Читать книгу Housekeepers Say I Do!: Maid for the Millionaire / Maid for the Single Dad / Maid in Montana - SUSAN MEIER, Susan Meier - Страница 10

WHILE THEY WORKED, Amanda and Joy returned from Joy’s playdate, and Amanda prepared a barbecue. Liz didn’t realize she was cooking until the aroma of tangy barbeque sauce floated through the downstairs. Just the scent brought Liz to the patio. A minute later, Cain followed behind her.

“What is that smell?”

Amanda laughed. “It’s my mother’s special barbeque-sauce recipe. Have a seat. Everything’s done.”

A glance to the right showed the umbrella table had been set with paper plates and plastic utensils. A bowl of potato salad sat beside some baked beans and a basket of rolls.

Starving from all the work she’d done, Liz sat down without a second thought. Cain, however, debated. She couldn’t imagine how a single man could turn down home cooking until she remembered their near miss with the kiss. Their gazes caught. He looked away.

She could guess what he was thinking. It was getting harder and harder to work together because the longer they were together the more tempted they were. But his stepping away from the kiss proved he was here to help, only to help, not to try to work his way back into her bed.

And that meant she was safe. But so was he. He simply didn’t know that she was as determined as he was to get beyond their attraction. Perhaps even to be friends.

So maybe she had to show him?

“Come on, Cain. This smells too good to resist.”

He caught her gaze and she smiled encouragingly. She tried to show him with her expression that everything was okay. They could be around each other, if he’d just relax.

He walked to the table. “You’re right. Especially since I’d be going home to takeout.”

He sat across the table from her, leaving the two seats on either side of her for Amanda and Joy.

She smiled. As long as they paid no attention to their attraction, they could work toward becoming friends. She would simply have to ignore the extreme sadness that welled in her heart, now that their glances would no longer be heated and they had both silently stated their intentions not to get involved again. Mourning something that hadn’t worked was ridiculous. She didn’t want to go back to what they had. Apparently neither did he. So at least trying to become friends would make the next few weeks easier.

“Where’s Billy?”

“Beach with some friends,” Amanda announced casually. Then she paused and grinned. “You can’t believe how wonderful it feels to say that. We were always so worried about Rick’s reaction to everything that most of the time we didn’t talk. Telling him where Billy was was an invitation to get into an argument.” She shook her head. “It was no way to live.”

“No. It isn’t.”

That came from Cain and caused Liz’s head to swivel in his direction. Not only was he not one to talk about such personal things, but his sympathetic tone was so unexpected she almost couldn’t believe it was he who had spoken.

“Men who abuse anyone weaker than they are are scum.” His voice gentled and he glanced at Amanda. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

Liz stared at him, suddenly understanding. He’d never been a bad person, simply an overly busy person who had never stopped long enough to pay attention to anything that didn’t pop up in front of him. Amanda and her children were no longer an “issue” to him. They were people with names and faces and lives. It lightened Liz’s heart that he didn’t just recognize that; he genuinely seemed to care for them.

Still, the conversation could potentially dip into subjects too serious for Joy’s ears. “Well, that’s all over now,” Liz said, turning to the little girl. “And how did you like your playdate?”

Joy leaned across the table. “It was fun. Maddie has a cat.”

“A huge monster cat!” Amanda said, picking up the platter of chicken and spearing a barbecued breast. “I swear I thought it was a dog when I first saw it.”

They laughed.

“Do you have a cat?” Joy asked Liz.

“No. No cat for me. I’m allergic.”

“It means she can’t be around them or she’ll sneeze,” Amanda explained to Joy as she passed the beans to Cain.

“I didn’t know you were allergic to cats.”

That was Cain. His words were soft, not sharp or accusatory, but trepidation rippled through her, reminding her of another reason she and Cain couldn’t be more than coworkers. She had bigger secrets than an allergy to cats. From the day she’d met him she’d kept her father’s abuse a secret. Plus, she’d never told him they’d created a child, and then she’d lost that child.

If they weren’t with Amanda, this might have been the time to tell him. They’d had a reasonably pleasant afternoon. They’d both silently stated their intention not to get involved, but to try to be friends. That had created a kind of bond of honesty between them, which would have made this the perfect time to at least tell him about his child.

But they weren’t alone.

Liz turned her attention to the platter of chicken that had come her way. “You didn’t have a cat. I didn’t have a cat. It never came up.”

He accepted her answer easily, but shame buffeted her, an unexpected result of spending so much time in his company. With him behaving like a good guy, a normal guy, a guy who wanted to get beyond their sexual chemistry and be friends, the secrets she’d kept in their marriage suddenly seemed incredibly wrong.

She hadn’t told him that her dad had abused her, her mom and her sisters because at the time she was working to forget that. To build a life without her other life hanging over her head. She hadn’t told him about her miscarriage because she’d needed help herself to accept it. And she’d had to leave him to get that help.

But three years later, so far beyond both of those problems that she could speak about each without breaking down, she wondered about the wisdom of having kept her secrets from him.

Would their marriage have been different if she’d admitted that as a child she’d been poor, hungry and constantly afraid?

Would he have been different if she’d turned to him for comfort in her time of need?

She’d never know the answer to, either, but the possibility that she could have changed her marriage, saved it, with a few whispered words, haunted her.

Sitting at the kitchen table of Amanda’s house the next morning, finishing a cup of coffee after eating delicious blueberry pancakes, Liz smiled shakily at Cain as he stepped into the room. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

She might have kept secrets but she and Cain were now divorced, trying to get along while they worked together, not trying to reconcile. For that reason, she’d decided that the story of her abusive father could remain her secret. But as she had paced the floor the night before, working all this out in her brain, she realized how much she wanted to tell him about their baby.

When they divorced, she had been too raw and too hurt herself to tell him. By the time she’d gotten herself together, their paths never crossed. But now that their paths hadn’t merely crossed, they were actually intersecting for the next several weeks; she couldn’t keep the secret from him any more. He’d created a child. They’d lost that child. He deserved to know. And she wanted to tell him.

Which left her with two problems. When she’d tell him and how she’d tell him. She might be ready to share, but he might not be ready to hear it. She had to be alert for another opportunity like the one the day before…except when they were alone, not with other people.

Amanda turned from the stove. “Are you hungry, Cain? I’m making blueberry pancakes.”

It was clear that Amanda reveled in the role of mom. Without the constant fear of her abusive husband she had blossomed. Joy was bright-eyed and happy, a little chatterbox who had entertained Liz all through breakfast. Amanda’s only remaining problem was Billy, her sixteen-year-old son. They hadn’t been away from their violent father long enough for any one of them to have adjusted, but once they had, Liz was certain Amanda would think of some way to connect with her son.

As far as Amanda’s situation was concerned, Liz could relax…except for Cain, who hesitated just inside the kitchen door. Had he figured out she’d kept secrets bigger than an allergy to cats? Was he angry? Would he confront her? She couldn’t handle that. Telling him about their baby had to be on her terms. That would be better for both of them. It would be horrible if he confronted her now.

Finally he said, “I’ve already eaten breakfast.”

Relief wanted to rush out of her on a long gust of air, but she held it back. She’d instructed him to take everything Amanda offered. The day before he could have easily begged off her barbecue by saying it was time to go home. But he couldn’t so easily walk away from breakfast when he would be staying all morning.

Amanda said, “That’s okay. Just have some coffee.” She reached for a mug from the cupboard by the stove, filled it and handed it to him. “Sit for a minute.”

He took the coffee and he and Amanda ambled to chairs at the table, as Amanda’s sixteen-year-old son Billy stepped into the room, music headphones in his ears. Totally oblivious to the people at the table, he walked to the refrigerator and pulled out the milk.

Amanda cast an embarrassed glance at her son. “Billy, at least say good-morning.”

He ignored her.

She rose, walked over to him and took one of the headphones from his right ear. “Good morning,” she singsonged.

Billy sighed. “Morning.”

“Say good morning to our guests.”

He scowled toward the table. “Good morning.”

Liz had seen this a million times before. A teenager embarrassed that he had to count on a charity for a roof over his head frequently acted out. Especially the son of an abusive father. Even as Billy was probably glad to get away from his dad, he also missed him. Worse, he could be wondering about himself. If he was like his dad.

Liz’s gaze slid to Cain. Billy was the kind of employee Cain hated. Troubled. He wanted only the best, both emotionally and physically, so he didn’t have to deal with problems. His job was to get whatever construction project he had done and done right. He didn’t have time for employee problems.

But after the way he’d reacted to Amanda’s comment the day before, Liz knew he’d changed. At least somewhat. And he did have a soft spot for Amanda and her family. Billy was a part of that family. He desperately needed a positive male role model. If Cain simply behaved as he had the day before when he showed her how to use the blue tape and paint, Billy might actually learn something.

Plus, she and Cain wouldn’t have to be in the same room.

She didn’t want to spend the day worrying about how and when she’d tell him about their child. She also couldn’t simply blurt it out in an awkward silence, particularly since they might be alone in the room but they weren’t alone in the house. She wanted the right opportunity again, but she also needed time to think it through so she could choose her words carefully. Not being around Cain would buy her time.

She took a breath then smiled at Billy. “We could sure use your help today. Especially Cain.”

Amanda gasped and clasped her hands together. “What a wonderful idea! Do you know who Mr. Nestor is?”

Billy rolled his eyes. “No.”

“He owns a construction company.” Amanda all but glowed with enthusiasm. “I’ll bet he could teach you a million things.”

“I don’t need to know a million things, Mom. Besides, I want to go to med school.”

“And you’re going to need money,” Amanda pointed out. “Mr. Nestor put himself through university working construction.”

Billy glared at Cain.

Cain shifted uncomfortably. “Construction isn’t for everyone,” he said, clearly unhappy to be caught in the middle. “I was also a bartender.”

“But you’re here now,” Liz said, unable to stop herself. Her gaze roamed over to Cain’s. “And you could teach him so much.”

She let her eyes say the words she couldn’t utter in front of the angry teen who desperately needed to at least see how a decent man behaved.

Cain pulled in a slow breath. Liz held hers. He’d changed. She knew he’d changed just from the sympathy he’d displayed to Amanda the day before. He could do this! All he had to do was say okay.

She held her breath as she held his gaze. His steely eyes bore into hers, but the longer their connection, the more his eyes softened.

Finally, he turned on his chair, facing Billy. “What I’m doing today isn’t hard. So it might be a good place for you to start if you’re interested in learning a few things.”

“There! See!” Amanda clasped Billy on the shoulder. “It will be good for you.”

Cain rose and motioned for Billy to follow him out of the kitchen. Liz stared after them, her heart pounding. No matter how much she wanted to believe he’d done that out of sympathy for Amanda’s situation, she knew he’d done it for her.

She turned back to her coffee, smiled at Amanda, trying to appear as if nothing was wrong. But everything was wrong. First, spending time with him had caused her to realize he deserved to know he’d created and lost a child. Now he was softening, doing things she asked.

For the first time it occurred to her that maybe he wasn’t changing because of their situation but to please her.

And if he was…Lord help them.

Ten minutes later Cain found himself in the living room with an angry, sullen teenager. He debated drawing him into conversation, but somehow he didn’t think the charisma that typically worked on egotistical bankers and clever business owners would work with a kid. And the chitchat he was forcing himself to develop with Amanda and Liz hadn’t served him all that well, either. He and Billy could either work in silence, or he could hit this kid with the truth.

“You know what? I don’t like this any more than you do.”

Surprised, Billy looked over.

“But your mom wants you here and every once in a while a man has to suck it up and do what his mom wants.” Technically, he and Billy were in the same boat. He was in this room, with this angry boy, because he hadn’t been able to resist the pleading in Liz’s eyes. And that troubled him. He was falling for her again. Only this time it was different. This time he had nothing to prove professionally. No reason to back away. No way to erect walls that would allow him to be in a relationship and still protect his heart. She’d broken it once. She could do it again.

“If you’d kept your mouth shut I could have gotten out of this.”

“How? By being a brat? That’s a skill that’ll really help you in the real world.”

“I don’t care about the real world.”

Cain snorted. “No kidding.” He slid his tape measure from his tool belt and walked to the wall. Holding the end of the tape against the wall, he waved the tape measure’s silver container at Billy. “Take this to the other end of the wall.”

Billy sighed, but took the tape box and did as Cain requested.

“What’s the length?”

“Ten feet.”

“Exactly ten feet?”

“I don’t know.”

Exasperated, but not about to let Billy know that and give him leverage to be a pain all day, Cain said, “Okay. Let’s try this again. You hold this end against the wall. I’ll get the number.”

Without a word, Billy walked the tape back to Cain and they switched places.

He measured the length, told Billy to let go of his end and the tape snapped back into the silver container. He reached for one of the long pieces of trim he’d purchased the day before. It bowed when he lifted it and he motioned with his chin for Billy to grab the other end. “Get that, will you?”

Billy made a face, but picked up the wood.

Cain carried it to the miter box. The tools he had in his truck were from nearly ten years before. Though they weren’t the latest technology they still worked. And maybe teaching this kid a little something today might be the best way to get his mind off Liz. About the fact that he didn’t just want her, he was doing crazy things for her. About the fact that if he didn’t watch himself, he’d be in so far that he’d be vulnerable again.

“You know, eventually you’ll have to go to somebody for a job. You’re not going to get through school on your good looks.”

Adjusting the wood in the box, Cain made his end cuts. He gestured for Billy to help him take the piece of trim to the wall again. He snapped it into place and secured it with a few shots from a nail gun.

“I was thinking maybe I’d try the bartending thing like you did.”

Surprised, Cain glanced over. He cautiously said, “Bartending is good when classes are in session and working nights fits into your schedule. But summers were when I made my tuition. To earn that much money, you have to have a job that pays. Construction pays.”

Billy opened his mouth to say something, but snapped it shut. Cain unexpectedly itched to encourage him to talk, but he stopped himself. If the kid wanted to talk, he’d talk. Cain had no intention of overstepping his boundaries. He knew that Liz had set Billy up with him to be a good example, but he wasn’t a therapist. Hell, he wasn’t even much of a talker. He couldn’t believe this kid had gotten as much out of him as he had.

“My dad was—is—in construction.”

“Ah.” No wonder Liz thought this would be such a wonderful arrangement.

“Look, kid, you don’t have to be like your dad. You can be anybody, anything, you want.” He glanced around the room. “Doing stuff like this,” he said, bringing his words down to Billy’s level, “gives you a way to test what you’re good at while you figure out who you are.” He paused then casually said, “You mentioned that you wanted to go to med school.”

“It’s a pipe dream. No way I’ll swing that.”

“Not with that attitude.”

Billy snorted. “My mom can’t help.”

“Hey, I made my own way. You can, too.” Motioning for Billy to pick up the next board, he casually eased them back into conversation. “Besides, it’s a good life lesson. The construction jobs I took to pay for tuition pointed me in the direction of what I wanted to do with my life.”

Seeing that Billy was really listening, Cain felt edgy. It would be so easy to steer this kid wrong. He wasn’t a people person. He didn’t know anything about being raised by an abusive father. There were a million different ways he could make a mistake.

“I think I want to be a doctor, but I’m not sure.”

“You’ll work that out.” He motioned for Billy to grab the tape measure again. “Everything doesn’t have to be figured out in one day. Take your time. Give yourself a break. Don’t think you have to make all your decisions right now.”

Oddly, his advice to Billy also relaxed him about Liz. Every decision didn’t have to be made in a day. That’s what had screwed them up in the first place. They jumped from seat mates in a plane to dating to sleeping together in a matter of days. Melting and doing her bidding just because she turned her pretty green eyes on him was as bad as working to seduce her the first day he’d met her.

Somehow he had to get back to behaving normally around his wife.

Ex-wife.

Maybe the first step to doing that would be to remember falling victim to their sexual attraction hadn’t done anything except toss them into an unhappy marriage.

Just outside the door, Liz leaned against the wall and breathed an enormous sigh of relief. Two minutes after she suggested Billy help Cain she remembered they’d be using power tools—potential weapons—and she nearly panicked. But it appeared as if Billy and Cain had found a way to get along.

She and Amanda began painting the dining room but at eleven-thirty, they stopped to prepare lunch. At twelve they called Cain and Billy to the kitchen table and to her surprise they were chatting about a big project Cain’s company had bid on when they walked to the sink to wash their hands.

They came to the table talking about how Cain’s job is part math, part hand-holding and part diplomacy and didn’t stop except to grab a bite of sandwich between sentences.

Liz smiled at Cain, working to keep their “friendship” going and determined not to worry about her secret until the time to tell him materialized, but Cain quickly glanced away, as if embarrassed.

When they’d finished eating, Billy and Cain went back to their work and Liz and Amanda cleaned the kitchen then resumed painting.

At five, Liz’s muscles were pleasantly sore. She did manual labor for a living, but the muscles required for painting were different than those required for washing windows, vacuuming and dusting. Amanda planned to take her kids out to dinner so Cain and Liz had decided to leave to give them time to clean up before going out.

Still, as tired and sore as she was, she couldn’t let Cain go without telling him she was proud of him. Billy needed him and he had cracked some barriers that Amanda had admitted she couldn’t crack. After his wary expression when he glanced at her at lunch, she had to tell him how much he was needed, how good a job he was doing.

Leaning against the bed of his truck, waiting as he said goodbye to Amanda and Billy, she smiled as he approached.

“I’m not sure if you’re embarrassed because you didn’t want to help Billy or embarrassed that you did such a good job.”

He tossed a saw into the toolbox in the bed of his truck. “He’s a good kid.”

“Of course he is. He just spent the first sixteen years of his life with a man who gave him a very bad impression of what a man’s supposed to do. You were a good example today.”

“Don’t toss my hat in the ring for sainthood.”

She laughed.

“I’m serious. If Billy had been a truly angry, truly rebellious teen, I would have been so far out of my league I could have done some real damage.”

She sobered. He had a very good point. “I know.”

He made a move to open his truck door and Liz stepped away. “I’m sorry.”

Climbing into the truck, he shook his head. “No need to apologize. Let’s just be glad it worked out.”

She nodded. He started his truck and backed out of the driveway.

Liz stared after him. She’d expected him to either be angry that she’d set him up or to preen with pride. Instead, he’d sort of acted normally.

She folded her arms across her chest and watched his truck chug out of the neighborhood and an unexpected question tiptoed into her consciousness. Was acting normally his way of showing her they could be friends…Or his way of easing himself back into her life?

After all, he didn’t have to be here, repairing Amanda’s house. He could have refused when Ayleen asked him.

He also hadn’t needed to befriend Billy. Yet, he’d responded to her silent plea and then did a bang-up job.

He also didn’t have to interact with her. She was only here as a chaperone of sorts. Now that the work was going smoothly, he could ignore her.

So what was he doing?