AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Kaylie: Nevermind. I'll move some other clients instead.
Kaylie frowned at the phone. So much for Mr. Nice Guy. Why did he need her to come two days anyway? Granted, he did make a rather big mess and apparently had no idea how to load a dishwasher, but he was just a single guy who lived alone. Half the time he wasn't home anyway.
She couldn't help but wonder what he did for work. He certainly didn't seem like a stuffy businessman, flying around the country closing deals. But blue-collar guys didn't travel that much, did they?
Either way, with the rent increase, she definitely couldn’t reduce the hours she was working for Mr. Olson. Cooking his meals and doing his laundry paid better than all the other cleaning jobs she had.
She'd just have to make it work, even if it meant dropping another client, or moving them to Saturdays.
CHAPTER
FOUR
For the first time he could remember, Tank was intentionally trying to run into his housekeeper. The security system helpfully notified him of her arrival, and the impulsive decision to run home at lunch had been made before the notification was dismissed.
This was his house. So why did he feel a touch guilty as he opened the door?
"Kaylie?" he called into the quiet space. The last thing he wanted to do was startle the woman. "It's Tank. Are you still here?"
The citrus-laden chemical smell of cleaning supplies greeted him as he stepped into the kitchen. The counters were spotless, reflecting the midday sun that streamed through the large bay window. He rarely saw the house this time of day, and the brightness was rather welcoming.
In the next room, he heard the soft voices of the television, high-pitched and punctuated by sound effects. A cartoon, he guessed.
Cecelia was asleep on the couch as the cartoon played softly across the room. Her soft brown curls sprawled haphazardly across her forehead, and a ragged elephant stuffed animal was tucked in the crook of her elbow.
Tank felt his chest squeeze at the sight of the innocent little girl. Maybe it was the work they did at Black Tower, but part of him had forgotten that there were people in the world not wrapped up in the webs of violence and evil he so often encountered. When you were surrounded by the worst of humanity, it was easy to forget that there were innocent kids and hardworking moms out there. Their lives were untouched by the powerful greed and violent ambition of the Syndicate or the cartel or whatever other monster was on their operation list on any given day.
He slid the gray throw blanket from the back of the couch and covered Cecelia with it. The princess design on her shirt was still visible, but the sparkly tutu she wore over her pants was now hidden. That same blanket felt the size of a bath towel when he tried to use it, barely covering his legs.
The whisper of clothing behind him was the only clue to Kaylie's presence. He finished tucking Cecelia in.
"What are you doing?" Kaylie's voice was low, but the tone was almost accusatory.
Tank glanced back at Lia one last time. He looked at Kaylie and pointed to the kitchen, where they could talk without waking the girl.
Kaylie set down the laundry basket on the counter and then whirled around, eyes flashing.
"What are you doing here, Mr. Olson?"
"It’s Anthony. And I live here," he offered blandly, curious at her reaction.
Kaylie rolled her eyes. "Obviously. But in the four months I've been working for you, you have never once come home in the middle of the day."
Tank leaned against the counter, crossing one booted foot over the other. He shrugged. "That was so I didn't scare you off. You've already met me and didn't run screaming once."
Her eyes softened slightly. "That's why you never wanted to meet?"
Tank nodded, slightly hesitant. Maybe he shouldn’t admit the reasons he stayed away. The room suddenly felt smaller as his admission hung in the air.
"Well, that's... I don't know what that is." Kaylie seemed puzzled, her furrowed brow reflecting a mix of curiosity and a hint of sadness.
He quirked an eyebrow. "Necessary, based on the previous four housekeepers and their reaction to meeting me being immediate resignation."
"Yikes." Her face was sympathetic.
Tank immediately rebelled against letting her feel sorry for him. He huffed. "It's whatever."
"You should be working, though, right?"
