The Billionaire's Secrets (11 page)

Chloe put her arms around the girl’s shoulders. “That’s good, because I’m here to stay for at least three months.”
             
             
             

Sophia
let go of Chloe and jumped up and down while clapping her hands. “Windy! Chloe can stay!”

“I heard, dear. It’s good news.” Windy got up from the table. “But you’re going to wear her nerves right raw with all that noise. Sit down and let Chloe have some breakfast.”

Sophia
sat down obediently and began to shovel big
spoonfuls
of cereal into her mouth.

“Good heavens, girl!” Windy scolded. “Slow down or you’ll choke!”

Sophia
responded by eating with exaggerated slowness, moving her spoon very slowly to her mouth.  Her joke soon became too much for her though. She started to laugh and almost fulfilled
Windy’s
prophecy. Windy vigorously thumped
Sophia
on the back until she stopped coughing. “You’ll be the death of me, you know. Now behave so I can get Chloe something to eat.”

Sophia
nodded meekly and ate obediently while Windy brought Chloe a cup of coffee and a couple of muffins still warm from the oven. “Would you like to help me unpack after breakfast,
Sophia
?” Chloe asked as she spread butter on her muffins.

Sophia
nodded and pushed away her empty bowl. “After that can we start school?”

Chloe smiled.
“If you like.”

“Goody,” she said clapping her hands. “I want to draw on the chalkboard.”

“You have a chalkboard?” Chloe repeated, but the tabby cat ran under the table and
Sophia
was right behind it.

“
Gaelan
had a whole room turned into a schoolroom for the last teacher.”
Windy
looked around for
Sophia
as if worried
Sophia
might hear. But
Sophia
was sitting under the table talking to the cat, oblivious to everything else. “She hardly paid any attention at all to
Sophia
,” she continued in a conspiratorial whisper. “She was too busy throwing herself at
Gaelan
.”

Chloe recalled her confrontation with
Gaelan
the night before.
You think just because you’re rich, I’m going to throw myself at you
, she’d said...
It wouldn’t be the first time,
he’d answered
. That had been just before he’d kissed her. She felt the white rush of heat at the memory and bent her head over her coffee
, hanging
onto the cup with both hands, willing them not to tremble.

“How long was the teacher here?” she asked Windy, forcing her voice to stay calm.

“She was here for a month when
Gaelan
sent her packing.”

“Was
Sophia
upset when she left?” It was important she keep her thoughts focused on her pupil.

“No...
Sophia
never did take to her. Not like you, Miss.” Windy got up from the table and went back to the stove. She lifted a towel from two rising loaves of bread and slid them into the oven. “I’ve never seen
Sophia
take to anyone like she’s taken to you.” She closed the door on the loaves and straightened her back. Then suddenly she looked at Chloe and grinned. “And I can’t say I’ve ever seen
Gaelan
get a bee in his bonnet over anyone like the one he’s got in his bonnet over you.”

* * *

Sophia
, true to her word, helped Chloe unpack. She took a critical interest in Chloe’s
wardrobe
and expressed the opinion that someone as pretty as Chloe should have nicer clothes.

“But I like wearing jeans and sweaters,” Chloe answered. “They’re warm and comfortable.
And what about you?
You’re pretty, but you’re wearing jeans and a sweater.”

Sophia
thought for a moment. “But my sweater is prettier.”

Chloe laughed. “Yes, I think you’re right. Maybe we can go shopping one day together
,
and you can help me pick out some pretty sweaters.”

Sophia
seemed satisfied and put the last of the offending sweaters in the drawer.

Together they carried the few school supplies that Chloe had brought to the school room on the first floor. Chloe had not known what to expect in the way of educational materials and had brought a few books that she was particularly fond of teaching from, including a French primer and a couple of beginner piano books.

She needn’t have worried. On seeing the schoolroom, she came close to tears.
It was a teacher’s dream come true. Even the well-off
private
school
s in Boston
where she’d worked didn’t have materials like this. And no classroom could ever have been half this beautiful!  The room was twice as large as Chloe’s last classroom. A row of windows looking out on the foggy morning graced the length of the room, each windowsill full of cushions perfect for curling up on and reading or dreaming the afternoon away, while tall bookcases groaned under the weight of books.

Sophia
skipped to the end of the room and began to draw multi-coloured rainbows on the chalkboard. Chloe went to the large antique desk in the centre of the room. It was beautiful, but Chloe felt too authoritarian behind it and knew she would not teach at it. Besides, there were plenty of other places to sit and work, from the cushioned windowsills to the large harvest table that faced the blackboard. At the far end of the room, a loveseat faced the inevitable fireplace, and a baby grand piano stood before the windows.

It was a beautiful classroom, but as much as Chloe knew how lucky
Sophia
was to be able to learn in such delightful surroundings, she felt sad when she thought of all the children in overcrowded
,
sterile rooms with barely enough textbooks to go around.

Feeling overawed, Chloe decided to take her cues from
Sophia
. “What do you want to learn about on the first day of school?” she said, admiring
Sophia
’s colourful creation on the chalkboard.

“Animals!”
Sophia
announced without hesitation.

“I thought so,” Chloe said. "How about we go to the bookcases and find some books on animals
?
We can read for a
while together
,
and then we’ll learn some animal names in French. How does that sound?”

Sophia
agreed
,
and before long they were curled up on the couch before a newly-laid fire. Chloe wasn’t surprised that
Sophia
already had basic reading skills. She was so bright she seemed to learn almost by osmosis. She liked both factual books as well as traditional children’s stories. So long as there were animals in the book,
Sophia
was happy.
Sophia
read a simplified version of the
Three Billy Goats Gruff
to Chloe, and Chloe read a more difficult story about magical animals based on Native Canadian legend.

After lunch they put on their
coats
,
and Chloe pushed
Sophia
on the swing behind the house, but they were soon forced in by a cold misty rain. It was cozy by the schoolroom fire
,
and Chloe spread the pieces of a wildlife puzzle across the harvest table. As they put each animal together, Chloe told
Sophia
the name of the animal in French.

However, as absorbed as Chloe was in her new pupil, she could not help but let her thoughts wander to the child's father. She had not seen him since their early-morning encounter on the cliff, but she continued to feel his presence as keenly as if he were looking over her shoulder. Indeed the feeling was so strong sometimes she
found
herself wanting to turn around to see if he was standing behind her. She didn't, telling herself s
he was being paranoid, although
it was also
possibly
wishful thinking…

* * *

Gaelan
closed the office door, went to the mantle, and poured himself a drink. He had strict rules about drinking during the day
,
but today he decided to make an exception.

All morning he had found excuses that took him past the schoolroom door. He would linger there for a moment, listening to
Sophia
's laughter and Chloe's steady reassuring voice, carefully pronouncing the animal names in French for
Sophia
to repeat. It was obvious
Sophia
was happier than she had been in months, and while he could find no fault with Chloe's teaching style, he still found himself hanging around the door.