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I parked my car, grabbed my bag, and got out, gaping at the log “cabin” in front of me. The red door added the perfect splash of color to the already charming home. The massive front porch held a swing on the very left with a low wood table in front of it. To the right side of the door were two wicker chairs, and to the right of that, another long wooden table.
“This house is huge,” I muttered.
“Don’t worry, you don’t have to clean it. That’s my job.”
Spinning around, I placed a hand on my chest and gasped. An older woman with salt and pepper hair stood behind me.
“You must be Emma.” The note of distaste in her voice wasn’t hard to miss.
“Yes. Yes, I am. I’m sorry, you are…?”
“Alice, Aiden’s housekeeper. He called me last night to tell me you were moving in today. Do you need any help?”
I gave her a warm smile and shook my head. “No, I only have the one piece of luggage.”
She glanced down at my bag, raising a brow. “Travel light, huh?”
“Something like that,” I replied, trying not to sound rude even though she was being pretty unpleasant.
“Well, follow me in. Aiden and his folks are running behind. They went out to lunch after church, then he had to go help his father with something at their place.”
I grinned. “That was sweet of him.”
She huffed and walked around me. “Yes, he’s a gentleman.” She pointed to an even bigger log cabin home that was on the other side of a large, beautiful meadow.
“That’s a stunning house. The views of the mountains in this valley are breathtaking.”
Alice huffed again. “Mr. and Mrs. Bishop’s home. And I grew up here, so the mountains make no difference to me.”
My eyes widened. What a charming lady…not.
“I was the Bishops’ housekeeper for many years, until Lisa died. Then Mrs. Bishop had me come and start taking care of Aiden’s place. Single father and all.”
“Yes, I see,” I offered.
Picking up my suitcase, I followed Alice up the porch steps and into the house. We walked into a small foyer that housed a bench and hooks to hang up jackets and such.
To my right was a living room with a giant fireplace. The furniture seemed formal with a bit of casual thrown in. There was a gorgeous piano sitting in the corner.
“Does Hadley play the piano?” I asked Alice, stepping into the room.
“No, Mrs. Bishop did. No one has touched that since she passed.”
My heart sank a little. A beautiful piano like that one needed to be played. The house could use some music to fill it up. Music, for me, had always been so healing.
On the other side of the hallway were double doors that led into an office.
“That’s Mr. Bishop’s home office. When the doors are shut, you leave him alone.”
I nodded. There was a long hallway in front of us, but through the living room, I spotted a formal dining room. “Do Aiden and Hadley eat in the dining room for dinner?”
Alice turned and gave me a look. “Do you mean, Mr. Bishop?”
Okay. So this is how she wants to play this.
“Mr. Bishop has asked me to call him Aiden. But if that makes you uncomfortable, I can call him Mr. Bishop when you and I speak, if you’d like.”
The housekeeper stared at me like I was a bug that needed to be stepped on and swept down the hall. Fast. “If he’s already told you that, then no, please continue to call him Aiden. And to answer your question, no. They eat in the kitchen at the island. Mrs. Bishop liked the formal dining room, so he doesn’t eat in there. Ever.”
