telling her to calm down in English as they rushed out the door. I
looked at the grandfather clock in the foyer, it was 4:47. I knew Liam
would be home soon, so I went to the kitchen and started making
dinner. I took the three cooked chicken breasts out of the fridge, and
shredded them. I sautéed some cream cheese, onions, chicken
broth, diced tomatoes, and green chilies. I added some flour and
butter to thicken it up a little, and then put in the chicken and lots of
cheese. While it cooked, I found the tortillas and a long baking dish. I
looked in the fridge and found some veggies and strawberries. I
added the chicken mixture of the tortillas, rolled them, making six,
and put them in the oven for 35 minutes. I chopped some lettuce,
cucumbers and strawberries and mixed them in a bowl. I went to the
pantry and found raisins and chopped almonds.
I thought they would both make a nice addition, to whatever
it was I was making. When I came out of the pantry he was standing
at the island.
“Where’s Rosa? The house is so quiet, and you didn’t meet
me at the door. Is something wrong?” He asked. I lowered my head
and walked to him and he kissed the top of my head. He had never
formally told me he required me to meet him at the door, but he had
expressed how much he loved it.
“You’re the one thing I have been looking forward to seeing
all day.” I smiled, but my head was still lowered.
“Whatever you’re doing in here, it smells wonderful.” I
stepped back a little. “So? Tell me what’s going on?” I didn’t raise my
head to answer him.
“Rosa’s daughter went into labor today, so Gerald took her to
the hospital. Lina was still here, but Gerald told me she was a cousin
or niece or something of Rosa’s, a while back, so I just told her to go
too.” He laughed.
“Yes, I guess that’s what I get for hiring an entire family to
work for me. When something happens to one, they all want to be
there.” He picked at my salad a little. “So what did Rosa leave us to
eat?”
“She didn’t. So I made us some enchiladas. They should be
done in about 20 minutes, and I’m working on a salad here.” I
pointed to the bowl he was picking at.
“You made dinner?” he asked. I nodded.
“Yes sir.” I still wasn’t sure what to call him. He had made it
clear even though he told me his name, he didn’t want me to use it.
“Hmm. Well good.” He paused and looked at me. “I’m going
to go take a shower.”
I added the almonds and raisins to the salad and chopped a
few more strawberries since he seemed to have eaten a lot of them.
I made an oil and vinegar dressing, and started setting the table. I
was putting the food on the table when he came back down.
“This looks like a scene from ‘Leave it to Beaver’.” He
laughed. “The little wife making dinner, while her husband worked
hard at the office all day.” I tensed up. I wasn’t sure if that was a
good thing or not. He didn’t seem like he wanted a little wife at
home. He touched my hand and I looked up at him. “Don’t worry, I
like it.” We sat and he went right for the enchiladas. He took several
bites but didn’t say anything. I didn’t touch my food, I was too
nervous. “This is delicious, Norah, really delicious.” He motioned his
hands for me to dig in, so I did. It was rather good, even if I did think
so myself. “Thank you, sir. Rosa has been teaching me few things
while you’re at work.” I swallowed hard not knowing what he would
think of that. “Really?” he said. “Well, her lessons have paid off.” He
smiled and I relaxed a little. “So would you like to hear the family
drama, and why Gerald rushed out of here with Rosa?” he asked,
licking his fingers. I nodded and looked over at him briefly. “It’s ok if
you look at me when I talk to you Norah.” I looked back and he
touched my hand. “I do appreciate the respect you show me. Believe
me, it doesn’t go unnoticed.” He took another bite of his salad.
“Two years ago, Gerald’s son, Nathan, worked here over the
summer. He worked as my driver, while Trig was home with his wife
and new baby. He helped Gerald, when he needed it, and Raymond
with the gardening staff as well. Well the same summer, Rosa’s
daughter, Sofia, started working here full time as a housekeeper.” He
paused and took a sip of his beer. “The two met, and fell in love.
When the summer was over, Nathan had to go back to school in
Dublin, and Sofia stayed here. But from what I understand just from
listening to the staff talk, they continued to see each other, and nine
months ago, she turned up pregnant.” He took another sip of his
beer. “I don’t think Gerald nor Rosa were happy about it. They are
both devout Catholics, and think it’s a sin to engage in sex before
marriage.” I smiled wondering what in the world they must think of
Liam and all his dark tendencies. “They got married before she
started to show,” he paused, “here actually, in the back yard.” He
said back yard, like he had a pool, swing set and a grill with his patio,
and not the acres of land he actually had with tennis courts, stables,
and yes, I’m sure there was a pool somewhere. But I couldn’t see
him pushing kids on the swings, or flipping hamburgers.
“The best of it all, was Rosa and Gerald. Rosa has been a
widow for, I don’t know, ever since I can remember. She came to
work for us when I was in middle school and her husband died
shortly after that.” Wow, Rosa had been with him for a very long
time. She knew him as a boy, and has watched him grow into a man.
“Gerald, however, had a wife, but they haven’t lived together in the
same house for 20 years. They separated when Nathan was just in
grade school, but never got divorced, because of their religion. But
with all this interaction between Rosa and Gerald because of the
kids, they ended up falling in love too!” I smiled and laughed a little.
This was really like a soap opera. It was great to see him so
animated. “So when I said, I hired a family, I really did. Gerald
divorced his wife, and he and Rosa now live in one of my guest
houses, as well as they have a room here in the house too. Sofia, is
Rosa’s daughter, married to Nathan, Gerald’s son, and are having a
child of their own. Maria, another housekeeper of mine, is Rosa’s
younger sister, and Lina is Maria’s daughter.” He laughed and started
eating again.
I shook my head and took a few bites too. “It sounds
wonderful!” I said. He narrowed his eyes at me. “All that family
under one roof; living and working together. And now a new baby to
celebrate the two families becoming one. It sounds so wonderful.”
He smiled and took another bite.
“Well I don’t think they know I know this, but I think Lina and
Raymond have started seeing each other too.” Raymond was a very
attractive Italian man that was in charge of the grounds. I had
spoken to him a few times. I thought my sisters would like his
assistants, so I made a joke.
“Well if you really want to make it a family affair, we can
bring my sisters over here, I’m sure they would love Lorenzo and
Carlo, and then we can be related!” He didn’t laugh, he didn’t seem
to think my joke was funny. I lowered my eyes back to my plate, as
his cell phone rang.
“Hastings. You’re kidding? He’s here? I thought the deal was
done, over, he walked away! What now? I’m having dinner, and I
can’t….” he looked down at me. “Fine I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”
He stood up. “I have to go to the office, Stackhouse is here, in
London and wants to try to negotiate again.” He started to walk
away from the table. “Just put the food in the fridge, and leave the
dishes in the sink. We can do them when we get back.” I looked up
at him. “Yes, I want you to go too. Go get your shoes on, I’m going to
change into something a little more businesslike. We leave in fifteen
minutes.” He ran up the stairs. I quickly did as he instructed with the
food and dishes and then ran to my room. I was wearing khaki
colored capri pants and a yellow knit top. I brushed my teeth, and
squirted on some of my vanilla coconut body splash. I slipped on my
brown sandals and ran out the door. I grabbed my black bag as the
shut behind me. I stood by the doorway and waited for him to
return. He walked down the stairs in khaki pants, a white button up
shirt and brown loafers. He was talking on the phone, but came right
over to me and looked me over. He turned me around, and then
turned me again, winking his eye in approval. Then he grabbed the
clip from the back of my head and let my hair down. He set the clip
on the table next to the door, and ran his hands through my hair.
He ended the conversation on his cell by telling whoever it
was he would call them back from the car. He shuffled through his
briefcase and I decided to apologize about the family comment.
“Um, I just wanted to apologize for what I said earlier,” I
paused and he looked over at me. “You know, at dinner, I made a
joke about my sisters moving here. I know that isn’t possible and we
aren’t a couple, I was just kidding.” I lowered my eyes again. He
stepped directly in front of me again, and raised my chin to his face.
“Do you think I’m upset that you would want your family
here with you,” he paused. “Here with us, I mean?” I didn’t have
time to respond before he spoke again, which was fine, because I
didn’t know what to say anyway. “Norah, I’m glad you feel
comfortable enough to say something like that to me. I only wish for
your sake, I could make it happen.” He turned back closed his
briefcase, grabbed my hand and we walked out the door.
In the car he continued to talk on his phone for a few
minutes, then turned to me.
“We need to talk about the rules.” His voice was stern. “It
goes without saying that ours is a very unconventional,” he paused,
“relationship. The less people know, the better. While I am taking
this meeting, you will sit in my office and wait. I don’t want you
talking to anyone. I don’t want you to be rude, of course, if someone
speaks to you, be polite. But by no means go out of your way for
conversation.” I nodded. “Tell me you understand, Norah. This is
important,” he squeezed my hand, “for both of us.”
“I understand, sir.”
He smiled, “and don’t call me sir in the office.”
We walked in the office building. I was nervous and he held
my hand as reassurance. He walked very briskly, and I did my best to
keep up. He waved and nodded at the security guards who said good
evening to him and then we were on the elevator. An attractive
woman got in with us, and started talking to him. I could tell she was
flirting until she saw he was holding my hand. Her eyes met mine
and I lowered my head to the floor.
He was pleasant to her, but overall very uninterested in what
she had to say. We got off the elevator and went to the right. The
floor was black marble, and the wall in front of us was lined with
glass, with double glass doors in the middle. My feet slipped a little
and Liam moved his arm to my lower back to steady me. We walked
through the glass doors and were met by a cute red head at a large
white desk. She smiled and stood up when she saw Liam. He said
hello to her, and kept walking. We went around the desk, passing
people the hallway who all said something to him. At the end of the
hall we went left and were again greeted by a young girl, at a desk,
this time a blonde. She stood up and started talking about the
meeting, and followed us as Liam opened a large cherry wood door
behind her desk. It was a very large office with cherry wood
furniture, and a large black sofa and chair. He went straight to the
desk and they were both shuffling papers. She kept looking over at
me as I walked around the office looking at things. There were
pictures of Liam playing golf and tennis with whom I assumed were
clients.
He had pictures of him with beautiful women at charity
events, and degrees and accomplishments framed hanging behind
his desk. I think he could see how the blonde was distracted by me,
so he introduced us.
“Marcy, this is Norah. Norah, this is my secretary, Marcy.” I
