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She dreamt about collapsing into that giant bed and sleeping for a week. But that was just a fantasy. There was no way the little tornado of energy also known as her daughter would stand for it.
And there was the small matter of the man who owned said oversized bed.
Mr. Olson.
She'd been cleaning for him for two months before she ever saw his face. Her heart had nearly stopped when the giant, muscled man had appeared with her daughter, Cecelia, in tow. Her first assumption had been that Paul had found them and sent the largest man she'd ever seen to drag her back to him.
But Lia hadn't hesitated to trust him, and despite his awkwardness, Mr. Olson had been incredibly sweet with her. He’d called her munchkin. Swoon.
Kaylie pulled another shirt from the stack and slipped in on the hanger. Just a few more and she would be done here and on her way back home with Lia. As long as the four-year-old hadn't made too much of a mess downstairs while Kaylie had been up here.
Bringing her daughter with her to clean houses wasn't ideal, but childcare was outrageously expensive here in Virginia. And there was no one Kaylie trusted to watch her anyway.
Trusting people usually got her into trouble. Like with Paul.
She finished Mr. Olson’s shirts and, with a longing glance at the wide expanse of soft mattress, left the bedroom to find her daughter.
Lia was in front of Mr. Olson's giant TV. This man didn't do anything small, she had realized early on. And when she'd seen him, it all made perfect sense.
His size was just one more reason she needed to keep her distance. Mr. Olson was twice the size of Paul, who had nearly killed her in a drunken rage. The idea of what her employer's strength could do to her or Lia was just more fuel for her nightmares.
Though, oddly enough, she hadn't had a single one about him.
Either way, he was just another client. Specifically, her most lucrative, which was another reason she hadn't just quit as soon as he showed up unexpectedly and scared the life out of her. She couldn't turn down the money, especially when he insisted on paying her even when he was out of town and didn't need anything.
Stubborn man.
Still, she was extra careful not to cross paths with him anymore. She'd felt guilty about getting paid without working, but showing up when he told her not to had been a huge mistake–one she hadn't repeated.
Even if Lia hadn't stopped asking about Prince Charming since that day.
Kaylie wasn't looking for a prince.
"Hey, sweetie. Are you ready to go?"'
"Aww, can I watch the rest of Bluey?"
Kaylie smiled. Thankfully, the episodes were only seven minutes long. "Sure."
She sat down on the sofa next to her daughter, nearly groaning at the way the soft leather embraced her tired body. Lia snuggled into the crook of her arm, and she inhaled the sweet, strawberry scent of her daughter's hair and kissed her head. "I love you."
Kaylie looked at her watch. Mr. Olson could be home any minute. But the hopeful look on her daughter's face softened her resolve.
After the episode, Kaylie straightened the living room while Lia picked up the small bag of toys she brought with her to entertain her while Kaylie cleaned.
She took one last look around, making sure there was no trace of her or her daughter other than the clean dishes, completed laundry, and polished surfaces. Meals for Mr. Olson were stacked neatly in containers in the fridge.
She shut the door behind them and led Lia down the block toward the bus stop, thankful the drizzle from this afternoon was gone. Kaylie scanned the street, looking for anything out of place. Four years and she was still looking over her shoulder. She would never stop making sure she and her daughter remained safe. She hadn’t made it this far by being careless.
On the bus ride home, she held Lia close, watching the neat, well-manicured lawns of the neighborhoods slowly transform into the worn and disheveled streets of the rundown rural small town.
The five-block walk from the bus stop to their trailer was the most stressful part of her day. Kaylie glanced up at the darkening sky with a frown. As the fall slowly faded into winter, the sunset was earlier and earlier.
Maybe that last load of laundry had been a bad idea. It had pushed them to the later bus, and the last thing she wanted was to be walking in this neighborhood after dark.
She tucked her arm around Lia and pulled her close as they hurried down the weed-riddled sidewalk. "Come on, sweetie. I'll make chicken nuggets when we get home."
Footsteps behind them made her glance over her shoulder again, but the man holding a few bags of groceries wasn't paying any attention to them.
