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“Okay, who’s ready to shop ’til they drop?” I smile and pump my fists in the air, which earns me a rolling of two sets of blue eyes.
We head to the closest grocery store and make our way through the list I prepared over breakfast, with more than a few additional items. While we shop, my thoughts continue to wander back to Theo’s wife. Curiosity is one of my weaknesses, and since there is literally no evidence of her in the house, not even a photograph, I must know more.
“Hey,” I say, getting Colton and Piper’s attention. “Where’s your mom?”
“Not here,” Colton says.
“She left,” Piper adds, which earns her a scowl from her brother.
“Where did she go?” I ask. They both shrug in response. “Do you see her or talk to her?”
“Sometimes she calls,” Piper tells me. At least she’s not dead.
“When was the last time she called?” My question goes unanswered though because both of the kids spot friends from school and rush toward them. While they’re distracted, I take out my phone and google the name Serena Franklin. There are too many search results for me to get through, so I leave it for later when I’m alone and have more time to adequately comb through the information.
I call them back and we check out before heading home to unload the groceries. I’m surprised by how easy it is to take care of them considering their recent antics. My brother Curtis and his wife, Isadora, make it seem like taking care of children is some great sacrifice of time and money. They’re always “utterly exhausted” from driving them to soccer and tennis and God knows what else. I love my niece and nephew fiercely, but they are scheduled to death. I enjoy the unpredictable days with Piper and Colton.
By the time Friday arrives, though, I’m more than ready for a day or two on my own. When five o’clock rolls around, Theo still isn’t home as he mentioned in his morning email. I don’t pay it much attention, though, because he told me the drive from Portland can take a while, especially on the weekends. At six o’clock, I serve the kids dinner. It’s hard to miss the way their eyes constantly shift over to the back door, waiting for their dad to come home.
I distract them with a movie but when it ends and they’re fast asleep on the couch, Theo still isn’t home. The few text messages I sent have all gone unanswered. I sit with them, Piper’s head in my lap and Colton slouched against the arm and wait until finally, at ten o’clock, the door opens and Theo appears.
I’m shocked by the way he takes my breath away. Generally, relationships aren’t something that interest me. I’ve had boyfriends, but much to the dismay of my father and brother, none of them were serious. There’s far too much of this world I want to see and things I want to experience before I commit myself to one man.
Still, there’s something about Theo’s classic handsomeness that makes me forget he’s my employer, if only for a moment. His clothes are a bit rumpled and disheveled from hours in the car, his tie loose around his neck, and the jacket to his suit hanging from his hand. His dark hair is neat with strands of silver at his temples, and there’s a dark shadow of beard covering his angular jaw.
“Shh,” I warn him, not wanting the kids to wake.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” he whispers. “I met a client for a late lunch and didn’t leave Portland until five and the traffic out of the city was a nightmare.”
“You could have called or something,” I snap. “They were excited to see you.”
“They’ll forget about it in the morning.” His casual tone contrasts with the way he walks into the room and slides his arms under Piper’s limp body, lifting her into his embrace. He glances down at her sleeping form, a hint of a smile on his lips. He obviously cares about his kids so why isn’t he more apologetic about breaking his promise to be home?
The way his forearms strain against the rolled-up cuffs of his shirt revealing the dusting of dark hair against his tanned skin distracts me and soon I’m lost, watching the way his backside stretches against the navy-blue fabric of his pants as he disappears up the stairs with Piper before appearing minutes later to rouse Colton enough to coax him off the couch and up to bed. I can hear the murmur of their voices followed by the soft click of a door closing. His feet thud on the stairs as he makes his way back down, heading right into the dining room.
“Did I pass my probation period?” I watch as he opens a cabinet, pulls out a bottle of red wine, pouring it into two glasses.
His pace is slow as he makes his way back into the living room and hands me a glass. “Your background check came back clean. Congratulations, you’re not a criminal,” he says, clinking the edge of his glass against mine.
“I already told you that.”
“Doesn’t make it true,” he says with a bit of bite to his tone as he settles himself in a leather armchair opposite me. Despite the space between us, his fresh soap-and-water smell hits my nose. How does he manage to smell so good at the end of the day?
“Can I ask you a question?”
“You already did.”
My gaze narrows. “That’s not what I meant. I want to know about your wife. Where is she?”
“Ex-wife. She is my ex-wife, and she’s not around. That’s all you need to know.” He lifts his glass to his lips, taking a long sip but I’m on the hunt for information.
“But in town—”
“I don’t give a fuck about what they’re saying about me or my family in town.” His town is practically feral. He gulps down the rest of the wine, his dark blue gaze peeking out over the rim of the glass, watching me as I shift forward, leaning my body toward him.
“They think you killed her.”
He laughs. The sound is dry and harsh, scraping against my skin. “Serena is very much alive.”
“So where is she?”
“Drop it.”
I know I should. It’s the right thing, the smart thing to do. But it’s hard to walk into his life and take care of his children without knowing at least some of the truth. “Tell me where she is. Does she even see her kids?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“You made it my business when you hired me,” I remind him.
“Then maybe I should fire you.”
