marin asked, astounded. For as long as she could remember, her parents had split their time between D.C. and Manhattan. The Camden idea of wilderness had been Cape Cod.

“Goodness, no.” Angelica shook her head. “I love being here and getting to be grandma, but I’d miss the hustle and bustle of the city too much. Some extended time over the summer, though, would be nice.”

Angelica glanced out across the yard and seemed to focus on something in the distance. “We need to meet those children,” she murmured almost to herself.

Marin followed her mother’s gaze to find Adam’s kids taking turns going down the rickety slide of a rusty old swing set while his assistant, a tall, thin woman with short salt-and-pepper hair who appeared to be in her late fifties, stood nearby talking on a cell phone. The picture had been some variation of the same theme for each of the past several days. The children entertained themselves while the woman talked on the phone or worked on her laptop.

Just then the woman started pacing. A moment later, she stopped at the picnic table where her laptop was running and lit a cigarette.

“I wonder how their mother died,” Marin’s mom said as she set down her tea.

“I should’ve asked Adam.”

Her mother raised her eyebrows. “When did you talk with him?”

“The other night when I went home early. He was sitting outside having a beer.”

“And you joined him. Hmm. He’s a handsome man.”

“Don’t even think about it, Mom. Me getting involved with any man right now is entirely out of the question. And a man with children? Never, ever gonna happen.”

The kids, bored with the slide, wandered over to a large, but sickly looking pine tree. The girl boosted her brother up to the lowest branch and slowly but surely they both climbed up the tree. Get off the phone, lady, and take care of those kids. Hell, even Marin, as inexperienced as she was around children, could tell that was an accident waiting to happen.

“Good Lord,” her mother murmured. “If they’re not careful, they’re going to break their little necks.”

They climbed higher and higher.

“That’s it,” her mother said, pushing off from her chair. “I can’t stand it.”

Oh, oh. Knowing exactly where this was going to lead, Marin followed her mother across the lawn. Angelica Camden was the sweetest person in the world until she was crossed or found a cause to support, and then the barracuda in her came out with a vengeance.

“Hello, I’m Angelica Camden,” Marin’s mother said as she approached the other woman.

Clearly surprised, the woman spun around. “I’ll have to call you right back.” She flipped her phone closed and set her cigarette in an ashtray on the picnic table. “Phyllis Pennick. Adam Harding’s personal assistant.”

“Did Mr. Harding ask you to watch his children?”

“Yes.” She didn’t look happy to be caring for two youngsters, but was entirely resigned to her fate. “Just until he can find a replacement nanny.”

“Well, in that case, I suggest you pay more attention to your charges, or there won’t be a need for a new nanny.” Angelica stalked over to the tree. “Children, why don’t you come down? You can play in the playhouse in my daughter’s yard.”

“We can?” the little girl said, her big brown eyes widening with excitement.

“Absolutely.”

“Awesome!”

“Only for a little while,” the assistant added.

The two kids scrambled down the tree, ran to Missy’s backyard, and immediately climbed the ladder into the tree house. The assistant, on the other hand, stayed in Adam’s yard, but now kept vigilant eyes on the children.

The little girl poked her head out from the window. “This is high,” she said, smiling at Marin and exposing permanent teeth that looked too big for her little face. For a kid, Marin had to admit, she was adorable. With brown hair, cut in a long bob, much like Marin’s, and brown eyes, she looked like her father.

“What’s your name?” she found herself asking.

“Julia.”

“And your brother’s name?”

“Wyatt.” He poked his head out from one of the other windows and smiled. His brown hair was cut very short, showing off cute little ears that bent a bit outward at the top like an elf. “And I like this.”

“Well, you both can come over here anytime you want,” Angelica said to them. “As long as it’s all right with your dad.”

Soon they were alternating between the slide, the fireman’s pole and the monkey bars, and Angelica was having the time of her life. “How old are you, Julia?”

“Seven and a half. I’ll be in second grade this year. But I don’t know anyone in my class.”

“Well, there must be other kids your age on the island.”

“Hello, there.” A man’s voice sounded behind them.

Marin turned. Adam. His gaze caught with Marin’s first and she couldn’t for the life of her stop the little flutter in her stomach at the sight of him. “Hi,” she barely managed to get the word out of her mouth. Dressed in jeans and a black polo shirt, he was the best thing Marin had seen all day.

He glanced from her to her mother. “Mrs. Camden.”

“Please call me Angelica.”

“I thought I’d stop up here and give Phyllis a break.” He glanced at his assistant. “You ready for some lunch?”

She nodded vigorously. “And I have several urgent emails that need to be addressed.”

“Go ahead. I got my kids.”

The woman nabbed her laptop and disappeared into Adam’s house.

Adam waved to his kids and turned back to Marin and Angelica. “So how are things going?”

Angelica raised her eyebrows. “Other than your assistant being too busy talking on the phone to pay proper attention to your children?”

Oh, God. Marin rolled her eyes.

Adam’s expression was completely unreadable. He could have been upset with his assistant, worried about his kids, wishing Angelica Camden would butt out of everyone else’s business, or any combination of the three. Then again, it was possible he found the entire episode entertaining. Marin had no clue.

“They were just climbing the tree, Mom,” she said, interrupting. “They were fine.”

“That’s what everyone says until a neck gets broken.”

“Mother—”

“How long until you find a replacement nanny?”

At that, he displayed his first show of emotion. Clearly, more than anything, he was worried for his children. “The agency said to expect it to take at least a month. I don’t want to rush things and get just anyone in here because I’d like to make sure whoever I hire is in for the long haul.” He paused. “Once school starts, things will be a lot easier.”

“Will they both be in school full-time?” Angelica asked.

“Yes, ma’am. Both of them.” Adam nodded. “The school on the island offers a full-day kindergarten option, so even Wyatt will be gone all day.”

“In that case,” Angelica said, “I can take care of your children, Adam, until you find a new nanny.”

What? Marin swung her head so quickly toward her mother she wouldn’t have been surprised had she snapped a vertebra in the process.

Adam smiled indulgently. “No offense, Mrs. Camden, but—”

“Oh, I suppose I’m not as limber as most nannies and I don’t have an education degree, but I do love children,” Angelica said. “Raised four of them virtually on my own. U.S. senators, you know, don’t have much time for parenting. And you won’t find me talking on a cell phone while they’re in my charge.”

“I didn’t mean to suggest you weren’t qualified,” Adam said. “Only that I need someone until I can find a permanent nanny.”

“Well, I’m here for at least a month with nothing much to do other than play with my grandsons. And they have a mother to take care of them. I don’t want to put you on the spot, though, so you think about it and let me know what you decide.”

For a long moment, he studied Marin’s mother. Then he shook his head. “I don’t have to think about it. If Missy’s disposition is any indication of your child-rearing abilities, then I have nothing to worry about.”

Marin felt her mouth gape at his implication that her disposition, as opposed to her sister’s, was less than ideal. But that was beside the point. She still couldn’t believe her mother was serious about babysitting these kids. “Mother, are you sure—”

“When do you need me to start?” Angelica asked.

“Monday morning at eight?”

“Perfect.” Angelica smiled. “And don’t you even think about paying me. I do not want your money.”

“You’re sure about that?”

“I’m the wife of Arthur Camden, Mr. Harding. I would prefer that you send any money you’d be paying me along to Carla. Under the circumstances, her family will likely need it.”

“In that case, I’ll add the funds to the severance I was already going to give her.” He nodded. “Would you like to work the details out now?”

“You’re still busy with work.” She smiled. “Monday morning is fine.”

“Okay, then.” He turned to walk away, but then stopped and turned. “You’re sure about this?”

“Positive. It’ll be my pleasure. One more thing, though?”

He held her gaze.

“If I were in the construction business, I’d be ashamed of that swing set in my backyard.”

Adam glanced at the old metal set and chuckled. “Point taken.” Then he turned and walked on.

Marin waited until he was out of earshot before spinning around. “Are you out of your mind, Mother?”

“No.” She grinned. “What I am is damned happy to have a purpose to my days and those children need someone. So does their father. The kids, I can help with. The man?” She chuckled. “I’ll bet he’d take your mind off Colin Everett Masterson III.”

“He has kids, Mom.”

“No one said you had to marry him, Marin.”