As Grandpa and I entered the kitchen, Frank grunted in our direction. He was not one for warm welcomes.
Maddie and Frank were an interesting couple to look at. She was blonde, youthful, and ethereal looking with an enviable slim figure and porcelain white skin. Frank was twelve years older with grey hair, fashionable boxy black square glasses, a broad frame and tanned, leathery skin – a result of spending too much time in the sun on film sets during his acting career.
Frank’s colourful past as an actor was not something our family ever mentioned. Well, they probably did in secret without Mum knowing. When Maddie first told me about Frank, I googled him and gasped at the old press stories of his wild lifestyle on and off the film set. Olivia and I spent many an evening going down Frank Baxter rabbit holes on Reddit and reading about Frank Baxter, the handsome young actor with a penchant for Hollywood poolside parties, drugs, affairs, and an array of scantily clad women. Maddie made it clear Frank was a changed man. He was now a successful CEO of a flourishing media empire and didn’t want his chequered past to interfere with his business vision.
‘Can you keep me on until after Christmas?’ A young woman was stood in front of Frank, her hands clasped. ‘Please don’t get rid of me this close to Christmas.’ They were both stood at the back of the kitchen, by the construction sheet covering the work site of the new extension.
I had always thought their old kitchen was impressive. Multiple Velux ceiling windows flooded the space with light, handmade cream wooden cupboards lined the walls, and a large kitchen island with two sinks and a marble worktop presided in the middle. In the corner were two cream Aga ovens. Frank liked everything to be new and perfect.
The sound of a young child grizzling filled the air and Humphrey began to bark. Everyone switched their attention across the kitchen to the curly-haired toddler who was chewing on his fingers and standing up inside in a travel cot.
‘I have made it clear,’ snapped Frank, ‘that child is not to be brought along while you are cleaning this house. The quality of your cleaning is also questionable and at times I wonder what I am paying you to do.’
The young woman hung her head.
‘I could find someone far cheaper and better at cleaning than you, Layla.’ His voice had a hard edge to it.
Irritation bubbled inside of me. There was no need to talk to her in that way and certainly not in front of us all. Grandpa glanced at me, and I could tell he felt the same way.
Maddie went to Frank and whispered something in his ear. Whatever she said pacified him as he let out a sigh. ‘Layla, you can clean until the first of January. I will make sure my wife’s family inform me if they catch you cleaning my house and looking after your child at the same time.’
An awkward silence descended upon the kitchen. Maddie smiled brightly at her husband. ‘Frank, come and say hello to Rachel and Grandpa.’
He nodded at us. ‘Hello, Rachel and Eric. Sorry, I need to go sort out the builder. He’s meeting me out the front. I’ll be back shortly.’
Frank strode away leaving Maddie, Layla, Grandpa, and me in the kitchen.
Layla spoke to Maddie. ‘Thank you for letting me stay on as your cleaner, I appreciate it.’
Maddie smiled. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him on holiday. You do a great job, Layla, I don’t want you to go.’
‘It’s a temporary blip with Zac,’ said Layla, pointing to her son in his travel cot. ‘I promise. It’s not been easy for us lately.’
My bladder was going crazy. I desperately needed the loo. ‘Maddie, can I use your toilet?’
She nodded. ‘Use the cloakroom off the hallway.’
Humphrey raced after me as I sprinted down the corridor. After closing the toilet door on Humphrey I locked it and had one of the most satisfying wees of my life.
As I sat on the loo, Frank was shouting again. ‘Your other clients might accept your shoddy work, but I won’t. You need to think about who you’re working for and how damaging a complaint from me will be. I will think twice about using your firm again.’
A male voice replied, ‘I’m sorry you feel that way. The plasterer I hired hasn’t done the best job, so I am going to sort that. I’ll do my best to rectify the situation next week.’
‘Make sure it’s finished for when I return,’ Frank snapped. His footsteps drifted away. An uncomfortable feeling passed over me as I washed my hands.
On the previous occasions Frank and I had met he had either been engrossed on his laptop or talking on his phone. At their wedding, he barely spoke to me, but I’d assumed that was because it was his big day and the wedding planners had not followed his strict instructions.
After drying my hands, I groaned at my dishevelled reflection in the mirror. My long brown hair was greasy and lifeless. It had been tied in a messy bun at the top of my head earlier this morning but during the journey it had escaped and now hung over my shoulders. My skin was paler than ever and the old navy-blue sweatshirt I wore had a few stains. Why had I arrived at Maddie’s posh house in such a state? This was the sort of place you dressed up before visiting.
Frank’s voice drifted under the door. He’d returned and it sounded like he was talking to someone on a phone. ‘You’re my lawyer. Deal with it.’
I was not warming to my new brother-in-law. The sooner he left for his holiday, the better. As I came out of the cloakroom, I felt that same knotted feeling in my tummy and a little inner voice whispered,Who has Maddie married?
CHAPTERNINE
‘You’re to stick to the east wing,’ explained Frank, gesturing for me to follow him into the living room. He was wearing a fitted white shirt with jewelled cufflinks and smart black jeans.
In the short time I’d known Frank, I’ve never seen him looking rough or dishevelled. ‘The west wing is out of bounds.’
